Help!

[woodsters]

Ok, i've never posted over in this side, because weddings have never been my forte, but i need help. I just received an email from a girl who picked up one of my cards. On my website it says nothing about weddings, but anyway, she wants a quote for a wedding that will be next May. I'm kind of leary about this because I have no idea about shooting it. I know it will probably be an outside wedding because of it's location. But what i'm most worried about is what photos people are wanting....is this something that you go over with the client or does each photographer have their own style? What questions do I need to ask in order to give her a quote? Should I explain to her that I've never done weddings and offer it for free for the experience and maybe just make a little on the prints? Or should I pass the opportunity on to a experienced photographer and maybe lend a hand and get the experience?

[woodsters]

Yes if there are any wedding photographers in the Charlotte, NC area that are interested in this, let me know. I can either come and learn something or I can refer you, with a price of course...hahaha

[tim]

Wedding FAQ (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=255604).

[woodsters]

Thanks all for the replies. Especially to you Tim. I've been reading up on some of the FAQ you came up with. What I decided to do was to send the lady an email just letting her know that I've never shot a wedding before, that I have really just done models, but that I could probably offer something a lot less than what a professional wedding photographer could. I sort of just let her know that I've never done it but am willing to give it a try, but don't expect a whole lot. She replied back to me and said it wasn't a concern of her or her fiance that I haven't shot a wedding. She said it was going to be a small ceremony with immediate family and friends. All they want shot was the ceremony and some family shots later on. They also wanted rights to print the photos up on their own. The place they are getting married at is like 5 miles from my house. I decided to figure it out as a learning step and not to really make any money at it. I can then decide if its something that I want to pursue further. I quoted her a price of $300. That would include the photos on the disk. Plus I will get her to let me use them as well on my portfolio. She also mentioned about giving me a tesitmonial for future endeavors into the wedding photography thing if i wanted. I figured the $300 would buy me something else that I want for my photography. She said it sounded reasonalbe and would be back in touch. We'll see how it goes....

[Mike]

You gotta start somewhere!! For my first couple of weddings the couples were completely aware that I was inexperienced and that they should have low expectations!
Read up on stuff, look at what works and what doesn't for wedding photos.
Here's a list of a few more links that you may find useful: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5999915&postcount=2

[PMCphotography]

Great!

it's probably worthwhile to go through what specifically they want/expect before the wedding. If all they want it candid type shots, then try to stay out of their way during the day. If she wants more glamour type stuff, sounds like you have experience with models, so you should be able to pose her in a way that suits her.