A warning to those who think they can do weddings...

[SWPhotoImaging]

I would never do a wedding shoot, but if I happened to be at a wedding for some reason, I'm sure I'd have better photos than that to show for it.

[saravrose]

just a thought maybe, but perhaps you can take a couple photos of her in the gown. I'm not saying that you should attempt to shoot twenty people. Buy maybe find an afternoon to do a couple of portraits of her in the gown from her wedding. I had friends that had their wedding photos re-taken. not ideal, not romantic but better than what she has.
Sari.

[toddb]

I wouldn't mind doing some apprentice work for a wedding photographer. That would be the only way I would break into doing this. I don't think I'd want to ever be the main photographer for a wedding though, doesnt seem that fun. I got married pretty young...now what I'm much older at 30, I guess I should have gotten a better photographer then the $50 my mother in law paid for our photographer, lol....man I wish I had better pictures of that day now. He did take us outside and put us under a tree to block the harsh light, so he wasn't all too bad. Worth the $50!

I think you have to remember though the price paid and as photographers ourselves, we are pretty critical. Didn't she look at any samples before hiring?

I agree with you all about getting some current photos taken. Maybe she didn't get good pics of her wedding but no reason to not get some great couple photos now.

Anyone ever shoot there own wedding, lol? I think I could do it.

[tim]

Weddings are fun! I really enjoy shooting them, but it is damn hard work, and very physical. You have to be really organised, plan well, and the type of person that can handle the pressure.

[Tonky]

Originally Posted by tim

Weddings are fun! I really enjoy shooting them, but it is damn hard work, and very physical. You have to be really organised, plan well, and the type of person that can handle the pressure.

Word!

You really need to reccy the venues well in advance - that's the church or registrar's office and the reception venue, so that come the big day you have a good idea of how you're going to tackle the job and where you're going to pose your shots, as well as knowing any particular problems the sites pose. Sometimes the church grounds is the better venue for the bulk of your shots and sometimes the reception venue is more suitable, but you don't want to be flying by the seat of your pants on the day.

Don't take the weather for granted, rain can turn the whole thing into a nightmare. People are pretty understanding but they'll still expect you to deliver reasonable results and some venues are wholly unsuited to taking indoor shots and groups, so you just have to do the best you can.

Undestand that when they come out of church there are only really three people who are remotely interested in getting the photos taken - you and the bride and groom. (I'm not sure aout the groom ) Everyone else just wants to get to the bar, and given half a chance they will if there's one handy. It's at this point that you need all your tact and organizing ability to keep everyone available. I used to grab the long suffering best man and impress upon him that it was part of his duties to assist by keeping everyone together and calling out people as they were required. Some of those best men were awesome!

[tim]

Yeah you definitely need to know the venue and the layout of things on the day beforehand so you can plan. And you need backup plans and locations for in case of rain. I scout all locations in advance, talk to the minister if I can, and anyone else that's important. I take studio lighting in case I think I need it, mainly in case of rain, but so far i've been lucky and haven't needed it.

Good idea about conscripting the best man, i'll have to do that, I usually use the mother of the bride or someone like that

[Tonky]

Weddings can be enjoyable, you just need to try to keep it light and chatty and not a pain for everyone. I've seen even seasoned pros getting hot under the collar and snapping and snarling at people - makes you wonder why they do it.

[tim]

You definitely have to relax, or at least appear relaxed, happy, carefree, and not stressed. The expression on a brides face (and everyone elses) often mirrors the expression of the photographer. The more experienced you get, the more comfortable you are, the less stressed you are, so you smile, they smile, and the photos get better

[Tonky]

Originally Posted by tim

You definitely have to relax, or at least appear relaxed, happy, carefree, and not stressed. The expression on a brides face (and everyone elses) often mirrors the expression of the photographer. The more experienced you get, the more comfortable you are, the less stressed you are, so you smile, they smile, and the photos get better

You got it.

[Citizensmith]

I guess I should also share my own wedding story from being on the other end. We had hired a photographer recommended by a friend. Met with him a couple of times, reviewed his work, handed over a deposit. Then, 2 days before the event he calls and says he's not going to show up "Because it doesn't feel right". Now what kind of bullsh1t line is that. Make something up about your dad being in hospital or something that we would have gone for. Then the guy even had the cheak to argue about returning the deposit as they are non-refundable in his contract. Threats of lawyers got that sorted. Our friend who had made the recommendation never did get over the embarassment.

Fortunately one of the bridesmaids was a good photographer and was willing to accept a change in roles for the wedding so we still got some nice photos.

[Thornfield]

It never ceases to amaze me that people will only spend the minumum amount of money possible and then spend an absolute fortune on the catering, wedding gown etc etc. The few things that hopefully last is 1) the marriage itself @) the memories and 3) the photography. For $400 she got what she paid for. Like the old saying goes, you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear. And if all people are prepared to pay for is a sows ear then they can't complain.

[SuzyView]

I have been doing weddings for about 3 years now and I only do it for friends with very poor children. I take a zillion pictures all over the place and if 1/10 come out reasonable, they are lucky. I use my portrait lenses (85 1.8) and now my 50 1.4 in low light most of the time and those pictures are reasonable good no matter what I do. Tonight I shot in the dark with Christmas lights as the only other light besides my flash. I put my 50 1.4 on my 10D and prayed. About 50% of the time the focus was off because it was dark and I only got 80 pictures all together. But since I did it for free and the wedding party understood that, they were happy to get anything. I think there is too much pressure for photographers when this one event is so important. If you hire me, you know I will "direct" the crowd and make things right through my lens before I snap. I will take as many pictures as I think we need. Then I hand them the disk and leave. I save a lot of money for gifts this way. And I don't like being in the pictures. This is why I go behind the lens. It's a win-win for me. Those pictures you posted, they are really sad. I understand completely. Can't do it over.

SuzyView

[Thornfield]

I think with a bit of time a lot can be salvaged from this image to improve it though. Working with the original would have helped but here's my feeble attempt.

[Thornfield]

here's another. Mind you I did these on my laptop and the calibration is off by a mile

[jukas]

All the "you get what you pay for" aside. I think if you start with the original images (I pray for raw but am guessing jpg) and do a lot of PS work (tons of layers & masks are your friend) you'll end up with an image that in the brides eyes are 10x better than they started.

Remember, a photographer is their own worst critic (I understand the OP didn't take these) and some of the shots I've taken that I consider barely acceptable friends, family and J Q Public have loved.

I think with some time and careful PP work you can present her with an image that she will be pleased with.


P.S. This post makes me miss Bloo Dog.. whatever happened to him?