Family Wedding Rates?

Hi All and a Happy New Year

Someone from a very distant side of my family (i.e never met or heard of each other) got in touch with me as they'd like me to photograph there wedding due to recommendations.
I came up with what I thought a brilliant prices package for them - which they refused as the cost is to high, what do you think?

• Morning til Evening (no time limit)
  
• All Final Images on Copyright and Watermark free DVD
  
• Black and White copy of each picture
  
• Photo Book
  
• Online Gallery with Family and Friends Access
  
• Wall Canvas 12" x 10"
  
• Portrait Shoots of Family and Friends in front of a White Screen
  
• Photo Prints 5 = 10” x 7” and 1 = 12” x 10”
  

$1300 is a steal if you're a fabulous wedding photographer; $1300 is way way overpriced if you're just a dude with a camera and not that much experience. I have no idea where you are in the continuum between these possibilities.

It is possible they contacted you mainly because they thought your prices would be very low due to the relationship, tenuous as it may be.

I'm not going to say I'm anywhere near being a pro wedding photographer, but so far from the weddings I have done I've had nothing but compliments and tears of joy with people coming back to me and saying they've recommended me to others (which is where I get most of my business).

She wanted me to quote her without all the bells and whistles, purely photos on a DVD, but with the travel etc I just don't think it'd be worth it.

cookiejay wrote in post #15438353
surely that's a price that's hard to refuse

If your quote is beyond their budget, then it's easy to refuse.

Only negotiate down on price if you can negotiate down on deliverables (ie half-day instead of full day).

If it's your best and final offer and she thinks it's too high, walk away.

If you're far from professional it seems odd to be charging much of anything in my opinion.

I think you dodged a bullet. Family can often have the highest expectations while also wanting the steepest "family discounts". You might post a link to your portfolio so we can get a feel for the quality.

Assuming even passable quality I would tell them that the extras were things you were throwing in and the price isn't that flexible.

Were you going to be invited to the wedding if you weren't shooting? If not it lets you know how much of a discount to even consider.

My last customer was recommended from someone for my 'professional' work, doesn't mean I class myself as a professional.

I look at some of the pictures on this website, including yours Christopher and think the work is amazing. But as I work full time and see photography more of a hobby that helps pay the bills, I'll never want to carry the title as a professional regardless of how many courses I take or events I photograph, not even in 30+ years unless I decide to change careers.

Fernando wrote in post #15438439
Were you going to be invited to the wedding if you weren't shooting? If not it lets you know how much of a discount to even consider.

I like this point and the answer is no, I wouldn't have been invited

Seems to me this is no different to any other enquiry and quotation.
They enquired, you quoted, they rejected, end of story.
The fact they are family is irrelevant if you have never even heard of each other and for mine has no bearing on the issue at all.

as an aside, I find some of your inclusions quite strange.
Why would you offer a B/W copy of each picture?
When I shoot B/w I set them up as a B/w Pic and use the elements and features of the pic to give it value as a b/w. To me just making everything b/w is just doing it for the sake of it and nothing more.

Also a 12x10 Canvas wall print??
That's like a postage stamp on a wall . To me that would be more like an album size and not even big enough for a double page spread.
If you are going to do canvas ( and how many decors does that fit in with these days?) I'd do one you can at least see from the other side of the room.

I have also never heard of family and friends shots in front of a white screen. I understand but even so it still sounds bit odd me and may well be the clients may percieve it's bit of a firing squad line up.

Perhaps this sort of thing is standard in the UK but is sure sounds unusual to me.

I'm wondering if it also fails to have any percieved value to the clients? You said you came up with what YOU thought was a great deal but pretty obviously THEY didn't!
With my wedding coverages I ask a LOT of questions as to what the couple want and add in from a basic coverage. It doesn't matter a hoot what I think is a great deal, if they don't then no gig for me.

Perhaps it's time to take a look at what your clients want in a coverage and if they see any value in a set of B/W pics or being photographed with all the family ( how long does that take out of their reception?) of if they even like canvas prints.

They may rush the idea of a metal or even a decent size standard print but if they are like me, a canvas would be a " OMG, WTF is that left over from the '80's "
Or was it '70's?
Or '60's??

cookiejay wrote in post #15438449
My last customer was recommended from someone for my 'professional' work, doesn't mean I class myself as a professional.

When I went pro many years ago, it was because photography was a hobby I loved and all my friends told me how great I was and how beautiful my work was. I was the best photographer any of them knew.

Problem was, I sucked balls and didn't know it. I'm in the process of updating my portfolio right now, and I went back through my portfolio back then. Not a single usable image.

But in the mind of all my friends and family, I was a spectacular photographer with very professional results.

In the grand scheme of photography, my work blew donkeys.

I'm not saying you are good or bad. I haven't looked at it. But just because one person thinks your work is 'professional' quality doesn't mean it is.

Thomas Campbell wrote in post #15438843
But just because one person thinks your work is 'professional' quality doesn't mean it is.

I agree with everything you've psoted on this subject, but I think you've just proven the opposite of what you intended. The fact that your early work didn't live up to your current standards is meaningless. Enough people thought it was of high enough quality that you were actually able to become a professional because of it. Ergo, your work *was* professional quality, even if you no longer like your old stuff.

CraigPatterson wrote in post #15438866
I agree with everything you've psoted on this subject, but I think you've just proven the opposite of what you intended. The fact that your early work didn't live up to your current standards is meaningless. Enough people thought it was of high enough quality that you were actually able to become a professional because of it. Ergo, your work *was* professional quality, even if you no longer like your old stuff.

Nope, nope.

My work sucked. And I went professional and was super broke for a couple years. Couldn't pay my bills and had to hustle card games and work at coffee shops to make ends meet. I lived on the food that Starbucks threw out at the end of the night for a while [not digging it out of the trash.]

I was just another wannabe photographer.

I made it because I busted my ass and improved. My work was not anywhere near professional quality. But it became professional quality over time.

My immediate family (brother/sister) would get me for free. Any one else normal rates.

cookiejay wrote in post #15438453
I like this point and the answer is no, I wouldn't have been invited

Full price then. They're relatives, but they aren't family.

cookiejay wrote in post #15438353
Hi All and a Happy New Year

Someone from a very distant side of my family (i.e never met or heard of each other) got in touch with me as they'd like me to photograph there wedding due to recommendations.
I came up with what I thought a brilliant prices package for them - which they refused as the cost is to high, what do you think?

• Morning til Evening (no time limit)
  
• All Final Images on Copyright and Watermark free DVD
  
• Black and White copy of each picture
  
• Photo Book
  
• Online Gallery with Family and Friends Access
  
• Wall Canvas 12" x 10"
  
• Portrait Shoots of Family and Friends in front of a White Screen
  
• Photo Prints 5 = 10” x 7” and 1 = 12” x 10”

Let alone they live 90 miles away!

All for £800($1300 if you're on the other side of the pond lol), unless I'm mistaken then surely that's a price that's hard to refuse?

I did a bit of research and couldn't find anything that matched this for the price, I'd be close to making no profit at all if I went any lower

Jay

I think that Glumpy has mades some good points.

A typical shoot and burn wedding (disc of images - minimal processing) in my experience comes it at around £500 - £550 in the UK. Some are more, some less but that's a good average.

Therefore do I put £250 - £300 value on your extras - honestly no.

If they want cheaper I'd offer a disc of images covering :

• Pre-ceremony at venue,
  
• brides arrival,
  
• ceremony,
  
• formals,
  
• bride/groom portraits,
  
• reception to cutting of the cake