Super common "first wedding" thread...

I was just inspired to write this thread by reading one about some one who was going to take wedding photos for a friend with their high end P&S camera (this is in no way bashing the user I have no idea of his/her capabilities and I hope he/she does great). Here is my story to inspire those to say "NO":

Anyway, My old boss saw some pics up on facebook of my girlfriend and a few others that came out decent and messaged me asking if i did weddings. My initial response was "NO, unfortunately I do not have the skills nor the equipment to pull a wedding off, very flattering tho thanks!"

A friend of mine who still works for the woman later told me that she really really wants me to do the wedding because she has no money for a photographer and the only pics she will get are of the ones her daughter would be taking with her P&S from the side.

Eventually i said yes because i felt really bad and i figured she was super nice when i left the job so i could do her this favor. I made sure she new i was far from a pro and i simply had my XSi and 18-55 kit. i didn't even have my flash yet.

Day of the wedding, she mentioned it was an outdoor so i felt ok about the flash needs, then i come to find out it was under a huge gazebo in the park......

Basically what happened was I shot the whole wedding, the shots under the gazebo came out pretty underexposed, i shot so many pictures so quickly that the flash recycle was ruining all the shots and i missed the KISS because of it HA!. uhmm yeah we took the rest in the plane sunlight.

All in all she was super happy with the photos, She knows nothing about photography so shes happy with anything (don't get me wrong some were pretty good). But i mean i gave her the whole SD card with like 600 photos on it (shot in JPEG lol).

Anyway the lesson here is don't get involved where you seriously don't belong, if you can help it. I mean technically she sent me a thank you card with 25 bucks and a free meal at the dinner afterward so i made some money LOL. It felt good to help someone who needed it but I felt super pressured and it was hot out and i was just super stressed the whole time

If you got this far you might as well comment lol at least i can say lesson learned. (sorry for all of the lower case 'i's auto correct usually has my back)

Hey, you did a nice thing and she gave you a gift, not a payment. There's nothing wrong with that honestly and it got you into the world, to view it. Sucks you didn't have any equipment to play with or shoot under a control condition that could help you build a portfolio but it was an experience and you did something nice. If it comes down to this, I say do it.

I have a friend about to do the same telling her to make sure they know generally, "she sucks" (she's actually decent but so people can understand 'cause they think everyone with a camera is modest)and she did but they want her. She at least has a tele and I told her to get a flash no matter what if she does this. It's a great experience as long as they don't expect anything and she has fun with it. That's the thing, gotta have fun with it. It's not business, it's a favor and they, hopefully, weren't expecting much anyhow.

Aravena, I too have had a friend ask me to shoot her wedding. I am no pro but I will rent a couple of "L" lenses for the occasion. I've never shot a wedding but it's a situation where I can't say no. Of course, I want to give the couple the best possible images. All that to say, I absolutely will cling to you're wonderful advice that it is a favor, not business...no matter how nervous I get.

^Good for you! Great time to get some awesome lenses to make you want to buy them later!

I'd say get a camera but now is a great time to practice with your camera and learn the settings.

732NJ wrote in post #12525839
Anyway the lesson here is don't get involved where you seriously don't belong, if you can help it.

I think the lesson here is that we should help people with our photographic knowledge. Years from now, this couple will have beautiful pictures of their wedding to look at that they would not have had otherwise. You did a good thing.

frugivore wrote in post #12531928
I think the lesson here is that we should help people with our photographic knowledge. Years from now, this couple will have beautiful pictures of their wedding to look at that they would not have had otherwise. You did a good thing.

^^ This

Since I think I may have been the "inspiration" for this thread, I will say that I'm glad I didn't say no. Now, certainly, there are many who could have done better - even with my camera, but in the end, the couple is going to have some pics that they would not have had otherwise. They knew my abilities and my equipment ahead of time and still asked me to shoot their wedding and I for one feel honored to have been able to share this day with them and give them something that will hopefully bring them fond memories for years to come. Any time you can expand your experience and help a friend is a good situation. I have a lot more respect for those of you that do this for a living and I appreciate the time, money, and effort that has been spent on perfecting your craft. I do not see myself stealing any work from any of you in the near future

waiting for Red Tie Photography's post, linking an article to his blog.

Maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about, but it seems that couples who want to keep things simple on the wedding day, do not want to pay for and do not expect high-end professional work. For every $300 CL photographer, there's a $300 CL client who knows exactly what they're buying.

My point is, don't denigrate yourself because your images aren't magazine-cover quality. If the couple's happy, you should be happy. (If the couple's not happy, you should probably also still be happy.)

emdzey01 wrote in post #12546272
waiting for Red Tie Photography's post, linking an article to his blog.

Lol, I dont think Ill post the link on this one. I got tired of writing the same thing over and over to the same questions, so now i just post that link.

I have a wedding coming up in August (my first). It is a low budget event (due to finances) and I was asked if I would do the photos. The bride has seen photos my photos on Facebook and assumed I would be perfect for her wedding lol. I thought about it for days and was about to say no when my wife told me to grow a set and have some confidence in myself. So I said yes.

Thankfully the bride is fully aware of my capabilities (because I told her lol), knows that I have never shot a wedding before but also knows that I will do my very best to produce the best shots I can.

I don't have good equipment but can produce fairly decent images with it. I do intend to hire one or two L lenses for the wedding and this is all I'm charging the B&G for.

I think if the B&G are aware of your limitations and are happy with them then why shouldn't you take the plunge. I know I'm very nervous about it but at the same time I'm really looking forward to it.