Thinking of wedding crashing

Dan Marchant wrote in post #14710227
Seriously bad idea. You're going to disrupt someone's wedding and piss off the pro who is doing the actual wedding shoot; not to mention the fact that no one is likely to pose for you so you will be trying to steal every shot.

The correct way to gain experience is to offer your services to local wedding shooters as a second shooter. That way you don't upset anyone and you get to actually learn from the pro.

This is the best way to get in. and next to the pro, you will piss of the b&g too...unless you want pics of a shoe moving towards you

fogboundturtle wrote in post #14708744
Since no one wants to hire someone who never shot a wedding, I am thinking I am going to start crashing some wedding so I can get a portfolio build.

Great idea!!! Do be sure to use a small camera without any sharp edges though, that way you will not experence too much discomfort when the proctologist in the ER pulls it back out.

Wayne

Alyx wrote in post #14710238
This is the best way to get in. and next to the pro, you will piss of the b&g too...unless you want pics of a shoe moving towards you

I think you should burst in one door running with a pair of 580's flashing away as much as possible and keeping running until you get out of an opposing door.

Then post the pictures of back on here?

PS. Sorry for the completely ridiculous advise, but it was a daft questionP

If you really want to get wedding portfolio pictures, offer a free wedding, turn it into a contest to get exposure. worst case post on craigslist and screen the replies for the best looking couple that should produce the best looking portfolio pictures.

Or try contacting your local churches. Simply state that you are a new photographer, and you wish to develop a portfolio and become a better photographer. Offer to Donate your time and the use of your equipment to the community for a few sessions over the summer, and ask that the church help you find couples who may not otherwise have been able to afford a photographer.

You'll be in lower key weddings, spreading good will among the community, and churches are full of old ladies who are damn good cooks. Play your cards right, and you will never have to buy crappy bakery cookies again.

You do realize this was meant as an humorous thread ? Even 2nd shooter needs ext extensive portfolio theses day. I guess I am going to have to spend some of my own money, hire 1 actor/actress, stage my own wedding picture to build my portfolio.

fogboundturtle wrote in post #14711016
You do realize this was meant as an humorous thread ? Even 2nd shooter needs ext extensive portfolio theses day. I guess I am going to have to spend some of my own money, hire 1 actor/actress, stage my own wedding picture to build my portfolio.

Glad my comment was relivent then

One of the Photog mags that I get recently did a feature on some "top" wedding photographers. I remember one guy saying that he actually got his start by grabbing some friends, hitting the thrift store / Goodwill, buying an old wedding dress and tux, and staging a bunch of wedding shots.

I think this route is a great idea to get your foot in the door with some actual photographers as a second shooter, where you can then go and build your portfolio.

fogboundturtle wrote in post #14711016
You do realize this was meant as an humorous thread ? Even 2nd shooter needs ext extensive portfolio theses day. I guess I am going to have to spend some of my own money, hire 1 actor/actress, stage my own wedding picture to build my portfolio.

Why pay?

I want to update my portfolio as well so I am holding a bridal event with my goal to have 5 brides each with a different look/ethnecity and get a hmua involved as well so they can build thier port.

Ill prob do 3 in studio and 2 on location. I have a couple married women interested *they have the dress and wont care as much if it gets dirty as if they are not married yet*, the only problem is there is not a ton of asians in the area and all the african-americans I know they are either not married or been married a long time and the dress no longer fits.

Ive resorted to modelmayhem for the last two, but theres only 2 asians on there and neither responded. Im tempted to try craigslist now.

fogboundturtle wrote in post #14711016
You do realize this was meant as an humorous thread ? Even 2nd shooter needs ext extensive portfolio theses day. I guess I am going to have to spend some of my own money, hire 1 actor/actress, stage my own wedding picture to build my portfolio.

Isn't the lounge the forum for humor. When the forums were reworked a few years ago they put these in the Sharing Knowhow so that people with serious questions relating to specific subjects had an area that they could go and seek help or leave serious commentary.

I don't see anything in your OP that would tell us that you were trying your standup routine.

ssim wrote in post #14714121
Isn't the lounge the forum for humor. When the forums were reworked a few years ago they put these in the Sharing Knowhow so that people with serious questions relating to specific subjects had an area that they could go and seek help or leave serious commentary.

I don't see anything in your OP that would tell us that you were trying your standup routine.

Lets hope his photography is better than his standup?

I work for a wedding planner and they accidentaly scheduled me for a wedding with another photographer that the bride had hired personally.

I arrived 2 hours before the ceremony (as usual) to get photos of the reception room (wedding and reception at the same location... That's nice) and about 20 photos into it someone asked me who I was and I said I'm the Photographer and gave them my name. 2 minutes the same person came to me with a woman (the brides mother I'm assuming) and said sternly What are you doing here. I'm not paying 2 photographers. At that moment a guy with a Cheap Nikon entered the room and sort of stood back and watched what was going on. I told them I was scheduled to shoot the wedding that day.

So I went and talked to the director and she had mentioned that the mother of the bride cancled my services at the last minute and I wasn't needed that day. So I ended up leaving. I got dome good shots of the reception room, place settings, cakes, etc.

But the brides mother seemed perturbed especially when she said "I'm not going to pay for 2 photographers". That's when I said I'd go ask the director what's going on.

So crashing weddings just to get portfolio photos... Not a good idea.

If you want to shoot a couple freebies, post something on Craigslist in the Creative Services section. You might get a few nibbles.

magoosmc wrote in post #14708915
Does this mean that the other two cousins are the bride and groom? Be sure and get some good shots of the banjo player.

Damn, that is funny

Is it a Kentucky Wedding?

Luckless wrote in post #14710768
Or try contacting your local churches. Simply state that you are a new photographer, and you wish to develop a portfolio and become a better photographer. Offer to Donate your time and the use of your equipment to the community for a few sessions over the summer, and ask that the church help you find couples who may not otherwise have been able to afford a photographer.

You'll be in lower key weddings, spreading good will among the community, and churches are full of old ladies who are damn good cooks. Play your cards right, and you will never have to buy crappy bakery cookies again.

This covers a lot of bases from getting experience, to exposure to marketing.