Might be shooting my first wedding. Tips and help with a contract?

A friend of a friend is getting married in September, and asked if I would shoot his wedding. I have never shot a wedding before, and would definitely consider myself an amateur photographer. He has seen the pictures I've taken, and I'm assuming he likes the quality.

He's working on a budget (which I'm assuming is why he contacted me in the first place), so I told him I'd help him out. When he contacted me on our local car forum asking if I would shoot the wedding, my first sentence in my reply was this "Man. I'd be a little nervous doing a wedding because it's such a big life event and I've never done one before, but I'd be willing to give it my best shot."

My current equipment is listed in my signature, but I told him I would feel much better shooting with a new body. We had agreed on a chunk of the cost for a used 5dmkii. I told him some of the advantages I would get shooting with that camera (better low light, faster, etc), and that would also give me a 2nd camera (the gf could shoot with my t2i). Also expressed I would still have to come out of pocket for new memory cards, battery grip, batteries, etc.

He wrote me back last night, accepting the idea, but we both would feel more comfortable having some form of contract written and signed by both parties.

I do have some questions since I've never shot a wedding before. Does anyone have a contract I could use? Or perhaps a contract template? Things I would want covered are:

•what happens if the wedding is cancelled?
•what happens if client is unsatisfied with photos (I've already expressed I've never shot a wedding)
•when should be the last day he's able to request a refund?
•what timeline should I give to produce images to client?
•rights to photos?
•What happens if I'm requested to stay there longer than the orginal agreed upon time? (like I may choose to leave, stay and shoot at no additional charge per my choice, or charge $___ additional per hour).

and if you could think of anything else, that'd be greatly appreciated.

and any tips for shooting a wedding? Spots I should be at during different parts of the wedding? Should I be at the rehearsal dinner to coordinate how/when everything will play out? (and to practice with lighting)?

would the 24-105 L be a sufficient lens? I have a bower external flash (similar to the canon 430exii, maybe slightly more powerful), should I get a second, or something slightly more powerful? Like one of the Yonguo's? What lens should I have mounted on the t2i for my girlfriend to shoot with (lenses listed in sig).

I'm a little nervous, but also kind of excited to shoot my first wedding. I'm supposed to be meeting with the groom tomorrow evening to go over the contract, sign, and receive payment. I informed him that the sooner I purchased the new 5dmkii, the more practice I could have with it before his wedding.

Also, any tips on where I could practice shooting for an event like this? I thought about maybe posting an add on Craigslist stating that I would shoot one free wedding (I know that's a lot of work for free, but the practice would be great), to gain some experience.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
He's working on a budget (which I'm assuming is why he contacted me in the first place), so I told him I'd help him out. When he contacted me on our local car forum asking if I would shoot the wedding, my first sentence in my reply was this "Man. I'd be a little nervous doing a wedding because it's such a big life event and I've never done one before, but I'd be willing to give it my best shot."

I mentioned this in another thread. As soon as you accept money, regardless of the amount, expectation is going to vary based on the individual. Just because you are shooting on the budget doesn't mean you won't have a nightmare client on your hands. So tread carefully.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
My current equipment is listed in my signature, but I told him I would feel much better shooting with a new body. We had agreed on a chunk of the cost for a used 5dmkii. I told him some of the advantages I would get shooting with that camera (better low light, faster, etc), and that would also give me a 2nd camera (the gf could shoot with my t2i). Also expressed I would still have to come out of pocket for new memory cards, battery grip, batteries, etc.

Yes, a second camera is mandatory on a paid wedding shoot. Not sure a battery grip is mandatory. Extra batteries and enough memory cards are though.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
He wrote me back last night, accepting the idea, but we both would feel more comfortable having some form of contract written and signed by both parties.

That's a good idea.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
•what happens if the wedding is cancelled?

Typically, you would keep the non-refundable retainer.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
•what happens if client is unsatisfied with photos (I've already expressed
I've never shot a wedding)

Depends on why they are unsatisfied. Perhaps there was something uncontrollable that was hindering your ability to photograph effectively? Maybe the officiant limited you to the back of the church? It could be anything. There should be a clause for that in your contract. Indemnity Insurance would also help.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
•when should be the last day he's able to request a refund?

Typically, the retainer is non-refundable once the date is booked.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
•what timeline should I give to produce images to client?

I usually give them 6-8 weeks.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
•rights to photos?

They have print rights. You keep the copyrights.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
•What happens if I'm requested to stay there longer than the orginal agreed upon time? (like I may choose to leave, stay and shoot at no additional charge per my choice, or charge $___ additional per hour).

You either specify an hourly rate and indicate that it will come into effect after x amount of hours or just shoot the entire day.

mikealicious wrote in post #15778877
and if you could think of anything else, that'd be greatly appreciated.

What happens if the couple decides to sue you?

What happens if someone trips over a light stand which results in injury or damage to the venue?

What if you become sick and are unable to shoot the wedding?

Just to name a few...

nicksan wrote in post #15778993
I mentioned this in another thread. As soon as you accept money, regardless of the amount, expectation is going to vary based on the individual. Just because you are shooting on the budget doesn't mean you won't have a nightmare client on your hands. So tread carefully.

that's a good point.

nicksan wrote in post #15778993
Typically, you would keep the non-refundable retainer.

is that normally a flat rate? or a percantage of what I'm charging?

nicksan wrote in post #15778993
Depends on why they are unsatisfied. Perhaps there was something uncontrollable that was hindering your ability to photograph effectively? Maybe the officiant limited you to the back of the church? It could be anything. There should be a clause for that in your contract. Indemnity Insurance would also help.

for my protection, should I be specific about potential scenarios where they would be satisfied, or more vague to cover a "blanket" of reasons.

nicksan wrote in post #15778993
I usually give them 6-8 weeks.

that's roughly what I was thiking.

nicksan wrote in post #15778993
What happens if the couple decides to sue you?

What happens if someone trips over a light stand which results in injury or damage to the venue?

What if you become sick and are unable to shoot the wedding?

Just to name a few...

Didn't think about the getting sick. or perhaps a family emergency scenario. Good points. thank you!

The first thing you need to think about is not if he is willing to help with the purchase of a used camera. What you need to be thinking about is "he paid me xx dollars to shoot the wedding" What you do with the funds is completely up to you. If you choose to rent a body for the weekend then it may work out better. The call is yours to make.

I would get a contract for sure and be sure to sit down with them and get a comprehensive list of photos they expect you to get. In any transaction, if you have a list of what the expectations are, there is less chance of people being unhappy or feeling ripped off.

mikealicious wrote in post #15779043
is that normally a flat rate? or a percantage of what I'm charging?

I usually ask for a 30% non-refundable retainer to book the date.

mikealicious wrote in post #15779043
for my protection, should I be specific about potential scenarios where they would be satisfied, or more vague to cover a "blanket" of reasons.

I don't list specifics on my contract. It's more over to cover things beyond your control, be it people being late, or not being there, mother nature (rain preventing you from shooting outdoors), only allowed to shoot from the back of the church, power going out at a venue, etc, etc. Indemnity Insurance would cover if your client deems that your performance wasn't up to snuff.

mikeinctown wrote in post #15779160
I would get a contract for sure and be sure to sit down with them and get a comprehensive list of photos they expect you to get. In any transaction, if you have a list of what the expectations are, there is less chance of people being unhappy or feeling ripped off.

that is a great idea. that way there's no confusion on what they want.

nicksan wrote in post #15779208
I usually ask for a 30% non-refundable retainer to book the date.


I don't list specifics on my contract. It's more over to cover things beyond your control, be it people being late, or not being there, mother nature (rain preventing you from shooting outdoors), only allowed to shoot from the back of the church, power going out at a venue, etc, etc. Indemnity Insurance would cover if your client deems that your performance wasn't up to snuff.

30% seems fair.

How do I get the indemnity insurance? is that something I purchase? or disclose it somehow in the contract?

and does anyone have a contract template I can use? I'd rather not have to try and create one. I'm sure there would be things I would leave out or type incorrectly.

what do you guys think of this one? seems to cover most basis. we're going to print two copies of the contract and have it notarized.

http://wedding-photographers-directory.com/Contract​PDFs/Contract%204.pdf

This has been mentioned a few times here...

http://photographersto​olkit.com/contracts

nicksan wrote in post #15779749
This has been mentioned a few times here...

http://photographersto​olkit.com/contracts

This. Seriously.