Newbie Checklist

I am on the cusp of bravely throwing myself to the lions of wedding photogrpahy.

I am confident in my technical skills, i am excited for the challenge, and i am dreadfully nervous.

But i need to go in prepared. One gigantic question i have is what do people expect out of a wedding package these days? I have done some homework and it seems that some of them get pretty involved! Engagement shoots. Studio shoots. DVD's. HANDMADE albums? The list goes on!

So here is what i am wondering. What should a basic package include? What should an elaborate expensive package include? What should i be considering to offer or consider?

I would love to hear what you all feel is a good minmum and maximum for a reasonable wedding package.

Cheers.

There is no "one-size fits all" wedding offering, so your question is probably too open to get meaningful responses. What is a reasonable minimum in some markets and areas will be complete overkill in others.

Why not look at it from the other end - imagine yourself to be the kind of bride/groom you want to attract, and then think through what you would want out of your own wedding photography?

You have some good portraits on your website (though the site is difficult to view due to its horizontal scrolling), so I'm not going to question your technical abilities. BUT wedding photography is not about being able to take a good photograph in relatively controlled (and repeatable) circumstances, its ALL about getting a shot of a fleeting moment that's full of emotion, and doing so while under pressure - and that pressure can come from a whole range of directions - no time, poor lighting, poor locations, people getting in the way, officials who won't let you do things you'd planned, guests itching to get to the reception, etc..

Being nervous is normal - Ann and I are nervous every time we go to a wedding - we know we can do the job, we really enjoy the job, but we also want to do our very best, and we know things can easily go pear-shaped when we least expect it.

Throwing yourself bravely in is one thing, standing a high chance of coming out the other end intact is something else, and needs good preparation
- that includes preparing for things that you don't ever expect to go wrong ...like being insured, having equipment that gives you the best chance of getting a shot, having backup equipment, having excellent people-skills, having your post-wedding workflow sorted out, etc..

Rob

I also have the jitters before weddings, not from fear, but excitement.

Check out your competition and price yourself accordingly.

Great feedback guys.

Yeah i am researching the competion, and damn, it is a little intimidating, i have a long way to go before i can call myself ADMIRAL of the SS Wedding Photo, but i think i am good enough to get started.

As for getting great shots under pressure, that is my forte. it does not show in the folio at the moment, but my start was in rock photography, talk about high pressure work. i learned how to take ninja photos, so that is not really a concern.

Post shooting workflow. There is a sticking point. here is what i have now:

1 - archive raw+jpg to DVD
2 - create and upload web-gallery of jpg images for client to preview
3 - have client choose their desired prints
4 - print the prints and create DVD for their use

But i wonder....

should i be filtering what the client sees? if so how much?
should i be showing them more processed and less raw images?
what is the easiest way to take and process orders?
what am i not thinking of here?

Are you saying that you shoot RAW+JPEG? Don't do that, it unnecessarily wastes memory card space. You can turn the RAW files into JPEG files with a simple automated function...so there is no point having the camera do that for you.

There is not a single correct workflow, you will need to find what works for you. You will need to think of how you want to structure your pricing. It's fairly common these days for photographers to sell the files to the client and let them make/buy their own prints. In this case, there is no need for you to give them proofs or to put them up on a web site.

On the other side, maybe you want to make your money by selling prints & albums. In this case, you probably want them to be able to proof them with prints or on the web. This can be very lucrative, but it may also involve a lot of extra time dealing with the clients and waiting for them to order.

Personally, I don't show them anything until it has been edited. If I'm giving them 800 files, it might be minor editing...but I prefer to cut it down to around 200 or less and edit each one to a higher standard.

I certainly wouldn't put up 800 images and let them pick and choose. The more that you cut and the fewer images that you leave for them to cut...the better IMO. Although, some photographers and some clients put a lot more stock in the quantity of images. They might want you to give them 1000 images.

Big Mike wrote in post #4177548
Are you saying that you shoot RAW+JPEG? Don't do that, it unnecessarily wastes memory card space. You can turn the RAW files into JPEG files with a simple automated function...so there is no point having the camera do that for you.

......

I hate to admit it but I tend to do the same. RAW + JPEG

Big Mike,

I realize that i am gobbling up an extra 5% of card space, but the time it saves in to having to do the RAW -> JPG conversion is worth it to me.

I dont think i would want to sell the full rez photos to the client because i dont want an untouched photo of mine going out there, so i guess that decides that for me.

I think i am inclined to offer a DVD of printable X amount of images that i have made sure are delicious enough to be put out into the world and not make me look feeble. And possibly offer an album if the client requests it. i dont know if i want to deal with all the printing headaches, unless the client preffers that. Good thoughts.

What about everybody else? In terms of logisitcs versus profitability, would you rather have the client handle the printing? Or is it worth the trouble to hold on to those margins?

I'd say that it's more than an extra 5%. My camera's RAW files average 6500 to 8500 KB, and the large fine JPEG files average 2500-4000 KB. Add those together and it's a lot more than just the RAW files. Yes, it does take time to convert them, but you can make a few clicks and then walk away from the computer, go to sleep etc.

'Full Resolution' doesn't mean untouched...far from it. It just means that you give them files that are large enough for them to make/order their own prints.
You sort through your images, cut the bad ones, edit the rest and give them only the best photos which have been edited.

photog_87 wrote in post #4177051
Post shooting workflow. There is a sticking point. here is what i have now:

1 - archive raw+jpg to DVD
2 - create and upload web-gallery of jpg images for client to preview
3 - have client choose their desired prints
4 - print the prints and create DVD for their use

1 - Been covered, it's extremely wasteful.

2 - Have you missed 2 steps?
a, EDIT The most important PP function is the delete key. Show your clients only work that you know you are proud of, don't ask them to find the worst out of a bunch of similar images. ONLY show them the best.
b, how are you actually processing these images, simple colour / exposure? Effects / B&W conversions? Again, you can't expect your clients to know which images will look stronger in B&W or sepia, it's up to you to show them your work at it's best.

3 - will be easier if you've EDITED for them (see above), they've paid you for your artistic vision. When you go to the movies do you want the directors chosen hour and a half or the 2 thousand hours of film they shot?

4 - Depends on what's in your package, it's becoming customary to offer the high res JPEGS on DVD, you may want to produce a slideshow or an album. I don't recommend allowing the customer 100% freedom of choice for an album or DVD, you need it to work as a cohesive entity, see above.

First of all, big mike, i look forward to meeting you when i fly into edmonton in 6 months to start shooting some wedding gigs next summer. Edmonton is my home town, and i am looking to launch my wedding career there. HILARIOUS!

Anyways, to both of you, very good insight. I had not thought of it that way. ofcourse, i am not just an image capture technician, i am the artist they hired to make awesome images of their fabulous event. I knew that, and in all the rigamorol of focusing on the business and the technical, i quite literally forgot about the heart of what we do.

As for what kinds of final packages to offer, i think i will do some digging in the competions webpages *cough*mike*cough* and see what they are up to and what makes sense for me to persue.

JJacula wrote in post #4176273
Check out your competition and price yourself accordingly.

If he's never shot a wedding before, he doesn't have any 'competition'.

I don't know for sure, but I'd say that Edmonton is one of the hottest markets for wedding photography in Canada. The oilfield supplies plenty of jobs and lots of money so there are a ton of young working people here...and a lot of them are getting married, buying houses and having kids. You might even have an advantage, coming from N.S. as many of the young people here have come from the Maritime.

You can check out my web site...but you will have to wait about a week until it's up and running.

Big Mike,

That is VERY encouraging.

Looking forward to seeing your site, mine will be weddinged shortly.

A lot of the artistry of wedding photography is in the PP. It's not just about converting a photo from RAW to JPEG, but rather the extensive editing that goes into the final product.