First Wedding Shoot

So I was asked by a friend of mine to shoot her wedding in Sept 2011. I have been doing photography for about 3 years part-time, trying to learn as much as I can. I have mostly done maternity, newborn and high school seniors so this will be a challenge to say the least. Still learning in all of those fields. I told my friend that I prefer not to do her wedding b/c I didn't want to ruin her day with bad photos. Because of their budget, she says she knows I'm still learning and is okay with that. Soooooo. . . this is what my gear consists of and thinking of either purchasing one other lense and/or renting. My gear: Canon 50D, Tamron 28-75 2.8, Tamron 18-270, Canon 50m 1.8 and a Canon 430ex. The only other body that I have is a Canon Rebel XT that I think has seen its last days. Am I ready to pull this off?? I wanna take the plunge but want to be realistic as well. Thanks for your feedback.

Let's see...

Clients expectations: Okay as you are just starting out and learning.

The question to all of these "Can I do it" is will you be able to meet the clients expectations. And, I think you can.

It's also a year from now. So, you have plenty of time to hone your craft in that time too.

Are you getting paid? Make sure you keep her expectations in check because some people tend to not do that when they pay money even though they told you otherwise.

You'll need backup gear including another flash.

Yes I will honing my craft like crazy for the next year. Thank you for your feedback.

wdwpsu wrote in post #11097254
Let's see...

Clients expectations: Okay as you are just starting out and learning.

The question to all of these "Can I do it" is will you be able to meet the clients expectations. And, I think you can.

It's also a year from now. So, you have plenty of time to hone your craft in that time too.

We are meeting this Sunday to go over some stuff. She wants to show me some poses she likes, etc. She has asked me what I will be charging her and I have a number in mind (its very low) but what would you say is fair to charge? I'm new to this so my expectation for making alot of money on this wedding is not high. I think my idea is to just give her images (edited of course) on a DVD and let her print at her convenience. Any ideas???? Thanks again for your feedback.

nicksan wrote in post #11097264
Are you getting paid? Make sure you keep her expectations in check because some people tend to not do that when they pay money even though they told you otherwise.

You'll need backup gear including another flash.

linda baca wrote in post #11097306
We are meeting this Sunday to go over some stuff. She wants to show me some poses she likes, etc. She has asked me what I will be charging her and I have a number in mind (its very low) but what would you say is fair to charge? I'm new to this so my expectation for making alot of money on this wedding is not high. I think my idea is to just give her images (edited of course) on a DVD and let her print at her convenience. Any ideas???? Thanks again for your feedback.

There's is just no way to tell how much is appropriate. I would say look at how much you charge for your portrait sessions and derive a number you are comfortable with.

I think since you do portraits, you kind of have a leg up on things in some ways but yes, weddings are very different in that it's more dynamic, hectic, fast paces, and you don't get a second chance at it. You'll have to learn about how a typical wedding flows specifically for photography, etc.

I think giving hi-res images on the DVD is fine and typical these days.

Might seem like a dumb question but I am new at some parts of this: When I give high res images on a DVD, do I make them all 4x6 or 6x4's and tell them to order from me if they want larger or other size prints? Also what lab would you recommend. Thanks.

nicksan wrote in post #11097332
There's is just no way to tell how much is appropriate. I would say look at how much you charge for your portrait sessions and derive a number you are comfortable with.

I think since you do portraits, you kind of have a leg up on things in some ways but yes, weddings are very different in that it's more dynamic, hectic, fast paces, and you don't get a second chance at it. You'll have to learn about how a typical wedding flows specifically for photography, etc.

I think giving hi-res images on the DVD is fine and typical these days.

linda baca wrote in post #11097744
Might seem like a dumb question but I am new at some parts of this: When I give high res images on a DVD, do I make them all 4x6 or 6x4's and tell them to order from me if they want larger or other size prints? Also what lab would you recommend. Thanks.

That's really up to you. I would guess most of the photos are finished off in 4x6 or 6x4 dimensions unless specified?

I usually give them hi-res jpegs so they aren't limited to printing out small 6x4's or 4x6's.

As for labs, how about those that are tied into hosting sites like Smugmug (Bay) or Zenfolio (MPix)?

I appreciate your feeedback very much. Stay tunned b/c they also are excited about their e-shoot that I will be doing as well. Any tips on that???

nicksan wrote in post #11097790
That's really up to you. I would guess most of the photos are finished off in 4x6 or 6x4 dimensions unless specified?

I usually give them hi-res jpegs so they aren't limited to printing out small 6x4's or 4x6's.

As for labs, how about those that are tied into hosting sites like Smugmug (Bay) or Zenfolio (MPix)?