Shooting a Wedding for a Friend

[anne_marie_larrabure1]

<p>I could use some advice! My friend has asked me to shoot her sister's wedding. My friend is covering the cost fo the photographer and is on a tight budget. This would be my first wedding, but I have done a couple quincenearas, portraits, & engagement sessions. I'm just torn as to what to charge for a friend especially since I have limited experience.</p>

<p>What would you do? Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

[mike dixon]

<p>A good start would be to review the many questions very-similar to this one also posted here in the "Wedding Photography - A wedding Primer for Newcomers" archive. After that, try to formulate some specific questions which weren't addressed by your basic research.</p>

[savagesax]

<p>It is dangerous to suddenly do your first wedding. Most people assist pro's for a while, take a few classes, the average perhaps is around a year of hard work. You don't have that kind of time. I think the people are out of line asking you to do a professional job, because money is tight. I bet they are going on a honeymoon or something. Bottom line is there's always money around to hire a pro. For example, avoid a sit down dinner, avoid steak dinners, have the party in a park or a home.</p>

<p>You should consider backing out, but you probably won't. Make sure the bride and the groom know it's your first job and don't charge them anything. Let them kmow there will be mistakes. I've seen, read, and heard brides telling me the photos were so bad that they had no memories of this single most important day of her life.</p>

[john_h.1]

<p>I would account for the fact that the photos are the one part of the wedding, unlike the baked scrod, that will be memorialized for many years for them and their freinds and family to see, perhaps almost every single day of their life.</p>

<p>No pressure or anything.</p>

<p>To pull this off, there will be a huge amount of work and practice. Are you going to be a wedding photographer after this or is all the work for a one off event? Do you want to get in to contract negotiations to protect yourself as these things sometimes lead to relationship fallout despite the generosity involved. Did the couple decide that substantial resources would be allocated to other things like Bob brought up with the photograghy left as the afterthought or is this truly a needy situation? Is the sister inspired by your photography or are you just the freind of the sister who does photography? Does your freind and/or sister really know how much work you are being asked to take on or do they think, like many, that knowing how to use a camera is knowing wedding photography and that it will be an easy affair. Is all this worth it for someone you didn't refer to as a freind but merely their relative?</p>

<p>There are many other questions too and all of this may be pointless because you wish to go forward in any event. If you haven't thought about these kind of things, however, this is the time. If your shoot is a go, your question has been asked countless times as Mike said. There are plenty of responses here already. Happy wading and good luck. If you go forward, think positive despite all these issues and have fun.</p>

[betty_lowrey]

<p>Honestly, since it's your first, I would charge the bare minimum or just have them pay for your materials, etc. You have to crawl before you can walk.</p>

[sherijohnson]

<p>This is how I would approach the situation and I would make sure you have a chance to talk with the bride and groom beforehand so they know the scenario (that this is your first). Then if everyone is okay with that, you should ask your friend what she has in mind. Whenever I am in a situation with charging a friend or even someone I don't know for something and not sure "how much" I ask them what they think is fair. The more time you have to prepare and educate yourself beforehand, the better.</p>

[christopher_m]

<p>I wish everyone would stop trying to scare you.</p>

<p>If they are on a tight budget then you can also just give them photos on a Flash drive and let them print them at their convience and cost when money comes in. $300 sounds reasonable. It's quite a bit lower than anything else they might get, but it's $25 (tax free?)for 10 hours (6 hours at the wedding, 4 hours doing some basic post processing), plus $50 for incidentals. Plus now you have a wedding you can show in your portfolio.</p>

<p>I assume you have some decent equipment:</p>

<ol>

<li>An autofocus/wind SLR or DSLR & extra batteries</li>

<li>An external flash with capability to bounce </li>

<li>A fast portrait lens so you can take photos during the ceremony without flash. </li>

<li>A second body and lens, perhaps a film camera loaded with 400 Tri-X. </li>

</ol>

[picturesque]

<p>There are several factors to consider. First is the fact that things can get ugly when charging a friend. I usually stick to my guideline of either charging full price or not charging at all, except for actual expenses. This is because invariably, if you charge something in between, your friend will either not value your efforts or think you didn't bring your A game because you didn't charge full price. It's a psychological thing at the back of their mind.</p>

<p>Second is the fact that you haven't shot a wedding before, with an add on issue of whether you WANT to be shooting weddings in the future. If you do, then I would consider doing this for zero dollars, save actual expenses, just to be able to have portfolio material--be sure to get model releases--also considering what I said above re shooting for friends.</p>

<p>Third is what you already charge for quinceaneras, portraits and engagements. If you are going to charge full price, what have you charged for those? If you are good shooting quinceaneras, you will find it easy to adapt to weddings--I don't mean it will fall into your lap, but a quinceanera isn't that far away in schedule and type of event.</p>

<p>So, if you want to shoot weddings in the future, I'd charge nothing save expenses. If you don't necessarily want to do it in the future, I'd consider full price, based on what you charged for a quinceanera. I would not go 'in between'.</p>

[jill_gately1]

<p>I agree, I wish people would stop scaring you, too. The whole "Don't become a photographer until you assist other photographers, go to school, etc" is a bit discouraging. I was never a second shooter and I never went to an art school. However, I did work at a photo lab in high school and college and was constantly around other photographers and equipment. And I read a lot and did a ton of research. Whether or not you take this wedding is perhaps a confidence issue. If you <strong>don't </strong> think you can pull it off with good results, perhaps you should pass. On the other hand, this is a great opportunity to get your feet wet. My first wedding was a wedding a shot for my friend's sister. So I understand where you are coming from. I didn't charge her a penny. Only because it was an investment for me. You have to get experience and have a few weddings under your belt before you can really confidently charge. However, in my case I knew the bride very well and she knew that this was my first wedding. She wasn't planning on getting a photographer at all, so any pictures she had she was happy with, so I couldn't really disappoint her. There was no liability involved..we had a contract stating that. Basically I had nothing to lose and nothing but expereince to gain. I almost felt like the bride was doing me a favor by helping me build a portfolio. So maybe if you provided a little more information about your scenario, the answers you are getting wouldn't be all over the map. But if you are clear about your experience and relay that to the bride and she still wants you on board, then do it. Just do yourself a favor and rent a backup camera if you didn't already think of that. I guess you have to ask yourself how important it is for you to get a few weddings under your belt. if wedding photography is something you seriously want to pursue, then you should consider doing it.</p>

[john_h.1]

<p>No one is trying to scare anybody. If that were true, there would be comments indicating that the shoot and the experience itself will be doomed. Instead, there has been discussions about things that COULD go awry and why. Warning about common potential pitfalls that arise in new endeavors is entirely appropriate. I'm sure Anne-Marie is grown up enough to not be frightened by anyone's remarks and is capable of figuring out what's best for her no matter what anyone says.</p>

<p>The suggestions about talking it out with the B&C are a good idea.</p>

[William Michael]

<p><em><strong>"I'm just torn as to what to charge for a friend especially since I have limited experience. What would you do?"</strong></em><br>

<br>

a) give invoice to your friend with <em>No Money Values indicated</em> just a service line "Wedding Coverage" and write across it "settled in full - a gift to my friend" <br>

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or<br>

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b) not accept the job.<br>

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***<br>

<br>

On the other issues & comments made:<br>

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I agree with the detailed advice given by others, which, appears was interpreted by some as to "scare you".<br>

<br>

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***<br>

<br>

On that particular note I ask pardon to comment further: <br>

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I think it both Professional and Courteous to warn a fellow traveller of the potential pitfalls before she steps forth on a virgin journey. </p>

<p>Perhaps I just only see the Grace in those warning comments . . . because I have fallen a few times and whilst some cuts and bruises were due to my arrogance and knowing it all - there were other times I would have benefitted (and also taken note of) a warning bell, had one been rung for me by those whom had journeyed on a similar path, before me.<br>

<br>

No (age) offense intended, and to put it bluntly . . . between a few of the (scary / warning) comments above, there might be close to 100 years of EXPERIENCE behind a camera; in business or both . . . if you want to add me, we are batting close to 130 . . . <br>

<br>

Taking the time to courteously inform someone about issues of which they might be ignorant, should, if anything be acknowledged and thanked, not dismissed, treated irreverently or argued about – and I am NOT suggesting it was argumentative here – I am merely pointing to this could be the beginning – the initial comments. There is too much of that here. <br>

<br>

I have found, that in the main, comments by experienced folk here are built on the premises of being helpful and assisting ON A MULTIPLICITY of levels BEYOND the question being asked. Each of us has own opinion about the topic under discussion - sidewise comments often lead to the topic itself disintegrating. <br>

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That said, I shall shut up – I do not entreat any detailed encounter, I am just making, one singular point.<br>

<br>

WW</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>Anne-Marie -</p>

<p>I would set a price for wedding services that you would charge someone off of the street - Look around your area at the competition and set your price at the bottom of that range, since you don't have experience at weddings. Then take a percentage off of that for your friend. It can be anywere from 50 to 100 percent off - but be prepared for others to ask you for the same consideration in the future and price accordingly.</p>

<p>Next thing to do is get a copy of Scott Kelby's or any other book you can find on wedding photography. There is an excellant primer here on PN for free. Study the techniques of other photographers and pick some that you like and work with the techniques.</p>

<p>Meet with the friend and her sister (Bride) and Groom - Explain to them that this is your first wedding and make sure they are all okay with that. The Bride and Groom may be completely okay with that or not. If they are not okay with that - walk away from it. My motto is under promise and over perform. </p>

<p>If they are okay with this being your first wedding - work with them to find out what they want in terms of photos. Get a contract drawn up and signed. List the key people, key shots that they want, things to avoid, etc... Ask about parents, step parents, etc... I've had situations where both mother and father of the groom were divorced from each other and remarried - and they still don't talk... Not the time for them to be forced together in a photo.</p>

<p>As for the "scare" tactics - The printed word is very difficult to convey emotion, feeling, etc... That's why they say - "A picture is worth 1,000 words" - in print it is very difficult to communicate with a great deal of precision at times and meaning may be misconstrued. I'm 99% percent sure there is no malicious intent behind the words. Instead, I believe the intent is to advise and consul you to go into this with your eyes wide open.</p>

<p>I'd add to that - there's no one way to become a wedding photographer. You can jump right in and do fine at it or you can go to school / assist / then go on your own... I've seen photographers that have degrees in fine art and photographer and have assisted at weddings fail miserably and I've seen people that just jump in succeed beyond their wildest dreams.</p>

<p>At the end of the day, it's up to you and your clients. If the client is happy with the results and recommends you to others then great. If they are not happy with the results and go the Bob's, John's, Nadine's and others to have them either "Fix" them or retake their photos from the beginning, then it's not good news for you. </p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

<p>Dave</p>

<p> </p>

[anne_marie_larrabure1]

<p>thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! Thank you for your honesty, concerns, etc. I appreciate everyone's comments and the time it took for you to share your experiences/advice.<br>

I decided to charge $25/hour since I have had done a quinceneara, which was successful and I had done that event for free. I took pics of my friend's (bride's sister) wedding from a guest's perspective, resulting in shots that neither of the two photographers she hired got, who she paid over $3,000 for and are quite meaningful to her. The bride and groom are on a really tight budget and decided they could not afford $25/hour. The signs are there to continue to grow because that same day I was asked to provide quotes for a 70th birthday party and for a 50th anniversary. So, I will trek along.<br>

Again, thank you for being here to assist us newbies in this industry!!!!!!!</p>

 

[William Michael]

<p>I for one appreciate your response. Not necessarily the thanks, per se, thought that is nice: but the response as to what you have decided.<br>

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Knowing the outcome, and your decision, is fulfilling to those who give their opinion. <br>

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Good luck<br>

<br>

WW</p>

[anne_marie_larrabure1]

<p>Please continue to help and guide us novices with your experience and wisdom that you have gained through your experiences. What you share is invaluable. I, for one, appreciate it!</p>