jenseay

Myrtle,

Can you tell us where you're located?

I own a 24-70 2.8L (Canon) and a 15 mm fisheye (Sigma). The range of the 24-70 is perfect, and when I want really wide, I use the fisheye. I'm also shooting with a 5D.

Jen

I agree. After I made some money doing weddings and could afford it, nothing improved the quality of my shots like quality GLASS!

Jen

The advantage of using a site like mpix.com is that, if your pictures "look like a professional took them." you won't get a request in the mail for a copyright release before they'll print your canvas. I've had a client (who had my full-resolution image and a copyright release) order a canvas from a consumer site, and receive a request in the mail, which caused her to have to wait an additional week for her canvas (before Christmas). Just something to keep in mind...

Oh, and if you decide to go with mpix, go with the gallery wrap...I personally wasn't very impressed with the "print on canvas."

Jen

Just started reading more often on the fredmiranda.com forums (again), and found this post about a courthouse wedding with examples...I was (for lack of a better expression) blown away - I've seen some pretty bad courthouse wedding pictures, and this was the complete opposite. check it out for some inspiration!

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/500795#4326151

Jen Seay

I've thought about what I just posted....

Okay, so maybe the exponential growth wouldn't continue for long - a few more times, and you'd be making $12,800 per wedding... ha ha. Pretty unlikely. But the point is, people who know what you charged at your last wedding won't expect you to charge the same IF YOU MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOUR PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME. I've never had someone say, "But you charged so-and-so only $xxx.xx. Why are you charging me more?"

Jen

"If I do a wedding and tell the client I'm just starting out and will shoot it for $200.00. What happens when their friends call me up and say hey will you do ours for $400.00 that's double what you got last time!... I can see it now."

The math teacher in me is thinking this.... so what if this happens three times? Here's the outcome: After you shoot a $200 wedding, the next bride expects to pay $400. Then, after you shoot the $400 wedding, another bride expects you to charge $800. After that, the next bride expects to be charged $1600, and you're charging closer to what you're worth. We call it exponential growth.

I'd rather have someone say "hey will you do ours for $400.00? that's double what you got last time!" than "hey will you do ours for $100? that's infinitely more than what you got last time!"

I did my first wedding for $300 (3 hours) and my second for $800 (11 hours), with the understanding that I was building a portfolio. It's okay to charge something!

Jen

My husband says I've damaged my nephew for life by taking pictures of

him with angel wings when he was a newborn. I disagree!<div></div>

I have shot ENTIRE weddings using two lenses: the 70-200 2.8IS and the 24-70 2.8. I shoot with a 5D, though, and the 24 mm is a true 24 mm - no crop. Others might recommend something wider to accommodate the crop. If you're looking for a REALLY wide lens, I also love my Sigma 15 mm 2.8 - the fisheye is fun at weddings!

Jen

"A higher MaH rating indicates that the battery can store more electrical energy. For the same amount of light output, batteries with a higher MaH rating will give more flashes."

I used rechargeable Energizers this past year with an MaH rating of 2500 - awesome recycle time with my 580EX. Now you've got me thinking about this CP-E3 battery pack, now...and with the 2500's, the batteries should last all day, plus some. I LOVE photo.net!

Jen

When people ask me why I enjoy wedding photography so much, this is the exact response I give them:

"I get to be a part of the best day of someone's life every weekend. What could be better than that?"