teresa_m.1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I´m facing an interesting and to me, new situation.</p>

<p>My contract states that clients may use their photos any way they wish, as long as they use them privately, and state my copyright.<br>

Now one client (who has her wedding coming up later this year) has told me that she not only promised the venue that they could use some photos (and probably got a better deal because of this), but that she also wants to use the wedding photos for her business (I do as of yet not know what that business is.)</p>

<p>Have any of you any experience with this kind of request? Do you ask an extra fee for the commercial use of your photos by your client? Do you licence them individually, or the whole lot?</p>

<p>I´d be thankful for any thoughts.</p>

<p>Thanks,<br>

Teresa</p>

<p>Thanks a lot David! Very helpful info!</p>

<p>Thanks for all the answers! Very interesting to hear how you guys are doing this!</p>

<p>One thing that would still interest me: what kind of pictures? Your favourites? Nice photos, but not the best? Mostly "action shots", or portraits? ... thanks again!</p>

<p>Hi all,<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I´ve followed the discussions about WPJA on this forum with interest. Now<br /> I´m thinking about applying, as I´m looking for a marketing tool that is not<br /> going to cost a fortune. Judging from past discussions, WPJA seems to be<br /> just that (and maybe more for some) - that is, at least if you´re based in<br /> the U.S.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> With the WPJA being an international, yet U.S.-centered organization, I<br /> wonder wether there is a difference for photogs who are based in Europe...<br /> Do you get booked through their site a lot? Did it increase traffic? Would<br /> love to hear your experience!<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Thanks,<br /> <br /> Teresa</p>

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I know that many wedding photographers send their couples Teaser Pictures (or post them in their blog) some time before the couple actually gets all the pictures.</p>

<p>I take a relatively long time for post-production (also because I do many destination weddings which means I have less time in the office), mostly around six weeks. Technically, it wouldn´t be a problem to send them a couple of pictures before that. What I´m wondering is, if the effect of that would be overall rather good or bad...</p>

<p>Do the couple get MORE jumpy, because now they want to see them all? Or will it relax them, because they can see that there are definitely some lovely pictures, and stop worrying?</p>

<p>So, what experiences do you have? When do you post those teaser pictures? And what pictures are they, your personal favourites? Good ones, but not the best, so as not to give away everything in advance?</p>

<p>Would love to hear your opinions and experience!</p>

<p>Thanks!<br>

Teresa</p>

<p>Try www.blurb.com. They now also have an office in the U.K.<br>

Best of luck!<br>

Teresa</p>

<p>Thanks for your comments, and sorry this was unclear: I am based here in Germany, which is what I meant by: no travel fees - because there are effectively going to be none.</p>

<p>Also the person comes recommended by someone I know, so I think the chances of a scam are quite slim. (But thanks for telling me, I had no idea such scams existed!)</p>

<p>What I´d be looking for is a number - say, 80 Euro per hour, or 150 Euro per hour - that you would charge, or have charged for similar work.</p>

<p>I know that prices will of course vary, but I wouldn´t want to be seen underselling...</p>

<p>Hi all,<br>

I know this has been asked before, but the thread I found was for the U.S. - Europe is maybe a bit different, so I´m asking this anyway.</p>

<p>I´ve been asked to photograph a corporate meeting in Germany with about 200 people, two days, roughly 15 hours all in all. My client knows that I haven´t shot a corporate event before, but mainly weddings, sometimes with up to 350 people.</p>

<p>Whereas I know what to charge for weddings, because I know how much time and effort will go into it, I´m a bit at a loss for this.</p>

<p>Can anyone tell me how much a corporate event photographer would charge, say, by the hour? (no travel fees, no post-production)</p>

<p>Thanks a lot!<br>

Teresa</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>We are wedding two photographers from Austria based in Germany, and a friend of ours asked us to photograph his wedding in New York next year. He will be paying us, though obviously not the rate we would normally ask.<br>

<br />I would have loved to tell him "Yes!" right away, but I´m a bit worried as I´ve heard that the rules are quite strict in that respect - do any of you (Europeans) have experiences with short-term working visas for the U.S.? Do we need one? If yes, are we likely to get one?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot!<br />Teresa</p>

<p><a href="http://www.iconoclash.org/contest/Kerstin.jpg"><img src="http://www.iconoclash.org/contest/Kerstin.jpg" alt="" /></a><br>

<strong>Kerstin getting ready</strong><br>

Canon Eos 40D, 50mm 1.8, at 2.5 1/320 ISO 400</p>

<p>Hi,<br>

I couldn´t find this thread anymore on the main page... Is the contest over yet? Did I miss it? I checked the site almost every day! Or is it still coming? Sorry, I´m a bit confused!<br>

Teresa</p>

<p>Hi all,<br>

We want to redesign our website this year, and I´ve been busy browsing the net for professional, gorgeous, special websites to inspire me. I found some (my favourite so far: Elizabeth Messina´s).<br>

I´m sure you also have some websites that you like to look at every now and then for inspiration, so I wanted to ask you: what are your favourite wedding photographer websites?<br>

Looking forward to more inspiration!<br>

Thanks in advance,<br>

Teresa</p>

Hi Melissa,

 

We started out printing beautiful cards with one of our favourite pics and the website address, and then we spent a couple of days distributing them in good-quality bridal wear shops. The cards cost us 150$, and although this didn´t bring in a massive amount of inquiries, we got some and were able to pick up from there (right now we get our work almost exclusively through recommendation/referral).

I know you were looking for websites, but this is quite a low-tech and penny-saving (though time-intensive) method... Maybe it works for you, too.

 

Best,

Teresa

Thanks a lot everyone for your contributions! Definitely gave me a lot of food for thought and will help me figure out what the best solution will be. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

 

I´ve so far always stated in my contract that I would take a maximum of 3 weeks until couples get the photos of

their wedding (first online, then on DVD).

I do a lot of selecting, editing, retouching etc., so now that I have a wedding almost every week-end and quite a

few include travelling, I´ve found it hard to impossible to reach this deadline.

I think five to six weeks would be ideal for me, at least in the busiest season, but then again, what about the

impatient bride and groom?

How much do you take till your clients see the finished photos, and do you put a maximum time in your contract?

 

Thanks!

Teresa

I know that there are a lot of questions about albums, and I´ve devoted quite a lot of time to researching what

album (coffee table album) I want to use. I´ve also read the excellent entry on

http://photolovecat.blogspot.com/2007/03/album-resources.html

 

I have already tried some of the cheaper options, and now agree with what most of you said: don´t use the cheap

providers.

The problem is, most of the websites of the more expensive companies are so pretty and slick that I don´t know

what these albums would really look like, as for covers, paper thickness etc. (We all know how easily pictures

can be manipulated, so I wonder if I can trust a company who wants to sell their product)

Now my question: would some of you share some photos of your albums with the name of the company that made them?

 

I thought I´d ask this before I go and try five different album options, each one at 250$...

 

Thanks a lot in advance!

Regards,

Teresa

Thanks a lot everybody, great examples!

Hi everyone,

 

Half through the wedding season, I´m quite happy with my work so far, but there´s always one point that I´m a little

uneasy about: the family pictures.

Taking the pictures of the couple is always fun, but "directing" twenty to fifty chatting people, getting them to look

towards the camera etc. really feels like the most straining part of the day! As a consequence, my family pictures

tend to be boring, because I am too stressed out to think of anything special.

 

I have really enjoyed looking at websites and photos posted in this forum to get some inspiration - so I wanted to ask

you: do you have any photos or links for this particular matter? Fun, relaxed, different family/group pictures at

weddings?

 

Thanks in advance!

Teresa

Erm... are there no legal problems?

There was a thread a couple of weeks ago telling the story of a wedding photographer getting arrested for working without a working permit, and I think, at least in the U.S., this is not an unrealistic scenario.

If anybody knows better, please tell me, I wouldn?t mind doing a wedding in New York every now and then either!

Hi Matt,

 

I had the same problem a couple of years ago when I first took wedding pictures at the wedding of a friend. Some people asked me afterwards if I could photograph their wedding, too, and some were shocked that I asked a lot more than I had at the friend?s wedding. I explained to them in a very friendly way that what I did for the friend was actually more of a wedding present, and that I could in no way start doing this on a regular basis for this price... think of the expenses you have for your camera, the lenses etc.! Some of these people ended up being mad at me and thought I was overcharging, but the ones who really liked my work hired me anyway. (And I was, by the way, still a lot cheaper than most)

I would say, do some research on the internet and see how much people charge for this kind of work. I slowly raised my prices as I was gaining confidence in my abilities, and also in fact getting better at what I was doing. It is, however, super-important not to use dumping-prices - I?m only discovering this myself at the moment, but most people will in fact value your work not according to quality, but to what it costs. If you don?t charge enough you will not only end up being frustrated, but also not being taken seriously. As I said, I?m still working on this one too...

 

Good luck! T

Hi Annie,

 

I think that really depends on what the wedding is like! Is it very smart? Or casual? I usually ask my clients how stylish/formal the wedding is going to be, and dress accordingly. That may mean I have to get my ballgown out for the evening...

 

Generally I try to be ALMOST as elegant as the guests. Nothing worse than overdressing though! But I?d also hate to stick out as too casually dressed in a very elegant surrounding...

 

Teresa

Hi Fab,

Yes, sorry I forgot to mention: the translations aren?t there yet, I?m still busy translating. Thanks for the critique!

Hi everyone,

 

I?m new on photo.net and also relatively new in the wedding-photography

business.

 

I used to do my Albums myself, the old-fashioned glue-and-scissors-way, using a

beautiful, simple, white wedding album from Ordning+Reda (a swedish stationery

company). I?ve recently started looking at albums made digitally (Asuka etc.)

and am just totally overwhelmed by the number of providers... In spite of hours

and hours of research on the Internet, I haven?t found what I am looking for,

so maybe some of you can help me!

 

I am looking for good quality books that have simple and modern covers,

preferably linen, to design yourself and that should not cost more than 200 $.

Someone posted the link to www.mykoloalbum.com in the forum (sorry I can?t find

the thread anymore!) and these look great, but they only have two small formats

and also don?t seem to mail to Europe (I?m based in Berlin).

 

I?d be very grateful for hints! I?m also always happy for critique on my new

site (it?s just been online for ten days): www.iconoclash.org

 

Thanks a lot!

Teresa