bill_ashley2

I contacted the prominent wedding photographer in the area and asked him and his wife

to supper at a nice restaurant, at my expense. That pretty much ensured their acceptance.

Then, for almost two hours I picked his brain, asked him all the questions any aspiring

wedding photographer would want and need to know.

It was an invaluable experience.

Now, 30 years later, I'm in the same situation....only sitting on the other side of the table.

I've had photographers want to learn from me, as second shooters or just tagalongs.

What you can glean from an experienced pro can go a LONG way toward equipping you to

launch a business.

And remember, wedding photography isn't just taking photos. You have to be competent

in the business end of it, as well. You can be a fantastic shooter but always struggling b/c

you don't have a handle on the business side of things...... That's another area where an

established pro can give you great information.

If Allen chooses to be tight with his time allowance, it's no one's business but

his. If he loses business as a result, he'll probably loosen up.

Personally, my time is worth money. I don't usually choose to give brides extra hours of

shoot time. We're engaging in a contractual arrangement: I provide services, my contract

spells out what those services are and the scope of them.....and the bride is contractually

obligated to them by signing the document.

Shooting that far away and wanting to get a close-in shot of your brother receiving his

diploma, you'll want the reach of a 400. Anything less and you'd end up with loosely framed

full-lengths of your bro, not good for a waist-up crop.

Lighting in a hockey rink may be iffy and you can't use flash b/c of the distance. So renting a

400 2.8 would be best.....but a 400 f/4 IS would work.

I have just one booked for 2009. Every year around the fall my wife gets worried that our

next year's calendar is sparce......but, miraculously, it always fills up.

This has been going on for almost 30 years. I tell her not to sweat it, but still she does.......

Wow, your first wedding, and you're still thinking of sticking with it?

I've shot around a thousand weddings and I'm not sure how I'd have handled this wedding.

This was a tough one to start out with.

However, as a pro you've got to improvise and go with what you have. In this case, a less

than attractive venue and, sad to say, non-photogenic subjects (you weren't kidding.)

Shooting down on subjects takes away some of the bulk and slims them. In some cases,

side lighting helps, too.

I carry a muslin backdrop so that if there are REALLY distracting walls or such I can

attempt to disguise them. I'm tempted to say the same about distracting brides and

grooms but won't.......

Hey, look at it this way. You're not likely to have a combo of yuck location and "non-

photogenic" bride and groom to this degree for a long time. You can only go up if you stay

in the business. That in itself is encouraging.

Because people often take considerable time to order their albums it is important to keep a

reserve fund to cover the costs. Otherwise you might find yourself in the fix that a surprising

number of photographers do -- that is they become dependent on the next wedding to pay

for the last. As a consequence they get in trouble with the law for nondelivery.

RESPONSE: I have a clause in my contract that states that album orders not submitted within

one year from the wedding are subject to a 20% upcharge. My costs rise after a year, so I'm

just passing on my increases.....

Crank up the ISO on my 5D and shoot more available light.....also concentrate on moving my

subjects into better light (i.e., near windows, open shade.....) when possible.

On camera flash, even with a Lightsphere, is less aesthetically pleasing than good available

light.

That's my goal the next couple of weddings......

Regarding advertising, I've found in the last few years that the brides I'm targeting are (for

the most part) college educated young professionals who are computer savvy. They know

about Google and use the search tool every day to find goods and services they're

interested in.

That being the case, I'm no longer spending big bucks on Yellow Page ads. I've reduced

the size of my ads, and they now have my website URL as the largest item in the ad. I'm

driving people to my website, which is my goal.

However, by doing this, you need to have a good website that contains a lot of useful

information and nothing short of your best images. And search engine placement is

helpful to having your listing show up at or near the top of a page. Makes your listing

stand out from your competitors.

Thanks, all, for your timely and well thought-out responses. Thanks especially to Karen for

the kind words.

I'm gonna raise my basic package a couple of hundred dollars and see how it goes. I think

my market will bear an increase, but we'll see.

The fact that I'm so close to Houston kinda complicates things. I KNOW that I get Houston

weddings simply b/c brides know that vendors outside of the city tend to charge

less.....which is true most of the time. However, if I'm traveling to Houston regularly, which

is really outside of my home base, then I HAVE to charge more, if for no reason than the

higher gas prices. Guess that's a problem lots of photographers would like to

have.....almost too much business.

Emphatically ditto the need for backup equipment.....not only another body (preferably a

D80 since you're already familiar with it) but another flash AND a longer lens for portrait-

type photos.

That'll (minimally) give you the equipment you need to cover a wedding. However, the

REAL question is can you shoot a wedding and get photos that'll appear reasonably

professional? You'd better do a good job of letting your "good friend" know that you're

not a pro wedding photog and aren't passing yourself off as such.......so there won't be

any unreasonable expectations from her or others on her "special" day.

Good luck!

After years of doing it the "other" way with preset packages, I'm now doing ala carte pricing. I start with a

basic package, which includes the shoot (five hours) and a DVD of all images...nothing more.

My question for those of you who do ala carte pricing: What do you charge for your basic package,

without any add-ons?

And if you care to include how you arrived at your pricepoint, I'd be most appreciative.

I have a nagging sense that I'm not charging enough, that the market can bear a bit higher price for my

basic package. However, having shot hundreds of weddings in my area, I sort of know what "my" brides

can afford, or will pay.

It's a bit of a conundrum, and I'm trying to figure it out. Don't want to undercut myself, and there really is

something to the fact that if you charge higher, you're perceived differently.....to a degree. But also don't

want to have my calls dry up due to overpricing.

Your thought are welcome.

What's all this talk about negatives? I thought this was a digital forum. Like there's no crying

in baseball.........there's no negative in digital.

"Built-in vertical grips are reserved for professional-level cameras. The 5D is not a

professional-level camera."

I, and many others, take issue with your statement. I'm a professional and I consider it a

professional-level and quality camera. If the images are what constitute professional

quality (and ultimately what else would?), then the 5D certainly fits this bill.

I've used my 5D for hundreds of professional assignments and it has provided superb

images with nary a problem, mechanical or otherwise. The fact that I exclusively use "L"

glass doesn't hurt, of course.

I'm new to Aperture. I'm wondering what's the BEST way to burn Aperture images to a DVD. The way I'm

currently doing this takes over two hours for 650 images. That's too long IMO.

If there's another way that's quicker and just as effective, I'd love to know it.

Thanks for your answers......