kat_moon

<p>Oh come on - the clients are not being difficult. They've never hired a wedding photographer before and it's one of the questions the Knot and countless other blogs/magazines put out there as "questions to ask a wedding photographer". If I'd declined any wedding where the couples asked questions, I'd be out of business.</p>

<p>I wouldn't worry about it or let it get under your skin. They're worried that more couples will book you at your lower rates ... they know nothing about your business model, other income or expenses. There will always be hater and you can't live your life worrying about this.</p>

<p>If you feel you should be charging more, then charge more but don't do it as a knee jerk reaction in response to this fool but after carefully analyzing your business.</p>

<p>While I wasn't too fond of the original (darkness/contrast/half a grandmom), Marc turned this into a beautiful candid shot.</p>

<p>Have they asked you to be their wedding photographer? If not, just get a good lense (or two) for your current camera, take photos on their day as a guest and see what happens. Have fun and if the results are promising, you can always invest in more equipment.</p>

<p>It is not about memorizing settings. It is about knowing your equipment, knowing your lighting, knowing people, poses ... knowing your stuff ... knowing what you do by heart. If you have to memorize something, you haven't internalized it. That comes with time, effort, trial & error and practice. And more practice.<br>

Quote "in my bag i also have a table with recommended shutter speeds for stopping different types of action." ??? This makes it sound like you're flying by the seat of your pants. Why not take the time to play around with your camera, heck, even in the bathroom - try freezing the water coming out of the faucet, make it softer etc. Take photos until everybody around you is sick of you and your camera but at the end of the day, you'll just feel so much more comfortable knowing what you're doing.</p>

<p>Nothing really. I check out the location, meet with the couple so I get an impression of lighting condidions, backgrounds, facial features/best angles (when meeting w/client) etc., go over their list of "must have's" and then just do what I do. Any type of cheat sheet or "oh wait, I don't know this one by heart so let me check it real quick" would drive me nuts and seriously distract from what I'm doing - taking photos of their wedding. What do you need the camera/flash manual for? Apart from the fact that you should know your equipment, have you thought about the impression you leave on people when the person they PAY to shoot their wedding is reading up on how to change their settings????</p>

<p>Nothing further to add but one thing: the contact page on my website reads as follows: "in most cases, I will respond to your email within 24 hours - please allow up to 48 hours over the weekend as this is when most weddings take place ... " Some sort of note about your "availability policy"/ how long it will take you (either personally or the studio) to get back to them might not be a bad idea. As somebody else already said, with a wedding 2 weeks away, even 2 days will seem like eternity, even over a holiday weekend. Under normal circumstances, I'd say "stick to your guns" but only you know which one of the two scenarios discussed previously will affect your mental and physical health more adversly - so listen to your gut and go with that. Best of luck.</p>

<p>Personally, I had a similar scenario earlier this month. A bride contacted me and stated that they had to scale back the wedding due to her future husband's job loss, didn't require my services and quote "per contract, the retainer is yours to keep". I told her that I was really sorry about what had happened and that it'd refund the retainer if I was able to re-book the wedding. So yes, I re-booked the date within a couple of days and refunded the retainer - however, it was a bit frustrating to not even receive a thank you note but I feel better karma-wise (if that makes any sense whatsoever). If I hadn't been able to book the date again, I wouldn't have refunded the money. A contract is a contract and if I stand to lose money by having a weekend off that I didn't plan on having off, I will not offer a refund.</p>

<p>I agree with what has already been said. It's shady, unprofessional and probably illegal (not sure where you are located). Don't you and your partner have an agreement in writing that states the Do's and Don'ts of this 'partnership'? I don't understand why you would consider working for a competitor though. Has this competitor contacted you or vice versa?</p>

<p>Middle of nowhere Vermont - there's actually just one other photographer within a 30 mile radius if googlemaps isn't completely off.</p>

<p>I normally set two holidays (July 4th and Thanksgiving) aside to spend quality time with the family. Usually, clients contact me 12-18 months ahead of their wedding so in the past, I've always politely declined as there was still plenty of time for them to find another photographer. Now I'm in contact with a bride whose photographer bailed out on her for her July 4th wedding (this year) and she's in desperate need of a "replacement". I would hate for her to have to resort to having a friend/family member take the photos so I'm seriously considering taking this wedding. My question: how much (percentage) to you add to your standard rates for holidays or what other policy do you have in place? Thanks.</p>