michaelsmiller

<p>I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has responded so far. I truly appreciate all the advice. I think that I have most of my questions answered so far so I am feeling much better.<br>

As far as what I shoot with, I use a Canon 5D and Canon 40D as a backup so they support most any card on the market. I am not an overshooter by any stretch, I tend to be very calculated in how I shoot but I want to get everything that is needed for them.<br>

In regards to the details, I have told my friends that I will shoot their wedding but we haven't gotten into specific details about the wedding yet, thus I was trying to get most of these questions out of the way before I formally sat down and talked price on Wednesday of this week. Money will not be an issue and I am charging them a very very fair rate that is significantly lower than what I would normally charge if this was my specialty, and they had an awful experience with the previous person who was originally doing the wedding so they practically begged me to shoot the wedding for them. Like I said, they are good friends and I just want to do right by them and help document a once in a lifetime day. <br>

The ceremony is in a LARGE catholic church in our area so I am fairly certain the lighting will be decent, although we are going to see it this weekend with the couple in question.<br>

Thanks again for all the great words of advice. I can't wait to hear more responses. This is such an amazing forum for photographers to help each other out and I sincerely appreciate it.<br>

Thanks<br>

Miller</p>

<p>Adam,<br>

Thanks alot for the information. I had a feeling it was really slow and I only uploaded a few photos plus they seem very low resolution and that is not how I want my work to come across since it's not. I will look into Photobiz and check it out today. I love the templates at Blu Domain and was planning to go that route in a few months just saw this the other day and wondered if it was worth it.<br>

Thanks again for the information.<br>

Miller</p>

<p>So I am shooting my very first wedding in about 4 months and I am overwhelmed and in need of some serious help! I am not an amatuer shooter, I have been a photographer for years but never did weddings. A close friend of mine wants me to shoot their wedding and refuses to consider anyone else so I agreed. I have let them know my inexperience in this discipline as to set the expectations. They understand but are a big fan of my work so they are willing to let me learn on the fly.<br>

With this said, I need your help as far as some logistics questions....</p>

<p>1. Is it possible to get optimal performance and hit all my shots with just myself, or is it absolutely necessary for me to hire a 2nd shooter? If I need a 2nd, what is a fair price to pay them?</p>

<p>2. Is 3 4GB cards enough, if I am shooting only RAW, or should I go out and grab a few more 8GB cards?</p>

<p>3. What is the best policy about shooting the bride and groom between the wedding and the reception. Should I allot about an hour or do we need more like 2 hours to get the necessary shots?</p>

<p>4. Can I get away with using a Speedlite 430EX II Shoe Mount Flash inside the church or will I need extra lighting or does that just completely matter on the church, couple, regulations of the church?</p>

<p>5. What is the policy about return time on images from a wedding because of the large amount of images taken? Normally I tell my clients to allow 10-14 days for their images to be ready for viewing/purchasing. Will this be enough time or do I allot more like 1 month before the images are ready for the couple?</p>

<p>6. Is a FREE engagement session standard operating procedure?</p>

<p>7. Lastly, should I just provide the couple with a DVD with 50-100 Images and then let them view the others on my website and if they want to purchase additional photos then that would be extra? I am doing them a favor and charging a really great price but I don't want to screw myself either.</p>

<p>Sorry for the length of the email, but I just want to do this right and not ruin a great friendship, even though I have already set the proper expectations with the couple.<br>

Thanks so much in advance!<br>

Miller</p>

<p>Aimee,<br>

It is absolutely free to build and use, they do not host but they do offer mail boxes. I already own a domain name and a hosting site that I can plug in this Free website so I just wanted to make sure it was worth my time to build this site.<br>

Thanks<br>

Miller</p>

<p>I was just wondering if anyone has used Wix.com to create a photography website and if you were happy with it? I have very limited funds right now and I am getting alot of people who want to see my work online so someone mentioned Wix.com because the sites are FREE to make. I will be doing my real website at the beginning of 2010 but didnt know if this was a decent fix for the next 5 months or so...<br>

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you!<br>

Miller</p>

<p>Thanks Mike! That is good news about the sizes. Unfortunately, it seems like when I change the aspect ratio to 4:5 that it really kills the size of my images. I am bummed that when I shoot a nice framed shot and then this aspect ratio cuts the image in less than half of what it was originally. How do I compensate for this when I am out in the field shooting landscapes?</p>

<p>Thanks so much for the information Joseph. I guess that I misspoke about the size/shape issue. I do understand what you are saying about the ratios for the most part. I want my photos to be able for purchase at whatever size my customer requests without having to crop them and lose the main image. So how do I do this?<br>

Some details....I shoot with a Canon 40D in RAW. Can I reformat my camera to be able to have each image available in the size the client requests or do I have to make the changes in Photoshop for the aspect ratio?<br>

The majority of my prints sold are either 8x10, 10x13, 11x14, or 16x20. Is there a default aspect that I can set so I don't have to crop these photos of my work?<br>

Thanks again!</p>

<p>Hello.<br>

I am having some trouble with my my large prints on Mpix. When I try to size different photos I am having to crop out parts of my photos because it isn't meeting the proper Aspect ratio for their site. I shoot all my images in RAW so I know the files are big enough, what am I doing wrong when it comes to post-processing?<br>

Also, is there a way that I can find out exactly how to configure my photos to meet their Aspect Ratio requirements?<br>

Thanks<br>

Miller</p>

<p>Thanks. I already use mpix for my print outsourcing. I am still hoping for more help to my questions. Please! Thank you!</p>

<p>Hello. I am a relatively experienced shooter but am very green when it comes to the business side of photography. I just recently decided that I would take my hobby full time after I have received alot of requests for my work and services that I just cannot do on a part time basis. With this said, I am looking to put together a personal portfolio of my work for critique and display.<br>

What is essential in a portfolio?<br>

What size should the prints be in the portfolio?<br>

Should each portfolio be specific to my area of expertise? Should I have a fine art portfolio and a wedding portfolio, and a editorial portfolio, etc...<br>

Thank you so much for the help!<br>

Also, any recommendations about the type of binding it should be in would be greatly beneficial and who to buy them from.<br>

Thanks in advance!<br>

Miller</p>

<p>Thank you so much everyone for the great advice. I had heard of Miller's but not of Mpix. I will definetely look into it. Thanks again.<br>

Miller</p>

<p>Good Evening! I am looking to find the best place to outsource my print orders from my website. I have a large amount of clients who are looking to buy different size prints of my work recently and I know that I do not want to do it in-house because of the expense.<br>

Will you please give me some examples of companies that you use for your print work and what kind of ballpark pricing they charge per 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, etc...<br>

Thanks in advance!<br>

Miller</p>

<p>Would like more opinions and help...</p>

<p>Hey Tony. I don't think that it has anything to do with not respecting the PR firm or myself. He is actually a very savvy and smart businessman. I have no problem with him not wanting to pay 15K-20K for photos. I didnt think that my pricing would be anywhere near that much. I am thinking I would be in the 6-9K ballpark so it will save him quite a bit and help to create a long term relationship hopefully. Besides in today's economy everyone is looking to save money. I will definetely look into the stock calculator that you mentioned. It sounds like a great idea.<br>

Hey Dick. I live in Denver so it isn't like I am in a small city but I really agree with your comments. It is more about building this relationship going forward and making some good connections and getting referral business along the way than charging him an arm and a leg. I want to make sure that I am not selling myself short but I want to create a great referral network in this area. I think that I will definetely sit down with him again and talk about the licensing.<br>

Thanks for the great suggestions! Please keep them coming!</p>

<p>Great question Shawn. That was one of my first questions to him! No, he does not have an exclusive contract in regards to this issue with the PR firm.</p>

<p>Hello All,<br>

This is my first post. I have been reading this forum for a long time and love to see so many passionate photographers. Here is my question:<br>

I have been shooting weddings, modeling portfolios, and families for a few years now but have recently been offered a few commercial jobs and have some questions regarding how to price these shoots compared to a normal sitting with a couple or family.<br>

Here is my most recent example...I was recently approached by the CEO of 3 different small up and coming businesses in my area for some commercial work. He wants me to shoot him in many different settings(casual, at the office, interacting with clients, in the boardroom, etc) for his own personal portfolio that he will be using as personal marketing for his many speaking engagements, fundraisers, PR, etc...(He is represented by a big name PR Firm but doesnt want to pay the outrageous prices they are charging him for this work--upwards of 15-20K) <br>

He wants this to be the first of several shoots to show off himself, his partners, and his companies. My question is since he wants to use the photos for his own benefit within his business circle and outside organizations, how do I charge him for the work...<br>

Do I charge for the session as I would a modeling portfolio and then charge him for the usage of the photos(short term licensing fee per image usage and shared copyright)?<br>

OR....<br>

Should I just charge him a flat fee and call it a day? What kind of ballpark should I be in for this pricing?<br>

I really want to build this relationship and get the repeat business so I don't want to overcharge but I also don't want to devalue the market in my area by giving him too good of a deal. Any help would be appreciated.<br>

Thanks In Advance!<br>

Michael</p>