jenni_marie

<p>E.J. - I agree - it is a pretty wild experience....there wasn't a dull moment. I got home at 2 am and realized I hadn't gone to the bathroom once!</p> <p>Green Photog - It was my choice to go for that amount of time. My thought process was simply that if afterwards I thought I might considering getting into Weddings I wanted to know what every aspect of the day could be like. I wouldn't offer that amount of coverage again of course. Also the 5000 images includes all of my second shooters files as well. </p> <p>Thomas. K. - I was much overdue for a serious upgrade in my camera body...so yes the Wedding helped me bite the bullet...but It was a personal investment for myself...not for them. I could easily find 50 couples who would hire me for $350....however I do have a "real" job so I am not slightly interested in promoting myself as a Wedding Photographer. I would never do it again for less than $800 for 8 hours.....I did it for $350 for a few simple reasons - it kept with the expectation that I was setting that I had no experience covering such a large varied event and I felt it would cover my costs. Which it did both. </p>

<p>I am only processing the 400 best images... it is alot to look through though!</p>

<p>Thanks for all the replies...except for that spam one -<a href="/photodb/user?user_id=423056">Michael Chang</a>-</p> <p>-<a href="/photodb/user?user_id=3835189">Marcus</a> - Thanks ... yes this is kind of what I feel like... I couldn't do it for less than $1500 but I know there are other photographers with lots of great experience in my city doing it for less...so I am not comfortable with anyone hiring me for that reason. Which brings me to the advice of -Jeff - yes I need to find someone I can refer people too... that is a great idea. I am not super close to the Wedding Photography Community here so I am never comfortable recommending someone I don't know. But I will try to figure out a way to provide clients other options.<br> -Nish- I certainly didn't get dozens of requests! However I have friends of the Bride who want to hire me now... I live in a Northern Canadian City that literally has three months of Wedding Weather...so there are not many Professional Wedding Only Photographers here...not to say no one is having Winter Weddings...but this certainly isn't a city that you can be a Wedding Photographer full time... Here is the thing...people want a deal...and if you hire a professional you are paying the most money for the best product but if you get a middle of the road photographer you will likely still like your photos and pay less...also when you hire someone less known they are more likely to throw in some extras and make a good impression because they are trying to get their name out there....that is my opinion of why Professionals may find it hard to secure clients... Non-Photographers don't notice all the things that make Professional Photos more expensive than Novice photos...this is a reality...we see it..."Noise" "DOF" "White Balance" "Distortion"....honestly 70% of people don't know what any of that even is. I always get my non-photographer boyfriend to look through my photos prior to sending them to my clients. It amazes me what he sees compared to what I see. Ok I am rambling now!<br> <br />-Lex- "The only way I'd do it again is with a camera that consistently delivers great JPEGs out of the box with little or no editing. Hand 'em the media card afterward, wish 'em well and say buh-bye." I love this ha ha... I have had people ask me to do that...but I can't because I do ALOT of post processing - which many people just assume is how the photos come out of my camera. So they would look at the photos on their card and be totally ticked!</p>

<p>I just wrote a lengthy post ... hit "post" and it was gone ... {face palm}<br> so a few years ago my bro-in-law sold me his Nikon D40....I feel in love with the box with a hole, and spent my time learning how to use it and offering free photo sessions for anyone who would let me use the photos to learn post processing. I always had people sign a model release as I read a lot of blogs about how you may want to use your photos someday and it is always best to have the model release. I guess that release made people think I was some sort of professional but people started contacting me to take their portraits. I eventually started charging people for my travel and learned more and more about how my camera worked. I got myself a 50mm prime and was shooting in "A" mode. I did a lot of family sessions and people started asking "do you have a studio I can come to?" it was pretty funny to me because it was just a fun hobby of mine. Eventually I built a little in home studio set up and started doing infant to toddler sessions. I gave away 10 sessions in my in home studio when I started it so I could learn how to use my lights and backdrops. A client asked me to do a cake smash for her and I eventually agreed. I really enjoyed that and it has become the main focus of my "business" these days. I took a photography course and had the oldest DSLR in the class but was amazed with all the things my camera could actually do. I switched to shooting in Manual Mode and love it! I was still shooting JPEG at this point. Reading lots online about RAW but it scared me so hadn't tried it yet. I was using Picasa and PSE 11 for post processing which neither is great for RAW.<br> So last summer I met a pregnant couple and took their maternity photos, newborn, and at the 3 month session they told me they had something important to ask...they wanted me to be their wedding photographer. Since I read a lot of blogs and forums I knew this was out of the question. I told them I wasn't the person they wanted! I don't do flash or low light photography and they wouldn't get any great images of their wedding from me. They insisted and insisted so I told them I would think about it. A week after the bride to be contacted me again and I politely told them that if I did it we would have to have a contract spelling out the fact that I am not a wedding photographer and that I can promise them NOTHING! They were happy I agreed to be their photographer. I stopped taking on too many new portrait clients as I needed to focus on everything I had to do to try to prepare to take some terrible photos of their wedding!<br> I bought a new Nikon D7100 and spent three months using it so I was comfortable with it by the time my wedding rolled around.<br> I got myself a monopod, lots of SD cards, a shootproof account, and read and read and read about how no hobbyist should be shooting a Wedding but if you are here are some tips. I made pose lists, gear lists. Tried playing with low light photography. Bought a 24mm 2.8 lens for the church. Looked at thousands of wedding photos online...<br> I found a Wedding Photographer online who was interested in coming along with me as my second shooter and I was her second shooter at one of her weddings. She has 10 or so weddings behind her and I liked her style.<br> Her Wedding was 2 weeks ago and it was a great day. She convinced me to switch to RAW and Lightroom, and I will never go back to JPEG. We were on location from Noon - 10pm and the Bride and Groom are happy with all the photos they have seen so far. The main photographer put together a same day slide show for them with some quick edits of some photos that didn't need too much work. It was a hit at the reception. I have around 100 photos that I would consider using in my portfolio. Yes I have a release from the couple!<br> My bride & groom signed off on their contract which stated that they hired me and I am NOT a wedding photographer, i don't have experience with flash photography or low light locations like churches and reception halls. I suggested they may get 150 photos, 35 days after the wedding from me.<br> My Wedding was this past weekend and I decided to take the "go big or go home" approach by:<br> Attending the Rehearsal - which let me see the Church Prior - got lots of photos then<br> Setting up a photobooth - which allowed me to see the Reception Hall Prior and capture the decor then<br> Going to the Mothers house the morning off to capture the girls getting ready<br> Visiting the Boys getting ready - lots of fun photos there<br> Ceremony - got to the church early as the Pastor had already given me the go ahead to open all the blinds<br> 2 Hours of Bridal Party & Family Photos all outdoors and the weather cooperated.<br> Reception & Dance - super low light<br> All in all it was a 15 hour day with two photographers. We took around 5000 photos. I have many that I love and the Bride & Groom have liked what they have seen so far...I know I got lucky. From the culling I have done so far I am thinking I will have 600 photos for them once I am done.<br> So finally to my questions!<br> I won't be offering my services as a Wedding Photographer anytime soon. However - people have already contacted me to ask me if I am interested in shooting theirs ... ekkk<br> How do I price myself for a job I know I am not experienced enough for? I feel I should simply say no. This wedding I took on, I charged $325 which essentially covered my travel and expenses. I didn't make money. I would never do it for free as there is a lot of money spent on preparing for an event like this from props, to gear to travel.<br> I live in a city of 1 million and it seems the demand here for photographers is higher than the supply. When I arrived to the reception hall they had a wall of all the family photos I have taken of them over the last year on display. People were standing around admiring them. Photos I wouldn't put in my portfolio! I am just a hobbyist...It was a bit overwhelming.<br> How do you explain to non-photographers that you can’t do what they are asking! I have run in to this many times with other types of sessions, but I always just warn them that it may not work out and we can try. You can’t really do that with a Wedding.<br> Anyways critics welcome!</p>