Charging Your Friends To Shoot Their Wedding?

[OnofreShoots]

I was trying to see if there was something already posted on this subject somewhere in these forums and couldn't find anything, so maybe I missed it, but I'm going to raise the question anyway.

I am a professional photographer and quit my job back in January to pursue it as a business full time. In the meantime, I had two friends of mine approach me to shoot their wedding, which I am more than honored and happy to do. However, this raises the difficult question: do I charge my friends for shooting their wedding?

A few things to consider before answering:

1) Their wedding is in Massachusetts and I am located in Virginia. So, there's the element of travel involved.

2) This is now my livelihood, and because this is how I pay my bills, taking the time to travel for shooting a wedding is a big deal, since it means I'm taking myself away from my regular clientele where I normally conduct business to shoot. While I will enjoy seeing my friends whom I haven't seen in months, it's also a job, which happens to feature two of my good friends getting married.

3) It's just going to be myself shooting. They're getting married in a big, gothic church with about 40-50 friends and family members being invited.

4) I've shot only a few weddings so far. By the time I shoot this wedding, I will have shot three weddings - only one by myself. Because of my inexperience, I'm not sure if I'm worthy of charging for my services. However, I'm fully confident in my abilities, and I think it shows in my work, which makes me feel I actually am worthy of being paid.

So, all things considered, what should I do? I feel awkward asking them to pay me, but at the same time, unless they do, it's going to be slightly harder for me to make it up there to shoot the wedding (and have the funds to get back).

Thank you for your input ahead of time!

- Patrick

[hookrunner]

Meh...ask them to cover your travel. If you have any interest in doing weddings in the future, do it for free and learn from it. If you have any interest in doing weddings in the future it's an opportunity to hone your skills.

[candleman]

the absolute LEAST they should do is pay your expenses

heres my experience:
everyone whom i've considered a friend that has asked me to shoot for free... ended up abusing the relationship and taking advantage of me. IE, asking for more, posting unwatermarked images, croping the images... laughing at me when i explain copyright.

Treat them like any other couple.. including all conditons of the contract.

from experience, this is a very good way of weeding pout who is outto abuse you, and who has respect for you.
At least i know who my friends are now.

[kelleyrie]

I agree with candleman, especially since there is so much travel involved.

[kirbinster]

I would not do it! Period. It is best never to mix business with friendship - one will always suffer. I have done two weddings because friends asked me to. They had a paid pro also shoot the wedding, they just asked if as I guest I would bring my camera and take pictures also. I was glad to do this as a friend. I did not charge them, and they actually liked many of the pictures that I took better than what they paid for. The good thing was if they did not like my work it would not hurt the friendship, and I did not feel the pressure of having to get it right.

[Jim Bryant]

Friends are friends and business is business. Don't start a trend of shooting for free. If you're not going to charge them for shooting their wedding. Have them cover expenses and at least post processing, editing, and cd burning.

[tzimmerman]

And I would discount them, but they would cover travel, and they would pay me something, but not my full rate.

They would also get the same consultations, and explanations about what prints they will get, what digital service they will get, what pricing of additional prints will be, and proofing and ordering time constraints. If anything, they get an even more lengthy explanation about all of that before they sign on the line, write me a check and book, because they are friends.

Have done 2 family members this way this year with no problems, in the contract its stated that they get 50% off shooting fees, and 25% off a single print order for themselves (they can lump in family prints, I don't care, as long as its only a single order. I set up a separate album that is decativated as soon as the first order is placed. Any additional orders are full price, and there is a separate album for everyone else to order from at full price).

Whatever you do, put it in WRITING the expectations of the day, the fees, the prints, and have in depth conversations so everyone is on the same page before ink hits paper. I don't think shooting for friends/family is hard, people get in trouble when the pre wedding consultation is "will you shoot my wedding?.....SURE I WOULD LOVE TO!" and thats all that is said. People as a whole don't understand who owns images, copyrights, or anything of that sort, I always have to explain it so we are all on the same page, and I think friends are absolutely no different.

[Jim Poor]

What do your friends do for a living? Would you expect them to travel to VA and do THAT for free?

I get this pretty frequently.

My rule of thumb is simple: If they are good enough friends that they would normally invite me to their wedding, I'll go and shoot it for free. Travel is irrelevant, as I would've been going anyway.

I have two co-workers that work within 10 feet of me that got married recently. One I shot for free, as he's a good friend and I hang out with him outside of work. The other I charged full price. He's a good guy and I'm honored that he asked me to shoot his wedding, but I don't know him well enough to be invited to his wedding.

[gturner]

Originally Posted by Jim Poor

What do your friends do for a living? Would you expect them to travel to VA and do THAT for free?

That is the real point here.
My wife is a hairdresser. She discounts who she wants when she wants, but friends generally pay full price and NEVER quibble.

I think the freebies are expected when they know you have a "real" job.