Two questions: reasonable session fee and volunteered by friend to shoot free wedding

[Daryl Everett]

thanks for the advice I think I've got my answer. Sorry for theilI-natured post I was frustrated.

[Jim Poor]

Where to even start?

Send your "best" friend a bill for the wedding and engagement pics. Maybe that will wake him up and keep from "volunteering" you again.

Reading further, it looks like this event is in the past. Send your neice a bill for the photos as she should know better.

Second question. Not even close.

Originally Posted by Daryl Everett

I've been shooting since I was a kid with SLR but only went to Dslr this year. I have done some work at weddings in the past and was paid to shoot one. My best friend who I am sort of working with (LonG story) volunteered us to do the engagement and wedding pictures for my niece for free. Her work is not what the bride and groom want, they want mine and assumed I would do the work for free. I have talked with my niece (an aspiring photojournalist) About the fact that we need to stop selling CDs and focus on prints. Is it unreasonable to ask her to pay for prints from the second engagement session. And the wedding? She downloaded the half edited files from the first engagement session and printed them already.she was her and asked to see them the day after they were shot.

Second question: is $65 session fee with $15 print credit reasonable for a kid shoot for a family member? You can see my work at the links below if you go to the facebook one be sure to look at. The albums with Daryl on them.

[candleman]

i was voulenteered to shoot for free once.. i said No.

[Jim Bryant]

I tell them my gear is scheduled to be sent to Canon for it's annual clean and checkup. But Jim Poor is right....send your best friend a bill.

[oldwolf]

I'd be convenently busy or out of town the day of the wedding. Your friend who volunteered you probably never checked your calendar.

[nickbedford]

Or first, asked your permission.

[filemanager]

I shot a wedding for free (well "free" in that I didn't get paid, but I told her it was a wedding gift... plus I got to get more wedding experience) for a friend... and let me tell you, I will never ever EVER do a free wedding again!!!

[nickbedford]

Originally Posted by filemanager

I shot a wedding for free (well "free" in that I didn't get paid, but I told her it was a wedding gift... plus I got to get more wedding experience) for a friend... and let me tell you, I will never ever EVER do a free wedding again!!!

Because...? (I'm curious)

[Niresangwa]

Originally Posted by nickbedford

Because...? (I'm curious)

Because they're a pain in the a$$: they're physically and mentally exhausting and a whole lot of work you wouldn't even think of until you do them. They do pay well though.

...take away the being paid well, and see what you're left with.

[Daryl Everett]

Originally Posted by Jim Poor

Where to even start?

Send your "best" friend a bill for the wedding and engagement pics. Maybe that will wake him up and keep from "volunteering" you again.

Reading further, it looks like this event is in the past. Send your neice a bill for the photos as she should know better.

Second question. Not even close.

The event is in January. My niece wants to do 2 engagement locations and we already did one. I don't mind doing those for free as she shoots family shots for me. But she assumes she is getting all the files...urg.
When my friend said to them that they "have us for pictures" I was said something along the lines of "umm, who's doing the wedding shoot as a gift?" No one it appears got the idea that I was not willing to do the entire wedding for free.
So, do I talk to my niece and explain that she will need to pay me for prints/albums or just chalk it up as a lesson learned?

If $65 including print credit is too low for a kids portrait session, what should I charge my cousin? I am not selling her the files.