my first paid shoot

[bex17]

Hello! I am fairly new to the photography world... about a year in. I have taken photos at a few weddings of family members for fun (not as a hired photographer) and recently got asked if I would shoot a wedding. This will be my first paid photography job which of course ups the pressure from just taking pictures for fun. A couple questions I have...

1. It is a very small intimate wedding at a home, 20 guests invited... do you think I should have a second photographer along?

2. I have no idea what to charge! Any suggestions? This is going to be a very basic, I show up and take pictures, edit some of them and give them a disc with rights to all the images.

3. Any other tips would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Becky

[Tito87]

Welcome to the DPS. One tip I'd give you is not to ask questions like how much you should charge. I don't know if you have a thick skin, but you might not like the answers.

[NathanFranke]

I did my first wedding recently, with a larger guest list (~80 guests, 3 bridesmaids/3 groomsmen). I *basically* did it by myself. I say "basically" because I asked one of the bride's best friends who was also a photographer to shoot as well (I'm the bride's brother-in-law). I wanted the insurance of another shooter case of traumatic memory card loss on my part. Turns out nothing happened to my memory cards, and the best friend/second shooter tried to rip off one of my images claim it as her own, and infringe my copyright in a major way.

If you know your camera--I mean thoroughly know your camera--then you should be able to handle a wedding this size by yourself. A good barometer for "knowing" your camera: do you know where all the buttons by feel; can you change settings in the dark; do you know at what settings you'll start to lose image quality; how long will your battery last in high-use conditions; can you change memory cards without fumbling...

If you do feel the need to have a second shooter, meet this person, in person, beforehand. (All my correspondence with the former bff was over email.) Have a written contract. Make sure both parties understand who gets the final images, who's processing them, what gets to go in whose portfolio, how much each photographer is getting paid. I'm sure you can find some sample second shooter contracts online.

re: charging--don't do it for free. It cheapens it for other photographers trying to make a living, and if you don't charge for it people don't appreciate it as much. That being said, due to your inexperience, I wouldn't advise charging the same rates as the guy down the street who's been doing weddings for 30+ years. Whatever you charge, inform the people who sign the checks early, so there's no sticker shock after you've already done all the work.

[3bayjunkie]

I would suggest doing it free of charge. If you are shooting digital its simple because you arne't paying for film or developing. just charge them for the cost of the prints and wedding album they pick out from your choice of vender. I provide free 4x6 printed proofs out of pocket.

[katia]

Originally Posted by 3bayjunkie

I would suggest doing it free of charge. If you are shooting digital its simple because you arne't paying for film or developing. just charge them for the cost of the prints and wedding album they pick out from your choice of vender. I provide free 4x6 printed proofs out of pocket.

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