What’s Your Preference?

Stina3246 · #1 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011, 04:13 PM

So I booked a wedding off of another wedding I shot. The brides best friend is getting married and she liked my shots so she booked me. At first it was your typical wedding, shoot the preparations, ceremony, reception etc. Pretty standard. Then the new bride to be calls me and asks if I can take a special shot and make it into cards for her thankyou notes. I say sure but making the cards will cost extra. (She expected me to just print them up and send them to her) OK that's fine. Then she tells me her aunt wanted to shoot the wedding too and do a "photo booth" type thing. I tell her that's fine but she needs not to get in mine or the second photographers way during the important stuff. THEN she calls and tells me her Aunt does not have a printer to do the photobooth and asks if they can use mine. OK fine but they must supply the ink and paper (ink is super expensive)
Last straw....her Aunt decides she doesn't want to do it now so she wants MY partner to do the photobooth. I told her no, we do not have the proper equipment or any type of set up to make it look like a photobooth AND he wouldn't have time to run a photobooth AND get other important shots....UGH
AND she just told me that the church does not allow "roving" photographer OR flash photography. We are allowed 1 shot of her entering and 1 shot of her leaving and ALL other photos must be taken from the back of the church. (It's an evening wedding)
I have a good zoom lens and I can bump my ISO as high as 3200 without TOO much noise but still!! So much for the kiss shot OR shots of the FRONT of the bride and groom.

Would you bow out?

zona5101 · #2 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011, 04:45 PM

Nope, just be clear in the contract of what is expected. If you can only shoot from the back then some statement "due to the restrictions placed on the photographer, shots of the live ceremony will be limited in number and may include an excessive amount of noise and grain". Stipulate any other issues as well...remember no matter what you all agree to verbally, what counts is what is on paper.

And don't deliver anything until you get paid.

(I can't wait to change my avatar back...)

Izzy · #3 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011, 04:49 PM

I would bow out. I am not that desperate for work. Not that I am booked solid but there has to be limits. They are expecting miracles while not allowing you to work. Either I get all access or I do nothing.

NathanFranke · #4 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011, 05:07 PM

Case the venue before hand. It may not be as bad as you think, and if it is you'll have time to come up with a solution. You don't want to bow out--good word of mouth gets you one customer, bad word of mouth loses you 10.

At my own wedding, it was a dim church, so the photographer used fast film (all of 7 years ago, certain pros still used film). The images are grainy, but it's appealing. Like others said earlier, make sure the client is aware of the issues, and that she'll get grainy, noisy images. CYA, but don't give up on work.

Niresangwa · #5 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011, 05:19 PM

+1 to the above. Also remember that some shots can be re-staged after the ceremony (ring exchange, kiss, tight details, gazing longingly into one another's eyes blah blah blah).

Stina3246 · #6 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Niresangwa

+1 to the above. Also remember that some shots can be re-staged after the ceremony (ring exchange, kiss, tight details, gazing longingly into one another's eyes blah blah blah).

They have STRICT time limits as well so I can try to stage a few of those shots but I'll have to work fast. She is only allowing 1/2 hour for the formal shots AFTER the ceremony(bridal party, family, bride and groom shots) but I'm hoping that there will be an opportunity at the reception for more of that. I'll DEFINITELY get there early so I can "case the joint" and I'm thinking a written contract is in order.

Biomech · #7 (**permalink**) 09-12-2011, 11:14 PM

Where do you live? I'll do a photo booth for her lol £595.00, 3 hours plus travel over 100 miles from my house

Stina3246 · #8 (**permalink**) 09-13-2011, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biomech

Where do you live? I'll do a photo booth for her lol £595.00, 3 hours plus travel over 100 miles from my house

I doubt she'll pay the extra. The wedding is in Tampa. Her Aunt was going to do it free but when she backed out she wanted my second photographer to do it. I told her no to that because the second photographer is there to capture the wedding not do photo booth shots. I offered to bring a 3rd person for $150 and she has not responded to that.