My first wedding shoot ... Do I tell them?

[Skubagirl]

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

Frankly, after looking at your flickr page, I don't quite up to shooting a wedding. This is something that I would think seriously about.

What sort of equipment do you own?

Jim .. based on my flickr page I wouldn't hire me either! They found my web site via a search I'm guessing http://www.lisacousinsphotography.com. As far as equipment, I have a Canon 450 and a Canon 400, 50mm 1.4, Tamron 28-75mm 2.8, Tarmon 17-50 2.8, Speedlite 580.

I am trying to go pro and I wasn't looking for a wedding gig .. it found me .. are some of you telling me that you would pass on the opportunity? I haven't spoken to the client yet, but if it's a small affair and not a full on huge wedding, I believe I can do it. I also think that if I'm up front with them and charge them accordingly it's up to them to make the decision.

For all I know, it's a couple of young kids .. with not much money and are doing something very small scale, etc.

I will have more information later today after I speak with them but I already feel better after all the advice and I will tell them very frankly that I would love the opportunity but that I am only experienced as a portrait photographer .. if they still want me then I am in!

Keep the advice coming ... I'm nervous as heck!

- L

PS .. My niece is getting married in the fall and I am going to shoot her wedding (as a present) .. so I will eventually get the wedding shoot under my belt ..

[oblivi]

some excellent points thus far.

[sk66]

The key here is communication...that everyone knows what they are agreeing to.
I think you have your answer already...

Jim's point about being sued even with a contract comes down to "misrepresentation"...you really want to avoid that, it's just bad business anyways...

( you "could" get sued for "anything" regardless of contract. But if you are not up front with the client, then "misrepresentation" could/would be a valid point of contention)

[Mr Guy]

I JUST shot my first wedding this weekend. I really didn't really ready for it when I accepted it, and actually only did it because they were otherwise not going to have a photographer at all. I figured at the very least I could be better than no one at all. I told them that right up front, showed them my other portraits, explained the type of shot I was used to and just generally made sure they knew what to expect. ALSO during that time of communication, I made sure I thought they were the kind of people that I would be able to handle. I was ready at any second to pull the plug and tell them to look elsewhere if I got the impression they'd expect more than I felt confident I could deliver.

That's what I'd recommend for you as well. Being upfront and honest with your experience, and carefully judging their reactions to make sure THEY are the customers YOU want to have.

[t.scudiero]

The comments here are good. Weddings are tough, tiring, and stressful. Some couples are really REALLY picky, and other couples just want someone to take pictures of their day and want some consistency across all the photos. It's important to know what your client is looking for, but it's also important to NEVER misrepresent yourself to your clients. That will lead to nothing but bad.

When I was starting weddings I basically told couples who I was, why I wanted to do weddings, and how many I had done already (once I had done at least one). There are plenty of couples out there who will hire someone who knows how to take pictures, even if they're not experienced in weddings per say. However it's very important if you are that photographer to not get in with couples who are expecting years of experience. Up front honesty will take care of that. (That and it sounds like your prospective clients are more low key than raging bridezilla).

Finally, you say you're nervous - which means you have a healthy respect for the task. Weddings are big, you don't get to ask the bride to walk down the aisle a 2nd time, you don't get any reshoots and you have 1/4 the amount of time to setup group formals that you should have. It's fast, furious, and you only get to try once. That's actually one of the reasons I love weddings so much: that challenge.

So be honest with them and see if they're still interested. If so, great! Go at it and have fun! My advice if you do is prepare prepare prepare, then be ready to improvise. Scope the site ahead of time, have ideas for poses, shots, and timeline of the day (esp. if you're doing a full day wedding shoot as opposed to just ceremony and formals). Preparation will help a ton your first few weddings. Just my $0.02 as a recently new wedding photographer myself.

-Tony

[Skubagirl]

Thanks Tony .. wow, sounds like I am right where you were not long ago .. your advice is great and I'm looking forward to being totally upfront with them and hope they give me a shot. I know it will be crazy busy and fast .. not sure that's my cup of tea but I'm sure you learn to deal with the speed of things the more you shoot these events. (feeling less nervous and more excited!)

[i_am_beam]

You have the right frame of mind. I am about to get married and my fiance and I can't afford a photographer. I'm giving my camera to one of my friends and asking her to take some shots and that's it. People want different things from photographers. Just make sure that what they want fits what you can offer. Be honest with them about your experience and maybe charge a little less than the average wedding photographer to make up for the lack of experience. The friend who will be shooting my wedding has no experience, but is free. You have experience with portraits and might be a little cheaper. I would be much more inclined to hire a first-timer who won't break the bank than an experienced pro where I'll be paying off the credit card until my 10th aniversery.

Go for it, and have fun. But to answer your question, I would tell them.

[Jim Bryant]

Wow.......don't I feel pretty stupid after look at your website. Actually, you've got some creative portraits of children. Post that site as well. Most of the stuff on your flickr is just family snaps type stuff.

You know...you've got a great attitude and dedication, which I admire. Here's a book which might help you. Digital Wedding Photographer by Paul F. Gero. Actually, you can go to Barnes & Nobles bookstore or like others and there's a ton of digital wedding books on the market. Maybe a few can be found at your local library system. Go onto the web and google wedding photographers and study their images.

But please tell them you haven't shot a wedding before. Have fun!

[Skubagirl]

OK .. here's the update .. it's as I suspected .. a very small wedding .. 5-10 people in total and they are getting married by a justice of the peace at the Inn. I spoke with the bride and told her that I hadn't done a wedding before, only family and children's portraits. She was cool with that and said that they really liked the "human" aspect of my style of photography. Wow .. I've got style!

I sent her a contract with prices charging $300 for 3 hours. It's between me and one other photographer but I'm sure my prices will be the lower. We'll see what happens .. this could be the perfect beginner wedding shoot for me .. hope I get it!

Thanks everybody for the advice!

[Mr Guy]

That's about what I charged for the wedding I did this weekend, with lower resolution pictures on a CD included and higher resolution for prints on smugmug. I really struggled with knowing how to price the prints. My flash died when using it as a fill flash, so unless they spend at least a hundred bucks on prints, I'm going to end up negative, except for whatever value comes from the portfolio and experience.