Wat Would U Do In This Situation...

[brit41]

Ok......so ........I have been doing photography for a little less than a year now..just shooting 'friends & family' you know that whole scenario....BUT now friends of MY friends are wanting me to shoot them now as well. My dilemma is that I don't charge my friends/family but I have a real hard time NOT charging people I don't even know considering how much work and time I put into everything (u know what i am talking about!)
SO .... a girl I don't know found me online & wants me to shoot her wedding. I said no at first b/c I have only shot one wedding before (and I actually caught on fire...but that is a totally different story!). I told her that I would suggest she find someone with more experience to shoot her wedding day but she is insisting that I do it because she thinks I am good enough to do the job well.

So, do I do the wedding anyway despite the fact I know this isn't my area of specialty (i like portraiture best) or do I just go ahead and get the practice under my belt by doing the wedding anyway. Then there is the whole other area of charging for my time. Weddings are tons of work and I cringe to think I would be doing it for free for a total stranger! Is this selfish?? I am so confused!

I am so tired of not being stuck in between 'just doing it as a hobby' and actually making this a business. I just want to be as ethical as possible but I think my time is valuable as well.

Any input? Suggestions? Comments? Dont' care? I understand :

Thanks in advance....

[Dakinetx]

If you do this free, IMO you are mad!
It takes your personal time and THAT should be worth money.
I personally would probably not take on a '3rd' party (stranger) wedding without quite some experience (2nd shooter thread).
But basically, for free? NO. What if she then passes you on to her friend, what will THEY expect etc.
As for pricing, thats up to you but know many here can give you guidelines. Depends if they want prints/CD. Pre/During/Post Ceremony etc. etc. All takes time and trouble.
Anyway, my few thoughts on the matter :)

[gmarblestone]

If you are ready to shoot a wedding you should be ready to charge for it. I don't know what this person does for a living, but i doubt they do it for free and neither should you..

G

[12stones]

If she adamant about having you shoot, then tell her you'd be more than willing to second shoot for a more experienced wedding photographer (maybe a TPFer), but that you don't feel comfortable doing the wedding alone since it's a once-in-a-lifetime deal.

If she thinks you're doing it for free, then I'd quickly let her know such would not be the case.

[ekohl]

I am with 12stones, offer to be a 2nd- she'll be comfortable wioth you there, and the primary can teach you a lot too. AND you have all of us to CC your results!

[BWDPhoto]

I was just reading on another forum where a girl was in a similar situation - did the wedding for free for a 'friend' - made the HUGE mistake of not having things down in writing and a signed contract - BUT the girl ended up shooting for over 14 hours with only one brief potty break, shot over 8K images and then the bride hi-jacked them off of her website and put them on her myspace and even edited out the watermark! The bride even expected to have ALL of the images IN HAND by end of business the day AFTER the wedding!

I would NEVER shoot a wedding without SOME form of compensation - even at my beginning level, my gas and time were still covered! (and had a contract!) Stand your ground now because word will spread that you work cheap for long hours....it's hard to break that cycle then!

[robert t]

Do nothing without something in writing and without some compensation for you time and talent. You have to start somewhere. There are plenty of sites on the web with list of planned shots. There are also plenty of wedding contracts out there that you can use to fashion something for your needs. You have to cover your assets.

[brit41]

WOW! YOU GUYS ARE FANATASTIC! I appreciate all of the input-

I definitely wasn't going to do it for free...i just wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do (to shoot this when Ive only got one chance to capture her wedding & it better be good-). I especially like the idea of being a second shooter & learning from them instead. I just don't think it is worth all the stressing out.

thank you for all the replies!!

[Bruce M. Morris]

Another thing to consider here.. you have been shooting photos of family and friends and having some fun doing it. Do you WANT to shoot the wedding? It is a big ego booster to be asked, to have someone consider your work to be so good that they want you to document their wedding, but do you WANT to do that? At this point you are not obligated to shoot the event. Yes it is something that is a big money maker and it is stressful and there are all kinds of things that can come of it. But you first should ask yourself if you even WANT to deal with it or if your interests are in other areas. Lots of members here are working photographers and can give you lots of advice on what to do to move into the working side of photography, but some here are here just because they like to take pictures and like to do a very good job doing it.
Just another point of view, something to consider.

[canoflan]

I think the most important question here is are you ready to remit sale tax, etc....? I get the feeling from you that you are not charging and have been probably avoiding charging so as to not "be in business" under Texas State Law.

If you charge, you need to get the sale/use tax permit, DBA, and also be prepared to provdie a contract with all your terms and conditions to the propsective client.

***I think you are wise and telling this prospective client you are not right for the job and that will carry you a long way. Please do not compromise on your gut feeling. Clients need to understand that you should know whether you are good enough, not them. Yeah, they may think because you have some pics on the web they like doesn't mean you know how to turn that quality out time and time again in various and sundry situations. A wedding is the last place you want to be the primary shooter IN TRAINING! Please stress this to her.

Please do not simply "take the job." I have backed out of a wedding not too long ago strictly because I didn't have the expertise and believed the client unreasonable in their negotiating with me; although I did have the business stuff in place to do it.

I think a really good way to see if people are going to treat you well through the process is if you can sit down and walk through an agreement with them and they accept your terms and sign the agreement, most likely (but not 100% of the time), they will work with you straight-up. It is the ones that get discouraged at the mention of "contracts and agreements" that make me turn down the job.

Just some thoughts so that you won't do something you probably should not from both a personal and business standpoint.

Pat

[David Whatley]

Ask her the "budget" she has set for the wedding, as you will only do it as a 2nd, and the min for a primary shoote and yerslef will start at $1,100.00
That will start the conversation off on the right foot and set her expectations in the begining
David

[brit41]

Thank you again everyone...Pat your input was great as well! I know what I am going to do now. I will wait until I feel genuinely ready and not compromise anyone's 'special' day for sake of practice. Like the old saying goes...'always go with your intuition'.

:)

[HotHolly]

One of the biggest mistakes made in any profession is sticking your nose where it dont go. The mindset is photography is photography; ministry is ministry; teaching is teaching; etc. Its rare to have someone that has expertise in everything. You already know that shooting different subjects is totally different. Staying within your area of expertise is wicked smart and a good business move. If you choose to expand, do it later. Dont wing a wedding.

As a portrait photographer, if you realized weddings are not your thing, then stay away from them. This sounds dopey, but I refuse all pet photography. No way. I totally stink at it. I am well aware of it. Some people rock at it. I send the client to a recommended photog. Brides and babies are different too. Just tell them that you dont shoot weddings, 'but OMG! I know this photog that would be perfect for you!' And go from there. Dont give into begging. Sometimes, people dont realize what they are asking for.

[David Whatley]

Ask her the "budget" she has set for the wedding, as you will only do it as a 2nd, and the min for a primary shoote and yerslef will start at $1,100.00
That will start the conversation off on the right foot and set her expectations in the begining
David

[toverman]

I second (or third) the notion that if you ARE interested in shooting the wedding as a second shooter, then find someone to be the primary photog. who has all their bridal ducks in a row businesswise. Both of you will get paid, the bride gets professional shots with a backup and everyone lives!

I considered volunteering to help you, but then you said something about catching fire and it freaked me out! :-)