About to step my foot into Wedding Photography

[jdalex]

I was asked to do two weddings as well with bridal shoots later this year. Where do I start, the do's and don'ts, and what to charge (I know pricing can not be discuss so if you can PM me with that info would be great). I have been looking into going into this area for a while now so i would like to hit it the correct way and to avoid as many mistakes as possible. Thank in advance for any replies.

[Sonny]

Hi Joseph,

This subject is a sensitive one. I ask you keep an open mind of all the suggestions made. Sometimes the advice given might not be what you want to hear. If you receive something that you totally do not agree with do not get discouraged. You can take the bits and pieces of advice you want to use and disregard the rest.

We are all here to help and help one another grow as a photographic community. I will let the other mods know about this thread that way we can keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn't get out of hand.

[jdalex]

Thanks Sonny. Will do...

[revjvegas]

If you haven't already, I think the sticky posts atop of this forum:
Wedding Discussions
and this one:
Business Talk
are a very good place to start as a lot of the commonly asked questions have been pretty well covered.

[todd_a]

I'll go. I've been through this recently from a number of different angles.

Lets figure out where you are starting from....

What is your experience level in photography?
What is your experience level shooting people?
What is your experience level shooting 2 or more people?
What equipment are you using (camera bodies, lens specs, etc...)?
Have you attended any workshops to prepare?
Have you done a tag-along with a pro?
Have you second shot with a pro?
Have you done any reading up on wedding photography?
Have you attended a wedding recently and maybe paid attention to the Photographer?
Have you done any research on contracts?

Whew, start there. I"m also going to send you a PM...

:)

[Bella Pop]

There is so much to learn about wedding photography and yes, you will encounter advice and options across the board on the subject. Keep in mind what works for some may not work for others. This is especially true for pricing, getting started, etc.

Many will say the only way to get into wedding photography is by 2nd shooting / working for a pro. I started myself by offering 4 free weddings (printable cd included) on Craigslist to build a portfolio. My couples were all people who could not afford a photographer and it would have been a family member snapping pictures. My portfolio consisted of landscape shots and a tiny handful of portraits at the time and I did not feel comfortable charging people $$ to shoot any wedding without some type of wedding portfolio. All expectations about their wedding photos, my experience, prints, cd, timeline, etc. were agreed upon in writing with a contract. Even so, I treated these free weddings like paying clients.

That being said, if you are going to shoot weddings you *must* have backup equipment, both camera body, lenses, batteries, cards. Depending on the location of wedding (inside, dark, no flash allowed) you will need fast enough glass 2.8 / tripod / flash, etc. If you can't buy this equipment, rent it. If you shoot a garden wedding outside only, you can get by with not as fast glass.

That's just a tip of the iceberg really. Practice all the time, read, learn from others, prepare. Hope that helps!

[BenE]

Originally Posted by todd_a

========
What equipment are you using (camera bodies, lens specs, etc...)?
======

All good points, and regarding the one I left in the quote.....


No disrespect intended
Are you knowledgeable about what all the settings on your cameras are for, such as f stops, shutter speeds, ISO, etc?

[KenJulio]

Stacey Reeves did a nice write up on pricing, it's worth a read: Photographer’s Pricing Guide Dallas Wedding Photographer Stacy Reeves | Vintage Modern Wedding Photography

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by ken74

Stacey Reeves did a nice write up on pricing, it's worth a read: Photographer’s Pricing Guide Dallas Wedding Photographer Stacy Reeves | Vintage Modern Wedding Photography

Thanks Ken.

That is an excellent source of information.

[Bella Pop]

Originally Posted by BenE

All good points, and regarding the one I left in the quote.....


No disrespect intended
Are you knowledgeable about what all the settings on your cameras are for, such as f stops, shutter speeds, ISO, etc?

oh yes, a good point indeed... I kinda just assumed this.

I would recommend at least being able to shoot shutter priority and controlling the shutter, if not manual (manual is the way to go!) A basic understanding about aperture, shutter speeds, ISO is a must. Learn to shoot manual... don't let your camera control you. :)

[LauraM]

This is a good collection of advice so far! :)

[suerenee]

Brush off the haters. Set your goals and go for it.

I suggest you get a good contract (PPA has free templates for members) and have EVERYONE sign a contract even if you are shooting for free or next to free. Spell out expectations for each party.

If you are serious and going into business, write a business plan. You need a guide book to go by. You have to know where you are going and how much money you want to make going there.

Get good glass...if you can't buy it, rent it.

[Flea77]

I will have to repeat what some others have said "Buy good glass", there is a reason it is expensive and it is not because it is light weight stuff ;-) Good glass will generally focus faster, focus better, last longer, provide sharper images, provide better bokeh and put up with more abuse (not all cheap glass lacks all these traits, there are tradeoffs, but really good glass generally has all these traits).

Remember, a body will not make an image sharper, give better bokeh, or make a lens last longer.

Allan

[Bella Pop]

Originally Posted by Flea77

I will have to repeat what some others have said "Buy good glass", there is a reason it is expensive and it is not because it is light weight stuff ;-) Good glass will generally focus faster, focus better, last longer, provide sharper images, provide better bokeh and put up with more abuse (not all cheap glass lacks all these traits, there are tradeoffs, but really good glass generally has all these traits).

Remember, a body will not make an image sharper, give better bokeh, or make a lens last longer.

Allan

I am all for L glass and 98% of the time it is the *only* thing I shoot with. I also agree that good glass is more important than a body, but a good body is also important (full frame, higher ISO capabilities are the way to go hands down.) However expensive equipment is still nothing if you don't know how to use it. I have seen work done with good glass where nothing is consistently in focus with little improvement.

I spent a ton of $$ upfront for L glass - even when buying my camera body for the very first time. It was a lot of debt I had to pay off. If I had done things differently - I would have spent the first year with better glass but not top of the line while learning, investing in my glass as my business grew. I know lots of people who have done that - and it really is a smart concept. Buy what you can, master the equipment you have, rent when you need to and focus on technical ability, customer service and composition.

And never stop learning. I'm still super critical of myself - I'm always thinking "this is nice, but it could have been better."

[rusty_tripod]

Think twice. If weddings are coming to you, let them. If not, think twice.