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    #16
    Re: My first wedding! How much?

    Originally posted by planetc View Post
    Slip a pair of knickers in his pocket on the day, should give you a head start. ;-)
    Alan.

    7D2, 24-105 L / 70-200 F2.8 ii L / 50 F1.8 prime / Sigma 10-20 F4-F5.6

    Website www.alanreeve.co.uk

    Please take a look https://www.flickr.com/photos/82149274@N07/sets & https://www.facebook.com/reevephotography

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      #17
      Re: My first wedding! How much?

      Minimum £600 start price - That includes processing time - you WILL be shooting in RAW and there will be a minimum of 2 days processing to do it properly, on top of that you add print costs (include range of sizes) fuel to and from, food and drink (unless you take sandwiches)

      Sad but true - print out a contract to protect yourself if anything goes wrong - I had a colleague do a 'good friends' wedding, charged £300 and gave them all the original files etc - friend went bunny boiler on him and took him to small claims court for 'ruining her day' and he lost a lot of money and a good friend. Seriously mate with so many relatives involved someone will not be happy!

      DO NOT give up the original files unless stipulated in your contract, I have done 4 weddings and have vowed never to do another, the stress involved is unreal and trying to get all the correct arrangements i.e. brides family / grooms family / friends of the bride / friends of the groom / special bride only - groom only portraits . . . . the list goes on. Like herding wild cats!!!!

      Not trying to put you off just trying to make sure you cover all bases mate. "a woman scorned" and all that

      .DAVID.
      Take nothing but photo's - leave nothing but footprints!

      http://www.davidstallardphotography.com

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        #18
        Re: My first wedding! How much?

        Originally posted by David Stallard View Post
        Minimum £600 start price - That includes processing time - you WILL be shooting in RAW and there will be a minimum of 2 days processing to do it properly, on top of that you add print costs (include range of sizes) fuel to and from, food and drink (unless you take sandwiches)

        Sad but true - print out a contract to protect yourself if anything goes wrong - I had a colleague do a 'good friends' wedding, charged £300 and gave them all the original files etc - friend went bunny boiler on him and took him to small claims court for 'ruining her day' and he lost a lot of money and a good friend. Seriously mate with so many relatives involved someone will not be happy!

        DO NOT give up the original files unless stipulated in your contract, I have done 4 weddings and have vowed never to do another, the stress involved is unreal and trying to get all the correct arrangements i.e. brides family / grooms family / friends of the bride / friends of the groom / special bride only - groom only portraits . . . . the list goes on. Like herding wild cats!!!!

        Not trying to put you off just trying to make sure you cover all bases mate. "a woman scorned" and all that

        .DAVID.
        Mate, thanks for your detailed comments. You speak wise words that's for sure. I suppose I'm hung on the the fact that it's my first and IF I cock it up,no one will mind.......wrong wrong wrong. Of course someone will mind and hunt me down like a dawg lol

        I shall look around for an off the shelf contract of some sort. More import as I have never met or know the couple who enquired if I would. If it was a friends wedding I'd feel more comfortable about it, less pressure almost.

        Thanks again to all who have taken the time to offer their advice. And if any of those are getting married soon ..........
        Alan.

        7D2, 24-105 L / 70-200 F2.8 ii L / 50 F1.8 prime / Sigma 10-20 F4-F5.6

        Website www.alanreeve.co.uk

        Please take a look https://www.flickr.com/photos/82149274@N07/sets & https://www.facebook.com/reevephotography

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          #19
          Re: My first wedding! How much?

          I was once asked to do a friend's wedding. They are no longer a friend. They think that friendship, and a payment as small as they can get away with obliges you to be at their back and call from the moment the wedding starts - that is not the day of the ceremony. They will expect to see your prints that same night and if anything goes wrong it will all be your fault.

          I cannot stress too strongly that this is a bad idea. If you want to get into wedding photography then start off by finding an established tog who will let you help out with bag carrying and general assistant duties. That way you learn what to do/not do.

          If you are a friend then go to the wedding as a guest. If you are not considered worthy of an invite then why should you put yourself to all that stress?

          If you must help out with the wedding photography offer to pay for it as a present, then go to the wedding and enjoy yourself. You say that this is your first wedding but that your shoot at the church last year went well: sorry I'm confused here.

          You don't know them and their only contact is through Facebook. I'd run a mile. It sounds just like a whole load of potential trouble.

          Comment


            #20
            Re: My first wedding! How much?

            Originally posted by Sarawak View Post
            I was once asked to do a friend's wedding. They are no longer a friend. They think that friendship, and a payment as small as they can get away with obliges you to be at their back and call from the moment the wedding starts - that is not the day of the ceremony. They will expect to see your prints that same night and if anything goes wrong it will all be your fault.

            I cannot stress too strongly that this is a bad idea. If you want to get into wedding photography then start off by finding an established tog who will let you help out with bag carrying and general assistant duties. That way you learn what to do/not do.

            If you are a friend then go to the wedding as a guest. If you are not considered worthy of an invite then why should you put yourself to all that stress?

            If you must help out with the wedding photography offer to pay for it as a present, then go to the wedding and enjoy yourself. You say that this is your first wedding but that your shoot at the church last year went well: sorry I'm confused here.

            You don't know them and their only contact is through Facebook. I'd run a mile. It sounds just like a whole load of potential trouble.
            Sara, thanks for your reply and viewpoint.

            Now I am totally confused . To be honest wedding photography is not where I see my journey taking me but at the same time I think it will be a good experience. Yes I know it will be stressful and yes I know there will be some mistakes.

            The reason they contacted me was because I shot the church from the outside last year as a subject to shoot, nothing more than that and certainly not for an event or the like. I posted the image on my FB page under a local group and she got in touch from there. Both the church and the wedding couple are local to me so travelling is not an issue at all.

            I've been thinking that I need to meet them personally to form an opinion of them and see if we get along. Based on that, good or bad, I can then decide if I want to see this through to the conclusion.
            Alan.

            7D2, 24-105 L / 70-200 F2.8 ii L / 50 F1.8 prime / Sigma 10-20 F4-F5.6

            Website www.alanreeve.co.uk

            Please take a look https://www.flickr.com/photos/82149274@N07/sets & https://www.facebook.com/reevephotography

            Comment


              #21
              Re: My first wedding! How much?

              you don't need to be confused and YES doing weddings is stressful and have done more than a few and something I don't want to do again....although I've got one coming up in July grrrrrr

              As for the demands on you - its all about setting out what will or won't happen from the onset, you tell the couple when prints will be ready and as your first they need understand you'll need a bit of help - In the past I've used the best man, get him to help you thats HIS job - Tell the couple that the moment they leave the church you WILL want there attention for at least 30 minutes - thats your chance ( with the Best Man ) to control the couple and the group and get your shots...the rest will just flow once you have the basic shots sorted ....

              Have fun...
              Last edited by Tigger; 15-06-2015, 19:34.
              :- Ian

              5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

              :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

              Comment


                #22
                Re: My first wedding! How much?

                I'll throw in my tuppenceworth. In my area NW UK you can get a wedding photographer from £200 (Heck, I've even seen as low as £150) so I think even £200 is over the top. £100 max I say, ad that's a favour. I'm doing a Mates Rate for a very good friend's sister for £100,and I've done 8 weddings already. And to those who say that's demeaning our ability, are you angry at cheap newcomers undercutting you? Or are you overcharging clients? Competition necessitates these cut prices, jump on board or loose out.

                Comment


                  #23
                  Re: My first wedding! How much?

                  Originally posted by Callan Cool View Post
                  I'll throw in my tuppenceworth. In my area NW UK you can get a wedding photographer from £200 (Heck, I've even seen as low as £150) so I think even £200 is over the top. £100 max I say, ad that's a favour. I'm doing a Mates Rate for a very good friend's sister for £100,and I've done 8 weddings already. And to those who say that's demeaning our ability, are you angry at cheap newcomers undercutting you? Or are you overcharging clients? Competition necessitates these cut prices, jump on board or loose out.
                  Hi Callan, thanks for making your first post on my thread! The wedding is now only a few month away. We met, talked and agreed on a fee of £400. I still have their cheque not cashed until after the wedding. This may seem odd to some but I felt I would take the payment after the event. Risky perhaps.
                  Alan.

                  7D2, 24-105 L / 70-200 F2.8 ii L / 50 F1.8 prime / Sigma 10-20 F4-F5.6

                  Website www.alanreeve.co.uk

                  Please take a look https://www.flickr.com/photos/82149274@N07/sets & https://www.facebook.com/reevephotography

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Re: My first wedding! How much?

                    Originally posted by Callan Cool View Post
                    I'll throw in my tuppenceworth. In my area NW UK you can get a wedding photographer from £200 (Heck, I've even seen as low as £150) so I think even £200 is over the top. £100 max I say, ad that's a favour. I'm doing a Mates Rate for a very good friend's sister for £100,and I've done 8 weddings already. And to those who say that's demeaning our ability, are you angry at cheap newcomers undercutting you? Or are you overcharging clients? Competition necessitates these cut prices, jump on board or loose out.
                    £100 max !!! sorry but thats a joke - if you work on the assumption that you could be with them all day or at least 3 hrs thats only £30 an hour! its costs more than that to get your car cleaned or take it to the local cheap garage for some work, let alone getting a plumber in !!!

                    This is the problem today to many wannbe togs charging silly prices just to cover a night out rather than earning a living ...is there no wonder professional togs are vanishing along with many other trades that wannabes are charging stupid rates for - I used to do weddings in film days and I'm glad I'm not now but the rate Alan has charged is more like the figure I would say is about right £400
                    :- Ian

                    5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

                    :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

                    Comment


                      #25
                      Re: My first wedding! How much?

                      £400 for a days skilled labour, which is what it would work out at with the shoot and post processing, doesn't sound unreasonable to me. £100 sounds way too little for the work, never mind having to cover stuff like public liability insurance for when the unhappy couple sues when one of your memory cards fails and you lose most of the important shots...
                      EOS 7D mk II, Sigma 150-660C, Canon 17-85 EF-S, Tamron 10-24 and a wife who shares my obsession.

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Re: My first wedding! How much?

                        Originally posted by Tigger View Post
                        £100 max !!! sorry but thats a joke - if you work on the assumption that you could be with them all day or at least 3 hrs thats only £30 an hour! its costs more than that to get your car cleaned or take it to the local cheap garage for some work, let alone getting a plumber in !!!

                        This is the problem today to many wannbe togs charging silly prices just to cover a night out rather than earning a living ...is there no wonder professional togs are vanishing along with many other trades that wannabes are charging stupid rates for - I used to do weddings in film days and I'm glad I'm not now but the rate Alan has charged is more like the figure I would say is about right £400
                        Agree totally. Considering the time taken on the day, plus the PP time, (which you'll no doubt take longer over because it is your first wedding) plus travel, scouting the venue, time before hand that you've spent with the client, I'd say £400 is about on the money. The only thing I may have done is asked for some money up front, maybe half, to cover your expenses. Any one that does a wedding for £100 is a joker. It's not about valuing your profession, it's about making a living. Yes, do it because you love it, but you need to make money too. I was a self employed joiner/cabinet maker for 15 years. Loved my work, but I'm not a business man. I used to write out invoices, then try and work out if I could shave a few pounds off because it looked too much!

                        Well done on being asked. Your client obviously has seen something they like, so go for it!
                        Garry Macdonald on Flickr
                        Garry Macdonald on Facebook

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                          #27
                          Re: My first wedding! How much?

                          Originally posted by digiman View Post
                          I was a self employed joiner/cabinet maker for 15 years. Loved my work, but I'm not a business man. I used to write out invoices, then try and work out if I could shave a few pounds off because it looked too much!
                          My wife is the same. She's done an incredible job on three wedding dresses over the last four months. Spent a lot of time on them, including fittings, and had three brides go away extremely happy. And then I've discovered that those three dresses have netted her very little as she didn't charge for material bought separately and didn't feel she could charge more. We had a few words about that after the last bride went.

                          Don't get me wrong, she enjoys it and the money is in some ways a bonus but her hourly rate won't even be close to minimum wage and those brides have got a serious bargain - I believe they would have been happy if she'd charged at least twice what she made and billed for materials separately.
                          EOS 7D mk II, Sigma 150-660C, Canon 17-85 EF-S, Tamron 10-24 and a wife who shares my obsession.

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Re: My first wedding! How much?

                            Originally posted by AndyMulhearn View Post
                            My wife is the same. She's done an incredible job on three wedding dresses over the last four months. Spent a lot of time on them, including fittings, and had three brides go away extremely happy. And then I've discovered that those three dresses have netted her very little as she didn't charge for material bought separately and didn't feel she could charge more. We had a few words about that after the last bride went.

                            Don't get me wrong, she enjoys it and the money is in some ways a bonus but her hourly rate won't even be close to minimum wage and those brides have got a serious bargain - I believe they would have been happy if she'd charged at least twice what she made and billed for materials separately.
                            Yup, there are a few of us around that do it for the creative love! I am now in a position where I work full time for a college, which gives me plenty opportunity to do woodwork because I want to, not because I have a bill to pay! So I have a job enjoy, with pretty much zero stress, with an amazing woodwork shop that I have full access to any time I want. Win Win!
                            Garry Macdonald on Flickr
                            Garry Macdonald on Facebook

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Re: My first wedding! How much?

                              Originally posted by digiman View Post
                              Agree totally. Considering the time taken on the day, plus the PP time, (which you'll no doubt take longer over because it is your first wedding) plus travel, scouting the venue, time before hand that you've spent with the client, I'd say £400 is about on the money. The only thing I may have done is asked for some money up front, maybe half, to cover your expenses. Any one that does a wedding for £100 is a joker. It's not about valuing your profession, it's about making a living. Yes, do it because you love it, but you need to make money too. I was a self employed joiner/cabinet maker for 15 years. Loved my work, but I'm not a business man. I used to write out invoices, then try and work out if I could shave a few pounds off because it looked too much!

                              Well done on being asked. Your client obviously has seen something they like, so go for it!
                              I did consider something upfront but to be honest it will be a learning exercise for me as well as capturing their day. They appreciate its my first wedding and are prepared to work with me so they get what they want. Will only be shooting during the wedding, nothing in the evening at all. A nice gentle lead in that's for sure.
                              Alan.

                              7D2, 24-105 L / 70-200 F2.8 ii L / 50 F1.8 prime / Sigma 10-20 F4-F5.6

                              Website www.alanreeve.co.uk

                              Please take a look https://www.flickr.com/photos/82149274@N07/sets & https://www.facebook.com/reevephotography

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Re: My first wedding! How much?

                                Originally posted by Tigger View Post
                                £100 max !!! sorry but thats a joke - if you work on the assumption that you could be with them all day or at least 3 hrs thats only £30 an hour! its costs more than that to get your car cleaned or take it to the local cheap garage for some work, let alone getting a plumber in !!!

                                This is the problem today to many wannabe togs charging silly prices just to cover a night out rather than earning a living ...is there no wonder professional togs are vanishing along with many other trades that wannabes are charging stupid rates for - I used to do weddings in film days and I'm glad I'm not now but the rate Alan has charged is more like the figure I would say is about right £400
                                As I said, in the NW there are . of newcomers who will do it for £2-300 for a 6 hour shoot. The thing to remember is it's the OP's FIRST wedding. You will be fine on the day I'm sure. I don't know where you live, but if it's down south, I'd say you're starting at £500 for a newbie, its much more expensive down there. I did my first 5 weddings without charge, and my first paying wedding for £80 as it was only 2 hours and the couple couldn't afford a photographer. Now 6 hrs coverage is £400 (400 images). 2 hrs and 200 photos is £200. I'm saying that you shouldn't charge full price on your first paid gig, unless you've shot 20+ in a professional manner and presented them properly to the couple.

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