I’ve been asked to do my first photoshoot :S

Chilt

Chilt

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Nick
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Hey guys, as a rule im bird/wildlife photographer, photo shoots for a couples golden wedding anniversary is something I’ve never done, now it might be inside at a old country pub or maybe outside, she has said that there table is booked for 7, we haven’t fully gone through it yet as she’s asked for a price and I have absolutely no idea where to begin.

My gear: I have a canon 7Dmkii, canon 17-40L, canon 50mm 1.8 and sigma 100mm 2.8 macro plus I have a canon 430ii flashgun.

Poses: I haven’t a clue where to start with poses, I mean do you do tHe same kind of stuff as wedding poses? Or what kind of poses if they are inside sitting around a table, I really just don’t know where to start

Price: Shes asked how much I charge for a 30 minute photoshoot and about 20 photographs.. I literally don’t know a price.. £10 A photo.. that’s £200?! I just don’t know where to start with any of it but I’d love to try get into it full time at a later date.

Any help here would be MASSIVELY appreciated!
If you need anymore info please let me know.
Thanks
Nick
 
How do you conclude it's OK to charge money for a service you have no idea how to provide?

If you really want to do it - and you have no idea how to begin, then be honest with them and do it for free. Consider it a free lesson for you.

Good luck, and share your results :)
 
Chilt said:
Hey guys, as a rule im bird/wildlife photographer, photo shoots for a couples golden wedding anniversary is something I’ve never done, now it might be inside at a old country pub or maybe outside, she has said that there table is booked for 7, we haven’t fully gone through it yet as she’s asked for a price and I have absolutely no idea where to begin.

My gear: I have a canon 7Dmkii, canon 17-40L, canon 50mm 1.8 and sigma 100mm 2.8 macro plus I have a canon 430ii flashgun.

Poses: I haven’t a clue where to start with poses, I mean do you do tHe same kind of stuff as wedding poses? Or what kind of poses if they are inside sitting around a table, I really just don’t know where to start

Price: Shes asked how much I charge for a 30 minute photoshoot and about 20 photographs.. I literally don’t know a price.. £10 A photo.. that’s £200?! I just don’t know where to start with any of it but I’d love to try get into it full time at a later date.

Any help here would be MASSIVELY appreciated!
If you need anymore info please let me know.
Thanks
Nick
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Little jobs like this are often a real pain in the bum.

It seems from your post that you have concerns about your ability to deliver.

People's expectations when they are a paying client are very different and as mentioned above you may wish to consider offering the them the option of doing it for free for experience.

Personally in your position I would have get in touch with the "client" and explain that you have concerns about being able to deliver what they want and suggest that they hire someone with more experience with this type of photography. Do you really want to be the guy that in their eyes ruined their golden wedding anniversary because if you can't deliver that is how they will feel. If they are still happy for you to do them after that then they can't come back saying they are unhappy later on.

Would have thought that for a 30 minute session and with a budget of £200-300 they could pretty much book any wedding/portrait photographer they wanted considering the current climate.
 
They will only have one Golden Wedding Anniversary, you will only have one chance to get it right ... if you intend to do it, make sure they understand the risk they are taking.
 
Nick, I think you've answered your own questions:

'Poses: I haven’t a clue where to start with poses, I mean do you do tHe same kind of stuff as wedding poses? Or what kind of poses if they are inside sitting around a table, I really just don’t know where to start

Price: Shes asked how much I charge for a 30 minute photoshoot and about 20 photographs.. I literally don’t know a price.. £10 A photo.. that’s £200?! I just don’t know where to start with any of it but I’d love to try get into it full time at a later date.'

f2.8 and Gramps have given good advice. You're not ready for this, or confident about doing it, so just decline gracefully and suggest they book with a professional. That's the best, and honourable, solution.
 
Agree with the foregoing. Either explain its not your normal photography scene and offer to do it for free/nominal sum with no expectations or don't do it.
 
Help needed.......
Somebody on a photography forum has asked me to advise them how to set up a shoot. I don't have any personal experience of this type of thing and I've no idea what to charge them for the advice.....any help gratefully received.

Put like that it sounds ridiculous doesn't it?
 
I agree with the above posters. I would offer to do it for free and set realistic expectations with them. That way you're both going into it with your eyes open.

Chances are, even if you're inexperienced in this area, you should be able to deliver properly exposed, sharp photos, which they more than likely will be happy with.

But charging for them is a no no. If they're happy and offer something after that's a different story.
 
I would look at this from a different perspective. Firstly you need to find out exactly what sort of photographs they want. Then can you provide photographs to meet that expectation. Thirdly any compensation due would have to satisfy both parties involve.
 
I have to agree with the majority here. If I booked a plumber and found out he’d gone on a DIY forum asking how to do the job as he’d never done it before I’d be worried. Are they friends of yours or genuine ‘clients’? If they’re friends then I’d offer to do it for free or just cover expenses. Maybe hire a decent 24-70 2.8 lens and charge then for that...
 
I have been asked before to photograph a work colleagues wedding and christening and I agree with the above posts.
I told him that I wasn’t confident enough with no experience of taking that type of photography as I shoot mainly sports and wildlife. And I felt that his expectation and along with my skill set it would be a disaster.
Offering your services for free as a second shooter maybe a good option as you could learn from the other guy and gain some experience?
 
My advice would be that you offer to do it for free and explain that you are not that experienced at this type of photography. If you are successful, the probability is that they will offer you a gift voucher or cash after the event. As a gift it will not be taxable and you will not need public liability insurance which you would if agreeing a paid service from the outset. I have a 50th Wedding Anniversary soon but would not like it photographed other than informal family snaps.

Dave
 
As few years back and purely as a one off, I was asked in a similar situation by SWMBO's oldest friends to take the photos at their Ruby Wedding party.

Long story short:-
No money was going to change hands.
I put in writing a summary of what I would hope to do.
The plans for the day did not go 100% as to how they/I thought it would.
There were approx 50 - 60 guests.
The photographs I took were a mixture of formal portraits, groups (from just 4 people to max about of whole party outside).
Numerous candid shots as I moved around the group as a whole.

I processed a selection (made by me) for both print and email usage and that took something like 8-10 hours.

I enjoyed the process on the day because though I was also a guest I knew only a handful of the other folk so was pleased to be busy;)

They shared the email sized versions with all the guests and even others further afield.

They used the print ready ones to print a photo album and somewhat to my chagrin included other poorly processed ones (I think it was 4 images) from guests in the book. I would have happily helped by processing those to improve the album's consistency.


Sorry, longer winded than intended :lol:
 
I did something very similar for my wife’s now sadly deceased grandparents and their 60th wedding anniversary About 10 years ago. It was going to be the last time the whole family was going to be together. (They had 7 kids all of which had at least 2 kids, all of which had at least 1 kid and some of them had emigrated to Australia and some moved to Scotland).
I really didn’t want to do it, not my bag at all. I don’t like people, I can’t manage them and direct them and inside a dingy restaurant with no nice backdrops or decent lighting.
Still, I was convinced “snapshots are fine” they said...

As a person who wants to do his best, snapshots aren’t fine, but still. I did what I could.

The family seemed happy enough with what I did, but I think they are awful. I can’t look at them anymore.

The grandfather passed away a few weeks ago at grand age of 103, so we’ve been going through all the photos We could find and I had to dredge these up again And they make me cringe. They are going to be displayed at his funeral next week, along with several others I’ve taken throughout the years.
I couldn’t imagine charging for something I know I can’t fully deliver on, I only did it as I was going anyway and I made it quite clear the photos would not be to my usual level.

The plumber analogy given above is a great one.. How many other industries would you employ a professional service and then get the “professional” asking on a forum how to do it...
 
Chilt said:
I have absolutely no idea where to begin.
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You begin by ensuring you have the right lenses, lighting equipment and insurance for this sort of shoot, then you get some professional tuition to give you the basic knowledge, then you serve your time and learn your craft until you are consistently proficient, and then you can charge people for your service as a professional photographer.

Since you appear to have done none of the above, I strongly suggest that you explain the situation to the couple, make your apologies and perhaps point them in the right direction to find a reputable and experienced professional photographer who can cover events like this to the required standard, so they don't end up with a 'chancer' who may well not be able to deliver the couple's expectations to an acceptable standard.

I'm sorry if that sounds blunt, but it's what I believe, and I doubt I'll be alone in thinking that way. As people have said above, there will be plenty of highly experienced wedding photographers out there who would be very grateful for this sort of work at the moment, and do a far better job of it for the same money (or less) than you are mentioning. So where you should begin is by doing the right thing for all concerned.
 
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Thanks for all the great feedback guys! I have told them I’ll do it for free as it’s my first time doing this time of photography and that I didn’t want them paying for something I didn’t really know much about.. they are over the moon with it! Still offering to pay me something, I’ve said it’s fine.

so with the pressure of payment out the way.. they are looking for about 20 photos.. now if it’s raining and we have to be inside, that’s a lot of photos in the same kind of area, any pointers on poses and what not?

Again, any help would be massively appreciated.
Thanks
Nick
 
See if you can beg ,borrow, steal ,hire or whatever some lights and reflectors/ umbrellas, if you can't ,get some white foam board/polystyrene sheet or similar to use as a reflector(s) and make a bounce card ( piece of white card and elastic band) for your flash.
Don't forget batteries and extra memory cards.
Do it , have fun and enjoy it you never know it might open up a whole new world.
Best of luck
 
things to think about when shooting small groups:
Make sure the group is built around the most important people there (should be obvious but...)
Choose a location based on the light / aesthetics
Clear the clutter if your space is compromised.

as above, if you’re inside you might have to consider adding proper lighting (depending on location / time of day).
 
Phil V said:
things to think about when shooting small groups:
Make sure the group is built around the most important people there (should be obvious but...)
Choose a location based on the light / aesthetics
Clear the clutter if your space is compromised.

as above, if you’re inside you might have to consider adding proper lighting (depending on location / time of day).
Click to expand...

keep your eyes open for extraneous objects in the shot.
I new a waanabe pro who spent best part of a day cloning out coke tins he had missed in a wedding shoot. they were in every outdoor shot.
 
Have a look round the venue in advance if you can. How much room is there? Are there any natural light sources? Can you bounce flash off the ceiling? Will you be able to maintain social distancing with other guests? Is there room for group shots if any are required? And if you’re not a regular or confident speedlite user, ensure you get plenty of practice in advance so you’re not fumbling round on the day!
 
keef32 said:
Given that most pubs require you to stay seated all the time you are there you might be very very limited
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Given current restrictions this is a massive consideration. You would be better doing most of it outside if you can and talk to the venue and see what they can provide, space wise, for a few indoor shots. Remember if you use a separate room the venue will have to clean it afterwards, if you use an entrance or lobby area you will most likely be preventing other people from coming and going until you are done.
 
For something like this I would recommend a back up body. I know in general DSLR bodies tend to very reliable but I did a family wedding for free and one of my bodies failed. It was the only time I have ever had a camera fail on me and it happened at my first wedding. What are the chances[emoji848]
Thankfully I was able to continue with the other body and the couple were delighted with the results.
 
viewfromthenorth said:
Can you bounce flash off the ceiling?
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Bounce flash can be a bit of an art in itself and the OP may not have the time to practice on subjects in different venues to learn it in time (unless he's already up to speed on portraits with flash), likewise using something like a bendy flag type diffuser, which also takes time to master.

If he's still determined to do this photo session (despite the comments above), then perhaps a cheap dome type diffuser with white inset reflector from eBay might be quicker to master and give more even lighting than a flash on its own, or than trying to bounce of a low or very high ceiling (or the coloured wall of a pub/restaurant!)? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Phot-R-P...747697&hash=item3ce6358181:g:tJ0AAOSwkLhaBhza

And before it all kicks off... lets not get into a 'my diffuser is better than your diffuser' or 'that's not actually a diffuser' pedantic debate, as it's been done to death previously - some like domes, some hate em! I've suggested it as it's cheap and reasonably easy to use (after watching a few 'how to' videos on YouTube to point the right direction). As long as its limitations are recognised and the OP doesn't exceed its effective range, then it might be worth thinking about, and less prone to shadow inducing directional light than badly done bounce. And don't blame me if you don't like it or it doesn't work for you - you started this, Nick, and I'm only trying to be helpful! (y)
 
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