Photographer needed!

It's great to see so many offering their services. Thats what this forum is about. Helping fellow members out.
Sometimes, just sometimes, it's not always about making money.

I hope that you have a great day and someone does you proud with the shoot. I'm in france for 3 weeks at that time, so can't be of any use to you I'm afraid.

Kev.
 
Shazland79 said:
Where else can you earn the best part of a grand for maybe a couple of days work. Most people have to work the best part of a month to earn that sort of money.
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Ah - good old employee mentality :lol:

As a self employed person we have to pay for and update/replace our own equipment (cameras, lenses, computers, software), get insurances, pay for marketing, marketing and more maketing and also try to save for the quieter months when there's less work around as well as saving for retirement.

Successful wedding photographers should look to get £3-4k from their ability/art and from resulting albums, orders/re-orders which goes to cover all the above expenditure

I personally do commercial/product work, but for a change I occassionaly help as second camera for a friend that does wedding+portraits and I know that there's a lot of pre-wedding meetings and preparation that takes place as well as post production and liasing between client, Lab, venue and so on.

It sounds like you think they turn up 10 mins before, take snaps, download and send them to boots for printing. In reality a wedding photographer will cumulatively work for 2-4weeks over a period of months for each wedding and the wedding day is often 16 hours non stop except for a couple of sandwiches

The only easy money in photography is when a client cancels last minute and you keep the deposit, but then you'll already have spent time on their project/session as well as holding a space in your schedule and turning other work away fro the same time, so that's only fair.

I'm not having a go, I'm just (hopefully) giving you more information which may re-adjust your perspective on what you get when you hire a pro.


I'm sure someone will take you up on your offer, but business owners will cast their opinions because the money offered is not going to get a professional.... which is fine. You know what you want and how much you're willing to spend and that's that :D :thumbs:

This will be an oppertunity for a student or someone new to have a play and get a bit of cash in hand, but when you hire a professional to take your pictures of the day think of it as hiring a company rather than just one person :thumbs:
 
Awesome thread, that's Tuesday night sorted :)

Good luck with the search, I think it's a shame so many weddings photographers are charging such little amounts, but if they can make it work financially, who are we to slate?

G.
 
I got married 4 years ago, before I got into photography myself. I was a student and on a tight budget. I managed to find a friend of a friend of my parents who agreed to come along for 2 hours and take photos for 175 pounds. He had been a professional wedding photographer for years but had retired and had just bought his first digital SLR. Photos were a disaster - not one that I like enough to have framed. In the only portrait of bride and groom with both parents, my mum was pulling a face as she had heard the beep when the camera focussed and assumed that was the noise of the photo being taken! Photographer didn't even check the shot and retake it...!

I've ended up gathering photos taken on friends' point and shoots and photoshopping them into something decent and patching my own wedding album together.

And I am all too painfully aware that I've no-one to blame but myself. It was a disaster but it was also the reason I got into photography myself in the first place - the photos were so awful I thought "I can do better than that!". Four years later, I finally can do better than that!

Sorry for the long lecture: just thought the OP might like to be aware of what can happen with budget photographers. At least asking on here, she can check out their websites first, which is more than I managed to do!
 
When the dust has settled, the food eaten, the champagne long gone and the dress no longer fits......what you are left with (in material terms) are two rings, a certificate and your pictures.

That's probably why so many wish they had spent more on the photography after the event.

Shaz, if you only knew what actually went into it. I spend, on average almost 5 days on each wedding. Meeting the couple and discussing plans long range, another meeting closer to the day to finalise details, a couple of hours prep the night before, charging batteries, cleaning kit making sure my clothing is sorted.... then shoot on the day. Then follows processing, uploading to website gallery for them, letting them know it's there. Another meeting to finalise the pics. Half a day album design and upload that, another meeting to finalise the album. Send off the album for printing and then a final meeting to deliver the goods. 5 days work and by the time I pay for all my overheads like insurance, marketing (which is blooming expensive!) travel etc, my package prices sure as heck don't make me £1000 profit!
 
AliB said:
Shaz, if you only knew what actually went into it. I spend, on average almost 5 days on each wedding. Meeting the couple and discussing plans long range, another meeting closer to the day to finalise details, a couple of hours prep the night before, charging batteries, cleaning kit making sure my clothing is sorted.... then shoot on the day. Then follows processing, uploading to website gallery for them, letting them know it's there. Another meeting to finalise the pics. Half a day album design and upload that, another meeting to finalise the album. Send off the album for printing and then a final meeting to deliver the goods. 5 days work and by the time I pay for all my overheads like insurance, marketing (which is blooming expensive!) travel etc, my package prices sure as heck don't make me £1000 profit!
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I think this sums up exactly what goes into a wedding really nicely! A friend of mine gave me the run down once and I was shocked at the effort. And then you probably end up with less than 40% of the "price" you charge for somewhere between 3/5 days work. That's the reason I'll never become a wedding photographer! Too much work for a pretty measly paycheck at the end of it all.

Look, I'm not going to try convince you to spend more money on your wedding. It's your wedding, your money. I do hope you find someone that does a good job. And if you find someone cheap, I hope they get some cracking photos for both you and their portfolio. Then everyone wins and all is happy in peace and war.

Good luck!
 
99% of members on this forum are great but then there is the 1% who really don't seem to want to help or just feel they want to be as unhelpful as possible. Maybe it is there personality or have just very little to do.the OP isn't asking for a professional photographer, she is asking for someone who isn't established and has a keen intreset. This kind of opertunity would be great for someone who has maybe only taken pictures at a family wedding and wants to try and build up a portfolio of their own. 4 hours work with very little PP other than burning images to a disk for £300.

I am not arguing with professional photographers chargng upwards on £1000, I am paying my photographer £1300 for my wedding next year. If I ever feel I have the ability to do a wedding professionally I would charge the same but the simple fact is the OP isn't asking for professional pictures, as far as I can understand. Its always helpful to read the entire thread,
 
:suspect:
AliB said:
When the dust has settled, the food eaten, the champagne long gone and the dress no longer fits......what you are left with (in material terms) are two rings, a certificate and your pictures.
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I like that phrase - can I use it?

You could argue that it's those those three things which will also outlast the marriage too (as in "death do you part" before anyone suggests anything else) !

I hope Shaz finds her photographer and is happy with the results although as the rate suggested I fear there is a greater risk that she won't be for all the reasons mentioned above.

I also hope that this isn't a start to the return to the "old" forum where the "w" word should have been on the swear filter! (although I suspect the mods have a contant watch on the thread :suspect:)
 
Hiya, I'll be around in July, I'm living in Portsmouth so the only thing I would ask is if you could maybe subsidise my train fare? Other that that, the price etc seems ok to me, I did a wedding for this price before and put the edited images on disc. If you still need a photographer pm me and i'll send you a link to some of my wedding photography, see what you think!
 
Gayatri87 said:
Hiya, I'll be around in July, I'm living in Portsmouth so the only thing I would ask is if you could maybe subsidise my train fare? Other that that, the price etc seems ok to me, I did a wedding for this price before and put the edited images on disc. If you still need a photographer pm me and i'll send you a link to some of my wedding photography, see what you think!
Click to expand...

Think you may want to check the date of the opening post. ;)
 
callumw said:
Ah - good old employee mentality :lol:

As a self employed person we have to pay for and update/replace our own equipment (cameras, lenses, computers, software), get insurances, pay for marketing, marketing and more maketing and also try to save for the quieter months when there's less work around as well as saving for retirement.

Successful wedding photographers should look to get £3-4k from their ability/art and from resulting albums, orders/re-orders which goes to cover all the above expenditure

I personally do commercial/product work, but for a change I occassionaly help as second camera for a friend that does wedding+portraits and I know that there's a lot of pre-wedding meetings and preparation that takes place as well as post production and liasing between client, Lab, venue and so on.

It sounds like you think they turn up 10 mins before, take snaps, download and send them to boots for printing. In reality a wedding photographer will cumulatively work for 2-4weeks over a period of months for each wedding and the wedding day is often 16 hours non stop except for a couple of sandwiches

The only easy money in photography is when a client cancels last minute and you keep the deposit, but then you'll already have spent time on their project/session as well as holding a space in your schedule and turning other work away fro the same time, so that's only fair.

I'm not having a go, I'm just (hopefully) giving you more information which may re-adjust your perspective on what you get when you hire a pro.


I'm sure someone will take you up on your offer, but business owners will cast their opinions because the money offered is not going to get a professional.... which is fine. You know what you want and how much you're willing to spend and that's that :D :thumbs:

This will be an oppertunity for a student or someone new to have a play and get a bit of cash in hand, but when you hire a professional to take your pictures of the day think of it as hiring a company rather than just one person :thumbs:
Click to expand...

That's a real eye opener, I'd never considered how much work is actually involved. Not to mention the heuristic knowledge needed, does put prices into context.
 
Gayatri87 said:
Hiya, I'll be around in July, I'm living in Portsmouth so the only thing I would ask is if you could maybe subsidise my train fare? Other that that, the price etc seems ok to me, I did a wedding for this price before and put the edited images on disc. If you still need a photographer pm me and i'll send you a link to some of my wedding photography, see what you think!
Click to expand...

fabs said:
Think you may want to check the date of the opening post. ;)
Click to expand...


My fav post of the year so far!
 
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