Well I have read this thread with a great deal of interest. I was a full-time social photographer for a number of years and I usually did one or two very low priced wedding packages for young couples who could were working to a budget, i suppose it was a bit like a lawyer doing pro bono work. I just covered my expenses and the costs of the film and printing. I usually only did this if I was free or if it was a date that I did not expect to fill (normally a midweek date) and it had to be a genuine budget wedding, if I found out they were scrimping on the photography to enable more money to be spent on a lavish reception then I would not do it.
One of my favourite assignments was for a young bride and groom who were so hard up that they decided to have a midweek registry office wedding and to keep the costs down they had not invited any guests, not one. They bought some new off the peg clothes (nice but not spectacular or expensive), they drove themselves there and back, and to celebrate afterwards went into the City Centre for a meal. They wanted some photographs to mark the occasion and to show their families later. I agreed to shoot a 36 exposure 35mm film, print them to 5 x 7 and put 18 of them in a Lincoln Princess album for them, total cost for this was about £100. How much did I make that day, NOTHING AT ALL, although I did get a couple of weddings later from friend of theirs when they saw the photographs.
Couple of funny things about the day, they forgot that they would need witnesses, so the registrar asked them to go out and find someone, but it was one of the wettest days of the year and there was absolutely no one around, so my wife (who because of the rain had agreed to assist me and hold a brolly etc) and I ended up being their witnesses, and I had to teach the registrar how to take a shot with my outfit so that they were able to get a picture of them with their witnesses (us).
Why was it one of my favourite weddings? Well it was obvious they were very much in love, most of the photographs were very intimate and quite emotional (almost like doing a portrait session for an engagement but in a wedding environment), the weather also gave some great reflections and some lovely shots together under a brolly, together out looking for a witness and the final shot of them before they left, sat in their red car with the brides red & cream flowers on the top of the dashboard with the bride wearing a cream suit and the groom in a grey suit with a red buttonhole which was slightly blurred from the defocussed rain on the windscreen is one of my favourite ever wedding shots.
Oh and Royston, you must be really insecure if you think that you really need 3 professional bodies with backups (what's that then 6?) to do a wedding, I was doing weddings regularly from the early 80s until the late 90s and I only ever had 2 bodies of whatever type I was shooting (2x 35mm or 2x Blads), I never had a problem, quess I must have just been lucky?
gemc: It is a pity I am not closer, I would have done it for you if I had the date free, and I am sure you would have been more than pleased with the results!
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well done Ed!
I just hope someone here is decent enough to step up and be thankful for the experience.
