Wedding/Event Photography

[DawnPatrol]

Recently I've been trying to make some extra money doing family photography. A client told me she was happy with my work and wanted me to shoot a family member's wedding. As exciting of an opportunity as that is, I've never done any sort of event photography before. The idea of not capturing someone's big day awesomely due to lack of experience terrifies me. I'm just curious if any wedding photographers here have any suggestions for someone trying to get into the field. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[big soft moose]

The key is being honest with the client, so long as they know you've never shot a wedding before (and your fee reflects that) there shouldn't be a problem.

If you are doing family photography i'd guess you've got all the usual stuff (back up kit , insurance, blah ) nailed down already, so its really about clear expectations, making sure you've got a shot list and being politely assertive when arranging groups etc.

Put it this way I've done 80 some weddings in the last ten years, but the idea of doing family portraiture scares the crap out of me ( I don't know one end of a lighting rig from the other, and working with small children and adorring parents )

 

[Carlh]

I have only done a dozen weddings, its not my main business though I do love doing them.

Explain to the client you have a lack of experience. Being your first wedding, I would recommend that you do it as a freebie, that way, if you balls it up, they cant complain. That will also settle your nerves somewhat as there will be no expectations on behalf of the client.

Charge and balls it up and you could be in court coughing up thousands of pounds in damages, not only putting you off wedding photography but also damaging any future business you may acquire. If its free, they cant really complain. Just say to them, you do it for free and you want prints, that you would be happy to manage that for them (so you can earn a few quid out of it). Not sure where you will stand by charging, you will need to pay tax, possibly invest in an accountant - do it for free and its something you havent got to worry about - plus if you do get some good images, you'll have something to add to a portfolio plus know if wedding photography is something you're cut out to do.

I take 5 32GB memory cards plus another 5 32gb memory cards as backup. I normally fill up 2 or 3 of them. Maybe shoot 2,000 + images and then delete 80%+ of them, leaving you with a few hundred of the "best" shots. Anything you're not sure about, delete.
Its hard work, almost non-stop. You have to have eyes in the back of your head, keeping peepers open for any opportunities. Take water and something to eat. Have a break when they all sit down to eat. My back is usually in half by the time I've finished in the evenings.

Leave the processing for a least a day after you have taken the images, so you are refreshed (get some sleep!) and have a fresh-head on you when you go to process them. Dont physically delete everything, create a "not good" folder and shovel the stuff you're not sure about into that folder. Then when you've finished processing and you're 100% happy with your images, delete the "not good" folder, otherwise you may end up wanting to fish out some images from there that might be essential to capturing the event.

Dip your toes by all means - good luck and hopefully you will get some good shots

 

[twhite87]

I'd also look at seeing if you can get someone else who is looking to gain experience, and do the wedding together (Ensuring you both know which one of you is leading). That way you can get two lots of images from different angles. Plenty of people out there who are willing to do assistant work.

 

[kraftyskillz]

I did a colleagues wedding last week and here's a few tips that i picked up along the way.

1. Instructions. The bride and groom will probably have no idea what they want. You have to set the course for this to make their pics more interesting. Most will just do standard poses looking at the camera. Checkout some other wedding pictures and poses.

2.Scan your surroundings for interesting locations and watch out for the sky and light direction.

3. Post production. Don't know if its useful but having an idea of their expectations can aid you when you have to edit the photos. As you haven't developed a particular style for weddings, make sure they are aware of what the final product will be like. if its like your family photos and they are happy with it then all good.

It can be stressful but it gets easier when you start feeling you're doing a good job. All the best with it.

Oh, make sure to checkout the weather for the day.

 

[technics100]

I would agree with the free or little cost. plenty of stuff online, Zack & Jody Gray did a creative live workshop which was great.. I have done a few and have a few more lined.. I was bricking my first solo one, but really enjoyed it far more than I thought. What gear are you shooting with? I got away with 35mm, 85mm and 70-200mm.. used the 70-200mm far more than I thought too.. just grabbing shots / moments throughout the day.

Also, try and get a shot list of the formals, my last couple said they didn;t want very many, then we ended up doing a good hours worth of shooting.

 

[Meeten]

I did some for free. Or asked for a small gift for my kids. It took pressure off, and allowed me to enjoy it a lot more. In both cases the b&g were friends and weren't in a position to spend big bucks in a pro, and we're more comfortable having someone they know picking a lens in and about the place.

Good luck, I hope you enjoy further events.