wedding this weekend

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  • 10-03-2006, 05:24 AM
    natatbeach
    2 Attachment(s)
    wedding this weekend
    two of my favs so far...I need to raise my prices or stop being so nice....

    the good news is that I may be booking two weddings off of this one...and gets me in the door with this entire community....I had an amazing time and it was a fantastic cultural experience for me and for a portfolio....

    down side---- if this is any indicator of the entire day the top "highlights"
    • predetermined area to photograph couple was the grounds of the bride's home we were to come back after the ceremony and take some shots---vetoed out by aunt who said it is bad luck to return to her"single" home as a mariied woman!!!!:idea: :mad2: :out:
    • it rained the entire day...not just a little like pelting rain most of the day
    • the "family" formals---counted them 67! different combos of family members with the bride---they wanted them in front of their couch in their living room....:yikes:


    it was a learning experience---they were a lovely couple---two of the most decent human beings I've come across in a long time....here's two so far of the first set of 967 pics(that'sa 2GB card, two 1GB,and 1 512 MB cards --- and two batteries....holy crappola --to go through...lol)

    will continue rest of story later....
  • 10-03-2006, 05:32 AM
    Old Timer
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Oh for the simple days of wedding photography. I would go in with a grantee of some multiple of 12 (12 Exposures on the Mamiya C220) subtract a couple for goof ups. Price would be for X # of pics at X price. I would give them the agreed number of pics in a week and then take reorders. Simple and cheap, but still a pain. Always hated doing weddings. When I did my last one I vowed to never do another. I've had plenty of offers and the money is so much better today, but I have stuck to my guns, NO WEDDINGS.
  • 10-03-2006, 05:41 AM
    mjs1973
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Very nice pics Nat! I did a wedding a couple weeks ago. It was only my 2nd as the "hired" photog, and I'm thinking it's going to be my last. (Only time will tell.) It was a lot better than the 1st one I did, but just not my cup of tea. I'm much more comfortable sitting in the woods waiting for bambi to walk by than I am at posing people! I have to give a lot of credit to wedding photogs.
  • 10-03-2006, 06:11 AM
    adina
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Oh she's purty!

    And that aunt sounds cracked. Bad luck to return to the single home? That's one I've never heard.

    Mine two weeks ago got rained on as well. Buckets and buckets. Did you bust out the umbrellas? We ended up having a great time.
  • 10-03-2006, 09:05 AM
    natatbeach
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by adina
    Oh she's purty!

    And that aunt sounds cracked. Bad luck to return to the single home? That's one I've never heard.

    Mine two weeks ago got rained on as well. Buckets and buckets. Did you bust out the umbrellas? We ended up having a great time.

    It was A lebanese wedding so there were LOTS of "traditions" and customs...I even got fed a few spoonfuls of raw meat...yay me....
  • 10-03-2006, 09:09 AM
    walterick
    Re: wedding this weekend
    No, it's true!

    They've done studies measuring compatiblity on a multi-axial scale, correlating mental attributes such as givingness, openness, willingness to compromise, lovingness, fidelity, humor, and the like, with socio-political measures such as generational, cross-cultural, and familial variables, and what they've discovered is that the number 1 thing which predicts the outcome of a marriage is not returning home to a single house!

    Give that aunt the Nobel Prize! :D

    LOL Nice shots Nat! Your eye is back! :) Can't wait to see more!
  • 10-03-2006, 10:17 AM
    adina
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by natatbeach
    It was A lebanese wedding so there were LOTS of "traditions" and customs...I even got fed a few spoonfuls of raw meat...yay me....


    I did one once where the bride was from Armenia. Apparently the traditional drink for toasts is vodka. Imagine a shot of vodka everytime someone stands up to say something. Best man, maid of honor, bride's dad, groom....
  • 10-03-2006, 11:28 AM
    Frog
    Re: wedding this weekend
    The two you are showing are rather nice.
  • 10-03-2006, 12:16 PM
    Speed
    Hehehehe!
    Hey Nat!

    First - RAISE your rate! You're worth it. People will pay for quality. The hardest thing for me to learn was to charge a decent rate for my work. (Mostly due to a lack of self confidence in my work. No more...) Under charging results in folks doubting the quality of your work, or, as in your case, you're busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.

    Second - get a WIDE angle!!!! (17-35mm)
    In front of the couch in the living room??? Holy moly, you may want a super wide! (12-24mm?)

    :-D

    Third - Get the strongest flash you can get for your camera. (You may already have it, but this is what I thought of) Indoors on a rainy day, I'm thinking low light levels. A high quality flash is a must.

    Fourth - Sounds like you need more memory cards. I'm partial to the 2 Gig cards myself. Get you another one (or two) of those, or bite the bullet and get a 4 Gig card.

    Last - Great photo's! As usual. Looking forward to seeing more.
  • 10-03-2006, 07:58 PM
    another view
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Great work, Natalie - no surprise there.

    I was driving home from the lake this summer while it was 100 degrees out and was feeling about medium rare. I drove by a church and saw a wedding party being photographed outside by the dark-suit-clad photographer... Suddenly I felt a little better. I've done several and gave it up. Those of you who do this and always come back with great shots get a lot of respect from me!
  • 10-03-2006, 08:10 PM
    Ronnoco
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Old Timer
    but I have stuck to my guns, NO WEDDINGS.

    Yes, the only thing more unpredictable than weddings is live television and I have shot both.

    Ronnoco
  • 10-05-2006, 04:54 AM
    natatbeach
    Re: wedding this weekend
    I will be effective January first raising my prices considerably and working on "not giving away so much of my time and talents"(my husband's words<grin>)

    They are just physically tiring and mentally draining...but I LOVE doing them...I don't know why--- hate 'em but love 'em..hate 'em but love 'em
  • 10-05-2006, 05:12 AM
    Alison
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Gorgeous shots Nat! I love natural lighting as you know :)
    Good luck with it all :thumbsup:
  • 10-05-2006, 06:00 AM
    Speed
    I will be effective January first raising my prices considerably
    Way to go Nat! Having seen your work, I know you're worth it!

    "not giving away so much of my time and talents"

    Your husband is a very wise man!!!

    I know what you mean about the love/hate thing with weddings. Pre-wedding I get the jitters, I feel the pressure. During the wedding I'm fine, taking my shots and in my element. After the wedding, I'm nervous again, hoping I got everything and that my shots come out...(I have yet to shoot a wedding with digital. I've done one paid portrait session though.)

    It really helps if you've got good people to work with. They make weddings fun. It's the stick-in-the-mud types that take the joy out of it. Which is why I'll never be a pro wedding photographer. Pro's have to take all the work they can. Being part time, I can pick and choose which weddings I shoot.

    :-D
  • 10-05-2006, 06:40 AM
    Sebastian
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Love that rose shot Nat. Good job dealing with the "issues" that crop up. :)
  • 10-13-2006, 08:05 AM
    berrywise
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by natatbeach
    They are just physically tiring and mentally draining...but I LOVE doing them...I don't know why--- hate 'em but love 'em..hate 'em but love 'em

    You got that right. One of my favorite things to do after a wedding is to stop and get a beer and chat with my assistant (and fiance) about how the day went.

    You didn't ask for advice but well I'm killing time at work so how bout a little from another newbie to the wedding business. :) If you are going to start raising your prices I'd take the time to start thinking about making your wedding business more legitmate. Start by having a few meetings with the couple leading up to the day. I require that they have a timeline for the day, locations of all the areas they want to go, as well as a list of all the formal photos that they want. This way you can let them know if they have enough time set for each thing and you will be on top of the day.

    Lastly don't be afraid to stand up and voice your opinion. I guess I wouldn't have a problem talking to the bride to convince her that the aunt might be smoking some crack. The photos they are going to remember for the rest of their lives but their aunt and her opinions they are not.

    Post more when ya get em edited! Still got two more weddings sitting in the ole computer waiting to be edited myself but hey I'm getting married next weekend so I got enough going on right now :D
  • 10-13-2006, 10:58 PM
    Cowgirl
    2 Attachment(s)
    Re: wedding this weekend
    Congrats Berrywise on your own wedding!

    Wow - WEDDINGS!

    As always, I am always a bit nervous before the wedding, always going through a mental check of all of my gear. Before digital it was worse - much worse. I am so glad that my film days are over for weddings/portraits.

    I too have a wedding tomorrow ( and two more in Oct), and I am now charging up all of my batteries - and checking my list - twice. I'm glad that the season is slowing down a bit. I need a break!

    When I am in the middle of the wedding session I'm in my groove. I'm relaxed, & fairly comfortable. I try very hard my get my subjects to relax and 'have a good time too'.

    If a family member tries to 'direct the day' I may re-suggest other ideas, respectfully reminding everyone that its the B&G's day - not the relatives.

    Here is a recent Flower Girl - her eyes just blew me away when I first met her. I managed to get some close up's, really concentrating on her eyes.

    The bridal (pre-wedding session)is also my bride for tomorrow. She is very nice, and we had a great time at the bridal session, but I have a feeling that her and her mom will both be very different tomorrow - we'll see.

    At the present I am enjoying the weddings. I do not however, want to photograph weddings 'forever'.

    Well, Its quiting time for me tonight - I MUST SLEEP!

    Night!
    Kathy