F2.8, forgot to add that. Thanks for asking.

(Download)

Selling my trusty workhorse so I can upgrade. Great lens, well cared for. $650.00

Honest, simple and straightforward answer that will not break the bank comes from the Capt.

Or, you can head to the bank and apply for a small loan, purchase lot's of lights, stands, triggers and modifiers. Then attend numerous workshops and set up 4 lights and take portraits with lighting that everyone will absolutely love, but they won't understand why. Lol

I have a 50mm Sigma Art. Absolutely beautiful lens, love it.

87.368% Haha Capt C. A little humor never hurts when a well thought out and sincere reply is offered. Plenty of good info here. Like what's been said already,,,,,Expression will always win.

I love photographing weddings, I've always had a good time doing them. Having said that, I live in a part of the country where traditionally you take all the formals before guests arrive at the church. My gear is torn down and put away before guests arrive. I might have a bridesmaid, parent or aunt that wants to take a photo or two, no problem, I let them. Ceremony pics don't seem to be an issue either. Maybe it's just a matter of time, but so far every wedding I've ever done I haven't had the issue of dozens of cell photogs with their arms in isle. I'll add that towards the end of the ceremony, I walk right up the front isle to take my introduction, first kiss pics, and then walk backwards for the second processional. Receptions? A bunch of people celebrating and partying,,,in my mind there would be little if any way to enforce no pic taking, so I don't worry about it.

On a side note I have to agree with Capt.C on having a contract that outlines what the B&G get, and get paid upfront. And yes, there are plenty of horses asses out there, they are everywhere. Make the best of it. Ticking everyone off really gets you nowhere,,,besides, you never know what other business you can drum up at a reception.

Yes, I agree. Manufacturers are nice enough to dummy proof it, but there will always be someone that will try and jam it in there and then blame it on the manufacturer. Haha!

There is not a cloud in the sky, so her lighting conditions are not changing. I see no reason in this scenario to be chimping.

It does seem to get overused/abused. Maybe people can't remember what they just took a picture of. :)

Damned if you,,,,damned if you don't. Depends on whose looking at the image.

I have a Sigma 50mm 1.4, beautiful lens. Razor sharp and built like a tank. Sigma Art series lenses are a far cry from the old cheap Sigma lenses. My 120-300mm f2.8 is also sharp and fast. All of my other lenses are Canon L series,,,but I can honestly say I am satisfied with the Sigmas also.

For what it's worth,,,,I think you were rather creative with your lighting solution for what you have to work with. Yeah, the hair light is a little hot, but that's an easy fix. I'm in St.Cloud also. PM me sometime, I know lot's of great photographers in this area, that are always willing to help. If you are on fb, I can direct to a couple of great local forums. Practice makes (you know).

Thanks Beercat. Just some observations and personal experience. I'm sure we can all relate to most of it in some way.

Well this is an interesting thread, so I'll chip in my two cents. I am primarily a wedding photographer, that also enjoys doing events (I just finished up with a military ball I was invited back to do). THANK YOU for your Service. Yeah, I'll do some portrait work, families and seniors, but those aren't my target audience. Enough about all that:

Let's talk weddings. I have been up and down and back and forth over the years,,,,offering packages and hourly rates. Doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. One thing that seems to remain consistent is the desire to have those digital files, whether you offer them as part of the package or sell them separately. I belong to several forums (too many actually) where these things are discussed constantly.

From the photographers perspective, IPS (In person sales)of tangible products is the only way to make a living and survive as a pro photographer. A very valid point. I would rather do 5 $10,000.00 weddings than 50 $1,000.00 ones. Of course your demographic will have plenty of impact here, but the point is you make your money on selling artwork that can be displayed. I believe that is my goal also.

Consumers on the other hand see less and less value in what we do, and assume we're only worth the paper our work is printed on. Many photographers I know refuse to (or price high enough)let those digital files go. For reasons ranging from loss of potential income to fear of manipulation or even crappy lab work thereby misrepresenting their work. Again, all valid reasons to me.

Once again I am on the fence of changing how I offer my wedding work to a flat fee for X number of hours, and handing over the finished jpegs. Don't know for sure yet, I struggle with it. As wedding photography is a passion of mine that I truly enjoy, it is not my sole source of income.

Right now I offer packages, that include an album, a dvd slideshow, a really nice hardcover proof book with about 120 4x6 prints. A cd of all images of the day is provided on my top two packages. The number of images included is usually between 350-500, but that is only on the top two packages ($3500-$5500). Honestly, most of my clients are buy the $2499 package (8 hours, proof book, 15 page album, and the dvd slideshow).

One thing I do show all potential clients is the difference between an edited jpeg printed by any reputable printer (doesn't make a difference who really) and what a properly sharpened (for the specific media to be printed on)print that's been prepared for output (different settings for media and size)printed by me or my lab looks like. Sometimes it's quite a selling point, because there is a noticeable difference in image quality. I explain that because output settings are specific to media and size, I can't guarantee what their print will look like. Will it look ok?, probably. Will it look great,,,no. Having said all this, it looks like I will go back to a flat rate for X number of hours. Provide a CD of images, while making no guarantees as to print quality. Everything else I will offer A la carte. We'll see how it goes.

Neither have I, and I have been taking them for years. I haul the same stuff around that I do for wedding work, and usually always find time to take a few nice pics in between refreshments and socializing.

Thanks, I appreciate the nice comments. The wind played a factor this day also, not terrible but enough wind to be noticeable. Between us, I prefer to do photos in a nice church setting. I'm kind of a traditional guy anyway.

I do like the control I have indoors, and would much prefer to be inside.