dadcowell Loc: Myrtle Beach SC

For those of you generous Wedding Photographers who followed my posts over the last month or so and gave me your warnings and tips, thank you so much. Here is an update:

The wedding was in an unshaded grassy park, with not a cloud in the sky and 85 degrees, yesterday at 3:30 pm. It was followed by a trip to a beach 5 minutes away. We took many pictures of the wedding party and immediate family on the beach next to a pier.

After that we went to the church's back yard for the reception. I took almost 500 pictures all together and my second shooter took several hundred also. I made plenty of mistakes and the camera would not react to my commands a few times (fixed it by turning off and on). There will be some harsh shadows and some unsharp pictures but there will also be some good ones.

I'm now post processing those pictures. My plan is to clean up 40-60 of my favorite pictures and print them for the couple as 4 by 6. I'll give them all of the images on a disk.

All in all, I am happy with the day.
As I already told Jay, I have a new found respect for those of you who make a living at this crazyness.

Bill

superpijak Loc: Middle TN

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Bill, we'd love to see some of your best shots (maybe even a few stinkers, if you want help figuring out what happened, and what you could change)

From your post, I take it that you aren't sure that you fell in love with the process. It's tough the first time, especially if you are working alone. Hope you get a chance to do it again. Once you get "hooked" you will join the ranks of the rest of us crazies that love shooting weddings.

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

Weddings can be a zoo. Yikes, I am doing a wedding at the zoo in a few weeks. Bill, I will make several visits there to go through all that planning routine that we led you through and try to anticipate what could go wrong and have a backup plan. Also, what I can do to make it special. FYI anyone who would like to join in the fun I have not nailed down a second shooter yet ...

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

What is the date?

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

June 4th.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Just my luck. I can't help you. Hope someone can!
bk

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

I have some options. If they all fall through I will just have to put on my superman cape and be everywhere at the same time. Really looking forward to getting pics of all the guests ...

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dadcowell Loc: Myrtle Beach SC

Bob,

I did enjoy the experience. The biggest issue I had is that my wife stayed home because she had no husband to share the wedding with.

So I might do it again, just not for our mutual friends.

All my pictures were taken in Raw, so I'm busy fixing some of them up. I'm going to process about 50 or so, print them and give them to the couple. I'll convert all 1000 to jpeg and put them on disk for the couple as soon as I figure out how to mass convert them.

Bill

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

My lovely bride of 30 years wants nothing to do with cameras. Her dad was my photography mentor over 30 years ago, I married her so I could start getting paid. HA HA . Don't tell her I said that.

Now, with that being said, I actually use her a lot in weddings, and she's a huge help. She loves being the "detail" person. Her job, when I line up a shot, is to spot those pesky stray hairs, crooked collars, etc. Things that I don't normally see to well looking through a tiny viewfinder. I try to catch them all, but she really enjoys being able to show me up in the details department.

You might want to consider trying the same thing. Butter her up, by saying, "I wish I had your eye for detail on this shot, you would have saved me from having to throw out this photo, or take the extra time to photoshop it so much." At least for me, it is much nicer to spend the day with her helping me, than knowing she's sitting at home, probably grumbling that I get to "have fun and get paid" while she sits and does Sudoku puzzles.

We also have an event portrait booth that we set up at the receptions, to take nice family photos in front of a backdrop (not film strips with funny hats) She handles all the cropping, viewing, sales, and money.

I don't do "one person shows" as far as wedding photography. It is offered as one of our "tiers of service" but if that's all they want, I normally find a way to pass on the job. We use a minimum of 2 shooters, and "she who must be obeyed." It seriously makes the whole day less stressful, more profitable (with the portrait booth), and generally much better coverage for the bride and groom.

Just a thought, if you are crazy enough to want to join the throng of crazy wedding photographers.

bk

superpijak Loc: Middle TN

Remember - You don't have to be crazy to be a wedding photographer,.... but it certainly helps. :-)

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Wow, the guy on camera left, sure is ugly! I think you need more photoshop...

superpijak Loc: Middle TN

Those huge ears, never mind his beak. :-)

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

Maybe just get a better model.

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bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I think I just pooped a little.