bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

last month I shot a wedding and an engagement session.
Next month I have a wedding and a co shoot on 2 more. an engagement shoot. A first year bday party with 250 people ( how does a 1 year old get 250 friends?)
A baby shower and a pregnant mother shoot ( never done one may take a woman with me for help)

with that said, you can see im getting some work.
My first question is, as a professional you carry insurance. I checked with a local company they dont cover photographers. Guy said he never had anyone ask before.
So Can you give me a name of a company that covers photographers and their cameras? also about how much a year does it cost you and how much coverage?

Second question is for wedding photographers
Just out of curiosity how many pix do you take at a wedding ( on average) yes I understand some weddings you take a lot less shots than others. just wanting an average
I took over 700 at the last wedding. IM told by a few people that they took 2000 or more for a wedding. I thought my 700 was overkill.
thanks

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

As a photographer paid to do work, I have business equipment, liability, and errors and omissions insurance to cover both my photography and my wife's interior design business. It is rolled into one policy under our company name, currently with State Farm. In addition, I have the $15,000 PPA basic coverage through my membership with them.

I have shot weddings and come away with 500-900+. I am not sure if you can compare the quantity of shots unless you also take into account the quality of those shots. One could easily shoot 2000+ images if you put the camera on auto and shoot like Machine Gun Kelly.

Old Timer Loc: Greenfield, In.

For a business you need a business owner policy, referred as a BOP policy. Not all agents wright it or even know what it is. There is not very many companies that wright it. I have had business insurance for several years and if you find a good company, I have found you had better stick with them and not jump around to much. I have had one company for about twenty years. Most captive agents do not wright it, you will have to find a broker agent probably. I had one major claim in that time but my company did not drop me. It was arson at a adjacent building so I was cleared and did not get dropped. I got a form letter advising me that I would probably be dropped but in a few days I got a letter informing that I was not. In the mean time I checked with some other companies with no interest as I just had a recent loss. It has had been almost fifteen years and I am still with the same company.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

I took over 700 at the last wedding.
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You cannot be a very competent Photographer, if you need to take that many shots to cover a Wedding. Must be the 'Spray and Pray' modern syndrome.

DaveHam Loc: Reading UK

This is not a sensible question.

The number of shots depends entirely on the circumstances and there is no corollary between number of shots taken and the quality of the work done.

If you are covering the ceremony you will probably take less than if you were covering the ceremony and the festivities after. If you have a large wedding party you will take more shots than a smaller gathering.

incognito

To question ones competency because he takes so many pictures and without seeing his work is just the same as the POTUS commenting on the Cambridge cops acting stupidly. When you become famous then maybe you can comment on his competency. But without seeing his work maybe you should be elected the POTUS.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Insurance, you want full coverage high risk insurance, check in your phone book and start calling insurance companies, Mine covered me if my equipment caused injury, ie. the tripod falls from the balcony and hits someone, (it has happened, not to me, but things happen).
As to your second question, with digital you can let it fly, for instance, mother and bride, you could take ten shots of this and not get enough shots. The answer is this, make sure you take the shots the bride and groom want, and you should have them make a list, then add your own favorites. In other words, take enough to make the bride and groom happy.

Mary Kate Loc: NYC

When my daughter was married we hired a professional to do the pictures. They were very nice. The best pictures came from the disposable cameras we had on every table. Each table had two and bin to put the cameras in. There were 13 tables and we developed 24 of the cameras. Those pictures were the funniest.

djb663 Loc: Massachusetts

I disagree with the logic that if you take x amount of shots that you are spraying and praying. The last wedding I shot, some of the formal group shots had 15 people in them. I carefully set up the lighting prior to the group congregating, so the exposure etc was dead on. However, I took about 1/2 dozen shots to ensure that I had something to work with should I start doing post and find that some of the group had their eyes shut, etc. In my opinion, there's nothing worse than making a group wait so that you can check the back of your camera for eyes open and expression on so many people. Best to take multiples and if you have to swap heads in photoshop, that's an easy fix. Similarly, the best planned shot from the best vantage point during a ceremony or reception is bound to catch the photobomber or the unsightly background expression or pose. Technically, your images can be perfect, but if you want to supply a product that meets your own standards and your client's expectations, take more shots.

Billy Bob

Any time you deal with people carry insurance. I have State Farm great deal at $35. month.
Weddings I take no less then 1000, just think of the time it takes to look a all of them. I charge $150. hour to shot the wedding and rework for prints and what ever. And thats for a flash drive. If they want me to print them I print on 8.5 x 11 photo paper (Red River paper) for a buck and 13 x 19 for $25.

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

A competent pro does what's required by circumstances. Sometimes "spray and prey" is the right, and only way. to get the shot.
Do I envy these guys that set up all their lights and reflectors and have guys with reflector panels to move around and get the lighting and the posing just right and then these folks just press the shutter? NO, I don't envy them in the least, I find that boring and just not fun.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

After reading this, all I can say is WOW, now I really understand why I got out of the wedding business!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Join PPA (Professional Photographers of America) and/or WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International). Subscribe to 'Rangefinder.' There is a wealth of information there... PPA has insurance as part of your membership with them. They also have certification education and testing programs. Hurry on over to https://photovisionvideo.com/ and check out all the great video resources there. Ed Pierce has spent much of his career traveling around the country, interviewing and working with pro portrait and wedding photographers, then editing the results into DVDs and online video downloads that actually teach you valuable information.

The number of photos you make at a wedding depends entirely on the circumstances and your personal style of coverage. How big is the wedding? How many guests? Are you working from a pre-arranged, agreed-upon scene list? Or, are you working entirely photojournalistically? There are the trite, traditional scenes (walking down the aisle, holding hands, swapping rings, vows, candle lighting, the kiss, various groupings, reception cake cutting, and a hundred more). Some people want nothing but those. But then there are the golden moments that happen spontaneously all around, before, during, and after the ceremony, and before, during, and after the reception. Some people want those too, or instead of, the trite list.

More to the point, what kind of coverage can the couple afford? Are you selling your service to record and preserve memories (good!), or just prints (dumb!), or just digital images on disc or website (even stupider!)? Remember to sell YOUR VALUE, which is always separate from the value of any media you provide. Make sure you get paid for YOUR VALUE before the client has access to prints or images. (A good policy is that they can see proofs, but not take ownership of them or any images until you have cash in hand.)

Wedding work is incredibly varied in its scope. When I worked in a lab, I worked with pros who did them under many different circumstances. Those who did them successfully always had a plan. Yes, they had insurance. They also had contracts to protect both parties, backup equipment, pre-arranged site surveys, contact lists of everyone involved, pre-nuptial meetings with the bride, groom, and person paying the bill for photography, and most of them tried to attend the rehearsal if possible. The successful ones never quoted a price without knowing who and what was going to be covered, when and where it would occur, why things mattered to the couple/family, and how they would deliver the results. They made sure it would be profitable before they ever left for the event.

f8dontbelate

Film shooters tended to shoot less, because of the expense, and the hassle of changing rolls of film. However I always took as many photos as I reasonably could, because do-overs is not always an option. With digital, fire away. It's easier to delete a shot than retake a missed one. There's no set number. But if you shoot 700 to 1200 photos, you will have covered almost any conceivable event, pose, or portrait in the average wedding. But don't focus so much on the number. Give the bride and groom a wonderful story of their day, including Uncle Joe with the straws up his nose at the reception.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

it depends on the amount of folks at the function. i usually make 200 - 300 at the top end, exposures.