Lovelight Loc: Hull, U.K

Hi. First time posting!

I'm a 'sometimes' Pro Photographer with 4 successful Weddings under my belt over the last 9 years and 1 as a second shooter. I have a 2:1 degree in Fine Art Photography too.

I say 'sometimes' as I've been a stay at home Mum for 4 years and haven't been taking on any Wedding work. I don't see how anyone does! I'm honestly baffled by the concept of (out of the house) working when you have a small child... if and when I get a moment's chance to string a thought together to do so, before being interrupted by my toddler!

Anyway this weekend my old college friend messaged me to invite me to her wedding and to ask if she could afford me to shoot it. She had a plan B of a hobbiest friend of her other half if not.

It was strange to be back in the nerve-wracking position of revisiting my pricing 4 years on but I got back into it and am currently insured for public liability only, with my main Nikon D700 body broken since last August, which needs either a new mirror or shutter and I'm estimating if it can be fixed that I'll be looking at £500 for that. Otherwise I have my Nikon D300 and little Olympus XZ1 with off camera flash for candid shooting.

So the last wedding I did, I charged £800 for a digital on personalised USB stick package. And 4 years on I figured £900 was reasonable, considering I need to travel to another city and stay the night, plus fuel and a reckie trip before, hire of a couple of lenses, possibly a body too.

Anyway, I put the figure to my friend but she said she'd have to decline as the budget is too tight and she's prioritizing the clothes and a party feel plus a short honeymoon after. (She has two kids 8 and 1). She said she'll just get her hobbiest friend to try their best and if she just gets one great shot of the four of them she'll be happy. [Eyeroll]

On Facebook I've already seen she's ordered a fairly expensive dress from a lovely bridal shop.

I tried to advise her of the priority I felt photography should take in her budget and that I'd seen many mediocre albums of friends before.

I even suggested my favourite female photographer in my area, who shot a friend's Wedding but who is also 'in essence' my dream local competitor. (She's an active pro with a hundred Weddings under her belt, so out of my league professionally.) She charges £1100 for a digital package locally.

I let her know of the problems a November Wedding could encompass re: poor light and blurry indoor photos but none of this is swaying her.

I just feel awful because I feel it's a disaster waiting to happen and that shell regret it in future years and almost just want to do the gig to make sure she gets some great shots, even if just for a shorter time frame (main shots) but feel this is selling myself short, as I'll still put the same amount of stress and effort into it and get the insurance, plus hire lenses etc.

For another set of friends locally before my £800 gig, I charged £550 but I don't even think she'd pay that and I'd find it hard to make it worth my while at all with all my costs. I've no other Wedding booked till a possible friend's next December, so insurance alone every month will be £20 to maintain professional indemnity cover.

So, just looking for opinions.

In case it isn't obvious, should I just keep out of it now and stick with being a guest, or take it on for much less?

I am a bit pissed that the other vendors are getting paid but she's looking for the photography to be the bit that can be done on the cheap!

loosecanon Loc: Central Texas

Be a guest and actually have a nice time.

cosmo54 Loc: Easton, PA but will travel for photos

Be a guest. She obviously thought you would be a lot less expensive just because you are a friend. But if you did do the shoot, you run the risk of her not thinking your work is worth what she pays no matter what the price.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I'd agree. Have a great time at the wedding and remain friends.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

Just go as a friend

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Tell her the truth. Your gear won't work properly anymore and what she plans to pay won't even pay for 1/2 of what new gear would cost since the cost of quality cameras has risen so much lately. Show her the cost of a Canon1dx2 or a Nikon D5, or a Nikon d850 as anything less would be inadequate.

elf

The last time I shot a wedding for free, I edited the files and gave a DVD to the couple. Only cost me my time.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I do NOT like being used, especially by a friend. Since she has two children, there's a slight chance she's been married before - and will be again. Tell her you'll do this one at the price quoted and the next one at half price.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

I would decline her invitation, both as a guest, and as (an unpaid) photographer.

Lovelight Loc: Hull, U.K

She's not been married before. The children are with her future hubby of at least 10 years. We are all just of the generation where we grew up a decade later than most and never prioritised getting married till now. So many of my friends have finally settled down in the last few years and we are all in our later thirties.

So point being, hopefully this will be her only marriage.

She has started a new business in the last year so probably not yet taking an income from that and didn't think her other half would ever get round to asking her to marry him, so I think she's just mega excited and getting it locked down asap! Lol!

I just thought she'd have a budget for the pic's. We can't skill swap btw before anyone asks!

My last bride whom I charged £800, just accepted with no probs and booked me straight away. We're still good friends today from starting out strangers at a wedding fair.

Lovelight Loc: Hull, U.K

Well not sure I agree here. I don't believe you need the top notch Pro bodies to shoot Weddings.

You can move up to them when established, or if coming from a career that had you minted but for those with a modicum of talent and an understanding of light, who happen to be skint, you can get good pictures on a camera phone if you and the client wanted. You just wouldn't be able to print them very big.

The D700 lacks the noise handling of today's cameras and I'm aware of that but still it's a sturdy beast and took some lovely pictures when working.

'When working' I know is the main point. I just find posting it off to get a repair estimate always seems so scary and again I'm preoccupied by my toddler till they start nursery in September.

I drove to the NEC Photo Expo by myself this year and could have had it looked at there but left it in my boot 20 minutes walk away, opting for my working D300 in case of testing lenses, and was shattered after a 3 hours journey. 🤦

I think though as it's a paper weight, I'll just bite the bullet this week and pack it up and see what Nikon says.

I'd love a new camera but that's a distant dream right now.

achesley Loc: SW Louisiana

I've done a few of these as a roaming guy with my Canon G16 due to size for not bring attention to me and low light capability. Just shooting non posing pics of people at the wedding and side shots of them posing for the wedding photo person. But it's all for close friends and they love the shots many times more than the posed shots of the main wedding shooter. Have fun interacting with the crowd with little camera in hand and most don't even know I'm taking pictures of them laughing and having a good time.

Lovelight Loc: Hull, U.K

Exactly! 😏

The last time I saw my friend, I took my little Olympus XZ1 and my Nikon SB600 flash with generic line of sight trigger and got some great shots in the pub where we had a reunion after many years! Could spy inside the kids play house they had and get fantastic candid images with them unaware I was doing so!

For the main pic's I stick to my DSLR but am definitely interested in the mirrorless models for my next switch.

Annoyingly I had the chance of buying the Sony A7 in 2014, but as I had invested in a few other Nikon bits (Pixel King TTL triggers and flash, plus lenses) I instead choose to buy my low count D700 second hand from eBay. Stupid stupid mistake but you live and learn. Should have just hired a body for that wedding instead and could again if I wanted to do this one, if the repair fee is not worth it.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Enjoy the wedding. There an old saying "no good deed goes unpunished" which is what you are likely to encounter before, during and after the wedding, based on you description. You are better off letting her tell you she made a mistake, than you warning her - she doesn't want to hear it. But the worst part is she thinks so little of your work and values it so low, that she prioritizes it very low and is not willing to pay what it's worth. And you are already giving her an amazing deal. Typical weddings here cost a lot more than $1500 USD (£1100) unless you go the cheap route, in which case the photographer hands over 2000 pictures on a flash memory stick at the end of the night, which might cost $600.

Don't be pissed and enjoy the wedding. You have done your best. If they offer an open bar, take full advantage . . .

dparenton Loc: Land O Lakes, FL

She was most probably hoping that you would shoot the wedding for nothing as your wedding gift to her! Go as a guest and friend. If possible take a small camera with you. Take a lot of informal, unposed pictures. Surprise her with a small album at a later date.