Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

For those of you who followed my posts in April, and recently, regarding (reluctantly) agreeing to shoot a wedding for relatives as a favor, here's a final update. First want to state that I received great input from many of you folks, and for that I deeply appreciate it. Are there things and shots I would do differently...absolutely! As previously stated, I have a new found respect for wedding photographers! It's hard work! However, I'm glad I did it. It was a great experience.
I took a total of 560 pictures, and culled it down to 274. I edited them in Luminar AI and Luminar NEO, and sent a thumb drive to the mother of the groom (to post them online for the wedding participants) and also a thumb drive to the bride and groom. I'm now creating a wedding book as a gift for the wedding couple, and smaller books for both sets of parents. I researched at least 10 companies who produce wedding albums, and have settled on Mixbooks, out of the UK. Their editor is the most robust one I've found, and extremely easy to use.
Here's an email I received yesterday from the bride re: the wedding pictures I sent her:
"Hi Al,

Austin and I saw all the beautiful wedding photos, and it gave us a lot of joy to look through them all!! They are really wonderful- thank you again so much for being our photographer!!

It has been so much fun looking at what our guests were wearing and to see them having candid fun. That’s exactly what we wanted :-)

Lots of thanks and love,

Marion and Austin"

So, I can now relax, knowing that my job is (mostly) done. Never again, though!

Settlit Loc: Baton Rouge LA

Nice job. Enjoy your retirement from this nerve-wracking field of endeavor.

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

Thanks!

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

Nicely done!!

Dodie

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

Thanks!

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Congratulations Fredrick... Kudos for your stellar accomplishment...
You have obviously exceeded Marion and Austin expectations...
At the end of the day nothing else truly matters...

"...Never again, though!" Fredrick the priceless and precious experience you have gleaned from this foray could be wisely invested as a "Second shooter" at future Wedding Events...
Ponder this as you move forward... Please realize that Weddings are a "Team" event, with virtually all players in the mix bring their own unique gifts to the table...

Thank you again for sharing.

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

Thanks for your comments, Thomas. It was a fun experience. I’ve had two other requests from the wedding guests to shoot their upcoming weddings for their daughters, but have politely said “no.” I will just stay in the background at future weddings I attend and take candid shots.
I will tell you that I am having a blast putting their wedding album together, though. I’m using Mixbooks, who’s headquartered in the UK. Their editor for creating the album is extremely feature rich and very easy to use. The best I’ve ever seen. My entire professional career was in software development and management, so I’m very familiar with editing applications and what it takes to develop them.
I remarried in 2014 (before taking up photography as a hobby) and we had a professional photographer. The other day I looked at our wedding album for ideas on the album I’m putting together. I remember when we first got it in 2015 how excited we were with the album. It was a high end album with thick layflat pages, etc. This time, looking at it I was very disappointed with the quality of the images overall. Poor formatting and dark and blown out images, etc. Not sure why I thought it was beautiful back then.
Thanks again, and take care.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

Very nice - good job!

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

Thanks! BTW, I have fond memories of living in New Jersey from 1969 -1980. I lived in Lake Hiawatha, and New Monmouth. My daughter was born in Morristown Memorial hospital and son was born in Red Bank hospital.
When folks in NJ asked me where I lived I remember saying “exit 117 off the Garden State Parkway.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

You survived and came home with a job under your belt! CONGRATULATIONS!

An old axiom in the weddingg and portrait business is that "expression sells"! You have captured good expressions and the fols are recorded as having a good time and loving the event! I am sure the couple and their families will be pleased!

As an old veteran of wedding photography, I have to point out a few issues. Your casual shots are nice enough but if future potential clients are more "fussy" as to formal posing and attention to detail, you will need to be more careful about stances, adjustment of clothing, draping of gowns, etc. Lots of this stuff goes beyond good exposure and nice smiles.

True enough, this can be a job for more than one shooter to assist with the aforementioned. For many years and presently, I do work with a "crew" as to mobile handling of lighting and candid shooting from multiple angles, etc., but the aesthetics are up to me. Wedding photography is hard work because the photograher needs to be proficient at multitasking. Managing focus, exposure, lighting and all that good technical stuff is one part of it but attention to styling, posing, and G-d knows whatever else may arise is yet not a layer of responsibility.

I have shot large opulent weddings where there was a makeup artist, and hairstylist on site and even the "couturier" a fancy word for dressmaker, was on hand to help with fashion issues. I also have done much smaller, lower budget, more modest affairs where I end up doing things that are way above or below my "pay rate" because every bride and groom deserves the best work I can produce- now excuses!

So, if you deced to carry on and take on more wedding work, it is advisable to bone up on some of the aforementioned skills.

Thanks, for posting your results!

Kindest regards, Ed

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

Thanks for your feedback. Totally agree with what you said. When I looked at the pictures, I definitely saw issues/mistakes, etc. I won't be shooting any more weddings again. It was just fun to do it once. At future weddings I will just stay in the background and take a few shots. I also just completed a wedding album I'm going to give the wedding couple and their parents as a gift. I used a site called Mixbooks, out of the UK. Their editor was very feature rich and easy to use.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Wedding photography can be rough stuff- both physically and mentally. I notice that you are a former New Yorker, as am I. I "cut my teeth" in the New York City metro environment where I shot weddings, oftentimes 7 days a week. I worked, at the time, for the studios that were called "wedding factories". We shot the traditional Saturday weddings, but there were wedding assignments all week long. Orthodox Jewish weddings took place on Sunday through Thursday and so-called "Society" weddings were held mostly on weekdays. There were other events like Bar Mitzvahs, Sweet-Sixteen parties, and Quinceañeras in the Hispanic community and even the odd funeral coverage. In the Italian-American community, some of the weddings stretched into 2 days.

I started shooting "solo" when I was not quite 16 years old. After that, boot camp did not seem all that strenuous. In retrospect, I sometimes wonder if I should have said "never again" after that first job where I found out what "sweat-glads are for! Actually, I enjoy the work and although my mainstay nowadays is commercial photography, mostly in the food service and construction industries, I still take on weddings, however, my crew does the heavy lifting. I joke that there's a surcharge for the ambulance service to take me home after a 12 or 16-hour affair. Mondays are for convalescence!

Those bound albus are a lovely gift- I am sure they will treasure it!

Tim Stapp Loc: Mid Mitten

I can't compare to Ed's experience. However, having served as an apprentice (second, third, fourth and "hold this reflector" shooter), I love shooting weddings.

I recall the same feelings after having shot my first solo wedding: "Never Again!"

My Mentor, Bob Kysor had me help as second shooter on multiple weddings. I loved it. I was his second, I got the candids, the venue, the "behind the scenes" shots. I loved it! I loved the families, the families melding together, realizing that the only other time that these same folks would come together would be for someone's funeral made this a very joyous time for me.

I recall one wedding the I was forced into becoming the only photographer when tornadoes kept the main photographer hunkered in her basement. The father/step daughter dance turned into the father/step daughter/step sister dance at the request of the bride.

It was difficult focusing with tears streaming down your face. Immediately afterward, I was in the kitchen with the Bride/Step Daughter, Daughter, Mother/Step Mother, Step father/Father and Step Sister bawling our eyes out!

I feel like I become part of the family when I shoot weddings. I pour my heart and soul into it. They feel it.

One time as a second shooter, I was able to capture during the Father/Daughter dance the Father's tear midway from his eye and the Bride's shoulder. I was told that the Bride loved it.

Each and every wedding is special. It is one of a kind. I encourage you to reconsider your decision. Look for second shooter opportunities. They are out there. Look at someone whose work and more importantly their business practices that you might find compatible to work with. Reach out to see if they are open to mentor/teach you. You have a good eye. Second shooting can be great! Quite honestly, I'd rather be a second shooter than be primary. There is much more creative freedom, the wedding experience is fantastic and you get paid for it.