My first wedding!! Scared :S

Good morning,

So yesterday a guy who works at my local photo lab asked me to be his wedding photographer, since he really likes my photography. (He process all of my prints) I was very surprised since I basically only do senior, maternity, and family portraits. I told him to contact me with details. I want to be very honest with him that this is my first wedding. I also want to charge him "cheap" because obviously I do not have any experience. I mean my camera is not even a "wedding" camera, since I see wedding photographers have $2,000 cameras.

My question is, do you guys think I should accept the offer?
I would have another photographer working with me but we both don't have fancy cameras. I have a D5100 and she has a T3i.

Also, what kind of equipment would you guys recommend?
I have a
35mm f/1.8
and kit lens
and 16gb and 8gb memory cards
reflector
(that is all, that's what I always use for my photo shoots.)

She has a 50mm f1.8
YN-468 flash (not sure of the model number)
kit lens
and reflector

I would really appreciate your opinions. And I understand that if I was to take this opportunity I would need to invest in equipment.

I also want to charge him "cheap" because obviously I do not have any experience. I mean my camera is not even a "wedding" camera,

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The only reason you would want to use a "fancy" camera is to make sure you can execute your vision and deliver the shot. You better make sure you have a contract and if you're charging him "cheap", include in the contract that this is a special rate and for that special rate he agrees to not hold you liable for any shots missed. It gives you a way out if you have equipment failure or some other unforeseen catastrophe. I also would definitely talk to the bride . . . she may have completely different ideas about what kind of photos she wants.

This is a once in a lifetime event (well, at least with the same bride and groom), and they will expect you to capture all the "special moments". Photographers have been sued for not getting the job done.

You may want to look at some wedding shots online or in a bridal magazine and try to duplicate some for practice before the shoot.

Good luck.

sure, some pros use $2k cameras....some use $6k bodies. They are just tools.

Personally, I dont feel you have the quipment or confidence to get it done. You would need quite a bit more. a longer lens, and speedlight just to name 2. There are so many other variables as well. I could lecture you for hours. My advive is, find a seasoned pro to let you be a second shooter, or even just to shadow. See exactly what it is like, and what is expected.

as stated above, remember, there are no "do-over's". This is someones special day, and if you fudge it up, you can find yourself in deep doo doo. If you do decide to take on this adventure, make sure you cover all basis in a contract, and with the bride and groom...remember, the Bride is the decision maker, no matter what the groom says.

When is the wedding and how large? You might have some time to rent a longer lens and a good speedlight to experiment with to make sure you have all angles covered. Borrowlenses.com is excellent.

We all have to start somewhere. Apparently this guy sees something he likes in your style of photography, and it's not like you picked up your camera for the first time today. If you decide to accept the job, go over the details of the ceremony, before and after, what and when is it going to happen, and with both of them as I stated before. Then be prepared for the "unexpected".

Send me a PM if you'd like me to send you a sample contract and a link to some of my recent wedding shoots.

I would recommend reading this site: How to shoot a wedding - Lesson 1

It didn't scare me off but it made me realise I would have to practise and really go out there and volunteer to shadow established photographers to at least (in my opinion) 5-6 weddings before I could be happy that I would know what was happening and how to do things (in my own style whilst being able to get everything the couple wanted) so that I would get enough "good" shots that any mistakes would go unnoticed and I would get a good coverage of the wedding.

The most important thing is to make sure they are not expecting a standard on a par with an established wedding photographer and that you prepare prepare prepare - having numerous meetings with the couple to agree shots, do a practise shoot (with the couple ideally, though 2 friends would do if you wanted to practise without them involved) on location so you know where looks good, the rough level of indoor lighting, the settings you would need on camera, the direction of lighting and possibility of all other variables.

I am still going through the stages of shadowing others, as I can't honestly say to myself that I would be able to sleep at night having to shoot a couples biggest day with a small enough error margin to provide them with sufficient coverage.. . . yet

Bottom line is that if you are asking I would say you aren't ready, this is no judgement on your skills as a photographer, just that there are a lot of people out there who can take great photo's but a wedding is totally different to any other photo shoot.

A D5100 is a great camera (not just because I have one but the quality of images is marginal with the right lenses compared to the next few up the scale in terms of pricing)
You NEED a separate flash unit, I wouldn't use the pop-up flash for pictures of the cat it's underpowered, the flash dispersers that you can get are useless at any range, it can't be bounced and the cycle rate is awful.
Lenses you can hire but this will eat into any profit, if you buy them be sure you can use them for other things, a 50mm prime f/1.8 will give you a very fast speed and equivalent focal length of 75mm for portraits
50mm prime goes for about £170 in the UK.
Though the kit lens is good most of the time, it is "slow" so bad for low light and bad for blurring the background to get rid of distractions.

I hope this post helps, the website was a great help to make me realise I wasn't ready but also how to start preparing if I was asked again or if the opportunity arose for me start professionally or part time in the future.

I did my first wedding last year. Was I ready?? No! Had only a d3100, kit lenses and a 3rd party flash. I got it done. The couple were satisfied. I got payed cheap! They didnt want anything fancy though. Just group pics mostly. I like you I have done many family pics and Senior portraits. I did my second wedding a few weeks ago. I had with me 2 cameras. A d3100 with my 85mm on it. It worked great! Then with my 300s I swapped between my 35mm 1.2 and my 50mm 1.8. I prefered the 35mm more though. It seemed sharper. This one was basic also. No bridesmaids or ushers, just the couple and their family. I asked a lot of questions when i did the last one. I asked them what pictures they are looking for.Wedding Photography Checklist: A List of "Must Take" Wedding Photography Shots here is one of the lists i looked at. I shortened it for my self. But, I might have to use the full list someday.

Equipment wise.... you certainly need a flash ! Its very poss, if not likely, that flash will not be permitted during the ceromony.
Your 35mm F1.8 could act as a get me out of jail free card here. A good fast standard zoom like the 17-55 or tamron 17-50 is all
that you need for a wedding. The chances are, you shall be stuck in one spot for the ceromony itself. A bit of a zoom will allow at
least a degree of composition. Weddings are a challange ! You seriously need to know how to use your equipment in all situations.
There are few types of photography that are so diverse as wedding photography. You have dark interiors of the church, with high ceilings,
all mannor of background, both light and dark etc. Often set places amongst the grounds for posed shots outside the church, regardless of where
the sun is. Shots at the brides home etc. Every wedding is also different. There is a lot of flash work involved. Often fill in flash is required
outside. You need to be good and confident with people too. Its down to you to arrange and organise the pics. They wont just organise themselves. Always make sure you ask the bride and groom if there are any special photos they would like etc.
You need to be polite but firm ! So smile a lot when asking uncle joe shift his ass
Knowledge is far more important than the equipment.
Doubts ring in my ears as to your knowledge or confidence level in needing to ask the questions in a way.
We all have to start somwhere though, and if you feel confident enough..... Maybe you could explain to the couple the exact situation,
and offer to do the wedding at cost rather than for proffit. This way, could possibly bennafit both of you !
Just a thought

Fast long zoom : must.
External flash: must.
Kit lens: no. not good enough on both zoom scale as well as speed.
practice on family and friends before event: must in your situation.
body somewhat irrelevant..

You have to start somewhere, and look at it from the perspective of you'll have more to add to your portfolio. Don't let people tell you you can't do it. Perhaps, you do need better equipment, though you could rent the stuff and tell them to pay you $1k for example, taking $300 of that and paying for the rental equipment. That way you walk away with $700 (these numbers are FOR EXAMPLE, i can't price your wedding shots for you
That's what I've done in the past, no complaints. Then I bought a small flash and still rent lenses for weddings specifically. Weddings aren't my bread and butter, but if they are kind enough to pay me anything at all i'll shoot them!

Thank you guys for all your help! I think I am going to decline the offer as I do not feel ready, however I would like your advice on the following.

I certainly was not planning on using the kit lens, and it did cross my mind to rent some lenses.
The YN flash that my friend has actually works on my camera and I always borrow it, I feel pretty confident with that flash on manual mode.
But I was wondering if weddings needed more than a flash, lighting wise.

As far as how much I was thinking charging? by cheap I meant like $600 for every 5 hours. The groom has not actually told me any details, he is going to give me a call this week. So I will probably can quote him differently once I have a bit more on info. I have seen wedding packages starting at 3k but obviously they are super experience. So I saw some other photographers around Houston charging $2k for every 4 hours. Keep in mind that my lowest package for lets say Grad portraits costs $135 with a 90 min session, dvd, HD retouched edited photos, and prints. I've been told I have great pricing, and I am booking like crazy. But since I have been using photography as a hobby for years and just a year ago I made it a "business" I am not quite sure how off I am on my pricing.

Thanks again guys, and any other further help will be appreciated!

ohkphoto I will PM you, thanks!

The YN flash that my friend has actually works on my camera and I always borrow it, I feel pretty confident with that flash on manual mode.
But I was wondering if weddings needed more than a flash, lighting wise.

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I would strongly recommend using a Nikon speedlight that has CSL (Creative Lighting) capability. There's a lot of information on this thread: http://nikonites.com/flashes/851-any-strobists-here-13.html Especially look at posts by Ranie . . . he always shares his lighting set up and his portrait work is pretty stunning.

I shot my first wedding about a month ago. Wasn't worried about my photo ability to do it, more about being in the right place at the right time and capturing what they wanted.
Make damn good and sure you has a descriptive contract. I didn't and it became a headache.
Make sure if you are going to do it you feel confident in your photography skills.
We all need to start somewhere.
I shot with my D80 and my D300. Along with a 35 1.8, 50 1.8, and 70-200 2.8 & an SB700 flash. Along with that I was using a nice tripod which really helps at certain points of low lighting. The 70-200 I personally think is a must have for weddings. If you are confident with your ability to take great photos then I think you will do fine.
Yes there are other things that you learn along the way. If you have time you can always check out borrowlenses.com and rent some more glass too. That is what I did until I bought my 70-200.
Again, I can't stress enough to get everything in writing!

At my first wedding, i was scared to. But i ended up marrying my wife despite my nervousness lol..... Well, i videoed my sisters wedding and it came out decent. All i had was an Elura 100, not a "wedding" video camera..... what is a "wedding" camera anyhow? You would have done just fine with the 5100. With customers, you have to set the right expectations for them. Under promise, over deliver.

JIR004 said:

Thank you all! <snip>

I also happened to see this photos, and I was wondering if you guys know what the light standing above the guy is called?
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http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/6365/setupl.jpg
This was the photographers result http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3461/3312797408_c9c3e8127e_o.jpg

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The light in the picture is called a "Beauty dish". It gives soft diffused light but not as soft as an umbrella or softbox. I used to have one with my Broncolor in the old days.