68torinogt said:
how hard are weddings to do?
i prefer to take pics of cars. but i would look other places to make the money. i thought about the weddings and have been asked about it but i dont want to be responsible for screwing up someones wedding pictures by accident. i am pretty sure i can do it but its a risk i would think.
If you don't mind a differing opinion, I'll toss this out to you...
Shooting weddings can be a great way to make a living, or really supplement your income; my father was a pro for 45 years, and weddings were his bread and butter. The first thing to consider is most weddings are in the spring and summer, so be prepared to spend most of your Saturdays, and some Sundays, working. If you're not already, you need to learn how to be an assertive person - not agressive, but assertive. You don't stand there waiting for the shot, but you make the shot happen. You put the happy couple in the best poses, in the best light, in front of the best background - in other words, they're your models. Weddings are kind of a cookie cutter affair, so far as they come into the church, do the ceremony, leave the church, do a receiving line, then reception, etc. Map all of this out beforehand, and know the who, what, when, etc., for the entire job before you ever show up. Don't worry about Aunt Ida and Uncle Elmo sitting there getting tanked, your focus is on the couple and the wedding party. Buy a case of disposable cameras to put out on the tables, and let the guests take all of the candid shots themselves.
So far as the mechanics of shooting weddings, the first thing is, you need a second camera outfit. If you have one camera, and it fails, not only are you out of business, the entire job just went down the drain, you get paid nothing, and your rep just went down the toilet. So, you need to buy a second of everything - camera, lenses, flashes, batteries, and on and on, and have it ready to go immediately if need be.
Finally, and I'll put my flame suit on now, consider ditching the digital, and shoot on film, using both 35mm and medium format cameras. The extra expense (to the bride and groom) is an easy sell - properly processed and stored, negatives will outlive both of them, and can be passed down for generations to come, regardless of what happens to a print. What are they going to do with a CD or memory stick in 50 years? Where you make extra money is on prints for the couple, and then their family and friends. You can buy used, mint condition film equipment for a fraction of the price of digital, and use something like the Nikon F fully manual as your backup. If you really want to crank up the profit margin, darkroom equipment, all the way from developer tanks to enlargers can be found for pennies on the dollar, and you can do your own processing and prints.
I know this is kind of a broad brush at what's involved, but maybe it's something to consider...
Jerry
