Wedding Photography

[francdore]

Hi, I would like to know if anyone could help me out please?

My fiancé and I would really like to do wedding photography on the side and would like to learn about it. I was wondering if someone could maybe let us help them out at weddings or maybe let us "shadow" them to learn how it works and what we'll need etc.

I know this is a long shot and most people would probably say NO! but there's no harm in trying

Thank you in advance.

 

[hilton]

Well considering you are essentially the competition I doubt you'll get too many takers. The true wedding pro (not part time) probably won't have time to fuss around with you because there's no second chance for a lot of the cool candid shots.

Don't be disheartened though, I may be wrong of course but to start with I would spend time on the net checking out the myriad of wedding related video training and books. Look at the Kelby Online site as he has a bunch of very good wedding videos that will explain it all.

I reckon that you need to be good at photography first though with some sort of online gallery to point your potential clients at. There are also videos or books available that explain the business side of photography and I would also recommend you take a look at this.

Here's a start. wedding episode

 

[Submolecule]

The best and quickest way to learn is to start doing it yourself, ask friends or family if they know of someone who is getting married but cannot afford a wedding photographer. Offer your services for free in the beginning or just charge to cover petrol, printing,albums etc. Never once was I asked "How many weddings have you done" or "How many years have you done this" Only one thing counts, the quality of your portfolio!

Some things to consider :

Look at online portfolios to see what others are doing.
Make a "checklist" of shots that you want to take on the day.
Always go to the venue the day before the wedding to scout for possible photo locations.
Consider listing your services on websites like celebrations.co.za or planmyday.co.za . Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool in wedding photography but few will know who you are in the first year or two.
Dont buy entry to mid-range equipment, make a good investment from the start.
Always carry extra - extra camera, extra memory cards, extra battery etc (things will go wrong)

Good luck on your new adventure.

 

[Titania]

I'd say offering your services for free is your best bet. Learn through your mistakes.

 

[mfumbesi]

I would suggest you try the Photography forums. Try http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/forums/ they have a large professional (photographers) membership.

 

[shakash]

Wedding on a budget

Hi francdore,

My fiance and I are planning on getting married in Dec/Jan (no date set yet).

Since this is both of our second marriages, we do not want to make a big thing of it - yet we want to keep our ceremony intimate and special (just the two of us). Both of us are recovering from being unemployed and with the financial stress, we would like to keep our wedding on a minimum budget.

If you are still interested in wedding photography, and build your portfolio, we would be more than happy to meet with you.

Please let me know!

Thanks and regards

 

[Albereth]

I am going to suggest that taking the pictures isn't the problem. Chosing the keepers is.