My First Wedding Gig
 

I've just been asked to shoot a wedding, and from a commercial point of view, I'm not really sure how to work it. I have no real desire to turn this into a profession, but I would like to do a good job and earn some extra pocket money for new kit.

On top of the wedding, I was planning on creating an album for the customer (with Blurb), and a copy of all the photos on disc for their own personal use. I'm not interested in trying to make money from prints etc.

So how do I go about pricing my service? I don't want to be anywhere near a pro price, but I don't want to go so cheap that it's not worth my while.

Also, for those in the UK, how does extra income like this impact tax etc? When do you stop being a amateur doing it for pocket money, and becoming a pro and having business?

For tax purposes you need to earn over your personal allowance but if you already have a full time job and are earning more than £6470 per year in that you're already over your personal allowance and therefore need to declare it.

As for pricing, it's not nice but phone other photographers and ask what they charge, easiest way to find out, like I said on a moral footing it isn't good though :(

Or, forget that and just work out how much you need to sort their book of images out plus some money for petrol and whatever then on top of that price your next purchase, lens, tripod, photoshop ? and there is your figure.

No one can tell you how much or how little you should charge, it's your time therefore you have to decide. Always difficult if it's for a friend though.

Thanks. Any tips on taking payment? Is it normal to ask the full amount upfront, or just prior to the wedding, or to take a deposit with any outstanding amount after the wedding?

[QUOTE=JulianBaird;26804]Thanks. Any tips on taking payment? Is it normal to ask the full amount upfront, or just prior to the wedding, or to take a deposit with any outstanding amount after the wedding?[/QUOTE]

Always get the payment two weeks before you will have a lot of work to do and you do not want to be out of pocket

I`ve never shot a wedding on a pro basis but been loking at the flickr wedding tog group a lot. They would say big deposit (up to 50%) at time of booking to secure the date and the rest before the big day - arguing that the venue and most other service providers have payment up front so why not the photographer.

Do they know it`s a Blurb book? Have they seen one or will they be expecting something grander? They are O for parent books and any couple who know what they are getting but you should pin it all down on paper ( hesitate to call it a contract but that`s what you need) to manage expectations. Have you got a back up body / lenses / flash etc in case anything goes wrong? Will you put something in writing about responsibilities / liability for faulty cards / failure to get key images? Have they listed images they want or gareed the likely numbers of shots expected from your hours of shooting.
Trouble is what is a pro price as there are so many people around undercutting / filling in that it can depend on the area / expectations of the couple? Why did they ask you? If the are not friends expecting it for a s little as possible what expectations do they have to make them ask you to do it?

Apart from making every effort to ensure you have back up for equipment, batteries etc., in the event of their failure on the day, you can always offer to pre and or re shoot specificlly requested images. The important thing is to satisfy all parties concerned whatever the weather and circumstance.

Ensure verbal agreements are documented into written word. As in any business, there can always be disagreements, and that is why it is sensible to act proffesionally, even to make time and dated notes in a diary / note book of any telephone conversations.

Best of luck

You might want to consider doing a pre-wedding shoot with the couple. I find this gets you used to each other & you can help the couple be more relaxed in front of the camera.

A couple of weeks before the wedding. I have got them to pose for some studio shots & then taken them out onto the local common for less formal shots. It's especially helpful for people who don't like posing for photos & makes it less daunting for them on the day - you also get to practice your techniques & settings!

Thanks all for the advice. Good point on the corruption of memory cards. I only have one body at the moment so would plan to buy a 2nd in advance, one that is capable of dual slot cards.

I'm going to have a proper chat with the client to discuss exactly what they expect and then I will formally lay down what I services I will provide and how.

I also like the idea of doing some pre-wedding shots. I'll inquire about any wedding rehearsals etc, so I can visit all the locations in advance and meet the couple.

One of the big things this year was dropping a camera it was not the camera that I missed it was the gap in the lenses . Losing 24-105 and only having 17-40mm 100mm was a pain.

Some good advice above - all I'll add is a friend did my wedding shots - just stuff on the day with corrected/tweaked images on CD for £300. A good deal for us :)