I hear it time and time again how people decide to have a friend shoot their wedding...or get someone really cheap off of craigslist for wedding photography. By the way I used to advertise myself really cheap there when I started out and yes I wasn't worth more than $500 either. I didn't have the equipment nor the experience I have now. I frequently hear how disappointed people are with their wedding photos and how it is all they have left from the event.Here's the deal...it is a mistake to have a friend who does photography to shoot your wedding and it is a mistake to not pay a decent amount for it as well. You pay for what you get. Wedding photography is extremely challenging...you can be a great photographer, but it doesn't mean you can handle a wedding. Wedding photography has multiple lighting situations that you need to adapt too quickly. There is no time to be setting up the perfect lighting situation. People don't want to spend their day posing under fancy lights. So you better know your camera and how to shoot in all sorts of situations.
There are people you need to direct and many times large groups of people. If you are a shy, quiet person this is not the type of photography you should be doing. When you are hiring someone look for an outgoing personality, someone who can get the attention of several people, who at the moment are acting like they have ADD.
A 6-8 hr wedding is physically and mentally exhausting and these days clients expect a lot of photos so there is little downtime. This photography needs to have stamina! What people forget is that you are also paying for editing. Gone are the days when we would shoot and drop it off at the lab. Now I spend at least 20-30 hours editing post wedding. This is how I get those creative, artistic photos most are looking for now. So be selective, someone who is doing this for a hobby just won't be able to compete and you will be disappointed. I would say if you go below $1500 for a day of photography you are asking for trouble. Cut back somewhere else...the cake doesn't need to be $1000, your invites don't need to be $2000, or have a buffet instead. You are only left with your photos, so choose wisely and spend the money to find someone right.
I agree with your advice 2000% and i'm an award winning photojournalist! Everyone says to me 'Why don't you shoot weddings if you want to make money?' Or they say to me that only people shooting weddings should be paid, and do not therefore want to pay for the event/athletic photography in which I specialize. But I haven't ever shot a wedding in my life, and I refuse to do so unless I know absolutely what is going on and what the client wants-and I've learned more about how to do it right! No way am I going to take someone's hard earned cash - for a very special event and not know what I'm doing. I know what it's like to stand up for 8-10 hours at a shoot (martial arts tournament, for example) and spend 20-30 subsequent hours editing 4-8000 shots. I'm just starting out in the business end of photojournalism, and having to teach myself everything...BRAVA for the cool advice! Malaika H Kambon, PEOPLE'S EYE PHOTOGRAPHY http://peopleseye.photoshelter.com
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