Wedding Photography
by Roy Barker
If there is one occasion that everyone wants to celebrate with photographs, it is
their wedding. It is an occasion that every one wants a degree of professionalism,
and many people want to ensure quality. Therefore there are many opportunities
for a photographer to make money, if they are willing to cover weddings.
A contract for wedding photography is very important, go to your local library and
have a look at sample wedding contracts and do not forget to include a disclaimer.
Your disclaimer should clearly state that you are not responsible for photographs
that do not come out for equipment failure, which is not your fault. You should
also use a disclaimer to say you are not responsible for photos misplaced as a
result of sending the film away to be processed. You definitely do not to be sued
for breach of contract on your first job.
Before the wedding has started, you should have in writing how many photographs
need taking, and be aware of the cost of processing, and the cost of the albums.
All that is necessary is that you estimate how long the session will take and add
your hourly rate to the figure. Pay special attention to specific requests of the
families, they may have a long lost cousin, coming, and they particularly want
separate photos of them. It is important you can talk with each family well before
the ceremony and establish exactly what they require.
Remember that a lot of the guests will also be recording the ceremony, or aspects
of it, so avoid unnecessary competition, get as many of the photographs done before
the ceremony as you can. Be aware that some venues restrict the places that you can
photograph from, so make sure that you are fully aware of this before the ceremony.
It is important that you pick the correct vantage point before the ceremony. Do your
homework properly, because verbal referrals will be very important for you from
this type of business.
Before the ceremony make a complete list of all the photos that will be required.
Here is a fairly standard list:
Pre-ceremony
- Bride with her mother
- Bride with her father
- Bride with both parents
- Groom with both parents
- Bride with her immediate family
- Bride with grandparents
- Groom with grandparents
- Bride with maid of honor
- Groom with best man
- Bride with flower girls, etc.
- Groom with ushers
- The flowers
- Any other special requirements
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