# how did you book your first wedding.



## 12sndsgood (Mar 10, 2012)

I was just curious to see how some of you booked your first wedding shoot.   was it a complete stranger, was it a friend who roped you into it, was it a family member who roped you into it.   who was it, and how did it turn out?


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## Railphotog (Mar 10, 2012)

My first wedding many moons ago was for a co-worker's sister.   They weren't going to have a pro photographer, so I was asked.  I told them I was only doing black and white, but of course when I showed the photos I was asked about color ones!  I did my own processing, but don't recall how the photos were received.    Did others through work over the years too.


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## sandraadamson (Mar 10, 2012)

My sister had a collegue at work whose son was getting married, their photographer bailed a week before the wedding. My sister volunteered me!!! I had only had my slr for 2 weeks I was a newbie in every sense of the word. I said no three times  telling them I didn't have the experience or the equipment. I had a d200 and 18-200mm lens, sb800 that's it. They begged and eventually I gave in but they were so for warned on the lack of experience. I charged them $100 lol and guaranteed them nothing.  How did it end? They were very happy with their images she cried at the proofing I on the other hand was not so pleased but I was then and still am my worst critic. I look back at that wedding and cringe that was 5 years ago. Her maid of honor begged the next year for me to do her wedding too sigh I agreed and was much happier with those results but I had a full year to grow so much more.  Complete strangers.

www.sandraadamson.com www.sandraadamson.blogspot.com


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## Demers18 (Mar 10, 2012)

I proposed to her with a ring... And she said yes


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## fokker (Mar 10, 2012)

I needed some cash so I put an ad on gumtree (Australia's version of craigslist) and shot my first wedding for $300. I was up front about the fact it was my first wedding, but I was confident and the couple had confidence in me. In the end they were very happy with the result and recommended me to a friend. For reference I took 341 photos (it was a relatively low-key event) and gave them 163 edited photos on a disc as the final product. Here is a formal of the b&g.


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## Christie Photo (Mar 13, 2012)

Shot my first wedding for a classmate.  Turned out OK, I suppose.

It was then I decided to ditch the flash bulbs and buy a strobe.

-Pete


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## tirediron (Mar 13, 2012)

Christie Photo said:
			
		

> Shot my first wedding for a classmate.  Turned out OK, I suppose.
> 
> It was then I decided to ditch the flash bulbs and buy a strobe.
> 
> -Pete



Not dating yourself at all there Pete!


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## Ninjaartist (Mar 13, 2012)

My first wedding was my fiances cousins sister. We were going to the camera and when we got to the wedding the camera was thrown at me and said they better be good pictures. They loved the pictures that i did for them and they asked if i ever thought about going into business with photography and then it kinda went from there!


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## imagemaker46 (Mar 14, 2012)

My Dad was supposed to shoot a friends wedding and he ended up getting sick a couple of days before, I got stuck doing it, one of only 3 weddings I've ever shot(I don't even remember what the pictures looked like, 40 years ago)  After that wedding I added, "I don't do weddings" to the back of my business card.  The other two I shot were for friends, and they were more of the show up and have fun with a camera type.


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## LuckySe7en (Mar 14, 2012)

My first wedding (I'm not a pro btw) was not by choice lol I was basically told, you're doing the photos for my wedding (family) so I did.


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## 12sndsgood (Mar 14, 2012)

seems that the majority of peoples first weddings were kinda of, here you go we need you to do it variety.


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## MReid (Mar 14, 2012)

My two nieces got married 3 weeks apart,  neither would take, no, no way, not gonna happen, are you crazy, don't even think about it, I Don't Shoot People!!...for an answer.

I had 4 years experience with nature and bird photography at the time so I already knew my equipment.

They came out pretty good and I ended up going into the wedding photography business with the first niece's wedding that I shot for 6 years...then she moved away so pretty much out of the weddings now.....and glad to be out of it .


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## cgipson1 (Mar 14, 2012)

Early 80's... I initially refused to do weddings... didn't want the hassle! I referred a bunch of them to another photographer in town. Eventually, the other photographer was out of town and I got a call from a friend, who said that another photographer had bailed on his sister's wedding..  and asked me if I would do it. I said yes.. and did it!  They were happy, I was happy.. so I started doing weddings after that! At least until I shut down my studio... late 80's. Don't have any intention of getting back into wedding either!  Most of them are a PITA!


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## dilir (Mar 14, 2012)

my first, and only so far, wedding was a friend of my sisters. they weren't going to have a photographer because they didn't want to spend the money on one. when my sister told me about it i said "well i could do it cheap for her" she talked to her friend about it and i met up with her and her fiancée a few weeks later. i charged her £200 and i bought a friend of mine along to be my assistant/second camera. i only had to pay for my friends expenses (in other words booze lol), and i only gave her a disk with the edited pictures on


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## fokker (Mar 14, 2012)

I wanna see pictures from first weddings!!


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## jsamuels (Mar 28, 2012)

I shot my first "solo" wedding last year.
 I have shot maybe 30 as a second shooter and maybe another 50 as an assistant/VAL. I got this wedding from a former supervisor. She was getting married and asked me to perform the honor.
 After talking it over with my old boss he told me to go for it, but to make sure the contract had some disclaimers in it so she knew up front it was my first as a lead.  Dirk, my mentor, came along as a second shooter but made it clear the weight was on me this time not him. In reality, the only difference was he was the VAL for me during formals and we swaped our usual paces during the actual event. 

The client loved it and I even got a pm from Catherine Hall on the work.

Jeffrey


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