[help] my friend ask me to help him shoot on his wedding dinner

[sinned79]

very hard to attain... I do not remember seeing trees in banquet halls...

dats why not his niche? cos no trees? :x

anyway TS, put it down in b/w so that your friend wun accuse u later of any wrong doings. must disclaim that u are just a newbie, so dun expect too much of you.

if u are going ahead with this shoot. be sure u arrive earlier at the venue to test out some shots so u wun panic later.

try to shoot in manual mode (experiment what white balance u can use, ISO to use, aperture + shutter speed to use) to have consistency in your shots.

do shoot in raw format instead of jpg in case u need to process the photos.

 

[Reportage]

very hard to attain... I do not remember seeing trees in banquet halls...

Compared to the demands and stress of wedding photography, i would rather just climb a tree....seriously.

Obviously trees in banquet halls are somewhat on extravagant side, Thats why got step ladders. Always handy to have if they request super group shot and the banquet hall does not have a 2nd floor.

Anyone in such situation before and resorted to borrow a chair from somewhere to stand on?

TS, the crowd have spoken so really up to you now. Good luck.

 

[daredevil123]

Compared to the demands and stress of wedding photography, i would rather just climb a tree....seriously.

Obviously trees in banquet halls are somewhat on extravagant side, Thats why got step ladders. Always handy to have if they request super group shot and the banquet hall does not have a 2nd floor.

Anyone in such situation before and resorted to borrow a chair from somewhere to stand on?

TS, the crowd have spoken so really up to you now. Good luck.

So you carry a ladder every event you cover? wow.. that is pro sia. How do you carry it? sling over your back like a ninja turtle?

 

[JasonB]

The crowd had advised well.

First; ask yourself, is your friend USING you to save money?

Is your friend MANIPULATING you?

I seriously think he is. Maybe his not. Why are you working on his wedding day? Becoz you have a photography hobby?

Well I have a cooking hobby but heck on my friends wedding day I am sitting down eating.

Is it so hard to fork out $320 to hire a basic pro at $80 per hour to cover 4 hours?

To help him save $320 you shouldered a responsibility, worked 4 hours on site, the weekend in front of your computer editing and fixing bad photos.

What if your camera stolen or damaged or card corrupt and they end up no photos? What if photos bad and other guests pass harsh critics? Will you friend own up and admit he cheaped out and did not hire photog or will he blame and insult you behind your back?

How would other wedding guests see you? They are probably people you know too.

Will they think you kind hearted or think you stupid? Or worst, mistaken that you took chance to profit photo money on friends wedding. Will people accuse you of acting pro?

 

[wakaowalao]

Sorry, I don't really think he's your friend at all. Shoot dinner for free and still need to give him ang bao right? Double Cheapo.

 

[nedy77]

The groom should at least give a red packet, and the photographer need not give the groom a red packet

 

[sjackal]

The groom should at least give a red packet, and the photographer need not give the groom a red packet

Of course, that goes without saying.

Even fully and highly paid pros still get angbaos, the assistants get too.

But sadly, often it is the people shooting for free who don't get anything but arrows, scolding, bullying and blame. The irony is that people asking for free are often the most demanding and vicious.

 

[pettypoh]

Better reject if not confident

Repercussions will be enormous if got mistakes .... Even if not from your friend, may be the wife or parents, etc

 

[nedy77]

Of course, that goes without saying.

Even fully and highly paid pros still get angbaos, the assistants get too.

But sadly, often it is the people shooting for free who don't get anything but arrows, scolding, bullying and blame. The irony is that people asking for free are often the most demanding and vicious.

Sad but true

 

[takahashi]

thanks everyone for the responses. i really appreciate it as the replies were quite good and brought up a few points that i sld consider seriously.

my apologies that i forgot to mention that he will pay me to do it. he understands the job isn't easy etc and the gears are nt cheap too. he came from a point that he would rather pay a friend to do it than an outsider, and give me a chance to gain some exposure. also at the same time, save abit on the cost, since he won't be paying as much as what his photographer quoted him. since he mentioned that since i'll be invited to his dinner, i can shoot, gain some experience too (also the ang bao for shooting).

sounds like a good opportunity for nubs like me, but i told him i'll only do it if i manage to rope another photographer (who is more pro) in with me.

thanks everyone for the responses. =)

 

[sinned79]

thanks everyone for the responses. i really appreciate it as the replies were quite good and brought up a few points that i sld consider seriously.

my apologies that i forgot to mention that he will pay me to do it. he understands the job isn't easy etc and the gears are nt cheap too. he came from a point that he would rather pay a friend to do it than an outsider, and give me a chance to gain some exposure. also at the same time, save abit on the cost, since he won't be paying as much as what his photographer quoted him. since he mentioned that since i'll be invited to his dinner, i can shoot, gain some experience too (also the ang bao for shooting).

sounds like a good opportunity for nubs like me, but i told him i'll only do it if i manage to rope another photographer (who is more pro) in with me.

thanks everyone for the responses. =)

do post your photos!

 

[u0206397]

You should be honest to him upfront that you're not comfortable with your current proficiency and skill to pull this off.

That said, maybe you can show him some of the photos you have taken. See whether he has any comment and if he likes your photos and photography style.

If he still insists on going ahead, seriously, I don't think he should blame you if the photos don't turn out as perfectly as what he expects.

if you're going to do for him, if you can, ask him to arrange for you to recce the venue beforehand, take some sample shots w/o people (but fill them in with your imagination; pretend and imagine how the people would position and stand in the photo) to test out framing and for your friend's reference. Explain to your friend how you may compose the shots, where you imagine the groom and bride is standing in the photo etc. Find interesting spots, angles and objects at the venue for posed shots. So these recce photos can be a sample preview of what he can expect.

 

[thoongeng]

The irony is that people asking for free are often the most demanding and vicious.

this is so true. I'm sure anyone who worked in anything related to the service industry experienced this
These clients/customers want the best, at the fastest rate, at the cheapest price ;P

Anyway TS hope you have a good experience!

 

[sjackal]

thanks everyone for the responses. i really appreciate it as the replies were quite good and brought up a few points that i sld consider seriously.

my apologies that i forgot to mention that he will pay me to do it. he understands the job isn't easy etc and the gears are nt cheap too. he came from a point that he would rather pay a friend to do it than an outsider, and give me a chance to gain some exposure. also at the same time, save abit on the cost, since he won't be paying as much as what his photographer quoted him. since he mentioned that since i'll be invited to his dinner, i can shoot, gain some experience too (also the ang bao for shooting).

sounds like a good opportunity for nubs like me, but i told him i'll only do it if i manage to rope another photographer (who is more pro) in with me.

thanks everyone for the responses. =)

Good.

Fact that he is paying you money had just changed the game totally. From 'helping out' it had now changed to 'hired to do a job'. The lines of responsibilities and liabilities had become clearer. Because he is paying, he is expecting.

Because of the fact that he is paying, it is fair that you show him your latest and most relevant work to let him have an idea of what he is getting into - this manage his expectations. Maybe your shots are not up to par, but he knew you never shot a wedding before and seen your relevant work, so if the quality does not differs greatly from what you shown, morally you are covered and have peace of mind yourself because he knew the risk and he chose to take it. You are now also obliged to show up on that day, barring any force majeure incidents, have reasonable gear and backup gear on standby (am sure you have camera hobby friends who can lend you extra gear for a few hours). And management of copyrights, it defaults to him by law because he agrees to pay for your services, unless you agree in writing you keep the rights, if you want to use the photos for portfolio, you need his written permission. And finally payment - collect before the wedding. There are chances that he might not pay after the wedding regardless of pictures good or bad. I am not passing a judgement on anyone's character, I do not know you or your friend. But I am merely giving out a warning out of goodwill, based on past experiences of mine and many acquaintances and basic street sense. People are broke after weddings. People who never hire pro photographers in the first place, are unlikely to see the value of photos and thus less willing to pay for them.

Are you prepared to do this? Yes? Good luck!

 

[donut88]

Yes, do the smart thing by roping in another better photographer. Then u won't feel v pressured.

Why not u share with us your cam setup? U can rent better lens if u need to

 

[daredevil123]

TS, good luck... and try to have a good time. First time shooting a wedding is always very stressful, and you will make a lot of mistakes due to the fast moving nature and the stress. Hope your pictures can still pull through. And hope your friendship with your friend stay ok after the wedding.

 

[edutilos-]

Obviously trees in banquet halls are somewhat on extravagant side, Thats why got step ladders. Always handy to have if they request super group shot and the banquet hall does not have a 2nd floor.

A lot of the hotel ballrooms have chandeliers... Maybe you can jump and hang from it??? Will be risky and cool and no one else has done it, I'm sure of it. This way you can definitely stand out.

Another alternative is to gather the relatives and convince them to form a human pyramid for you to stand on and shoot. :thumbsup: This way you will also exhibit good leadership skills and the whole banquet hall will look up to you with admiration and gaze and say : This is a Pro! :thumbsup:

 

[edutilos-]

thanks everyone for the responses. i really appreciate it as the replies were quite good and brought up a few points that i sld consider seriously.

my apologies that i forgot to mention that he will pay me to do it. he understands the job isn't easy etc and the gears are nt cheap too. he came from a point that he would rather pay a friend to do it than an outsider, and give me a chance to gain some exposure. also at the same time, save abit on the cost, since he won't be paying as much as what his photographer quoted him. since he mentioned that since i'll be invited to his dinner, i can shoot, gain some experience too (also the ang bao for shooting).

sounds like a good opportunity for nubs like me, but i told him i'll only do it if i manage to rope another photographer (who is more pro) in with me.

thanks everyone for the responses. =)

Best to ensure that you find out what his expectations are and whether you are up to it.

If you have not done it before, there is every possibility of screwing up. At the end of the day you have to accept that you are taking some risk for the friendship. Frankly speaking, if the person is my friend I would rather sit back and relax and enjoy the wedding (not that I do any wedding photography, I have zero interest). But it is ultimately up to you. From what you write, while he's paying you, he's still looking to save money. If you rope in another photographer, will that still hold? My honest advice is to say no instead of being tempted by the money and the chance to try. You can easily do so by assisting good professional wedding photographers and eventually working as a second photographer.

 

[yqt]

sounds like a good opportunity for nubs like me, but i told him i'll only do it if i manage to rope another photographer (who is more pro) in with me.

thanks everyone for the responses. =)

:thumbsup: This ensures he get good photos and you gets the expericence.

 

[Sito82]

No really. If you eat at the dinner as well then you need to give ang bao. In the end, you are paying more than what you get unless your friend is really generous to give you more.

The groom should at least give a red packet, and the photographer need not give the groom a red packet