If someone offered you $300 to cover 3hrs of a wedding, 1.5hrs of commuting, and 2hrs of sorting/editing time, WITH LESS THAN 8HRS NOTICE, how many photos would you include? Prints? Extras?

If you’re thinking that sounds insane then you’re correct but I’m just losing my mind here. He asked for an additional DISCOUNT and thought that I was going to include 200+ prints into a photo album for him??? I’m new to photography so I figured I could at least get the experience and use for marketing but I don’t have permission to post photos of the family in their culture either. I did someone a favor and it’s been nothing but a nightmare.

  • AnonymousBromosapien@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Not a chance in hell would I take this job…

    $300 for like 7 hours of your time… and 200+ prints… AND short notice… Fuck. No.

    First off… you would be wildly underpaid for this type of shoot on a peice per hour basis alone… $300 for 7 hours for a wedding is $42 an hour. Even with this being your first shoot ever, with it being a wedding… $100 an hour minimum for EVERY expected hour of work. A seasoned wedding photographer could easily charge $200-400 per hour.

    Then when you consider how short notice it is… like 8 hours out from the event… holy shit lol. If it was a concert or small familynphoto shoot, not a big deal on a short notice if my schedule is open. But a wedding… Now ive got to get my clothes ready, get all my gear ready for any kind of request that might be made on site, try to find a second shooter or just accept that im going to have to work way harder to get everything ill need, etc…

    Then considering just how short that notice is… 8 hours? Thats today… that means everything I had planned today is shot and im working to get prepared for and to this job. Easily could quote an additional $500, or even double the hourly rate, for such a short notice job… and a wedding of all things.

    Also, 200+ prints? Ok… easily charging cost of materials to include all the photo paper, cost of all ink used + cost of new ink cartridges set to go into my photo printer whenever what is left over from printing those 200+ prints runs out.

    Then the potential client doesnt want to allow you to use your photographs for your own marketing purposes? Ummmm… no lol. If a client wants exclusive rights to my photographs, to the point where I am not allowed to use them in my own marketing… thats an additional cost as well.

    This client sounds like an entitled b-hole who poorly planned for their wedding, or is just such a b-hoke in general that they ran off their last photographer at the last minute.

    You know how hard it is to find a good wedding photographer the day of? Almost impossible lol.

    Given all the factors at play, this is easily like a $2,000+ job.

    Tell them “No, thanks. Im already booked for today” now, and save yourself the headache that would come later. Dont do it.