Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/10/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]When I did weddings in my earlier days I hated every minute of it because it was always contrived, the same from wedding to wedding and nobody really wanted anything different. "I want the same kind of pictures my friend Barb had and I've brought her wedding album so you can see exactly what I want." They don't pay enough money for this kind of stuff! So in later years when asked to shoot a wedding I thought , "well, why not?" Some of these wedding guys are making a bundle shooting this crap, so what the hell charge a bundle (at that time) a $1000 cash up front and give them all the film at the end of the reception and never look at it again. Cool idea. Because if you do something as distasteful as shooting a wedding you might as well make good money. :-) So I tried one, told the bride and groom this is the way it works: I don't do any set up stuff, it's all candid's, if you get a group organized I'll shoot that, but best man or whomever sets it up, keeps everyone to hell out of my way . At the end of the day I'll give all the rolls to the best man, providing he's sober! I'll give him a list of pro 1 hour shops and he can get 4X6's of every frame while you're on the honeymoon. When you're back, the prints will be ready, you select what you want enlarged, take the negs and proof prints to a pro lab, get your albums printed. Simple! And I don't ever want to see you again. So the first couple said "Great ted, we really wanted you for our photographer." I figured if I charged a grand nobody would take me up on just shooting and handing them the film. Well dang, if one good one doesn't beget another and another and it seemed like there were more people with a grand to throw away on wedding photographs than I figured. Damn! :-) Not charging enough, double it to $2000 cash up front, hand them film, walk away smiling or so I thought. Damn! I'm doing to good a job on this wedding stuff, still people crazy enough to pay $2000 . I mean if I have to suffer through this stuff I really gotta be getting bigger bucks. Step 3: Double it, $4000.00, I shoot, you get film, I never see you again! By now I figured I'd never have a taker, wouldn't you believe it, the first couple after I went to $4000.00 said , "Oh great Ted, we really want you to shoot our wedding!" I damn near had a heart attack! Can you imagine popping $4000.00 for wedding pictures that maybe in 6 months you'll be burning them? ;-) And recently, B.D. and I were discussing this topic, when he told me of a photographer in New York who does a wedding and before prints he charges $17,000. 00 !!!!! Now maybe, just maybe for that kind of money I could be persuaded to suffer through a wedding one more time. However, I'd still just give them the film and get the day's event out of my face! Nope I don't do weddings any more. And I figure God bless the guys and gals who do, as they've more patience than I dealing with mother's in law and twitchy nervous brides! ;-) Oh yeah, did I have any other $4000 takers? Only one guy asked and my good fortune? I went on a more interesting magazine assignment. :-) ted