Kaylynn Marie Photography Blog

August of 2008 was a  month of shockers- Sarah Palin saw russia from her house, Michael Phelps broke every record on the books, Ryan Seacrest was bitten by a shark, New Orleans was actually evacuated for a hurricane, unemployment rose to a record-breaking 5.7 percent, and I agreed to shoot my first wedding.

While a Tina-Fey-laced SNL recap would illicit more laughs, I actually thought I’d throw out some thoughts on my first wedding experience. Which is also likely to get a few laughs. For entirely different reasons. A few of which may stem from my scenester mullet. These are simply my thoughts. Thought on what worked and what doesn’t. Find the comment section and chime in!I shot my very first wedding almost three years ago, after second shooting a grand total of one previous wedding.

It all started when my friend Jeremy called me up one day out of the blue. As best I can remember, my side of the conversation went something like, ”no way”, “I’d ruin it”, and, “you’d hate me for the rest of your life”. He eventually asked that I list every single thing that disqualified me from shooting his wedding. I did; He was undeterred. A tiny feeling of curiosity and mischief crept into my brain- maybe I COULD shoot the wedding! Wouldn’t this be the perfect time to find out? And so I did.

I should be calling Jeremy every day to thank him for the  confidence he had in a funky, ill-experienced 19 year old. Their wedding blew my mind. I had never been a part of something so special. I spent the night with Liz and her family, and even did Liz’s hair that morning! I will say this- that wedding was built around love. After a day like that, weddings became like the Lays slogan to my photographic tastes- “you can’t have just one”.

The nerves and butterflies started three days before the wedding, but the whole thing went off without a hitch. I was relieved, but immediately knew that there was more to being a wedding photographer than I had ever imagined. And I had imagined a lot.

1. Looking before leaping

I evaluate to a fault. It’s not bad. When talking about shooting your first wedding, there a few things that ought to be considered. How well you know the couple, for instance. I knew jer&liz had hearts of gold. After our conversation, I was 100% convinced that he knew what they were getting into. I also found out who would be shooting the wedding if I didn’t- a family friend with even less qualification than I. This meant their expectations were reasonable enough to meet and surpass. There isn’t a thing in the world wrong with high-maintenance people, only high-maintanence people paired with inexperienced photographers. I’ve personally witnessed other first timers stuck in situations such as this. Do yourself a favor and wait for the right wedding.

2. Keeping honesty as the best policy

Put it all on the table. You’ve gotten some great wedding images while second shooting, but letting your bride assume you’ve done this before? Bad idea. Instilling false confidence is a surefire way to ruin your life. Or theirs. A professional demeanor and attitude go a long way, but never mislead.  Not that I’m suggesting you roll like me and try to un-sell yourself. Simply make sure your couple knows your realm of experience. Explain to them that all they may have seen from you was in a controlled environment(portraits), and that the results will differ in a wedding day setting.

3. Knowing your limits

Before I agreed to shoot Jer’s wedding, I made sure that we’d have daylight the entire time and that the reception venue had white ceilings from which to bounce my flash. That’s all I knew. Creative thinking under pressure is somewhat of a learned skill that I had yet to acquire.  And I knew it. Throwing caution to the wind is for batman.

4. Giving it 100%!

You reap what you sow. I’m not talking farming.

1.  Know your gear

Just because borrowlenses.com exists, doesn’t mean that renting your entire set up is a the greatest idea. Photographer Joe may shoot with 139,000 flashes, but he didn’t master them overnight. Lenses are awesome to rent, as they are easy to learn and get used to. Some things I do not recommend renting for weddings are

a) Camera models with which you are unfamiliar

b) Lighting set-ups with which you are unfamiliar

c) Anything else with which you are unfamiliar

At the time of my first wedding, I had a Canon 40D, Rebel XT, and a flash for each. The rebel was back up. If you do not have a back up camera/lens/flash combo, better be prepared to grab one out of the audience! (#unclebobforthewin)

2. Eliminate variables

There will be plenty of these facing you on wedding day, so you’ll want to eliminate as many as possible.

a) Be familiar with your equipment

b) Be familiar with the schedule and locations

c) Merge your shot list with your schedule. It’s easy to forget important things, so consider writing them down and checking them off as you go. If you take 30 seconds to check your schedule and list(in private) every hour or so, it will help keep your head together.

d) If artificial light will be needed, pre-plan how and when you will go about it.

e) Be familiar with(or even memorize!) the order of ceremony. I even planned my moves out like a basketball plan with X’s and O’s. Not joking.

f) Sit down the night before(or earlier) and walk through every minute of the day.

1. Learn to say no.

2. Wait for the right opportunity.

3. If you’re interested in weddings, assist and 2nd shoot!

4. This is not a portrait session. A wedding consists of hour after hour of once-in-a-lifetime moments. There are no time outs to work the kinks from your gear or scrutinize your LCD. There are no re-shoots.

5. If something goes badly for you, there can be lawsuits. You’ll want a legally sound contract. You may not know where to contact a lawyer, but parking in front of the legal and/or photography section of your nearest Barnes&Noble for a few hours is a good start.

6. The tax man cometh. Becoming a legally legit business can seem like a big hassle, but it’s nothing compared to what would happen if you don’t. If you have a website or facebook fan page, there are people reveling in the thrill of turning you in. I wish I were joking.

I’m bracing for the hate mail from this one. Hottest question out there, as well as the most hotly debated. I’m not going to tell you what to charge. But you asked. So I will simply suggest things.

1. It’s not about the money. If I got one super power for every time I’ve heard wedding photography associated with money, I’d be ruling the world right now. If you’re in it for the money, you need to stop. There. I said it.

2. Money is exchanged for goods and services. How much are yours worth? I often hear first timers wanting to charge an arm or a leg for their services. Your call. But here is what I suggest- if you are a portrait photographer, consider charging what you would normally charge for two portrait shoots. If you think about it… it sort of makes sense. If you want to continue to shoot weddings after your first, then it is time to think more seriously about cost.

3. If you decide you like weddings, pricing will become an issue. You can start by calculating hours- pre-wedding correspondence, pre-wedding planning, driving hours, actual shooting hours, hours spent loading&backing up cards, hours spent editing, etc. If you multiply your total number of hours by minimum wage, you know you’re at least being fair&honest.

4. Don’t advertise. If you’re new to weddings, consider responding to requests with an ‘introductory’ or ‘limited time’ rate of  xyz. Explain your situation and experience.

Don’t forget what this is about in the first place. Have fun! Enjoy the day! The fact that your friend has asked you to join in on such a special occasion is something to celebrate in itself. Woohoo!

Photographers, chime in! What was your first wedding like? How did you prepare? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Or as my old sunday school teacher would say, “Questions? Comments? Snide remarks?”

*photos of me taken by max trombly. Except for the really old one. I have no clue where that came from.