im shooting a wedding need help from some pro's

[Poizen22]

ok so i have been requestede t odo a wedding recently. the equipment i have at my disposal is as follows.

nikon d300s body
nikon d90 body.

for lenses i have 2 50mm 1.8
i have a10.5mm fish eye lens,
and finaly i have a nikkor 24-85mm f2.8 lens
for a flash i have a nikon sb 400 wich should do the job fine.

from my research i have read depending on the venue a 200mm range zoom lens might be nice to have and so would a 105mm nikkor macro lens for things like the rings and such.

i have a pretty good tripod and a preaty good monopod at my disposal. if you have any more equipment recommendations for me itd be greatly appreciated.

now here is where i get lost. what do i offer via packages, and what should i charge???

i know i have to cover my costs. i will prolly have to hire some one to drive me and help carry equipment i was thinking of giving him 120$ for the day including the cost of gas. now my question is what should i charge, the client seems to be satisfied with my level of work but i do not want to charge an arm and a legg. i consider myself either on the much higher end of amateur, the quality of work i plan to put in this should be my best work to date. really i just want to charge for the time of me shooting and editing, and i will offer prints at my cost as in the digital age printing is quite easy.
for printing i am probably going to do a few things off of flickr i have a pro account and they let me order prints straight thrue there printing partners, your thoughts?

so to summarize all of this my basic questions are is there any more equipment you would recommend me, would ordering prints from flickr be adequate as i have never done so myself, and after i cover my costs what should i charge for the work im actually doing. the event is some time in October so she has approached me relatively early which is a great bonus.

also any tips on making a service agreement like a contract. ive never done one and i am not sure what i should do. but i would like to do one as it would make me look more proffessional, and not allow them to back out of paying me after the event is done.

 

[patonb]

Honestly never did any of this but, what about flashes and filters?

 

[Poizen22]

Honestly never did any of this but, what about flashes and filters?

i have a sb400 flash it will completely do the job for all that i need.

 

[Crysalis]

Stay away from that fisheye for the wedding.

You're equipment is fine. It may be nice if you could borrow a longer zoom, but it's not needed as long as you're quick on your feet. You don't need filters as long as you shoot in raw... this can be done later in post processing.

As far as what to charge, it depends on what you're worth! I did my first wedding for $400 only because they were friends, and it was my first wedding. I'd say stick in that range (300-500) as your first shoot unless you're REALLY THAT GOOD. This is someone's special day... if you screw it up....you know what I'm saying. Decide on an amount you want hourly... find out how long they want you and go from there.

As far as prints, I would give a shot with AdoramaPix or Mpix. I used both of those when I first started. I now use Mpix Pro which is nice, but if this is a one time thing, I'd stick with them. The prints are great and shipping is fast/cheap.

The rest, IDK. I haven't required a contract of any kind... only a deposit. Since it's your first, I don't think you need to worry about it.

 

[patonb]

Man, deffinately get a contract of what they are getting.
Watching peoples court has shown over and over, weddings are a mess and having a simple list and cost signed by both will help tremendously.

 

[Mr. Switch]

I can't shed light on the business aspect, i don't act as a primary when shooting weddings. Weddings aren't my strongest point, and i'm not going to make it more obvious than it already is. This weekend i'll be shooting at a wedding, and i'm going to be shooting with a 24 1.4, 50 1.4, and 105VR along with two other people.

The only time where i'd say it's ok to use the fishy is the dance floor because 24 on DX might not be wide enough and it's ok to have wonky looking pictures because (especially) if people have been drinking, they're doing wonky things.

you should be fine with what tools you have, i'd say do the formals on the 50mm, and everything else can be done on the 24-85.

Keep the 24-85 on the 300s, and the 50 should stay on the D90. Both strapped around your shoulders.

An assistant can really help out alot when carrying your gear, it's not a bad decision to have them shoot too. eg. give them the fishy and just say "have at it". than pick the best ones later. If anything, this gives them something to do if you're worried about them not doing anything.

try not to weigh yourself down. use a small bag because you're going to have cameras on you, the bag is just going to hold lenses.

try to have fun, don't sweat it.

 

[Oreo]

You have probably already seen it, but if not, take note.. don't do this.



I wonder if there cameras survived.

 

[Crysalis]

ROFL

Those cameras are DONE.

 

[Oreo]

I dunno, it's surprising how electronics survive these things some times.

 

[Poizen22]

lol im more likely to stand at the end of the ile with my zoom and just zoom out slowly. that guys is fail.