Shooting my first wedding in August.....what to charge?

Here%26#039;s allllll the info....I live in Virginia (if that matters at all), I%26#039;m 90% finished with my photography school (New York Institute) and I%26#039;ve already completed the wedding part of the school. The person who asked me knows that I%26#039;m not professional, this is going to be my FIRST wedding, she knows I don%26#039;t have tons of fancy equipment. Truthfully I%26#039;m working with a student camera, Canon Rebel XTi which I%26#039;m going to show her. What to charge for this very first wedding since obviously it can%26#039;t be a lot?
Shooting my first wedding in August.....what to charge?
Since it%26#039;s your first time....ten dollars an hour.
Shooting my first wedding in August.....what to charge?
I can%26#039;t help a whole lot.....





maybe try looking up some middle of the line photographers in your area and base it on that, just go a little cheaper...?





I was wondering, since you are in photography professionally, did you find the photography courses in college worthwhile or was it something you%26#039;d recommend minoring instead of majoring or maybe not even going to college for it at all and do soemthing else in the arts?





thnx
Reply:Estimate the costs of everything you will use(paper, film, time spent hourly wage, etc), and calculate maybe like 10 or 20% of it, then add it up. And if it goes really well, you can maybe charge more.
Reply:Figure out what it%26#039;s going to cost you in terms of materials; film, developing fees, etc. Take that as a starting point, and then tack on maybe $10 an hour surcharge for taking the photos.
Reply:If you do charge you will need to get legal and pay taxes. If this is something you can do for free to get you portfolio going then do it. You can put the pictures on a CD and the bride can choose which ones to get printed. (then she will be the one to pay for the printing) It will just be your time that you are giving. Remember to save them high resolution for enlarging and printing.
Reply:Charge what your worth. The rebel is fine for shooting weddings in good hands - better than a 1ds in the wrong hands........what glass are you using is more important





If you can try and 2nd shoot or assist 2 or 3 gigs before your big day out. Get a good assistant. Add $200 or more for them into your costings and pay them $100 or so.





Consult your tutors.





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Reply:Charge whatever will cover your liability insurance premium.
Reply:You will want to at least cover the cost of renting a second body and a 24-70 2.8L and 70-200 2.8L lenses. You do have a Canon speedlight right?





Before you just dismiss my idea of renting better equipment at least find out how much it would cost. Its usually pretty affordable. You XTi with the 70-200 and a 5D for the 24-70 should be less than $200.
Reply:she should hire a professional and have you assist, That way she will have the photos she is expecting and you will get hands on experience. You could have her pay for film , and processing of the photos she wants to keep. Just don%26#039;t want her to blame you if the pics don%26#039;t come out like she is expecting. Is this a friend if so do you want to keep them as friends? Good luck
Reply:OK, this time you gave more information. It seems you do have a bit more on the ball than someone who just got their first camera last week. But a novice wedding photographer is just that, a novice. On your last question, you assumed answerers were being rude just for pointing out the pitfalls of novice wedding photography. I also suspect you didn%26#039;t like hearing that many first timers shoot for free, or only to cover their cost. That is truth as well.





How much will it cost you? If the rebel is your only camera, I would ask for the cost of renting another body and a professional f/2.8 zoom lens, and a good flash if you don%26#039;t already have one. Get it far enough in advance to be familiar with everything about it. If at all possible, shadow or assist an established wedding photographer for at least a time or two. Until you shoot a wedding, you do not know what you don%26#039;t understand. All the book learning in the world, although a good thing, will not get you through the fast pace and sometimes near (or total) insanity that can surround a wedding. Things sometimes change on the fly, things don%26#039;t always go as planned. You have to be ready without missing a beat. That is one reason you MUST have backup equipment.





Charge the bride for the rental of needed equipment. Charge her for the prints. Get a contract with a model release so you can use the images in your portfolio. Tell her, after she is happy with the service and images you provide, that if she has friends who are interested, it will be blah-blah dollars, whatever the rate is in your area, according to whatever packages and services you plan to provide. It might be anywhere from $200 to $5000, but more than likely somewhere in the middle. There are lots of $500-$1500 newbie photogs. In my area, the least expensive professional charges $650 for an 8 hour day. That price does not include any prints, which the bride must buy from him, he does not offer hi-resolution CD%26#039;s.





One thrilled bride will do more for a beginning photographer than most any advertising. You are a novice, cut your first a deal, but have a contract in place. Good luck.