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« on: May 10, 2012, 05:22:22 PM »
I believe this has been covered but as a 24 y/o wedding photographer I've learned quite a bit shooting over the last 3 years and 15+ weddings so far.
1) Contract. This is going to save your ass. Yes it is terrible you're having to negotiate wedding terms even after the wedding. Make sure to get everything covered in a contract up front. You'll have to figure out how to deal with this wedding client but this should spur you onto getting the most solid contract ever for the next client.
2) Never give out Raws. This is a death sentence. If you're a wedding photographer, the photos are going to be how you make your money. Why would this ever be an option for anyone to give out their hard earned work to someone who doesn't know how to edit, organize, present the photos?
3) Same as number two but with copyright. Keep your copyright! Print reproduction rights and copyrights are two different things. Make sure you know what they are so you can explain them to a client if you give them material to print.
4) Only show your best work. Show your clients the work you feel like represents your talent and creativity. If you're showing them bad work you're doing discredit to yourself and hurting yourself in the long run.
5) Make sure it's clear to your clients in the future that you may shoot 5 kahjillion images, doesn't mean they are going to get 5 kahjillion images. I have this spelled out very clearly in my wedding contract. I over shoot and make sure I deliver top quality images but I also mention that I'd rather spend more time per photo editing and perfecting a smaller amount VS more images with less time per image.
6) To please this client now without having this contract is going to be tough. You'll have to bite the bullet though and have to bend a little bit but be firm in your defense and tell them you're running a business (if you are) and that you need to make a compromise and unfortunately cannot give out all the raws and bend to every little whim they may have. These shots could be better (Personal opinion along with not liking the soft look) but these are by far much much much better than other photographers I've seen that people have taken to court.
How much were you paid for this wedding? Are they getting a fair deal when it comes down to the bottom line? I feel like you've given out way too much for what you may have been paid for. Remember that photography is not cheap and there is a quality of work that goes along with every photographer (hopefully) and that by giving out lots of images for really cheap, its hurting the overall market for other photographers. It's hard to see this in the long run but this doesn't help the trend of, he is only $500 and I get 2500 images I can print at WallyWorld. Does this make sense? I hope I've been a help without being too aggressive. If you want more help I'd be happy to answer some questions for you.
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