Wedding photographers and their assistants typically eat with other wedding vendors or service providers either in another room or at a table provided by the reception venue. They will not photograph someone who is eating, but they will watch what’s going on quite intently and anticipate where the action will pop up next.
Vendors who are only at the wedding for a couple of hours, like a ceremony musician, officiant, or getaway car driver, won’t need meals. However, many other key people will. The ideal window for photographers to eat is when the bride and groom sit down to enjoy their meal.
The industry standard is that the photographer should be seated in a position at the wedding reception where they can easily see everything happening at all times, even when they are taking bites of food. Most photographers do not expect any food provided if they are hired just for one part of the day (e.g., ceremony and couple’s session). If they are hired for 12 hours, especially if they are traveling and staying over night, they should be fed.
There are three problems with sitting your photographer in another room: 1. Vendors often get their food after all the guests have received theirs. By the time the food comes out for vendors, another speech has begun, leaving them with about 30 seconds to eat as much as possible.
Sitting at a vendor table is totally cool if they still have easy access to get to/from the action and if that vendor table is in the same room as the event. Most wedding photographers would prefer to sit in a side room to eat, as it is lovely that their couples get to know them and get to know them better.
📹 Hungry Photographer That Deleted WEDDING Photos WAS A GUEST?! UPDATE
I saw there was a few things I missed from the first story! Wanted to do an update. My Presets + …
How long should a photographer be at your wedding?
8 hours of coverage will allow your photographer to document the main parts of your wedding day as well as the end of you getting ready and more of the reception. 8 hours of coverage is usually enough for most people and will generally work best when your ceremony and reception take place in the same location.
How many photos do you normally get from a wedding photographer?
What is the Average Number of Photos for a Wedding Gallery?. On average, most couples can expect to receive around 800-1500 photos from their wedding day. However, if you have a larger wedding or more hours coverage, you may receive more photos. And if you have a smaller wedding or less coverage, you may receive fewer photos. When it comes to weddings, there is no such thing as too many photos. So, if youre wondering how many photos you should expect to receive from your wedding photographer, the answer is – as many as possible.
How Many Team Members Will Be Capturing Your Wedding Day?. Wedding photography is a team sport. The lead photographer will likely have an assistant or two with them to help capture your wedding day. This team will work together to make sure they capture all the important moments of your day. The more photographers that are working the wedding, the more likely it is that youll receive more photos. This is because theyre capturing multiple angles.
Is Your Photographer Capturing Both Photography and Videography?. If your photographer is also capturing videography, they will likely deliver fewer photos. This is because theyre splitting their time between two mediums. However, you will receive both high-quality photos and videos from your wedding day.
Do photographers stay the whole wedding?
Do wedding photographers stay for the whole reception?. Many wedding photographer will have a cut off time, will be there for the cake cutting, first dance and get some shots of you and your guests on the dance floor. If you want them to stay till the very end where you drive off into the night then speak to your photographer about this and the timeline for this.
Extended Coverage. In some cases, couples may opt for extended coverage that goes beyond the standard duration. This could include additional hours during the pre-ceremony, ceremony, portraits, or reception. Extended coverage ensures that every moment is captured, from the early morning preparations to the late-night dance floor festivities. The length of extended coverage can be customized based on the couples specific requirements and the photographers availability.
Its important to note that these timeframes are general guidelines and can vary depending on the unique needs and desires of the couple. Some couples may prefer a more extensive coverage that spans the entire day, while others may choose a shorter timeframe. Ultimately, its essential for couples to discuss their expectations and requirements with their chosen photographer to ensure a clear understanding of the timeline and coverage.
Who sits next to who at rehearsal dinner?
Who Should Sit Where?. Youll definitely want to pick the two best seats in the house for the couple getting married. Your rehearsal dinner seating plan should place their parents near them (unless there are complicated family dynamics) as well as the host of the rehearsal dinner, if that is someone other than a parent. Group bridesmaids and their dates together as well as the groomsmen and their dates together. The ring bearer and flower girl should be seated with their parents.
Typically, rehearsal dinners are far more intimate than a wedding reception, so theres a good chance the guests already know each other. If you have a large number of guests, however, who arent acquainted, consider who has common interests and is likely to get along well together. You also might try to have one lively conversationalist at every table so theres never a dull moment.
Rehearsal Dinner Seating Chart Ideas. As far as how to actually present your seating chart, if you choose to have one, there are so many great options. You can craft one by hand, order a custom seating chart on Etsy, print one at your local print shop, or get really creative and even draw out the seating chart with chalk paint on a mirror or pane of window glass. The skys the limit.
Does the photographer come to the rehearsal dinner?
The verdict: hire a photographer for your rehearsal dinner.. Its just a great way to get a wider diversity of photos to commemorate your wedding weekend, remember your loved ones in attendance, and spend more time getting comfortable with your photographer.
Do you feed the photographer at the wedding?
Which vendors do we have to feed?. Making sure your vendors are properly fed is incredibly important—and might even be specified in their contract. You will definitely need to feed your wedding planner, photographer, videographer and band or DJ/emcee, plus their assistants. (On the other hand, you wont need to feed your baker, your florist or anyone working only at the ceremony). Talk to your caterer about what they offer for vendor meals—most have a set list of options, whether its a “chefs choice” or the same main course your guests will be eating. Sometimes its included in your catering fee, while other times its a lower set price, depending on whats offered.
When youre confirming your final wedding guest count, be sure to give your caterer the final count for vendor meals, too—and remember to include any allergies or special diets your vendors might have.
When should our vendors eat and take breaks?. Timing is everything. When it comes to your wedding planner, photographer and videographer, plan to have them eat while dinner is being served at the reception—that way they wont miss anything major. While you wont schedule specific breaks for these vendors, expect them to be “on” until the dancing is underway, at which point they may sneak into the back to sit down, have some water and perhaps even a slice of cake.
Where should wedding photographer stand during ceremony?
5 Spots to Consider When Taking Pictures During the CeremonyBehind the Bride as She Enters. The moment when the bride walks down the aisle with her father is the first time the guests get to see her in all her bridal glory. … In Front of the Groom. … Opposite the Bride or Groom. … Behind the Officiant. … Behind the Congregation.
In addition to the bride and groom portraits, bridal party photos, and detail photos, as the wedding photographer, you are also in charge of documenting the ceremony. However – ‘Where to stand as a photographer during the ceremony?’ – is a valid question whether you are a beginner or a longtime pro. The answer to this question is complex as there’s no single rule that can be applied to all weddings you photograph. A wedding ceremony may last from 15-30 minutes, but this might differ for weddings from different cultures. However, one rule will always apply: Try your best to not draw attention to yourself. While you might have to find your best spots depending on the venue, in this blog, we suggest five spots you could consider for wedding ceremony photography.
The moment when the bride walks down the aisle with her father is the first time the guests get to see her in all her bridal glory. And being behind the bride will allow you to capture their reactions! This is a key moment in the wedding ceremony, and therefore when you stand behind her, your position should allow you to capture her and the guests in the same composition. You could also include a glimpse of the groom as she begins to walk down the aisle (this may differ from wedding to wedding).
2. In Front of the Groom. Being in front of the groom will allow you to capture his reaction when he gets to see the bride walking down the aisle. This is the spot that will also enable you to take some amazing photographs of the bride from the front as she makes her way to the groom. This is an incredibly emotional moment for the bride and groom and their loved ones, so try your best to document those raw and emotional moments.
Do wedding photographers go to the rehearsal?
Rehearsals usually happen the night before the wedding. By showing up, youre getting comfy again with the couple, seeing their anticipation, and getting pumped to photograph their big day. Weddings require a lot of emotional presence from the photographer, so the rehearsal is the perfect kickstarter.
You are here: Home / Business / Why You Should Always Attend The Wedding Rehearsal.
The wedding rehearsal is deceptively important. As a wedding photographer, you’ve likely already been through dozens (if not hundreds) of ceremonies. You know the vows off by heart, have Canon in D perpetually stuck in your head, and mumble First Corinthians while you sleep. So why on earth would the rehearsalmatter?
Simple. It’s your time to shine as an expert. Your clients are paying you for your expertise, so any opportunity you get to show that you are worth it is something to jumpon!
Does the photographer eat with guests?
I think its safe to say that in general, wedding photographers prefer to sit in a separate place and not with the guests. Of course it is very kind for you to offer them a place. However, as mentioned above. Were often not truly taking a break but doing other activities. Ive usually got my laptop open editing previews for you. Something I cant do if I am sat with guests.
Plus being honest, theres only so many times I can answer the question So…how long have you been a wedding photographer? And I bet your camera was expensive…. ha ha!
Sitting on our own gives us a little time to truly unwind if we want to and spread out if we need to. It also means we can have a good walk around and plan the photos for the next part of the day.
Do you give your photographer a seat?
If you reserve a seat for your photographers, they can set down their equipment, get drinks, and eat before the toasts. This lets them see the head table and important moments. A special vendor table is fine, as long as it’s close to the action! If you’re not assigning seats at your reception, reserve seats for your photographers.
Tip # 2: Have Your Photographers Eat at the Same Time You Do. Nobody wants pictures of themselves eating. Having your photographers eat at the same time as you ensures there are no pictures of you eating (except at cake cutting time!) and that they’re done with their meals before the toasts begin. Your photographer will appreciate a meal on a long work day. Ask your photographers if they have any special dietary needs so they can eat the meal you provide. They’ll appreciate it!
What not to ask a photographer?
Questions You (Probably) Shouldnt Ask Your PhotographerCan I get a discount?Can I have the Raw (unedited) images?Can you fix my flaws or change my body?Are my photos ready yet?Your camera takes great photos, hey?
Does the photographer count as a wedding guest?
The short answer is yes. Generally all of those people count but it can depend on the venue.
📹 Was He Wrong?! Photographer Deletes Wedding Photos After Being Denied Dinner!
A wedding photographer’s story went viral this weekend sparking tons of debate online. It all began when the groom asked his …
The photographer was 100% in the right. Also I’ve seen a lot of people say they should have kept the photos and charge more for it, but I actually think deleting them was the right move. Charging more just would make them think “yeah we can treat our servers like crap, just throw some money at them, we get our pics and we can forget this by next year”, by deleting them the photographer made clear it wasn’t just about the money, it was about basic human decency and if they can give that, then they don’t deserve the pictures
I hope this viral story gives a strong message to future couples getting married – treat your photographer with respect, pay them fairly, feed them, give them a seat and water! They are a human being! They are putting a lot of care into capturing your ‘special’ day. If it is so special, treat the person well who is making photographs of it all
I have been a professional nanny at weddings before and let me tell you. The amount of money I would charge for perusal a kid at a wedding is way more than $250. I’d be charging at least double what I typically do, around $50 per hour. More if they were an infant or toddler. And my contract for the day would specify breaks, a cancellation policy, a meal (OBVIOUSLY), and a per diem/hourly fee for gas if the drive was substantial. This is the bare minimum. It is frankly disgusting but not shocking that people think they can treat other people like this, like they’re subhuman.
A “friend” I’ve known since 3rd grade told me that I could either be her photographer or a maid of honor a month before her wedding. I said I could be her maid of honor because im not a professional photographer by any means I just have a basic canon rebel t6 that I use to take pics of my son lol. I still use the kit lens and all. I didn’t want her being disappointed and told her that she should definitely find someone who does this for a living. When I asked her what I can do to help her organize her wedding as the maid of honor and take some stress off of her, she told me that her friend was helping her do everything but she just needed someone to fill the role of the maid of honor and she thought I would be her photographer. This “friend” hit me up a few times but only when she needed things from me like a ride places since she didn’t have a car. She lived an hour away and when I would tell her I was busy she would get pissed off and not talk to me. We definitely don’t talk anymore. She then had the audacity to message me a few months later and tell me I was shitty for not messaging her back the last time she asked for a ride. Friends sometimes are the first to use and abuse you
What people think wedding photography is like: Order photographer. Shipped to wedding location. Take pics $5000\r What it actually is: •2-5 months of planning with bride and groom\r •Follow up appointments\r •Location scouting\r •Involved with the wedding planning •Pre-wedding shoot 2-5 hours\r •Wedding Shoot 10 hours\r •Culling photos 2-5 hours\r •Sending photos to ask which to be edited\r •Editing photos. 10min-2 hours PER photo. x400 photos that’s average 1-2 weeks editing\r •Reviewing photos/Re-edits on request\r •Printing photos for bridge and groom Total time spend: 300 Hours + This is not including the 2-5 months of planning and correspondence with the couple.
Yes! You aren’t just paying for “the day.”. I’m a musician, and have this conversation often. You’re paying for my decades of training and performance experience. For the rehearsal time I have to put in before the event. If I’m bringing instruments, you’re paying for that too. For weddings, sure, I may just sing a song or two at the ceremony, but I have to be there for at least 2 hours that day. I also have to go to the rehearsal, which is NEVER less than 2-3 hours. We charge what we charge for a reason.
On top of the fact that that one commenter isn’t taking post-wedding work into consideration, they are not accounting for the fact that photographers typically work more infrequently than most people. $25 an hour sounds great if you’re consistently working 5 days a week, but a lot of photographers don’t get that many gigs at once. And ofc that’s only the actual shoot– it doesn’t take into account the hundreds-thousands of dollars spent on equipment or the events you can’t work because you have to edit and export pictures. The way artists get treated is so insane
The reddit comment about “$25 an hour doesn’t sound too bad” clearly doesn’t understand and seems to also be forgetting that it’s not just the time at the wedding, it’s all the time after for editing and delivery of the photos, plus equipment and skills that go into doing all of it. That commenter probably asked a friend to shoot their wedding too for next to nothing and doesn’t see the problem with it. Also, who cares how much the OP makes as a dog groomer. That is totally irrelevant because those are completely different skill sets and one does not influence the other.
We asked my husbands friend to take our wedding pics, as we were on a budget and trusted her. We were going to invite her anyway. She was a photographer on cruise ships btw, so she was experienced. We kept the wedding party/ceremony/meal really intimate, and had 100 people for the party/reception afterwards. Both sets of parents, 2 bros-in-law, sis-in-law and 2 neices only for the meal. Because our friend was doing the pics, we had her at our wedding meal with family, and made sure she was well looked-after! She refused payment, and gave us the photos in a lovely album as a wedding gift, which was SO generous and kind of her and her husband. We weren’t expecting that at all 🥰💖. She gave us all the negatives too, to keep 💖 (it was in 2000). It’s an example of how to have friends help you out, but show real appreciation for everything they’ve done for you, without taking advantage of them! Btw, we didn’t pressure her into it. We asked nicely, and gave her the option to opt out if she didn’t want to. She did a really beautiful job for us, and we were delighted with our photos. Having a friend take them got the best out of everyone in the photos! 💖🏴
I feel that with any artistic career, people tend to take advantage of the workers a lot. My best friend is a jack of all trade artist (tattoos, paintings, carvings, he even painted chinese dragons on his cars and they’re so beautiful!) He’s starting his own little business and sometimes asks me how much he should charge people. He’s got a big heart unfortunately people take advantage of that. I tell him to consider the costs of the materials, the hours he puts into the piece, his level of expertise which is very professional, he’s been doing art his whole life, and to add a certain percentage for profit. He always ends up cutting that in half and then he wonders why he’s struggling financially… 🤦♂️I’m about to declare myself his manager lol.
This is so weird, here you usually have a table and a scheduled time for the “help” (photographer, articlegrapher, musicians, etc.) to have dinner. It is usually very important for the couple that the people who work for them have a good time too, because you get your product after the wedding. And a happy photographer who had a good time will make a better job, than the one who was ignored…
The bride knew what was going on. If it was her “friend” she/he would’ve just went to the bride and said something. She was well aware of what was going on, let’s not absolve her of any wrong doing. The fact she hadn’t reached out like “what happened?” tells you all you need to know. You find out who your friends are when money is involved.
Wait so as a friend/guest who also happened to be taking the photos. Not only were they one point on the list, i.e. the bride and groom budgeted for them to have food, organized a table etc. The fact that they now had to pay $250, they decided “lets recoup the money by removing them from the guest list to decrease costs”
I was mortified when my photographer told me she ate food she brought in her car. I ordered an extra portion for her but completely forgot to let her know and on the day of I was super overwhelmed I didn’t notice. I couldn’t imagine doing crap like this intentionally and telling the person they don’t get it because they’re getting paid for something else. That’s not how things work!
I’ve had friends ask me to do photo shoots for them and I turn them down every time because they have no idea of the effort and time you have to put into a shoot they think it’s so easy because all they see is the end result not the process from start to finish. If they won’t take no for an answer I tell them how much my charges are making sure to point out there are no “mates rates”, that usually does the trick.
My brother’s girlfriend’s mom was getting married once and asked him to take photos. He was new to photography and he asked me to help. I got some awesome shots that I spent a ton of time taking and editing. I don’t think I got any $$ at all from it, and he was given credit from the family for my photos. I didn’t understand how much I was taken advantage of, then. I ended up quitting taking photos for people bc I realized so many people were taking advantage of me, I didn’t know how much I was worth, and I was getting burnt out just doing what my friends and family asked me to do. Now when I see things like this happening, it makes my blood boil.
Like you said, there were times when my gear bags also got taken down when they’re kept on my reserved space. another dumbass would come and take the whole place. Its a normal thing where I live. I really hate confrontations so I avoid making a fuss during important events like weddings. I wish there was more respect for us photographers in that way as well, because we are doing so much more than capturing beautiful moments. Its a whole journey that we take to give back what we saw through our lens and eyes as best as we can.
This isn’t just for photographers. It applies to almost everyone doing a wedding… From photographers, musicians, catering teams, designers, make up artists and similar, all the way to event planners, interior designers, decorators and so on and so forth. EVERYONE aforementioned can be and often are a victim of the whole ”what do you mean 2,500 EUR? That’s too expensive! It’s just one day of work!” mentality from the side of clients… They all forget about the years upon years of experience AND hundreds of hours of work AND planning, sometimes even months before the event day, that goes into the whole service – e.g into photography, catering or interior design… And that’s not even mentioning post event work, tooling costs and other stuff depending on service; for example, for us photographers, that would be culling, editing, reviewing and so on. ALL OF THAT goes into the ”just one day of work.” – And that’s why all of the aforementioned services charge 2,000 – 10,000 EUR for working at/on your wedding!
Geez….when my sister got married she hired my piano teacher and I to do the music for the ceremony. He was paid more than $250 for playing piano for maybe an hour, AND he had a seat and a meal for the reception. He was invited as a guest to the reception..his job was over when the ceremony was over. Who treats people like this?!
“Sorry I’ve got to go, it’s my turn to fly the plane” this is a perfect response for multiple situations, thank you Jessica you are amazing and Photography is real hard work and a respectable art form and if the photographer is a true professional it’s even harder and much more detailed because they need to feel a magical sense of pride in their work and not only do it for a paycheck but for a legacy. Much respect and love from Egypt. Ps. If you ever thought of visiting I’d host you and make the best trip calender am sure you would love seeing ancient historical locations here and warm weather.
I love how you say “imagine.” You’re very lucky if you haven’t had to deal with these types of toxic people in your life. Anyways thanks for making a article about it because too many people do think that this kind of treatment is “normal” and to hear you say how wrong it was was nice because I’ve been taken advantage of for my time and effort like this in my past. Thanks for calling out the toxic behavior for what it was!
This story really spoke to me, because I know exactly how she feels and I am so so happy she deleted the pictures! I hope people are finally gonna understand the work behind photography and stop straight up exploiting people for some photos. I remember, when I just started out with wedding photography, I shot some weddings and stuff for „friends” and the way you get treated by people that know you personally is just so horrible. Not once did clients, that didnt know me personally beforehand, treat me in a disrespectful way. Ironic how your friends and family are the ones that should support you but end up being the ones to appreciate you the least.
A few years ago I took photos for my sisters entire 4h horse riding group at their districts competion. It was the middle of summer and I was the only one who was supposed to be paid for photos and I was taking pictures for over 8 hours with no breaks plus the time it took me to go through and crop and edit over 100 photos out over the over 300 I took. At the time I was about to turn 15 and looking for experience in event photography and I trusted that they would pay me even though we never spoke about how much(big red flag) flash forward 5 or 6 months and they still didn’t give me a dime so we brought it up at their meeting and they told me they’d pay me 25 or maybe 50 dollars but I have yet to see any money from them and I’m 17 now. Needless to say I learned my lesson and don’t do any jobs for family or friends unpaid unless I choose to for practice.
I’m flabbergasted how anyone could treat their guests that way, let alone their friends. I’ve recently been to a wedding. The hired photographer was lovely. She made sure to take pictures of every guest that asked her for a couple picture (it was a marvelous location with mountains in the background, so as soon as the first couple asked for a photo in front of the mountains, everyone else followed suit haha) . She also chatted with everyone and made them feel extra comfortable before taking enough photos to make sure she had amazing ones of everyone. During dinner, she ate at our table and we talked for a bit. Turned out she was a (not too close) friend of the groom but attended specifically as their photographer and therefore got paid as such. But she had her full plate of food and enough opportunities to rest as well. Really a lovely person. She even filmed the comedy bits in between when she was asked by the guests who acted in the short bits, but also had enough time to laugh along and celebrate with the couple. I wish that was the standard.
I like your coverage of these stories you are very thoughtful and it’s interesting to hear your reactions to these. If you haven’t considered it yet your creative projects I think would be successful. You are compassionate and I feel like it would be cool to see you as a psychologist or analyst whatever you think you like to do no matter what…in any case I’m subscribed
Another thing that you need to take into account when you shoot weddings, and another reason besides the experience for it being costly is the equipment. You’ll need a lot of equipment for changing lighting and settings, which your regular amateur photographer just wouldn’t have (because it’s expensive).
Many moons ago i was the second photographer to a wedding. A friend asked that i help her as her 2nd photographer was unable to help. In my case there was a table where we could sit, we could enjoy the food and after about 9PM we could pack up and enjoy the wedding with them. I never shot another wedding after that – It was 9 hours of running around. Just glad that i could just upload the photos to the main photographers storage and let her handle the editing 🙂
Friends don’t let friends work at their events, even if they’re professionals. A friend of my parents suggested her 17 yo son play sax at our wedding reception as a gift (he’s done smaller events in the past and she said he’ll gladly do it for the exposure) . Both were invited as guests. We kindly refused so they could both enjoy the event, even if it meant not receiving anything.
An insane amount of to-be-weds think that a good “cost saving measure” is roping a friend into taking photos for little to nothing. It’s already unfair, but then you see cases like this where the couple can’t even be bothered to feed someone they expect to be with them for an entire day — it’s maddening.
Man those photos would have been gone the second I found out I no longer had a seat and food, they were definitely right to delete and leave. Plus that person who said it’s $25 an hour…not really, if you take into account all the work that would have gone into this after the actual wedding they were probably making more like $10 an hour or less.
I agree, but….. I photographed a friend’s wedding. I have never done a wedding before – which they knew. I have never even done an event or a couple’s portrait. As I type this, I know how bananas this all sounds. However, the pics were pretty nice, the couple loved them and printed out a ton, including one on canvas. The family reached out to me and booked family shoots after – which they still do annually now. It was a decision that launched my photography career. And now I’m a wedding photographer. On one hand, I do think you’re right. But on the other…I guess it was a calculated risk that paid off. (I did however prepare like a madman for the wedding) …I will say that in most cases, Jessica’s advice is sound! I think I just got lucky.
My sister had a similar situation quite recently where the groom who she became friends with through the bride thought that it was ok to take advantage of my sister by asking her to travel over an hour to collect the alcohol when he had friends who lived 10 mins away who could have collected the alcohol. On top of that he kept making shady comments about her being late when she has travelled over an hour with so much traffic as well. The worst part of this was that my sister was not even a bridesmaid or any relevant role in the wedding so why on earth was she asked to travel hours to collect alcohol especially considering the fact that she is a doctor and has a very busy schedule. some people get so entitled. so rude. they also did not thank her and wanted her to decorate their ‘first night’ together room at the hotel….like why on earth arent any of your friends who are playing a relevant role in the wedding doing it for you? And then she was asked to drive all their guests back home as well. Absolutely ridiculous at how trashy the bride and groom were…oh yh the bride knew and felt the need to call my sister and get sassy with her when my sister was annoyed and refused to do it at first. Never liked those two anyways and i hope my sister doesnt stay in touch.
100% on the photographer’s side. The bride & groom should be ashamed of themselves & I hope they are beyond embarrassed about this situation. They wanted to pay a crazy low rate AND deny them food/water. Hell no. This reminds me so much of your wedding photography story where the couple thought the very low rate you quoted them was too high and refused to pay. Ugh this infuriates me.
I admit I overlooked providing my photographer with a meal prior to my wedding, I felt awful when I realized. On the day I told her and her student that they were more than welcome to stay for food and drinks, but they politely declined. I still look back on it with shame! We paid her $1600 and to be honest I would have paid more for what we ended up with. We were so poorly organized and she just dealt with it, still managing to make us look amazing. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tells her friends how annoying we were, haha. But we were never intending to be disrespectful and we appreciated her work so much.
My wedding “photographer” is my husband’s best friend’s wife. She does it as a side job and asked me if I needed one for our wedding. I sort of felt pressured to say yes. She never asked for payment, but I intended to pay her when I got the photos. I still don’t have them, but I chalk it up to her having an actual job and I jokingly tell people “you get what you pay for.” I think, from what she has shown me, the photos are better than what I was originally hoping for as I had asked my mom to take a photo or two and articletape the ceremony for those quaruntining. Not only was I far from a Bridezilla, but I made sure as many people as I could talk with got food and drinks at our makeshift venue. I was even late for the group photos because I did that.
Man, this makes me so glad that our clients are all decent people until now.. I’m not a photographer, but I do service during events. Whether it’s a communion, or a wedding, or a business meeting,… all “work people” get drinks and food from anything that was left over from the guests, service personnel included. And if it happens to be little, our cooks will often to a magic trick in the kitchen making sure everyone is fine. Band, photographers, reporters, sound tech, everyone gets taken care of. At least water and soft drinks are ALWAYS included, and so is “anything left over”
So, I did this for a friend once and had a completely different experience. I studied photography through school and my Art foundation course, so I knew what I was doing but I wasn’t a professional. They were happy for me to bring a friend they didn’t know, we were guests and given food, I just happened to be taking the photos. I think (it was about 14yrs ago) I was happy to do it for free as they were so grateful and such lovely people, and I enjoyed it. This is awful how they treat a friend who is saving them a huge amount of money and doing them a favour! Taking away their food order and seat at a table, refusing to pay and making them babysit their own child? That’s not how you treat anyone least of all a friend!
I’ve also photographed a wedding during a flood and the venue was ACTIVELY flooding while the bride’s family was decorating. I was still trying to get pictures of decorations and the dress as I could, while also trying to help pitch in to clean up the mess. It was a WILD day. I felt terrible for the couple and their families. The owner of the venue never came to address the flooding, despite numerous phone calls. Eventually, the rain stopped in time for the ceremony and reception, so the timing ended up working out in the end, but it was incredibly stressful for everyone involved. The mother of the bride thanked me at the end of the day for being the calm in the storm. I captured all the typical wedding milestones despite it all, but it was definitely a challenge.
I’ve been a wedding photographer going back to film days, and transitioned to digital years ago. I set my daughter up with a couple Nikon D300s cameras. The kid has a great eye for what makes a picture look good. She has booked a few free jobs to build a portfolio, and now continuing with all sorts of paid photo jobs. She shot the first free wedding; couple actually gave her money in the end for doing such a great job, but she was stunned at how much time, actual work went into editing an entire wedding. Lesson learned.
When close friends and relatives ask me to photograph their events, I normally agree to be the auxiliary photographer since I am a hobbyist, and will work with the paid photographer so I do not get in the way. As I know them well, I can usually capture more intimate moments as I would anticipate their reactions. Once, when I realised the wedding couple did not engage a articlegrapher (only a photographer), I quickly put on my mic and changed lens to focus more on articlegraphy. The couple was surprised by a wedding article, or, the only full article of their wedding (the rest were article snippets captured on mobile phones by other guests). Over time, I found myself quite welcomed. It’s a rewarding hobby in this way for me.
I don’t blame the groomer for this, I think there’s a combo of things at fault for what happened. Firstly, and most intimately would have been the way the groom (and possibly bride) treated her in regards to low pay and revoking guest privileges such as food and a place to sit — two things I think photographers and anyone working a venue for 8+ hours a day deserves automatically (but that’s beside the point) But on a larger scale I think the devaluing and undermining of photography and all other creative or artistic fields to make so many brides and grooms assume that it’s an easy job. I think photography, articlegraphy, any creative element being an element of a wedding or event needs to be held in a higher regard than what it is. People think photography is so easy and assume it’s all on the camera or gear- they forget there are real people taking hours out of their day and lives to make outstanding work that so often gets chalked up to “nice camera” or filters on photoshop. It’s good to hear photographers point this out and that our work is exactly that— work.
When I did wedding I would scout the venue the day before to see the light there and may take some shots, Some B roll, chat with some of the must have photos of people and teach them how to pose for photos, see the lay out and plan where I can be to get the shots and still “not be seen” or be a distraction to the event. you shoot the event 600+ photos (normaly shoot 3 of every shot, small moments of hair or hands can change a shot) if I have some one work for me get there photos to, and go thru the pass to pair down the photos to tell a staore get them proft with the bride and groom do some post, match them to some music, you would be surprised how fast you can reach 40 hours.
Funny thing 🤣 I am an artist and love taking pics and have actually taken pics for many of my friends weddings and engagement….they pay me with a meal 😉 and or take it as a wedding gift. They know I am not a professional and I can do as much as I am allowed with my camera and computer program. Editing, for me, it’s very easy so it probably takes me like 1 hour…well their weddings are short too. 🤞🏼 so far they have liked what I have taken and I always have time, within the wedding, to eat enjoy and have fun.
With the prevalence of social media in today’s times it’s easier to find photographers and other free lance artists based on your budget.. There are a lotta talented photographers out there who would do the event for half or even lesser than half of what an experienced and established photographer would charge.. Social media has given people a platform to express their talents and passion.. and ain’t no harm in paying them for the same and getting some decent work done..
Yo the first wedding I ever shot was the perfect fall day. Then at 2:28pm, t-minus two mins until ceremony, it starts POURING RAIN and rained thru the entire outdoor ceremony, bridal party photos, & reception. Thankfully reception was indoor. My LORT. It turned out beautifully thanks to a covered wagon and a black umbrella but it was chaos. 👀
I was asked to do a wedding shoot for some family friend, gave them a price less than 250 dollars (120 pounds) and they said no too expensive . I said ok I won’t be doing it. I still got invited and went. Saw the photographer they got . Found out she was doing it for free and started 12pm to 10pm. I’m glad I didn’t do that shoot 😂
Im so happy my wedding was simple. Cost about 3 grand and was GORGEOUS. The photographer I hired, named her own price, less than 200, and the photos are STUNNING. Granted the shoot was about 2 hours thats still cheap af. If only brides these days didnt get so pressured into all the unnecessary bullshit that costs many many thousands of dollars. Most is 100% unnecessary and stressful and puts a lot of people in debt. Especially cringe when the divorce rate is so insanely high.
Photographers, please consider taking an African wedding gig! Not only will you be over-fed, you will drink to your heart’s content, you will be dragged onto the dancefloor with a guaranteed dance partner and you are bound to have booked 3 gigs for the next couple of weekends! You might even get a ride back, ha!
I’ve seen that at events before. Parents let there kids run wild and the kids get into the photographer’s gear or running around bumping into tripods and people either don’t care or are not paying attention. So the photographer has to basically babysit so there equipment doesn’t get damaged by unsupervised kids playing
I’ve had this happen to me on countless occasions. This one “friend” of mine in particular invited me to her birthday party and then two seconds later asked if I could take her birthday pictures for her for free. I was a really new photographer and so I accepted it as a way to get practice. But I thought that I was just shooting her birthday party and my one condition was that I bring a tripod so I could get in some of the pictures as well, because I was still technically invited. But then she asked if I could take her pre-birthday pictures as well. I ended up doing it and spent forever editing two separate photo shoots that I did for free. Learn from me and know your worth as a photographer!
My cousin shot our wedding reception as a present–we never asked, she offered. We weren’t going to have a photographer, so it was just a really amazing present she gave us. I think it’s when money comes into it and it’s being treated like a job instead of a familial/friendly bond that things really get nasty.
You mention you had trouble with a band. I had problems with DJ’s on two different occasions. First time a DJ decided to move my camara bag by kicking it off a table. The 16-35 flew off the bag and off the balcony and fell on top of the head of the bride’s grandfather. He had to be taken to the hospital. The other time some DJ’s tried to steel my camara bag that had the second body, 2 lenses, 3 speed lights and batteries. I actually had to fight my way in, in to the back of the van to get my bag. PS: they placed my bag inside one of there equipment cases.
7:00 as a photographer and one with articlegraphy experience this is what I was trying to explain to my now wife. However, you did a much better job with better and more convincing words. I was willing to pay for the second photographer and articlegrapher. In the end, it turned out great as a COVID wedding but I wish we could have allowed the Creatives to have the extra help. 🙂 Also, I was the one talking a lot with the photographer and articlegrapher. 😛 My wife isn’t the stereotypical woman who has dreamed up her perfect wedding. She had preferences of course but she was satisfied with the little things. 🙂 That’s just one of the reasons why I love her. ❤️
My first experience shooting a wedding was actually great. It was a big Italian wedding. I was just a 16 year old intern & it was so long and stressful, but we at least got the same meal as everyone else. One downside was that the second shooter who my boss (lead photog) sort of knew, but not really was so rude to me & kept asking about my voice bc I have paralyzed vocal cords. Like asking if my parents talked like me too. It was really uncomfortable. I never saw her again so that’s nice 🤣
My photographer, dj and band (hired for the last 90 mins) all got a seat and a meal, including the open bar and dessert. Our dance teachers were invited too so they could how their work paid off. My photographer got some nice shots of the band that I bought so they could use for their website if they wanted. No one is “just the help” even if they were being paid. They’re still people and everyone does better if they’re actually having a good time too. I was a bride one day but I’ve worked the rest of my life before and since then… it’s way easier to do my best and help people when they’re nice.
A friend of mine (not anymore) asked me to be their wedding photographer around two and a half years ago. because she was my friend, I said this shooting would be a gift for them (first mistake). before I even knew about contracts she told me verbally I’m allowed to use all the photos for my social media, webseite. six months after their wedding I asked them to sign my contracts afterwards, so it’s not only verbal, but also written down. I’ve been trying to talk to her for about 4 months, she always left me on read or told me she’ll come back at it until finally she told me to use like 10 pictures (that’s definitely NOT a lot for wedding photography). on top of everything at the end of the day I had a heatstroke and the couple couldn’t care less. second wedding brought me almost as much trouble as the first one. I’ve learned my lessons, I’m now an official photographer, charging for everything I do and EVERYTHING is written down including my contracts. Jessica also helped me a lot to understand the importance of contracts. to sum everything up: people are cruel, but i won’t stop shooting weddings.
Americans use Fahrenheit because we have a bunch of states that have a different variety of temperatures. So my Wisconsin family in the winter it’s could be like a negative something but where I live now in Florida could be 70/80° in the winter. So, Fahrenheit allows us to more accurately and engage the different states temperatures. Where in most European countries or other places, there temperatures between different places stay about the same
I saw this story about a few weeks on my feed. I think this happened from my country, (Philippines). I am also an event shooter (photographer/videographer) and I can testify that there are a lot of “clients” that are my relatives or someone I am close with that hire me, then they will ask to lower my rates because “we know each other personally” while having the audacity to demand the same quality of output I do with my standard rate. Anyways, if you’re wondering how much is 250 USD in my country, that is 12,500 Pesos or the price of an iPhone 6 : ))
In my country, we treat the people who do the most important things for us the best way possible. Like people who prepare the food, we make sure they’re treated the best because they handle the food that we eat. Same with photographers/videographers, if they’re responsible for immortalizing memories of the most important day of our lives, we treat them better than good. It’s just common sense. If you want the best service, treat your servers the best.
I did a free wedding shoot for a friend (was still a guest, food drinks n all). I just took photos and gave them the files to do their own editing, as they knew it was the photos I took or nothing at all except a bunch of crappy smartphone pics. They were totally happy with that, even told their family to get me to shoot their weddings which I refused to do as I just do Photography for a hobby.
I wished I could’ve gotten your psa sooner. A buddy of mine asked on Twitter if any photographers where available to shoot his kid’s soccer team & I volunteered because I do want to get experience with sports photography & I wanna get better. I was only available for one game & I did the varsity & jv team photos & I felt completely out of my depth. The game that I shot I felt like the shutter just couldn’t keep up with the action & for the team photos I had a lot of trouble trying to get a giant group of teenage girls to focus. When I volunteered I thought I was able to handle it but hindsight is always 20/20
I have heard of this happening to other photographers. If I were a wedding photographer, I would pack myself a “just in case” lunch, just like mom used to make. You remember, the brown bag with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, carrot sticks, apple, cookie and a juice box. Then I would pick the table that has an empty chair (there is always someone who doesn’t show up), sit down and engage in pleasant conversation while I take 1/2 hour break to eat my lunch.
My guy is a carpenter who specializes in cabinets and trim work, but he’s also now a contractor and can do just about any kind of construction. He’s taken a loss on some jobs just because another contractor did a client dirty and he knows they don’t have the money to fix everything the previous contractor messed up. One house had walls so badly off level that it was obvious to an untrained eye, and that was only the beginning. I’ll used to think that $25/$30 an hour was a lot for that work…until I saw him work. For real, it’s sometimes selling himself cheap. And he holds anyone he subcontracts to his standards. He doesn’t often build anything as a gift, either. And it isn’t hard to see why not when you know all he puts into it.
There are people like that. They call you a ‘friend’ and then strangely start asking more that are becomingly disrespectful like calling you midnight to check for them if they left their shampoo in the gym (?), calling you when you are busy with work to rush something for them and still complain they can get it ‘cheaper’ as well as closing the whole friendship with “What friend are you? Those aren’t even HARD to do!” lol
My God…some people’s children! I literally told my photog to bring her husband and treated them like any other guest. I wanted them to enjoy their time with us even though it was work. What is wrong with some people? The entitlement is mind blowing. I am genuinely so proud of that poor woman for deleting those pics. She is my hero.
There was another update where the groom apparently told the bride there was a technical issue (battery problem I think) and then the bride found out and approached the photographer. Who then agreed to see if the data could be recovered off the card by professionals at the cost of the bride and groom.
ok don’t agree with the last sentiment of don’t do it…build yourself and experience but know to research, look for the idea wed shoot list and keep informing them you doing your best and this is new for you…I did awesome my 1st, and I wasn’t happy cause I want more equipment and help/video BUT I did what was asked of me, had a shoot list i followed and remained vocal the whole time with others in the way (this is my shoot not guests lol) and stuck to that traditional shoot list. caught exactly what they wanted and I sold myself short from inexperience but as a gift to them as well. They loved what they got, for my experience and helped me learn what I needed for this small wedding photog, and even my comfort areas…I had light kid duty but I’m good with them and wrangled the older ones to help me shoot lmao. Make it work for you, keep your cool and know what you are willing to do and make that clear…very clear. When you agreed after the guest rsvp I would have said then while excepting to do it for 200$ add in as well as food and water, will need a break with that time. Common sense, and thinking thru our excitement and will to help.
I felt bad for you when you were talking about the band taking your seats and disrespecting your things. It might be a bit extra, but useful, to maybe have some kinda clearly visible “Reserved” signs that you can carry with you to certain shoots. Something that you can stick or hang onto chairs where you know you’ll be working long hours and won’t always be able to monitor your seats/belongings. Then if anyone tries to steal your seats, which they know they’ll be doing, you can confidently rip em a new one.
As a dog groomer myself I have to ensure that I’m not only charging for my time but I’m charging for my skill and this goes for any trade or skill that not everybody possesses. This person is a saint for agreeing to be a photographer as a FAVOUR and deserved so much better treatment, they were a friend to begin with..
I was a wedding photographer for over 30 years and this situation has never happened to me. I’m sure there must be something about this story that we do not know. How can you deprive someone of food, but more so of water for the whole day of shooting. I would love to hear the story from the couple that got married. There has to be something to this story we are missing.
That’s terrible. I was the photographer in my cousin’s wedding, not a professional, and a 2nd time doing it (first time was a uncle’s wedding, with no preparation, and end up making many mistakes, thank God my uncle was understanding, and still grateful after it, they were low on budget). But with my cousin I prepared myself for not making those mistakes and end up taking beautiful pictures, she and the groom were very grateful, and also I was a guest, with a table, food and also dance and have fun. Honestly as she says it is very risky, I don’t recommend it to anyone, since it doesn’t always work well. I my case it worked because I’m good with the camera and learned fast, but I can only speak for myself, looking at this story is what happened when things don’t work and goes wrong.
QUESTIONS: •You mentioned that you’ve done photo gigs in harsh conditions & were able to do so because of your experience; why wouldn’t a newer photographer do a paid gig WITH CLEAR EXPECTATIONS & FULL DISCLOSURE of their photography level? •As an Army Veteran, I struggled to find a niche after serving for 10 years & every field I’ve attempted to get into requires experience…but how does the experience occur without the opportunity? How can a photographer grow without experience & what experience is necessary for the first gig?
I agreed to photograph a friend’s wedding once, for free. I was an amateur and all the photos came out horrible! They seemed pretty unhappy, but I reminded them that not only did I work for free but I also paid for all the film and photo processing. We stayed friends, but oh…it was awkward after that. My tip to others; Don’t mix business and friendship if you can help it!
A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend and I got invited to a wedding for next year. I was kinda shocked but in a positive way that we got invited, as we are not that close with the bride and groom but I guess we are pretty friendly. They’re genuine and nice people. Anyways they don’t have a lot of money. They both have two jobs to feed their kids. But what really shook me is her reaction: when the bride to be told me and a friend that she’s going to sing for her husband I told her I will definitely cry, because I can be really emotional and empathetic. But she was like: „Hell no. You can’t cry. You have to take the photos.” That moment I was pretty shocked and only thought: „wait what? You haven’t even seen my work. I have never even shot a wedding. You don’t even know if I have what It takes and clearly you didn’t even ask, if I was comfortable with it.” I told my boyfriend what happened and he told me that they are probably gonna ask sooner or later and that they really couldn’t afford a real photographer and that it would be a nice gesture and a great wedding gift, as they’re really nice people. I don’t know it could have been a joke but I am still shocked. I take photos as a hobby for like 7 years, but that doesn’t qualify me for that kind of purpose. Well let’s see if they were for real and what happens.
I shot a friends wedding and before we even agreed on me being the photographer they clearly said to me “hey just so you know, you’re a guest. If you dont want to do the photos, you’re still invited as a guest, and if you do take the photos you still get to eat and sit and dance and stuff.” And like how… can people be as rude as the people in this story? I’m baffled
Professional designer here; I have had friends ask me on several occasions for logo design work for their businesses. I tell them that normally I charge X for logo designs and I’d be happy to work with them at that price. If they ask for a different price, I simply reply that I’m not able to discount my rate b/c of everything that is involved in the process and that I need to make sure I’m spending my time on projects that pay the bills. Usually that’s the end of the conversation. One time I told a friend if they wanted me to do it, I would do it for free, but after our initial conversation and discussion they would get no revisions and could use it or not use it. I told them that if I was going to do it for free, at least I would have complete creative control and be able to use it in my portfolio as a piece I was proud of. They didn’t agree and that was that heh.
Lol, this brings up my experience of my wedding photography. I paid 3,000 in 2004, I was on a budget too. I like to think I was a laid back bride & was nice to photographer & he was was rude, my Limo driver had to tell him not to speak to me like that, & when everything was done & I got my pictures, it was only pictures in the church getting married in the beginning of the day. There wasn’t any photos of my husband family Etc.etc, I pressed to ask why & found out that photographer had a fight with the owner because he wanted to do the photos in a new way (if I was told this, I would of told him go for it) & he told her he quite & my wedding was the last thing he would do. Here is the kicker, the owner gave me a blanket with picture of just me on it, for my troubles. Yes, since he agreed to do my wedding & the reason he was mad had nothing to do with me, he should of taken the pictures & not be rude to me on my wedding day but I put most of the blame on the owner for not handling it right. We did get a good laugh at the blanket, my husband was like, not only my family where not in the pictures, I am not included on the blanket. Lol, can you imagine me displaying a throw cover on the couch with just my picture on it, it just makes me laugh. ✌👍just discovered your website.
Hello Jessica! I have been perusal your articles for quite a while and they are very fun and educating! There is a question that I would like to ask you. A lot of times, I am asked to photograph people at small events, such as b-day parties. My huge problem is that people at these kind of parties do not inspire me, none of them wants to be taken a photograph, they look at me frightened and I end up having very few footage. I am not the type of photographer who goes up to people and say “Heyy, can I take a photo of you?” I HATE it and it feels very fake, on the contrary I prefer more impov and spontaneous photos, but people at these kind of events are always sitting, talking and it feels so boring and I am afraid the client won’t be satisfied. (ofc, I am not talking about weddings and big, dance parties, but more of those kinds of events, even the host doesn’t know if they really need a pro photographer, uugghhh) Thank you!!!!!!
My brother and his wife had a wedding just last week. The bride had two friends from her university do the pictures because they were invited but they were also photography students. For both the rehearsal dinner and the main event, they were given seats and more than one person came by to make sure they had plenty of food to eat and plenty of liquids. The bride especially made sure that they got a chance to sit for a bit on two different occasions the day-of. I cannot imagine treating your spouse’s friend like utter dogshit on your wedding day, when they are supposed to be YOUR FRIEND, doing you a FAVOR, and were even ON THE GUEST LIST… I sure as HELL wouldn’t be friends with them after going through something like that.
My friend was our articlegrapher and he had an extra person as a helper. Both people were given spots to sit and eat if they wanted. They were invited to celebrate or take a break if they needed to. We also extended that same respect to our photographer even though she was not a friend. How rude to act like this. I would not be friends with that bride and groom.
My co-worker (we are both store managers) is looking for a wedding photographer. I happen to be a photographer, but I do fashion and commercial work. I would love to try wedding photography, but my gut tells me that he should NOT be my first wedding client 👀 It seems too risky and this article just confirmed it 😂😮
I am 100% on the side of the wedding photographer. I once attended a wedding of my husband’s friend. My husband was asked to be the photographer because he is a keen amateur photographer. We had a table and were able to enjoy the food like a y other guest. My husband took photo’s before, during and after the wedding. The bride and groom were delighted with the photographs and we were treated like the other guests.
Lol its like they were thinking, “this photographer is getting payed 250 thats already plenty money we are spending, this photographer that happens to be our friends should not also be getting food are you mad, 250 is a lot of money” While knowing full well that proper wedding photography costs thousands. SHAME ON THEM GIVE PEOPLE FOOD
This might be a controversial opinion, but if you are on a budget, maybe consider having just one part of your wedding shot by a professional photographer. I understand that some people spend quite a bit of money on a whole-day event and they might want every moment to be documented, but I’d much rather have some AMAZING pictures of the key moments of the wedding + some candids of the before and after with friends, then risk picking a photographer that I’m not 100% happy with. I do understand that this might not be an option in every country and/or for every type of wedding. But it worked really well for me and it really taught me that you don’t have to follow everyone else’s checklist when it comes to your wedding. My husband and I had a very intimate ceremony (on a weekday) in our city with just a handful of guests – My brother had gotten married the year before and I felt very overwhelmed at the idea of having a big wedding. We both felt it wasn’t what we ultimately wanted and I’m so happy we went with a smaller affair, even though we initially faced quite a bit of backlash from certain members of our respective families. I contacted a photographer I had worked with in the past and whose work I truly loved. We had an open and honest conversation on what we were looking for from this experience and he happily agreed to spend two (consecutive) hours with us on the day of the wedding. This covered meeting up with our guests, having a short ceremony + a quick photoshoot right after.
This situation is ridiculous. I am actually currently planning my wedding. In speaking with my photographer and the woman who will be doing my entire bridal party’s hair and makeup, we are going to be paying them the rate THEY set because they set it for a reason. I am paying for their experience and time. Also, you should provide food and breaks for anyone who provides a service on the day of your wedding. Both of those women, and our DJ will have a table and meal at my wedding. We need to value the work people put into such a special day for us. We can’t expect them to work for nothing and be treated poorly.
I would have deleted them too. $250 is nothing when it comes to weddung photos. Plus her plate/spot in a table during the reception is not much either. A photographer doesn’t just take pictures. They have to edit and arrange the pictures, which takes lots of time. Also what if the couple had wanted physical pictures too? That is printing and developing. All that adds up.
My little sister is an amateur photographer. We have an agreement that she will take one photo for special moments (not attached to the event if possible, i.e. an engagement photo sometime after the proposal). She’s family, and she shouldn’t have to miss out on important moments because she’s worrying about pictures. She will never be the photographer for family events.
people who write that this had been a “major overreaction” should consider that the photographer was very tired, hungry and dehydrated in that moment… maybe shortly before a heatstroke or something like that. Surely not the best condition for making the best decisions and most appropriate and well-thought decisions.
A family member asked me to photograph their wedding and I reluctantly agreed. I came with a second shooter and we shot all day long. We never really got a chance to take a break and eat. Like my family member didn’t acknowledge that we needed a break. They wanted so many family photos that it probably took a couple hours to get them all in. I wanted to get some couples shots of just them and they wouldn’t listen. I asked a few times and managed to snap about five photos just before the sun went down. When we finally got a chance to eat, my sister grabbed me and my second shooter two plates of food and had people attending the wedding give her attitude. We shoved food in our face and continued shooting photos until about 10pm. It was probably a 13 hour day. We barely got paid anything…I think maybe $300. To add insult to injury, my family member ended up hiring a different photography a few months later and did an entire photo shoot of just him and his wife. So, they probably gladly spent more money on that than they did for their hundreds of wedding photos. To be honest, I don’t really talk to said family member much when I see him because…I just felt so ignored and disrespected. All this to say, be careful who you do these kinds of things for.