Wedding
rates and notes
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My day rate
with expenses covers one day on job, a full set of first prints of the
candids and formals in a preview album, and the negatives. My
shooting fee is due the day of the wedding. Expenses, which include the
cost of film, processing, albums, and incidental expenses, are due upon
delivery of the preview album(s). My day rate for a wedding in the year
2011 is as follows.
A wedding of 125 +
people, is $1300 for the day, plus expenses ( processing, and
albums, essentially), the latter usually adding up to about $300-355:
About $1600-1700 for the whole event. A wedding of this size usually
produces about 350-450 pictures, in two albums, plus digital CDs
Weddings
of 60-125 people are rated at $1100 for the day plus expenses.
Weddings of
below 60 attendees are $900 for the day plus expenses.
Ceremony only
is $500 plus expenses.
Reception only
is $500 plus expenses.
Payment:
A refundable deposit of $400 is needed to firmly book a date.
Please
note that I do not normally supply a formal finished wedding album with
the pictures in it.
I also do not keep the digital files or negatives , preferring to
deliver them to the bride and groom with the "preview" prints.
I do archive your photos.
I can create a finished album if desired, but the
attendant costs add to the total cost.
I can and will produce a "finished" 15-20 page album if the client
desires, but my minimum total fee for that will be $1800.
The final cost of the album will be
determined by what type of album the couple wants.
The advent of the digital age has resulted in a huge variety of output
options, from traditional albums with inserted photos, to four-color
printed books, done via online printing houses. The options, layouts,
and styles are endless.
Most of the couples I do weddings for either have an album, or know that
they are getting one for a present, and want to put it together for
themselves. They consider their album an extension of themselves and
their wedding, and prefer to produce it in their own fashion.
That's why I don't insist that you get a finished album from me right
off the bat.
This does require some hand work by the couple, but I have found through
the years that people really enjoy putting their album together. Having
the negatives on hand also saves them quite a bit of money in reprint
costs further down the line!
I shoot most of a
wedding in 35mm, most likely digital, perhaps film, because this works
well for the fast moving candid end of things. Formals are usually done
in medium format (2 1/4 x 2 1/4, 120, 6x6 -- are all the same format)
which enlarges very nicely. This is the format you want for those "over
the fireplace" pictures.
What you DO get for a
finished product is a nice large selection of 4x6 print "proofs" in a
preview album, ( from the digital / 35mm --though they are finished
prints in their own right) and another album with 5x5 prints
(formals) in it.
I am a photojournalist
by training, and my idea of photography for a wedding is to try to be
the proverbial "fly on the wall." I try to be there when something is
going on, not stopping and posing the action, but just letting it
flow. I am known for my candid work, and clients frequently comment that
I am very good at capturing details and moments.
There are some
pictures, such as the formals, that require posing. This will be done as
fast as time and circumstance will allow. A basic set takes about half
an hour.
Formals can be done before the wedding, but this requires that everybody be dressed and ready to go a minimum of two hours before the wedding. Remember that travel time is a factor, as is shooting time, travel to the church, repairing of any details, and relaxation time for the bride prior to the service. It adds up!
I recommend a minimum set of formals consisting of :
The Bride and Groom
The Wedding Party
The Parents, with Bride and Groom (together, and each set of parents
separately).Divorced
parents being a common occurrence these days, it behooves the bride and
groom to sit their respective parents down in advance and explain the
situation, asking for their forbearance on this special day, allowing
for the sensitivity of the situation.
I can pose them anyway the couple would like, but if the parents
situation is still tense, will usually recommend that a set of
parents "bookend" the bride and groom for one picture. I then will have
one parent, then the other, step out for their individual
pictures with the bride and groom. This works quite well.
Having gotten this far
in the process, if time allows, family photos are a good thing to do. If
all the grandparents, siblings, spouses, and kids are there, they can
step right in. Weddings make for great family photos, and are a good
historical record.
When it's all said and
done, if everybody that is to be photographed is there and ready to go,
the whole session can be done in 30-45 minutes. Off to the reception!
Notes:
I supply a copyright release with the negatives, so reprints should
be easy.
Black and white is getting popular these days, and is always
available. There are even a couple of different ways to handle
that!
I am always available to help with your reprints or album
assembly, by phone or in person if in the Portland area.
For more information :
Brian Peterson
160 Saco St.
Westbrook, Maine 04092
207-856-2606