Re: [Leica] wedding candids

[Ted <tedgrant@home.com>]

When I did weddings in my earlier days I hated every minute of it because it was
always contrived, the same from wedding to wedding and nobody really wanted
anything different.  "I want the same kind of pictures my friend Barb had and
I've brought her wedding album so you can see exactly what I want." They don't
pay enough money for this kind of stuff!

So in later years when asked to shoot a wedding I thought , "well, why not?" Some
of these wedding guys are making a bundle shooting this crap, so what the hell
charge a bundle (at that time) a $1000 cash up front and give them all the film
at the end of the reception and never look at it again. Cool idea. Because if you
do something as distasteful as shooting a wedding you might as well make good
money.  :-)

So I tried one, told the bride and groom this is the way it works:

I don't do any set up stuff,  it's all candid's,  if you get a group organized
I'll shoot that, but best man or whomever sets it up, keeps everyone to hell out
of my way .  At the end of the day I'll give all the rolls to the best man,
providing he's sober! I'll give him a list of pro 1 hour shops and he can get
4X6's of every frame while you're on the honeymoon.

When you're back,  the prints will be ready, you select what you want enlarged,
take the negs and proof prints to a pro lab,  get your albums printed. Simple!
And I don't ever want to see you again.

So the first couple said "Great ted, we really wanted you for our photographer."
I figured if I charged a grand nobody would take me up on just shooting and
handing them the film. Well dang, if one good one doesn't beget another and
another and it seemed like there were more people with a grand to throw away on
wedding photographs than I figured.   Damn! :-)

Not charging enough, double it to $2000 cash up front, hand them film, walk away
smiling or so I thought.  Damn! I'm doing to good a job on this wedding stuff,
still people crazy enough to pay $2000 . I mean if I have to suffer through this
stuff I really gotta be getting bigger bucks.

Step 3:  Double it, $4000.00,  I shoot, you get film, I never see you again! By
now I figured I'd never have a taker, wouldn't you believe it,  the first couple
after I went to $4000.00 said , "Oh great Ted, we really want you to shoot our
wedding!"  I damn near had a heart attack!

Can you imagine popping $4000.00 for wedding pictures that maybe in 6 months
you'll be burning them? ;-)

And recently,  B.D. and I were discussing this topic, when he told me of a
photographer in New York who does a wedding and before prints he charges $17,000.
00 !!!!!  Now maybe, just maybe for that kind of money I could be persuaded to
suffer through a wedding one more time. However, I'd still just give them the
film and get the day's event out of my face!

Nope I don't do weddings any more. And I figure God bless the guys and gals who
do, as they've more patience than I dealing with mother's in law and twitchy
nervous brides! ;-)

Oh yeah, did I have any other $4000 takers?  Only one guy asked and my good
fortune?  I went on a more interesting magazine assignment. :-)

ted