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Just a suggestion...

LnL60810LnL60810
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in Wedding Photography and Videography Forum
Idk about any of you guys but I am far from rich. LoL! I was trying to figure out how I could get a decent photographer for my engagement/wedding photos. Then I thought about my sister she is 17 starting her junior year next year and it was like I was slapped in the face with a dead fish!! There is an advanced photography class at her high school and they take some AWESOME photos. So I came up with the solution to my problem here it is I asked the teacher to choose his 3 favorite students and we would set up times for the pics to be shot at separate times. Then from there we would choose our favorite and that person would do our wedding. You don't have to give them much money but some even if its just 20 would make them want to do a better job.
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Re: Just a suggestion...

  • ohwhynot85ohwhynot85 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited November 2012
    You're seriously considering giving these kids only $20 for what will be more than 1 hour worth of work. Way to disrespect them. And if you want GREAT photos, cut back on something that you don't need to spend $$$ on. To me, my pictures are the most important thing besides marrying my best friend. So I will spend $$$ on an amazing photographer for something less else where.
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  • tonyadombrowskitonyadombrowski
    First Comment
    I agree with above, if you want good pics cut down somewhere else, Im also having a videographer cuz I dont want to miss anything. Try cutting back on flowers or centerpieces. I want to remember my day forever and have amazing pics to look at always. But if you go with these highschool kids, give more than $20...just think of how some photgraphers charge 1500 and up...give them at lest a couple hundred, that would still be cheaper
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  • missfrodomissfrodo member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    LnL, I must agree with ohwhynot. We're paying a former photography student $500 for their services. They'll be working with us repeatedly to discuss photos we want and our style, etc, plus they'll be spending the majority of the day of our wedding hard at work. They won't be making money at their usual job that day, and aside from us feeding them (which you should do for all your vendors, really), they won't have much downtime. Let them know you value their time and hard work! If I were to pay a HS photography student, I might start by offering them $200. Yes, they're cheaper than a person who does this for a living, and yes, they'll be gaining valuable experience. But they're still giving you a very important service. If they do an extra awesome job, I would even consider tipping on top of that. 
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  • kmmssgkmmssg mod
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited November 2012
    You are offering a student FAR LESS than they would make flipping burgers at McDonalds for the same amount of time.  FAR LESS.

    I really encourage you to rethink this on all counts.  If you want quality photos, you need to pay for a quality photographer.  There is a difference between a photography student and someone who has experience in shooting weddings.  The experienced one knows the little moments to watch for, knows the wedding flow - high school students don't.

    At the very least you should be offering the kid well in excess of 200.00.  Have you REALLY considered how much time you are asking?  Are you expecting them to edit, photoshop, or just hand you a disk so you can DIY that?

    I'm sorry, but this isn't a good idea and I don't encourage any other brides to do this.  You get what you pay for and many consider photos to be a top priority.
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  • atomicphotoatomicphoto member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    This is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard in my life. 
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  • MoonlightSilverMoonlightSilver member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    You take a risk hiring a student, who's never worked a wedding before and doesn't necessarily know how to take good wedding pictures. If you're willing to take that risk, go ahead. I wasn't. 

    But offering them only $20 is ridiculous. And rude.
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  • boxjellyboxjelly member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    High School Students don't understand fully what it means to take a proper image. They can barely understand the concepts of ISO, Aperature or Shutter Speed. So you may get a roll of over exposed images, maybe they set the ISO so high all the images have grain, which cannot be removed.
    They will not have the dedication needed to focus on a job for several hours. You'll end up with Cliche shots. Trust me if you want a student talk to the local university or craigslist.
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  • at_last08at_last08 member
    First Anniversary First Comment

    Being able to take a proper image in a studio/class and doing it consistently during an event are two different things. These students may have a portfolio with some nice pics. I’ve  taken photography classes and I can tell you from experience that if you take 50 pics you will probably end up with one nice shot maybe even a fantastic shot. You are going to want more than a couple of good shots for your wedding. Plus there will be certain moments that these students will only have once chance and a couple of seconds to capture and they do not have the experience to prepare them for that.

     

    What I recommend is hiring (at a decent wage) a student or two to take picture as you and your WP get ready. Then hiring a professional (even if it is a college student who has done a couple of weddings) to cover the ceremony and reception. This should cost less than using a professional photographer all day. You can also consider using the students for engagement pictures. I would not have them cover the ceremony and reception. Also, have you considered asking their photography teacher? Has she/he worked as a professional photographer?

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