I've got a question for the masses

~Roo'sMama~ wrote: Ok give me your honest opinions on this!
My husband is trying to start up a photography business, and he's going to be taking the pictures at our friend's wedding this July.
He's going to be using a digital camera, and he's bringing our laptop so he can empty cards onto it to make room for more pictures, so probably by the end of the ceremony all or most of the pics will already be downloaded onto the laptop.
He knows another photographer through a digital photography forum who, when he does weddings, always sets up a little booth during the reception where guests can come and see the pictures, and if they want to buy one he prints it right there and sells it to them for $20.
Ok my question is this: if it were your wedding, how would you feel about the guests being able to purchase your formal portraits and shots of the ceremony... i.e. the processional or first kiss or lighting of the unity candle? Keep in mind that there are usually guests at weddings that the bride and groom hardly know and were invited because they're distant relatives or old friends of your parents.

Kaitlin'smom replied: IMO I would need to see and approve what could be sold first. So for me no I would not want that added to my to do list at the reception.

DVFlyer replied: I've been trying to get my wife to add this to her wedding photog business for a long time. I don't see a problem with it, but, of course, I'm biased.

Keep in mind, the photos are property of the photographer. Yes, they have the bride and groom etc in the picture, but the photographer is free to do with them what he wants. Now, the B&G might want to work out a deal that whatever he sells at the wedding comes off of their price. In essence, he is using THEIR location to sell his photos, so that might be a good compromise.

Just food for thought.

Josie83 replied: Hmm . . . I'm withDi on this one. i would want mind approved as well, you don't want any tom dick and harry running off with a picture of you with some uneaten wedding cake in your mouth or something! Could he not give out cards with his address or email where people could obtain copies of the pictures? What do your friends think of it all?Oh, and good luck to your husband! That sounds like an exciting venture! xx

MommyToAshley replied: I am with Di on this one, I would want approval. I think it is a personal choice...Why not leave it up to the bride and groom. If they approve, then do it. It might cut down on the cost of them buying photos for the parents. But, if they don't want the service, then don't do it. I would just offer it as an option. If it is not optional, he might lose referrals from those that don't want this service.

Kaitlin'smom replied:
good idea

CCTandME replied: I also think it should be approved by the bride and groom. Do they get a cut of what he is charging? If so, then he could offer that as an option to them.

AshleyRose replied: i would want to approve of the photos as well but wouldn't mind it if the photos were approved only because of the other guests that aren't well known having access to them.. if there was only close friends and family at the wedding then I wouldn't really care most likely..

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
Yeah that is a good idea I'll ask him about that. One of the things he thought he might do was put the address for his website in the program and a note saying if you want to buy a picture order it there. I think I would be a little nervous about people being able to buy my pictures when I haven't even had a chance to look at them yet, and doing it this way the bride and groom could choose a few that they were ok with other people having. For most brides I think that the wedding pictures are a really special thing and anyone being able to buy them would take some of the fun out of buying them yourself and making the photo album and all that... but having some control in the matter and being able to take part in choosing pictures for your family and friends to buy online would make it ok for me I think.

Celestrina replied: I don't think that I would want my guests seeing, much less buying, any photos before I did.

coasterqueen replied: My friend just did this at her wedding. She did it because it kept the costs for her down. The more others bought the less she had to pay for her pics. I thought it was kinda neat to be able to buy the photos there and it was less stress for my friend (the bride) so she wasn't having to think "oh someone might want a copy of this" and having to get them to them later, etc, etc. KWIM?

It was a strange idea though, but growing. I've seen it done at many weddings. Although I don't think I paid $20 for the photos I bought. I think they were $5 a piece. What they did was put one copy of all photos out there. If someone wanted more of the same one you just put your order in and they either mailed it to you, you could pick it up, OR they would hand deliver the photo to whereever you wanted it to go. That was nice.

I, myself, probably would want to see what was being sold first though. But I know my friend didn't get to see them first.

jolene555 replied: I know that at my sister's wedding she made a deal with her photographer. After he was done with the wedding/wedding party pictures, all the cutting the cake, and all that, he was open to ANYONE to take group photos. He probubly made a small killing that night, because all of our family's small families jumped at the chance to have a family portrait taken while they were already dressed up. There was a designated picture spot and everyone signed up, and he'd find you when it was your turn. This was back in 1993, so the digital thing wasn't an option, really, but I thought I'd mention it as an idea.

I think maybe I would choose a specific picture to make available for my guests to purchase. Maybe I'd look through them first, and just choose one or two that they could get from the wedding, but probubly any from the reception would be okay. I dunno, dinner's ready and I'm getting all distracted, lol. Sorry.

loveydad replied: I think it's a good idea. But i too would want to approve it.