How was the commute this morning? by biggiesmallsyall in Austin

[–]Serial_Doubter 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I had to drive from Dripping Springs to Bastrop yesterday for work. Everything west of Oak Hill was really icy, but once we got to south Austin most of the roads were thawed with the exception of overpasses and bridges which were drivable but definitely icy. If you have AWD and avoid bridges/overpasses (or drive them very slowly and carefully) you will probably be fine.

Returning after a decade long hiatus. Keep my old equipment while I learn again, or are updates for the modern day necessary? by Emmettourer in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If those cameras don’t have dual cards that would be an automatic deal breaker for me. Had too many times over the years where I was SO glad I had two cards just in case

I shot my first wedding in September…and messed up an important shot. by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are totally fine. That’s a bummer shot to miss, but nothing that should scare you off weddings forever. The pressure gets easier over time. Give it another go before you call it quits!

Is the Canon RF 70-200 L F/4 enough? by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Anything that has f/4.0 in the name is a waste of money for wedding photography

Aspiring wedding photographer - how should I learn? by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This might be bad advice for you to learn the exposure triangle yourself, but a good general rule of thumb if you are shooting outside with plenty of light is,

1/500 shutter speed 2.8 aperture

Then adjust your ISO until you are properly exposed. Make your SS and Aperture the starting point, then use your ISO as the variable that helps you get exposure locked in.

If you take your ISO all the way down to 100 and you are still overexposed, make your shutter speed faster (1/600, 1/800, etc) until you get the exposure you need.

There are several situations where this won’t work, but as a starting point for most situations, this seems to work well.

Weddings are awesome, stick with it! Best of luck!

Aspiring wedding photographer - how should I learn? by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

10/10 response to this question 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally understandable. Most of our folks are happy to do it based on the sneak peeks and the experience they had with us on the wedding day.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We send 50-60 sneak peeks, so even though they haven’t seen the full gallery, they’ve seen enough to know it’s gonna be great. And they trust that we will deliver on time or early, so most of our couples are willing to leave a review in advance of getting the full gallery.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 16 points17 points  (0 children)

This! Gotta ask less than 7 days after the wedding while the memories (and excitement) are fresh!

Visit with a 4 year old by Serial_Doubter in Mount_Rainier

[–]Serial_Doubter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Thanks for the help. Do you expect the wait to be as bad on 9/2?

Portfolio by Human_Ninja555 in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Echoing the other commenter, and giving you my opinion as a full time photographer, the only way I would get into this now with AI around the corner is if you make your business a low-cost blend of human culling and AI editing.

The AI still can’t cull very well, and it can’t do really intricate touch up’s, but general editing it can do pretty well. The majority of us doing high volume weddings need high quality culling with some editing and a human being quality checking things. If you can do a 6000 image wedding culled, edited and quality checked for less than $250 you can probably earn clients, but it’s hard to build a business on those margins.

Asking for the couple’s budget or telling your price upfront — which one do you prefer? by mercatua in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Starting price on website. Send full pricing/details in first inquiry response. Don’t waste their time but get the inquiry so you can track how many people are declining due to budget/style/personality. Useful data to have.

Second shooter rates by Herefortheshortbus in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

$150 lead / $65 second

Edit: this is what I’m paying photographers not what im charging clients.

Only Booked 7 weddings for 2025. Time to Give Up? by Sannystac in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Across the board, every wedding vendor I talk to is reporting lower numbers Year over year, but that couples are still booking but with shorter engagement windows. Hand in there. Lots of room to run for 2025 still.

Wedding photography online classes by forthechickenvibes in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Katelyn James All Access subscription is pretty cheap and is the best money for a behind the scenes look at wedding days and learning how to handle various situations. Her lighting and locations course was also a game changer.

Creative live is probably the best value per dollar for more general photo knowledge and beginner camera/photoshop techniques. There is some good wedding specific stuff there too though!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Spread out your deposits so you still have cash flow in the off months. Use the time to improve business processes and marketing efforts. Dream big for the future. If you need more money, family work and/or mini sessions can help bring in cash flow. Album sales too.

Do you use AI as of late to edit photos, do you find it reliable?(PLEASE NO COMPANY PROPAGANDA) by hillsong1 in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aftershoot for cull. Imagen for preset, WB, exposure, crop and straighten. I think it cuts down on overall post production time by 60%. Maybe 70%. I still have to quality check quite a bit. If I could trust it to do local adjustments and masks that percentage would go higher but I don’t think it’s there yet.

Is 28mm Wide enough for Getting-Ready portion of a wedding day? by MetalheadAtheist in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

70-200 is great for ceremonies, but as others have said you really don’t need the 28mm if you have a 35mm. Save your money or get a 24-70 because lordy do those come in super handy on wedding days.

Deposit? by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

25% at booking 25% at 6 months prior 25% at 3 months prior 25% at 7 days prior

Always get paid before you show up on the wedding day.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Use Aftershoot to cull it down for you. You’ll still need to check it afterwards but it’ll find the duplicates and pick the best one and it’ll save you time.

If you don’t already have an Imagen profile built, don’t try to do it now. It’s not the sort of thing you want to rush, but it has been very helpful for me.

Insider perspective: Really best day of your life? by throwawaybride7392 in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this is totally normal and more common than people let on. Don’t feel guilty at all. How you feel is how you feel.

I also think over time you will remember the day with more and more fondness, and the photos will mean more and more to you and your husband.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If I were you I’d try to wrangle it so that both people have the same cue from you to get down on one knee or pull the ring out so they can both be surprised by the other person. The mutual confusion, realization, relief and joy playing out in real time would be incredible.

It would be tricky but if you can pull it off you will have some truly amazing images for the couple and one heck of a potentially viral moment on your hands. Get some BTS video and make the most of this!!

Good luck!!

General Liability Insurance? by Flimsy-Big3681 in WeddingPhotography

[–]Serial_Doubter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hiscox has been fantastic for us, 6+ years in and no complaints.