To think I may be able to get a uni photography student to take my wedding photos for free?

[MaryBoBary]

We are getting married at the end of the year back in our Uni city where we met. It will be just the 2 of us and our 3 year old (will potentially be calling on some mumsnet witnesses nearer the time!) and the wedding will be pre 12pm.

AIBU to think that a photography student would want the chance to take some wedding photos for an hour or two for their portfolio, and not expect to be paid? Obviously we won't be expecting world class photography, just some nice pics as we won't have any family or friends there to take them. Would it be cheeky to email the uni asking or have other people done this before?

Why not ask a random person to make your dress, cake, do your make up ,hair etc. As a professional photographer I've been asked to do weddings for free on a few occasions, sometimes by people who describe themselves as bloggers. I bring a minimum of 10k's worth of equipment, 20 yrs of experience, public and professional liability insurance to a wedding. Perhaps a student would do your wedding for a small fee but to be honest it doesn't sound like portfolio material.Pay people a decent rate for their work and remember that student may mess up completely.

I haven’t rtft but if you really are skint, you could google local photography clubs and approach them instead for volunteers?

Just ask a. Guest to take pictures or hire a professional.

In the nicest way possible, even someone willing to work for free who wanted to gain experience at weddings wouldn’t do this. You’re 2 people and a child. It’s not really standard wedding work is it?
I’d pay someone for an hour plus editing.

I used to work as a freelance musician and people used to try and pull this stuff all the time. Just pay up or get photos from friends on the day. Asking some who is training to be a professional to do it for free is insulting. Also what happens if you are unhappy with the results? I doubt you'll let it slide. I've had CFs complaining about free gigs in my time.

Reminds me of my friends who approached the harpist who busked near her office and asked if she’d like to play at her wedding (thinking a few quid and a free meal thrown in).

Err no. The harpist promptly reeled off her rates, starting at £600

Lololol

Don't be cheap, OP. Pay for the student. If my uni days were anything to go by, they probably need that cash more than a professional photographer does!

Most people have mobile phones with cameras, that are better than a camera on its own. Why don't you ask a few of your friends to take photos when they are at the wedding

I did this

Offered photography students a small fee to photograph my wedding

I actually ended up with a family friend who had done photography doing it.

She too the photos, developed them and then even put them in an album. It was beautiful

She insisted she didn’t want any payment so I bought her a bottle of wine as a thank you

We get calls like the all the time. It’s very rude.

Unless there is a student advertising this what benefit would it be to them to do it for free? Please don’t say portfolio it doesn’t work like that, they will have a specific brief. It would unlikely be wedding and if it did they would approach.
Don’t say experience as it’s not, I’m sure they have friends and family if they wanted it.
What will you do to find out phone the uni and ask them to pass the message on? The lecturer likely is a working photographer.

Oh, harpists really get it! LOL @ a harpist doing it for free. Their instrument costs tens of thousands of pounds, it has to be insured, it doesn't fit in many cars and you have to use a larger taxi, instruction costs a bomb so yep, they charge about £600.

We had a harpist at our wedding and a singer. They were both school pupils of mine and were paid the rate their mum suggested. We also had our photographer take family photos of them (granny came too!)

I would be horrified if they felt they had done it under duress. They were immense and completely stole the show

What a brilliant idea. You could get a catering student to cater all the food afterwards for no payment as well; I’m sure they’ll jump at the chance to give up their free time just to make your special day extra special.

FFS

I'm chuckling at the idea of a photography student with generic wedding pictures in their portfolio!

A friend of mine inherited her grandmother's harp. The instrument alone is £50,000. The insurance on it she business expenses. She also doesn't drive so has to travel by extra large taxi. Then there's her time and skill. She's in demand and makes a decent amount, but it's all weekends and evening work.

Op I think you should save up a little longer for your wedding because if this is your attitude towards people who provide a professional service frankly you're only going to embarrass yourself.

Otherwise get a sharing platter from Iceland and get some disposable cameras to be developed at snappy snaps. Sounds more like your budget

Otherwise get a sharing platter from Iceland and get some disposable cameras to be developed at snappy snaps. Sounds more like your budget
Actually that sounds fun!!

Pay the going rate, whether it be someone at the university or in the same city. If you were very poor and it was an event that you had no control over then perhaps your approach could be justified in very limited circumstances, but never for a wedding.

The OP acknowledged it was a bad idea last night!

You might be able to find someone daft enough.

Should you?

No. Absolutely fucking not.

Wow there's a lot of anger here! Good job I checked first hey.

Wow there's a lot of anger here!

Understandably so😁 Everyone who does something like this gets always asked about doing it "you know for experience".

Having a student family member do ours. Paying £250 but she solely wanted that for money towards a specific lense for her camera. We've offered more if she wants or needs. She will edit. And put on a stick for us to do what we wish with.

Don't do this. My husband used to do photography as a sideline (not professional but still good and knew the basics). He has a very good friend who also does it (again he doesn't consider himself professional but I think he should).
Anyway when we got married dh asked his friend if he would photograph our wedding (his friend hates doing weddings as there's so much to get right and a lot involved), but he agreed to do it, and his wife helped out as well.
He refused to take a single penny, saying it was our wedding present from him and his wife. So we got pictures of everything, from dh the morning of the wedding right through about 9pm if not later when we all but forced him to put his camera away, have a drink and enjoy being a guest at his friends wedding. He also done all editing and gave us the pictures on a usb to print off, all for absolutely nothing.
But we still offered to pay. It's the least you can do.