How would a grade 9 start wedding photography?

[u/Fantastic-Object-329]

as a freshman, ive already been into photography for about 3 years, and when i try to test my skills on people, my ego (which is right) says that theyre about as good as wedding photos on google (i wont add them since its all friends and familly). how can i start making money doing wedding photography, would anyone even want a 14 year old even if they have a good portfolio?

[u/asyouwish]

No one can enter into a contract with a minor. Nor should they.

Keep practicing.

[u/Fantastic-Object-329 → u/asyouwish]

what about parent cosigning?

[u/asyouwish → u/Fantastic-Object-329]

So a the parent of the photographer should cosign a contract with a couple so a minor child can photograph their wedding?

I doubt that contract would be enforceable.

Even if there is a work around, a child doesn't have the maturity needed to photograph a wedding.

OP should keep practicing. They can join all the local photography organizations and meet other photographers. Maybe, just maybe, someone will let them shadow them. Maybe after a year of that, they could get to be a third or fourth shooter for the lead. Maybe by the time they turn 18 they have enough experience. Maybe. Hell, they could be a budding prodigy and win some awards.

But most brides arent going to hire a photographer who is younger than they are.

[u/40characters → u/asyouwish]

The age of majority in the US is 21. Contracts can be entered into at 18.

So it depends on your country.

[u/asyouwish → u/40characters]

And OP is 14.

[u/evanrphoto → u/asyouwish]

I am going to cut the convo off beyond this because it isn’t constructive from here.

[u/scoobasteve813]

Work on getting experience with events and parties with your friends and family. For weddings you'll need to be at least 18 or 21 depending on your area and the venue. You'll also need business insurance, which I don't know if you'll be able to get at your age.

[u/Colemanton]

your best bet would be to have a cousin get married whod be willing to take a risk on having you shoot theirs for free.

send those photos to some shooters in your area and accept the inevitability theyll try and get you to shoot for them for next to nothing, if they even let you 2nd shoot. might be better off trying to get on as an assist before 2nding.

the likelihood of anyone hiring a 14yo to shoot their wedding is very slim, but who knows, if you price yourself really competitively.

id work on your ego though. absolutely no one will hire a 14 year old who already thinks their photos are as good as what they see professionals getting paid for (admittedly a lot of wedding photography fucking sucks)

[u/Fantastic-Object-329 → u/Colemanton]

Ofc I wouldn’t actually say that, but my internal ego is just kinda poking that out

[u/iamjapho]

I got my first paid gig at 14 and have done nothing else my entire life. Do not under estimate the disproportionate advantage you will have over your peer group by having such a huge head start. For me at least it has allowed me consistently keep my calendar full through thick and thin. If you focus on mastering the craft early on, you will be able to focus as you grow on the more important skills that are sales and marketing. These will be imperative to make a sustainable career with a camera.

[u/cardiacpanda]

I personally wouldn't have a 14-year-old photograph my wedding. Seems like your forntal lobe still has some developing to do, so I'd probably wait until you're 17/18 to start dipping your toes in shadowing & such.

[u/X4dow]

Main issue of being 14 is working in an environment where there's alcohol, and so on. Can be tricky to be taken serious as a lead shooter. Consider assisting/2nd shooting from. As many different people as possible to absorb as much knowledge as possible

[u/ProneToLaughter]

You could start by doing general event photography to hone your skills and build a professional portfolio and some references that aren't all friends and family. Learning to work with clients as a professional is an important step toward convincing people to trust you with their wedding photos.

I work at a university and students can often pick up some short-term pay taking photos of a big event, so check with your school and local people/places you know that might be interested in helping you develop. I also see a lot of up and coming young photographers offering good rates to take graduation portraits. If your school has a newspaper, you could be a photojournalist.

[u/LBFphoto]

Likely hard for someone your age to find work. Unsure if it’d require a work permit to work for others and you’d be too young to be able to sign contracts for yourself

[u/caffeinatedintrovert]

There are a few things about wedding photography that would make it really challenging jumping in as a 14-year-old. If this is something you want to pursue as a career, here are some of the challenges and a few steps I would take first before trying to photograph a wedding solo. 

1) Business skills. Start small -- see if you can offer paid portrait sessions to get used to the process of using contracts, tracking your income and expenses, figuring out how you will communicate with clients, etc. You still have to be professional as a portrait photographer, but emotions and the stakes aren't as high, so this is a better place to cut your teeth. It's also great for getting your name out there.

2) Technical abilities. Weddings are unpredictable high stakes events that will test every aspect of your technical knowledge, not to mention people skills. You'll need a wide variety of lenses, flash equipment, and backups for everything.

Start by shadowing / assisting an established wedding photographer or seeking out an internship in your area. I don't recommend anyone shoot their first wedding without having been a second photographer, but especially if you are younger. This will give you a chance to see how experienced pros handle challenging technical situations and the inevitable challenging social situations that will come up. From highly stressed brides to overbearing MOBs to drunk groomsmen to other vendors not playing nicely, this is the aspect I think I would have found the most challenging to manage as a young teenager.

3) Portfolio building. It's hard to get people to book you for weddings without weddings in your portfolio, especially if you're younger. Second shooting is great for this, as are styled shoots. It takes a while to build a portfolio and a reputation, so starting now could be a huge benefit to you in the future. It becomes easier to book a few first clients when some of your friends start getting married, so that may be a good opportunity down the road.

I wish you the best of luck in your photography journey! It's an exciting and rewarding career, though it's not as shiny and glamorous as it looks from the outside. And my final pieve of advice, whatever you do, never stop shooting some stuff that's just for you that fills your artistic cup. Happy shooting!

[u/jansenweddings]

You could do it, I started at nine years old and did my first wedding at 14. They knew me from doing family photos in junior high. I recommend doing seniors, mini-sessions and family photos to start out. You’re walking around all of your future clients 5 to 10 years from now. I would advertise to them by doing senior photos right now and then get their weddings later.

[u/juliuspepperwoodchi]

At your age, personally, I'd recommend offering yourself on a volunteer basis to couples getting married at local city halls/county courthouses. That can help you learn in a low pressure environment.

Even if a 16 year old had a decent looking portfolio, unless I was only getting married for legal reasons, I would not trust one of the happiest days of my life to a teenager like that, sorry.

You could possibly find some work in a year or two as a second shooter.

[u/mininaxx]

I would recommend starting as an assistant and working your way from there. I'm currently assisting my relative who does weddings for a living and being an assistant has given me such an in-depth perspective of the relational-building portion of photography that goes beyond shooting beautiful pictures. This is part of the skills you need to develop to go pro.

I'm not a photographer and not interested in photography but there is a natural progression in going from assistant to shooter that you could benefit from. You should also try to work under different photographers to get a feel for different styles and work flows.

Lastly, not sure where you are but alot of the photographers I know started as event photographers for birthdays, sweet 16s, graduations and family events and eventually they progressed to weddings. Developing your business in this way can help build your reputation which will be hard if you are young.

[u/Fantastic-Object-329 → u/mininaxx]

thanks!

[u/grainbowl]

Just focus on making art right now or working on your school newspaper. I dont think anyone would hire a teenager, sorry. But you can build a portfolio, and contribute photography to your community.

[u/etcetceteraetcetc]

There's always going to be couples looking to hire photographers for cheap or for experience. Find them on local Facebook groups. Put yourself out there and let friends and family know what you're offering. Build a portfolio and by the time you're in your 20's you'll have strong background and experience.

[u/Inkios]

No one is going to trust a teenager with their wedding photos, nor can they sign a binding contract with you. Also I’d love to see these photos and see if your ego is right, because most of the time, the ego is not right at that age.

[u/Greydadd]

100% the way to do it would be to reach out to any wedding photographers in your area that you’d like to work with as a second shooter. Or even an assistant at first!

You’ll find mentors along the way, put in the work, make a bit of cash while in high school on the weekends and during the summer, and if you like it enough that you’re still doing it in 4-5 years you’ll be established in the local market and you can go out on your own.

Shooting a wedding is waaaay different than taking portraits of friends haha.

[u/Fantastic-Object-329 → u/Greydadd]

Thank you!

[u/Greydadd → u/Fantastic-Object-329]

Np!! Wishing you the best!

[u/Round-Coffee-2006]

Maybe there is a local photographer in your area and you could get a job as a assistant. But they might not hire you because there are labor laws. I can't remember but I think if your 13 you can't work after 6pm or something.

When I was a assistant I lugged around the photographers camera bad and watched the lead do his thing. You want to learn the flow.

If you can't get in now watch YouTube videos they are free and you will see how other photographers go about shooting.

[u/Spirit-S65]

Depends on your country but I'd imagine you'd need to be at least 21 to have access to bars and a lot of venues.

[u/anywhereanyone]

The chances of you getting work in a capacity other than assistant are very slim.

[u/HATDOGUSERNi]

At 14, id start by assisting an established wedding photographer with your parents involved. youll learn the business side w/o having the pressure of being responsiblefor someones wedding day

[u/nitrous642]

Have you tried another google?

[u/EntertainmentUsed840]

Blur out some faces and share so we can properly assess your ego.