Can you take photos? Want to come to Fiji?

[er1n99]

My dive buddy and I are getting married (not underwater) this April (2010) in Fiji. What we are looking for a photographer.

We are looking for someone who can:

• travel to Fiji from April 22 through May 1
• take photos of our very informal wedding--this includes not only the wedding, but also those cheesy wedding shots that every family does...family photos, etc.
• take photos of some of the other events that we do. We'd like you to accompany us on a dive and photograph not only us diving, but hopefully you are a good U/W photog and will get some great u/w shots of the corals, etc. Go on a hike with our moms to the waterfall and document their experience. We really want you to photo-journal the week (does that make sense)?

What we're willing to pay: This trip costs $2000 r/t including air, taxes, food, etc. Diving is extra (think $100/day for two tank dives). We don't know what is the going rate on something like this in the sense of compensation...so let us know what you'd like. We are not willing to pay the entire cost of your trip. If you want to bring a friend, spouse, dive buddy, etc. You are more than welcome to.

If you are interested, or you want more information, send me a PM or ask in this post. Ideally we'd like you to have some photography experience. It doesn't have to be "wedding" photography, per se. But we will ask to see a portfolio of some of the photos that you've taken (hopefully underwater and on land).

 

[Doc]

...We really want you to photo-journal the week....We are not willing to pay the entire cost of your trip..... (does that make sense)?

No, not those two thoughts when paired together. I don't know what a pro-quality wedding shooter gets for a day of work, but a week plus travel time, man that would be a bunch... more than $2k.

Interesting proposal for an amateur, though.

 

[fppf]

You know that just a standard wedding package is between 1k-2k bucks.
You don't even want to cover the full cost of the trip?

Just FYI, just the cost of the camera gear to do that type of shoot is going to be near 10K. That does not include any dive gear that needs to be used.

We would do it, but not if the trip is not even covered and you want a weeks worth of shooting.

 

[er1n99]

We're not looking for something/someone that is full time involved. We're looking for someone who is looking for a vacation/likes to travel & do photography and wouldn't mind spending some time each day documenting some of the group activities that are going on with the 10-15 people that are coming to our wedding.

We're really looking for an amateur photographer who likes to dive. We know that we could hire a professional to do this and it could/would cost us much more than the cost of the trip.

Maybe I should have posed it differently. Does anyone have experience in trying to get something like this done or have done it, if so, can you tell me about your experiences? Does anyone want to volunteer to do this?

They say that in this economy bartering works. I'm sure that it's different when we are talking about extravagant things like destination weddings and scuba diving, but it's always worth a shot and you can't blame me for trying. So if someone is good with a camera and really wants to go to Fiji but can't afford it, here's a way for us to help them and they can help us.

 

[fppf]

Not blaming you for anything.
Just remember the golden rule of getting what you pay for. There are many levels of amateur. Just make sure you don't get someone that shows up with a little point and shoot for your wedding.

 

[drbill]

If you were getting married underwater, I would have been interested. I've filmed a few underwater weddings (as well as my son's topside one).

 

[bbianchi]

For my wedding on dry land our photographer (was the best in town at the time) charged us just under $9,000. That did include engagement photos as well as a second photographer for the day of the event.

Plus the note about the cost of the gear alone is very much true, not to mention the hassle of bringing that much gear that far. Plus IIRC when I looked into Fiji there's also theft concerns at the resorts. So really a lot of liabilities.

In the end im sure you can find someone, however it may end up being more than you anticipated, but remember your asking for a very unique photographer here... Photojournalism style aside.

Perhaps prioritize the memories you want to capture (as well as how) and then publish that so others know what you expect.

 

[mikerault]

I have the dive gear and the photo gear (no lights but I assume most of this would be outside) I also have the underwater photo gear and the lenses to do the rest. You would have to cover me and my wife's flights and basic expenses as well as the cost of getting the dive and camera gear there. I've shot my nieces weddings and could probably swing video as well. You can look at some of my work at my website.