What would you do if...

[Kiddo]

I was at my cousins wedding a month ago, just as a guest... I had permission from them before the wedding to shoot photos and whatever ones I wanted I could place on my site....

Last night I got a phone call from the wedding photographer that did the wedding asking me to take them down.... I asked why and she said that I wasn't the official photographer for the wedding, so I should be posting those photos on my site.... She rambled on for a bit and made it sound like she was gonna hold my cousins wedding photos hostage until I took them off of my site...

Keep in mind the photos have been on my site, blog and facebook for over a month, both the bride and groom have seen them and never once asked to have them removed or anything..... And i had stated that I wasn't the officail photographer at that wedding....

So I couldn't get a hold of my cousin last night, and i did remove them from my site just for the simple fact that it she made it sound like she wasn't gonna give them the photos...

I didn't mean to step on her toes, or wasn't selling the photos to anyone or anything like that.... The family members that did ask if I would give them copies I told them no that they had to get a hold of my cousin and get prints from him... I just got some nice shots and what the show them off..... And I did try to explain this to her but I don't think she was getting it...

So what would you have done? I'm new to this whole wedding thing so did I cross some sort of line or something?

[Dennis_Hammer]

You didn't dp anything wrong. She may have been concerned her photos didn't warrant the cost compared to yours. Or a number f other reasons. But taking them down was smart till you speak to your cousin, ask him if hisd contract forbid this. And if it doesn't have him chew the photographer a new one. If I had to go to everyone who did this I wouldn't have time to shoot.

[Kiddo]

You didn't dp anything wrong. She may have been concerned her photos didn't warrant the cost compared to yours. Or a number f other reasons. But taking them down was smart till you speak to your cousin, ask him if hisd contract forbid this. And if it doesn't have him chew the photographer a new one. If I had to go to everyone who did this I wouldn't have time to shoot.

Thanks Dennis.....

[adblink]

like honestly does the photog REALLY think NO one was taking pictures at the wedding but her? Just because you are able to take good pictures and want to post them somewhere is NON of her business and I would be quite insulted if I were you.

[PhotoJourno]

I have to agree with the comments above. It's your family/friend, you were invited and never told not to take photos, and so there is no problems with what you did whatsoever.

I would contact the bridal party (if the newlyweds are still out honeymooning the parents would do) and explain the telephone call you just got. They likely signed a contract, and in that contract -had they read it before signing- it should have said nothing about the paid photog being threatened by your photos.

Most photographers are confident enough to know that their images will outdo any others, and even if other guests take some priceless images, some even better than the paid photog, the constant overall quality of the paid photographer is what makes it so. The ability to put 200 images in an album without a single one making the couple go "oh, what happened there!!".

Blackmailing you is just a cheap attempt by a scared photographer who is overanalizing and thinking "Oh no!, this guy had some good shots, I am never going to get my 17-55 2.8 paid off the credit card if the couple's family starts sharing pics and does not buy enough prints!!".

Well, too bad for the photographer. It's the risk they take. She must have seen you taking photos, she should have said something repeatedly during the event, and even mention it to the bridal party.

Don't worry about it. Just make sure to keep the husb-wife abreast of the situation.

[PhotoJourno]

PS: Big difference:

A) Being the Paid Photographer for the Wedding, vs
B) Being the Official Event Photographer, holding all imaging rights (given to them by way of contract).

[Kiddo]

I thought that it was a pretty dirty trick for her to do..... And yes I was insulted and kinda happy at the same time.... I know that sounds odd, but the first thing that went through my mind was...... " I'm not a pro wedding shooter, and she's suppose to be, did my images look better than hers?"

I'm waiting for my cousin to call me back... And once I talk to him, the photos will probably go back up on my site...

She saw me at the wedding and didn't say a word... I'm pretty hard to miss me at a small wedding with a big lens attached to my camera.... She didn't say anything to me, or anyone else that I know of actually.....

[PhotoJourno]

He he, she was probably eating herself up inside, going "Oh crap, this is my second paid event ever, and there's a real pro!!"...

[Kiddo]

He he, she was probably eating herself up inside, going "Oh crap, this is my second paid event ever, and there's a real pro!!"...

LOL!!!!

[Maxxum5]

I thought that it was a pretty dirty trick for her to do..... And yes I was insulted and kinda happy at the same time.... I know that sounds odd, but the first thing that went through my mind was...... " I'm not a pro wedding shooter, and she's suppose to be, did my images look better than hers?"

I'm waiting for my cousin to call me back... And once I talk to him, the photos will probably go back up on my site...

She saw me at the wedding and didn't say a word... I'm pretty hard to miss me at a small wedding with a big lens attached to my camera.... She didn't say anything to me, or anyone else that I know of actually.....


Hey, post the link where we can see your wedding photos if/when you put them back up.....I would love to see your work that has her so concerned.....

I don't think you did anything wrong either. I myself, just went to a wedding and the family asked me to take additional photos. The wedding photographer was cool, even helped me understand night time photography with flash a little better. Hey, I am sure he saw my gear and knew I was no "pro" by any means, so maybe he wasn't threatened. But, I wonder if I showed up with a D300 and a few "white" lenses, would it have been the same?

Bottom line is, the family gave you permission and unless there is an expressed statement in the contract about additional photographers, I wouldn't sweat it. But that was nice of you to temporarily honor her gripes until cleared up.

[Kiddo]

Hey, post the link where we can see your wedding photos if/when you put them back up.....I would love to see your work that has her so concerned.....

I don't think you did anything wrong either. I myself, just went to a wedding and the family asked me to take additional photos. The wedding photographer was cool, even helped me understand night time photography with flash a little better. Hey, I am sure he saw my gear and knew I was no "pro" by any means, so maybe he wasn't threatened. But, I wonder if I showed up with a D300 and a few "white" lenses, would it have been the same?

Bottom line is, the family gave you permission and unless there is an expressed statement in the contract about additional photographers, I wouldn't sweat it. But that was nice of you to temporarily honor her gripes until cleared up.

I'll post the link when they go back up.... but here's a few that i got...

302929

302930

Thanks everyone for the comments..... Like I said, i'm new to this wedding photography thing.... And I thought that they were really good....

[Kiddo]

302931

302932

[Tumeg]

Hey, post the link where we can see your wedding photos if/when you put them back up.....I would love to see your work that has her so concerned.....

I don't think you did anything wrong either. I myself, just went to a wedding and the family asked me to take additional photos. The wedding photographer was cool, even helped me understand night time photography with flash a little better. Hey, I am sure he saw my gear and knew I was no "pro" by any means, so maybe he wasn't threatened. But, I wonder if I showed up with a D300 and a few "white" lenses, would it have been the same?

Bottom line is, the family gave you permission and unless there is an expressed statement in the contract about additional photographers, I wouldn't sweat it. But that was nice of you to temporarily honor her gripes until cleared up.

+1.


And to the quoted post... I don't think Noink (D300) has white lenses :lol:

[PhotoJourno]

Either you dealing with a control freak who's in the wrong profession, or you really have outshot her every single time. :)

[Kiddo]

Either you dealing with a control freak who's in the wrong profession, or you really have outshot her every single time. :)

I have no idea..... LOL!! :lol:

[Stocky]

I wonder what the other side of this one is. Did shoot on spec and expect to make all of her money off of print sales?
If thats the case then I would just recommend that the "PRO" consider revising the business model. There are some great sites on the web that might be able to offer her some advice if she is interested. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php)

[qtfsniper]

I wouldn't offer to help someone like that...

[Dennis_Hammer]

Anyone shooting a wedding now a days planning to make the majority of their money on prints should quit now.

[TrollJester]

Agree with everyones comments so far on this one, and, personally I'd tell her to Sod-off and that I'm certainly not taking them off my site!
However, I could understand her gripe if she's went about setting location shots up (usually includes a combo of recce's and thinking on your feet at the time) with the bride and groom, only for you to shoot over her shoulder (with long lens?) so to speak. ie. you're benefitting from her creative arrangement of the subjects.
I'm not a wedding photographer, but I do do some commercial work ie Product and PR and I'd be pretty pissed off if I'd just set up a complex set-up only for the clients tea-boy to pop by with his new DSLR and takes advantage of all my efforts and hands his CF card to the boss.....think about it, would you like it?
When I was in my late teens, I did exactly this at a friends brothers wedding and boy was the Pro pissed off at me clicking away in the background while he was cracking on with the 'blad. I didn't realise what his problem was then, but I do now.

[TrollJester]

By the way, does the 'pro' have the pix she took up on her site?

BTW your pix are v.good. Did you pose the couple, scout location etc?

[Kiddo]

By the way, does the 'pro' have the pix she took up on her site?

BTW your pix are v.good. Did you pose the couple, scout location etc?

Thank you....

She doesn't have a site... I guess she's working on one? And they got married on the beach... the 3 that they are standing, I asked them to "pose" that way while the other photographer was busy... the one sitting, they were waiting for her to decide if that's where she wanted them to be or not? She kept getting them to move..... LOL.. So my cousin jestered for me to take a picture and i did... Dont' know if she ever got a shot of them sitting or not??