interesting wedding yesterday...

2ndshooter wrote in post #14590403
One of the guests decided to be a photographer for the day, and ruined a great deal of shots.

This probably happens more often than you think. I shot one wedding where the ceremony ended and NOBODY left the church because EVERYONE wanted to take pictures. I literally had people behind me bumping into me while I was taking pictures. That's the worse case scenario so far for me.

Now, what I'll do is I'll have the wedding director move the bridal party into a private room until everyone has left the church. This way after everyone has left I can go ahead and get the shots that the bride and groom want from me.

Once experienced a missing limo - Bride & Groom were both getting ready at the same location (different floors)
Limo came to get the guys, and took them to the church... driver's instructions were to go back and get the girls, bring to ceremony, and he'd be off for about 90 minutes.... he dropped off the girls, and figured he was now off for 90 minutes... went to some coffee shop, and left cell in the limo...
I was waiting with the girls - and after the girls started showing signs of stress, random guests to that location started offering rides to everyone... we ended up with 3 older couples (i.e. total strangers) giving rides to the bride and her side of the wedding party to the church - 40 minutes late by the time they got there...
never heard about what happened to that limo guy after that...

Not a good thing to do to the bride... That limo driver should have gotten a new one chewed out for that slip up...

You think he made the best of what happened even though it seems he played extremely passively in terms of allowing other photographers that were not paid by the B+G to 'ruin [his] shots' ? There are some things we don't have control over (missing rings, fights); there are some things we do have control over if we actually seize it.

amirg wrote in post #14595594
I have had my share of unplanned stuff happening at the weddings but this tops them all. I think you made the best of what happened. Part of being a professional.

I was referring to him getting the bridal party away from that limo scene and capturing the family shots. You work with what you have. I will ask uncle bobs to get out of my way nicely first, if that doesn't work I ask the groom/bride (rarely happens) but in this case they had a lot of other problems to deal with apparently.

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #14595879
You think he made the best of what happened even though it seems he played extremely passively in terms of allowing other photographers that were not paid by the B+G to 'ruin [his] shots' ? There are some things we don't have control over (missing rings, fights); there are some things we do have control over if we actually seize it.

Panoz wrote in post #14594959
This is excellent advice. You should take charge of the event, even approach a guest during the ceremony if necessary, to have them get out of the way. A year after the event they'll still know you didn't get the "money" shots, they'll forget about your excuses (i.e., annoying relatives). I was always ALL business when I photographed weddings and told the guests at the group shots that I did the direction, not them, and that I'd have them removed from the event if they got between me and my client. Never had a problem!

Eh, i don't think it's that great of advice imho.
it's a different business model than me anyway.
you may have been "all business", but i like to think i'm hired because i'm a nice guy too, not just all business.

some of the "all business" types i've seen photographing events are the ones that give photographers a bad name,
and come off as complete douchenozzles.

not my style personally. yeah, you have to be in charge sometimes,
but if i worried about everyone that walked in to an event with a dslr like you sound like you did, i wouldn't be focusing on doing my job.
i'd be focusing on being a bully. and that's not what i'm there to do.

the experience is just as important as the photos sometimes imho

bigarchi wrote in post #14596105
Eh, i don't think it's that great of advice imho.
it's a different business model than me anyway.
you may have been "all business", but i like to think i'm hired because i'm a nice guy too, not just all business.

some of the "all business" types i've seen photographing events are the ones that give photographers a bad name,
and come off as complete douchenozzles.

not my style personally. yeah, you have to be in charge sometimes,
but if i worried about everyone that walked in to an event with a dslr like you sound like you did, i wouldn't be focusing on doing my job.
i'd be focusing on being a bully. and that's not what i'm there to do.

the experience is just as important as the photos sometimes imho

I tend to agree with this. The wedding day is not just about the photos we capture. It's about people having a good time and celebrating. Sure, we're hired to deliver but I would not go as far as threatening guests to be removed from the venue if they don't heed my direction. I always explain this to clients that nobody should get in my way and that I expect cooperation but if they're ok with family members shooting I will try to work around it as much as possible.

I can guarantee that I'm as affable as you are. I don't come of as, well, as you suggest. When people are doing the wrong thing and taking photos during the ceremony in such a way as to put in jeopardy the photos that the B+G have paid for, I make no apologies for politely and discretely asking these people to respect their wishes.

bigarchi wrote in post #14596105
Eh, i don't think it's that great of advice imho.
it's a different business model than me anyway.
you may have been "all business", but i like to think i'm hired because i'm a nice guy too, not just all business.

some of the "all business" types i've seen photographing events are the ones that give photographers a bad name,
and come off as complete douchenozzles.

not my style personally. yeah, you have to be in charge sometimes,
but if i worried about everyone that walked in to an event with a dslr like you sound like you did, i wouldn't be focusing on doing my job.
i'd be focusing on being a bully. and that's not what i'm there to do.

the experience is just as important as the photos sometimes imho

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #14596336
I can guarantee that I'm as affable as you are. I don't come of as, well, as you suggest. When people are doing the wrong thing and taking photos during the ceremony in such a way as to put in jeopardy the photos that the B+G have paid for, I make no apologies for politely and discretely asking these people to respect their wishes.

yeah, i am in no way saying that you come off in a bad way.
just that i've seen photogs with the wrong attitude that quickly put everyone in a bad mood.

i worked with a photog one time who's photos were outstanding. but he was a complete jack#ass: rude and condescending, etc...
The couple were willing to put up with a lot to get the great photos, but at some point he finally crossed their threshold.

I totally agree that if a wedding photographer thinks they need to be anything but polite, fun, cordial, engaging in order to be able to get the shots they need--well, they're doing something wrong. I've seriously never met these kinds of photographers, but have heard about them through clients who sort of set as one of their criteria: we don't want one of these guys shooting our wedding.

FYI, as my name here suggests, I am a second shooter. I was assigned to the back of the church to get wide overall shots, and down-the-aisle shots during the ceremony, then the recessional. He was in thebfront of the church. The primary photographer was in the front right corner getting the closeups and guest reactions. I either would have had to walk down the whole center aisle to tell him to move, or she would have had tobwalk across the front of the church. Either way that would have caused more of a distraction than the guy was already. Also, priest asked is not to move around during the ceremony. Luckily every once in a while he sat down, so I got some good shots... enough to make the couple happy, but it was still very annoying. lol

About the limo leaving the girls... Last year we had a wedding where the limo left us, the maid of honor, and the bride and groom. The B and G tried to call family, but for some reason none turned around to get us! Had to wait for the limo to get to the reception site, then drive another 45+ min back.