Not a new topic, but...

koala yummies wrote in post #16125226
Well said, both of you. As well as the comment about how professionalism is changing. Indeed.

People get hung up way too much on how they dress and start saying it is changing professionalism down.To anyone who thinks this I suggest they read the reviews on my website and then try and tell me that how I dress is doing that.

Personally, I long for the day when I can wear shorts and a tee shirt to a wedding. Maybe I'll do that the year I decide to retire.

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #16124938
I won't stand in it for too long (sharks).

For the bridal party shoot part of my sister's wedding last week (in England) I wore shorts and my "Trust me I'm a Jedi" t-shirt. The look on the venue's coordinator's face was priceless

It was a pain though having to wear a shirt, tie etc for the rest of the time though (I had to match my Dad, Brother, the groomsmen and the ushers. It won't be happening again any time soon.

Cheers

Well, there you go. Nobody's going to bother you, if you're a jedi. After all, you can just do a mind trick that convinces everybody that you're dressed in a tux and shooting with the latest, greatest gear!

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #16126213
People get hung up way too much on how they dress and start saying it is changing professionalism down.To anyone who thinks this I suggest they read the reviews on my website and then try and tell me that how I dress is doing that.

And would your work be any less splendid if you dressed the part? I don't know how you dress, but the day isn't about you. If the couple spends thousands of dollars to make the event look fantastic you can at least dress as well as a guest.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16127082
And would your work be any less splendid if you dressed the part? I don't know how you dress, but the day isn't about you. If the couple spends thousands of dollars to make the event look fantastic you can at least dress as well as a guest.

This really depends on the people you are marketing to doesn't it?
I wear dress pants/shirt/shoes. I wish I can wear jeans or shorts, especially during the Summer months!

As for the flash on the camera. I had the privilege to shoot a wedding recently (as 2nd shooter) and had my flash mounted on my camera with it turned off for most of the time.

The main reason I did it was to confuse other photographers.

No - the real reason being - there were some chances that I may have needed it in some situations - so I had it ready to go, instead of having to hold things up and go back to my bag, or miss out on opportunities.

Not sure if his intentions were the same or not, but that could have been the case?

nicksan wrote in post #16127153
This really depends on the people you are marketing to doesn't it?
I wear dress pants/shirt/shoes. I wish I can wear jeans or shorts, especially during the Summer months!

I dare say that anybody who can afford your rate isn't going to be happy if you show up barefoot in shorts.

Whatever happened to just having a suit and dusting it off for weddings and funerals? I thought that was the default. Then again I haven't worn a suit for any other reason in quite a while.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16127082
And would your work be any less splendid if you dressed the part? I don't know how you dress, but the day isn't about you. If the couple spends thousands of dollars to make the event look fantastic you can at least dress as well as a guest.

Here's the thing (and don't take offence by me saying this). I don't care what other photographers may or may not think about how I choose to dress. I don't care how they think it impacts them or lessens "their" profession. I care about what my clients and their guests think... and I can say this much they don't care what I'm wearing. My referral rate and reviews are testament to that.

GoWolfpack wrote in post #16127428
I dare say that anybody who can afford your rate isn't going to be happy if you show up barefoot in shorts.

Whatever happened to just having a suit and dusting it off for weddings and funerals? I thought that was the default. Then again I haven't worn a suit for any other reason in quite a while.

I don't disagree. The typical NY Wedding crowd isn't the shorts and sandals type of crowd when it comes to wedding attire. But again, it all depends on your clientele, etc. I don't have a problem with someone wearing jeans if the client is OK with it and understands that's how they work.

Shooting wedding is hard work. While I wear dress pants, they are comfortable. My shoes are also comfortable as well. I would never wear a full blown suit and wingtips as the Wedding Photographer.

nicksan wrote in post #16127153
This really depends on the people you are marketing to doesn't it?
I wear dress pants/shirt/shoes. I wish I can wear jeans or shorts, especially during the Summer months!

Sure it depends on who you are marketing to. If you are doing a beach wedding, or a cowboy theme wedding the attire would vary. But the underlying concept of dressing like a guest and respecting the event enough not to stand out by being overly casual still stands. Its almost as if some here think their status as photographers, or the quality of their work, makes them somehow immune from the courtesy of respect for the event.

Arguments for both sides sound convincing. I'm a little surprised that guests at weddings (or photographers that aren't even involved) would be interested in what vendors wear. I'd like to think that I'd be focused on the bride, groom, and ceremony, and oblivious to whether the photographers, wedding planner, caterers, band, etc., dressed as well or better than myself. I realize that everyone isn't like me, but I don't give a rat's rear end what others wear to restaurants, theaters, sporting events, church, birthday parties, weddings, graduations, funerals, etc. Maybe my life is just to busy; I don't have time to worry about what others wear, or why for that matter. It just seems trivial and superficial to me. I also could care less if they have tatoos, beards, long hair, etc. I thought those days were behind us.

I started out wearing a tie, and jacket, but no more. I'm not a guest! I don't come in and sit down for 30 minutes, then walk out at a leisurely pace, only getting in a hurry to hit the open bar/buffet. Nope; my wife and I work our butts off for 6 to 10 hours straight in crazy heat 20 to 30 Saturdays/year. More times than not, the parents of the bride and/or groom approach us at some point and compliment us on how hard we worked. They usually insist that we stop and eat or take a break. They paid for good photographers, not good looking photographers. The day one of them questions us on attire, I'll chalk it up to someone that just doesn't get it. Don't get me wrong, I haven't worn jeans and we both dress nice. I just don't think photographers should be expected to dress like guests. The band doesn't. The sound guy at the church doesn't. The caterers don't dress like guests. I look forward to the day this notion of having to dress like the guests is dead and gone.

longspur wrote in post #16128953
Arguments for both sides sound convincing. I'm a little surprised that guests at weddings (or photographers that aren't even involved) would be interested in what vendors wear. I'd like to think that I'd be focused on the bride, groom, and ceremony, and oblivious to whether the photographers, wedding planner, caterers, band, etc., dressed as well or better than myself. I realize that everyone isn't like me, but I don't give a rat's rear end what others wear to restaurants, theaters, sporting events, church, birthday parties, weddings, graduations, funerals, etc. Maybe my life is just to busy; I don't have time to worry about what others wear, or why for that matter. It just seems trivial and superficial to me. I also could care less if they have tatoos, beards, long hair, etc. I thought those days were behind us.

I started out wearing a tie, and jacket, but no more. I'm not a guest! I don't come in and sit down for 30 minutes, then walk out at a leisurely pace, only getting in a hurry to hit the open bar/buffet. Nope; my wife and I work our butts off for 6 to 10 hours straight in crazy heat 20 to 30 Saturdays/year. More times than not, the parents of the bride and/or groom approach us at some point and compliment us on how hard we worked. They usually insist that we stop and eat or take a break. They paid for good photographers, not good looking photographers. The day one of them questions us on attire, I'll chalk it up to someone that just doesn't get it. Don't get me wrong, I haven't worn jeans and we both dress nice. I just don't think photographers should be expected to dress like guests. The band doesn't. The sound guy at the church doesn't. The caterers don't dress like guests. I look forward to the day this notion of having to dress like the guests is dead and gone.

Perhaps you are drawing the line about what dressing like a guest means in a different place than I am. I'm not advocating a coat and tie, but I am suggesting no jeans, no shorts, and no polo shirts. Just nice enough to become part of the scenery.

I side with the "dress as a guest" mentality on this one. As the photographer, you're going to be up roaming around. That alone is going to draw attention to yourself. The last thing I want is to be wearing shorts and a t-shirt that makes me stand our like a sore thumb. Whether we like it or not, we're a society that judges people on how they dress. If I show up to a friend's wedding and the hired photographer is wearing jeans, t-shirt, and sandles while everyone else is in a suit, my mind is automatically going to negatively judge that photographer.

Now, I got nothing against Peter (memoriesoftomorrow) and the way he chooses to dress for his weddings. And I'm sure his clients know that that's the way he works. And if they're OK with that, then that's fine and dandy. If they're not, they'll find another photographer. Simple as that.

Every context brings with it a different standard for what is 'professional' obviously (e.g., as gonzogolf pointed out, sandals are likely acceptable for a beach wedding). But in most cases, I think that for at least the ceremony and reception, dress pants and dress shoes and a button-up are the minimum (for gents, I mean). To me, jeans and sneakers and t-shirts are for lounging around the house / walking the dog / playing tennis. When I'm working as a professional and trying to honor the feel and atmosphere of a couple's wedding, I think it makes sense to reflect this in wardrobe choice.

Edit: I should add--it's perhaps not surprising that I'm guilty of making judgments and being aghast at what some folks consider reasonable to wear to a wedding. Just two weeks ago I was working alongside a videographer (un-affiliated) who wore khaki cargo-shorts and an untucked plaid shirt. I have a photo of this guy as he ate dinner at a table full of people each of whom had full suits / dresses. He looked incongruous--totally out of place; and the photo basically plays as a joke without my even doing anything.

...can I ask who paid for the photographer?