You just got to wonder

What the heck people are thinking

I was out this weekend playing around in Downtown Minneapolis. Walking across stone arch bridge which is a popular photo spot. wedding party walks out and stops in middle of bridge to take some shots. No Big deal. What i saw next kind of made me feel sad.

The photographer and her assistants. All 3 had canon cameras. All three where shooting clients against the 3:00 pm f/16 @ 1/125 backlit sky with no flash. One had a 40D with a 50mm 1.8 attached,One had a 60D with a 15-85 attached and one had a 50D with a tammy 17-50 attached.

Everyone that was there politely stepped to the side so the group could get their shots. As the photographers walked by i could see the tops of thier cameras. All three were in the Green box. I just couldnt believe my eyes but im not surprised any more.

Just totally makes me wonder what people are thinking when they start to get involved in this business. Sad really. So many people trying to do this that have no clue. Just for curiosity, i took a shot of one of the bystanders at f/4.0 and EC compensated to almost + 1 2/3 and still could not get enough detail in the face to call it a keeper. Everything else blew out behind the shot as it was very bright on the bridge. Hope the photog could make something work for those clients.

All three were in the Green box

I'm not sure what that means??

Maybe he has perfected his shooting into the sun technique creating a lens flare approach, which can work quite nice if done correctly. It's not all about the details in the face sometimes it's about an artistic approach...

I think you make those comments without having any idea as to what they were doing

Fact: most people have no idea what a good photo looks like.

dariussutherland wrote in post #12856775
All three were in the Green box

I'm not sure what that means??

Maybe he has perfected his shooting into the sun technique creating a lens flare approach, which can work quite nice if done correctly. It's not all about the details in the face sometimes it's about an artistic approach...

The green box as in the full auto side of the dial,, completey auto point and shoot mode. camera picks focal point and settings. Basiclly they had glorified point and shoots in their hands.

Aaah

Okay. Isn't that the best way

Never used it, which is why I didn't know what it was Maybe I should give it a whirl...

Greenbox didnt recognize the backlit situation?

I agree though Mike. It is sad. Im half tempted to start charging clients just so they get mediocre shots from me and not terrible shots from someone else. Sadly, there would be someone looking down on me then too... What is one to do?

JakAHearts wrote in post #12856936
Greenbox didnt recognize the backlit situation?

I agree though Mike. It is sad. Im half tempted to start charging clients just so they get mediocre shots from me and not terrible shots from someone else. Sadly, there would be someone looking down on me then too... What is one to do?

I wasnt trying to 2nd guess. Just basic photography really. No way the camera would even come close w/o something to light the front side Especially in f/16 light. I was at F/18 on some of the shots i was taking towards the sun. I guess what blows me away is how some of these new photogs think. I could not image going out and taking a chance and screwing up one of the most important days in someones life without being able to deliver something usable. Oh, And im with ya on the mediocre shots from me as well. But ,at least mine have the lighting right and you can tell who the bride and groom are in the shots.

Because apparently being a good photographer FIRST isn't really important when entering into the wedding photography industry, accepting money from trusting clients, etc...

The thing is, eventually, these people will get good at it a the expense of clients. But it's supply and demand really. They probably cater to clients who don't really care all that much about the photos and want the cheapest possible option. As they get more repetition and begin realizing the err in their ways, hopefully they will get better at it. But far too often, I see wedding photographers that are one trick ponies. Pretty good at photographing weddings, but clueless at other genres. I mean, that's fine and everything, but that's certainly not my approach. I loved photography before I ever began shooting weddings. I'd like to think I was a decent photographer even before I started doing weddings.

dariussutherland wrote in post #12856783
I think you make those comments without having any idea as to what they were doing

If they were in green box mode, there is no way, under those conditions and without flash, it's quite safe to say that they are NOT going to be able to make 'art" with those pics. Not even nice silhouettes. Sad.

Three bad photos for one price. Is that better or worse than one bad photo for one price?

I'm assuming you saw the results before you berated these people?

could it have just been people practicing or where they definitely real brides on their wedding day?

For me, the thing is, there have to be Macdonlds photographers and there have to be Ruths Chris photographers. They both have burgers but the quality is better at one of them. Not everyone can go to Ruths Chris but they doesnt mean they shouldnt have a burger. Once Macdonlds burgers become better and more expensive, they move on to TGIFridays, Five Guys and then, finally, Ruths Chris. Meanwhile, there still needs to be a Macdonlds. You have to ask yourself, would you have shot that wedding for 300 dollars and handed over a CD of 600 images? No, probably not. But they couldnt afford Ruths Chris so they got what they could afford. Youd probably be equally as mad if someone with equal skill/equipment was underselling themselves so bad and stealing a lot of your business. Its a two edged sword really.