Do I give advice to the hired pro? Or keep my mouth shut

My company's holiday party was this past Saturday. For photo coverage, they hired a pro photographer that they often use for other business-related shoots. The guy advertises "Corporate events" as one of his specialties on his website.

He had very nice gear that was appropriate for the event: 5DII, 24-70L, 580EXII. But he was going around shooting people with the 580EXII pointed straight forward along the lens axis at the subject... and I think we all know what happens when you do that. The venue was perfect for bounce flash - 12-foot white ceilings, tall cream-colored walls. Why didn't he bounce the flash?

Of course, I had dragged my camera along anyway, because that's what I do... I like taking pictures, and wanted to get some nice shots of my wife in her party gown in a nicely decorated ballroom environment. I was bouncing the flash, continually adjusting the flash head based on my location in the room and the location of my subjects, continually adjusting FEC based on subject matter (and a little chimping) and my shots were coming out pretty well. Pleasing shadows, nice ambient in the background, not too much of that "point-n-shoot snapshot" feel.

We got the results back today and the pro's results were... well, I hate to talk bad about other photographers' work, but they came out exactly as I expected they would after watching his technique. I snooped in the exif data and it's very revealing. Generic settings. f/4, 1/60, ISO400, flash fired. Photos of people, photos of the venue, photos of the food, photos of the decorations. f/4, 1/60, ISO400, flash fired.

I fought the urge to try to offer advice during the event. I didn't say anything. But I really hate that so many shots of the company party that COULD HAVE been great, were not. Just bounce the flash, man! See that button on the side, that's for moving the flash head around. Point the flash at the wall. Point it at the ceiling. Point it at the corner of the wall and the ceiling. Look, the 580EXII even has a bounce card BUILT RIGHT IN, just pull it up like this, see? I sure was thinking it, but I didn't say it.

He had set up a little photo booth beforehand, using the company-provided backdrop we had printed for the party. Those shots turned out OK; the light was decent (better than I expected for having only one tiny softbox) but the composition was lacking. Most of them he shot way too tight - if they're going in a frame, limbs are gonna be chopped off. Also he shot at an angle to the backdrop, which I thought was a very odd choice. A little unnecessary perspective distortion, but I guess most of them were OK anyway.

On a different note, he also left before the party started to wind down. There was some grumbling around the office about that. I asked our guy, "Well, what did it say in the contract?" and, well, you can probably guess the answer.

Cliffs: Hired pro photographer uses great gear and poor technique, I didn't offer advice, results are disappointing.

Bite your tongue till it bleeds profusely, for sure. I'm glad you resisted the urge. A master of unsolicited advice, let me offer you this: also resist the urge to discuss with your colleagues his lack of proficiency after the fact. Otherwise, you will be tempted to shoot the party next year yourself and will have not only set up huge expectations, but you will miss out on what is supposed to be YOUR party. Ya done good. Let's all learn this lesson from you!

too many people with cameras consider themselves 'pros' which is FAR from the truth.
classic example is your story.

suecassidy wrote in post #13544320
Bite your tongue till it bleeds profusely, for sure. I'm glad you resisted the urge. A master of unsolicited advice, let me offer you this: also resist the urge to discuss with your colleagues his lack of proficiency after the fact. Otherwise, you will be tempted to shoot the party next year yourself and will have not only set up huge expectations, but you will miss out on what is supposed to be YOUR party. Ya done good. Let's all learn this lesson from you!

Amen!

I've seen hired guys do as much or worse, and I just smile while heading to the bar.

Enjoy the party, and after all they're only snaps from the event anyway, not corporate portraits!! Ask yourself which you would rather be doing, working or having a nice entertaining evening? And if you were shooting it do you think you'd be paid as a hired contractor or "expected" to do it for free because its your company?

Actually, I offered to shoot it this year - not for free, I quoted an hourly rate - and they said "We'd rather you just come and enjoy the party."

As long as you were able to get the pics you wanted with your camera I would say who cares what he did. Just enjoy the evening!

suecassidy wrote in post #13544320
Bite your tongue till it bleeds profusely, for sure. I'm glad you resisted the urge. A master of unsolicited advice, let me offer you this: also resist the urge to discuss with your colleagues his lack of proficiency after the fact. Otherwise, you will be tempted to shoot the party next year yourself and will have not only set up huge expectations, but you will miss out on what is supposed to be YOUR party. Ya done good. Let's all learn this lesson from you!

Good advice, and I'm trying my best. I've already brought in the photos that I took, and a few folks have said "Wow, yours were so much better," to which I usually respond with something like "aw shucks, thanks."

They're already annoyed with him for leaving earlier than they expected, and I've tried to stay quite neutral on that topic, which hasn't won me any favors around here. When I say "No contract? you're both at fault" I get the evil eye

nathancarter wrote in post #13544647
Good advice, and I'm trying my best. I've already brought in the photos that I took, and a few folks have said "Wow, yours were so much better," to which I usually respond with something like "aw shucks, thanks."

So was that the end game for you?

It's good that you kept your mouth shut about this. It's unfortunate that the company hired someone like that, but you got the shots you wanted, so no harm done IMO. I think it's time to move on, no?

My company brought in someone to do head shots of ALL employees. The guy had the right setup including strobes, softbox, etc. Images came out pretty crappy. Didn't bother me one bit and didn't say a word.

nicksan wrote in post #13544708
So was that the end game for you?

It's good that you kept your mouth shut about this. It's unfortunate that the company hired someone like that, but you got the shots you wanted, so no harm done IMO. I think it's time to move on, no?

My company brought in someone to do head shots of ALL employees. The guy had the right setup including strobes, softbox, etc. Images came out pretty crappy. Didn't bother me one bit and didn't say a word.

Have you seen Nicks mug? Pretty difficult to make that look good. Even with Photoshop

vipergts831 wrote in post #13544723
Have you seen Nicks mug? Pretty difficult to make that look good. Even with Photoshop

This is absolutely true. People like me because when I stand next to them, they really, really look good...you know...kinda like that scene from that movie Hall Pass.

nicksan wrote in post #13544733
This is absolutely true. People like me because when I stand next to them, they really, really look good...you know...kinda like that scene from that movie Hall Pass...except the reverse.

No that is why we hang out with MDJAK

nicksan wrote in post #13544708
So was that the end game for you?

Not really. I'm just annoyed that the company paid a pro (probably a lot) for event photos, and received something only marginally better than what they could have gotten with a couple of quality point-n-shoots in the hands of the party guests. I don't think our event planners got what they paid for.

I didn't go into this looking for vindication or fishing for an ego boost. Honestly, my stuff wasn't even really THAT good. I missed focus way more than I'm satisfied with, the white balance is nowhere near perfect, and I cut off some feet during the dancing. So why didn't the other guy's stuff just blow mine away?

Maybe my expectations are unreasonably high after seeing some of the quality stuff that's posted on this forum.

Have you ever seen the society pages in the Sunday NY Times? All the shots are exactly like what your pro took. They're doc shots, not fine art or studio portraiture. People don't frame them and put them up in their living rooms over the fireplace. They post them on Facebook or use them to prove that they were at so-and-so's party. Then they forget about them. Sad to say, they'd probably do the same thing with your shots.

I've shot fundraisers where I didn't have the benefit of white walls and ceilings. Once I did a gig where the ceilings and walls were chisel-edged mirrors. What a nightmare that was. You're rushed to get all the shots and you're constantly worried that you missed somebody important. If you're lucky, they'll provide an assistant for taking all the names in the order that they appear in the photograph. You seldom have the benefit of time to figure out the geometrical relationships required for perfect indirect lighting.

As for leaving before the end, there comes a point in any festivity when pictures of drunks or people chewing food won't come out well under any circumstances, painstaking efforts of the photographer notwithstanding. If you keep shooting, people don't want to see those shots and they may resent you for taking them.

(looks like the post that I quoted has disappeared? I'll take out the quote if necessary)

hairy_moth wrote in post #13544932
So what is your goal here? Do you want to shoot the party next year yourself, or you just don't want the goofball to do it? (I hope I'm wrong, but it sounds like you just want folks to know you are better than...)

I don't know what my goal is. To vent, maybe? Why wasn't this guy using his gear to its full capabilities?

I originally started the thread because wondered if there might have been any way to suggest to the pro "Hey, try bouncing the flash." I suspect that there's no appropriate way for an amateur to give advice to a professional, which is why I said nothing at the time.

As the thread continues, it certainly has given me more to think about. I do like to show off my own work when I'm successful, but I'm not intentionally trying to present myself as "better than" someone else. Those were my coworkers' unsolicited comments, not mine. I'm not in competition with anyone except myself. I learn something every time I shoot, I get better every time I shoot. I try new things, sometimes they work, many times they don't. When something works, I like to pass it on and help other people improve.

Perhaps that's what my issue really is: It seems like the guy wasn't even really trying. He stayed in his comfort zone, delivered whatever came out of the camera, got paid, and that's that. And I don't find that sort of mindset to be acceptable.

Do you really honestly think the pro would have listened to you? Of course not. He got paid using his skill set. I was doing a paid shoot once and uncle joe with a camera came up and started giving me tips. In that case, he was a tech head who asked why I was using (in his mind) inferior gear. Then he tried to tell me what he would do differently. I gave him as polite a brush off as possible, because even if he would have had some insight, I had a job to do, not a lesson to take.