To what extent should I direct the event photog that I hired?

I have a family event coming up so I hired an acquaintance to shoot it. He is a working pro, so I know he'll get great images. But would it be acceptable to ask him to get some shots that I would normally do? Can I ask him to shoot with off camera flash instead of on, or to use a wide angle for some portraits (i'm a sucker for these)? How about a specific f/stop?

Would you feel insulted or demeaned if another photog asked these things of you?

Have you seen the other photog's work? Do you trust him/her? If so, let them do the job you hired them to do. If there's a certain shot you know you want ahead of time, pass that on. Think of how you would like it if some other photog did this to you...

You hired him- you can ask for shots you would like him to get. For everything else, I would say no. I wouldn't be miffed if a fellow photographer hired me and asked for specific shots- all clients get to do that. You tell me what aperture you want, which lens you want me to use, and how to set up my lights, I'm liable to hand you the camera and tell you to do it yourself. If these are decisions you aren't comfortable with the other photographer handling, you probably shouldn't have hired him.

If the photographer shows a mix of on camera/off camera lighting, you may ask if they will do off camera. That being said, sometimes it depends on the venue for what I choose.

Telling them what f stop seems a bit too controlling if they really know what they are doing.

Qlayer2 wrote in post #16946832
........ You tell me what aperture you want, which lens you want me to use, and how to set up my lights, I'm liable to hand you the camera and tell you to do it yourself. ........

I have to agree with this.

You hired him you can ask for anything you like. If you micromanage or give overly specific advice then its a different matter.

toadhunter911 wrote in post #16946827
Have you seen the other photog's work? Do you trust him/her? If so, let them do the job you hired them to do. If there's a certain shot you know you want ahead of time, pass that on. Think of how you would like it if some other photog did this to you...

He shoots Nikon, so I inherently distrust him. Kidding aside, if I was in his place, I'd be happy with being told what type of photo to make, but not how to make it (i.e. settings).

Qlayer2 wrote in post #16946832
You hired him- you can ask for shots you would like him to get. For everything else, I would say no. I wouldn't be miffed if a fellow photographer hired me and asked for specific shots- all clients get to do that. You tell me what aperture you want, which lens you want me to use, and how to set up my lights, I'm liable to hand you the camera and tell you to do it yourself. If these are decisions you aren't comfortable with the other photographer handling, you probably shouldn't have hired him.

I do trust him and don't want to micro manage. I wonder if asking him to not use direct flash would be acceptable.

Red Tie Photography wrote in post #16946858
If the photographer shows a mix of on camera/off camera lighting, you may ask if they will do off camera. That being said, sometimes it depends on the venue for what I choose.

Telling them what f stop seems a bit too controlling if they really know what they are doing.

I was thinking of having him do a group portrait with 85mm @ f/1.4, with some nice lighting. Maybe I'll just put in that one request and leave it at that.

frugivore wrote in post #16946906
I was thinking of having him do a group portrait with 85mm @ f/1.4, with some nice lighting. Maybe I'll just put in that one request and leave it at that.

How is he going to decide who's nose gets to be in focus? 85mm @ f1.4 is an awfully thin depth of field for a group photo- any particular reason that is a shot you want?

...you can't just ask someone who is used to shooting on-camera flash (probably with TTL, etc) and ask him to shoot off-camera at a whim. He might not have the gear, and if he's never shot manual flash before he will be completely at a loss. Asking for someone to shoot outside of their comfort zone is just asking for bad pictures: and who will get the blame for that when it happens? If you don't like his images as is you shouldn't have hired him. Give him a shot list, then leave it at that.

You can ask them to do whatever you want, you're the customer. They can also say no, or give alternate suggestions.

Qlayer2 wrote in post #16946917
How is he going to decide who's nose gets to be in focus? 85mm @ f1.4 is an awfully thin depth of field for a group photo- any particular reason that is a shot you want?

At a shooting distance of 25', which we'll have, 85mm @ f/1.4 gives a DOF of over 2'. This should be enough for a single line of people. And it'll give great subject/background separation. A bit further back and you increase the depth of field. It'll be plenty. Some people see f/1.4 and think 'razor-thin' DOF, but they forget that distance is also a factor. Perhaps in small places, a long distance is not practical, but in a church or hall, there's lots of room.

banquetbear wrote in post #16946966
...you can't just ask someone who is used to shooting on-camera flash (probably with TTL, etc) and ask him to shoot off-camera at a whim. He might not have the gear, and if he's never shot manual flash before he will be completely at a loss. Asking for someone to shoot outside of their comfort zone is just asking for bad pictures: and who will get the blame for that when it happens? If you don't like his images as is you shouldn't have hired him. Give him a shot list, then leave it at that.

I think you're right. I let him do his thing with candids, but just ask for the one family portrait the way I want it.

tim wrote in post #16947005
You can ask them to do whatever you want, you're the customer. They can also say no, or give alternate suggestions.

There's a fine line between giving someone your opinion and giving someone information. And, as a photographer, if someone wanted me to shoot in a way that I thought would make my product poor in any way (in my eyes) I would refuse. So I guess I can't expect anything different from others.

Why not just hire someone who actually shoots the type of photos you like in the first place and just let them do their thing?

Doctors make the worst patients

You've heard the expression, "Doctors make the worst patients"?

It's true, because they try to be the doctor when they should be the patient. They also make the treating doctor nervous, -which leads to problems.

Ask for your 85mm 1.4 shot and you'll get it. Of course, it won't be done the way you would have done it (and may not be any good, as a result).

I would take a positive approach. Compliment the other photographer on their work. Put them at ease. Refer to their portfolio or website photos, especially if they have OCF, creamy backgrounds, or wide-angle shots.

Precisely.

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #16947453
Why not just hire someone who actually shoots the type of photos you like in the first place and just let them do their thing?

The more suggestions or alternatives or requests or concern I see in the original post the more pertinent becomes the question for Chris: have you not already seen this guy's work ? The time to exert these kinds of aesthetic preferences was during the photographer selection process, no ?

That said, I might feel a little insulted to have these kinds of specific requests or at least find it hilarious--but it wouldn't be a problem for me. Shot list ? Fair game. Aperture list, on the other hand..

frugivore wrote in post #16947144
There's a fine line between giving someone your opinion and giving someone information. And, as a photographer, if someone wanted me to shoot in a way that I thought would make my product poor in any way (in my eyes) I would refuse. So I guess I can't expect anything different from others.

It's not so much opinion, it's a customer stating their requirements. I hire someone for a task because I want a given outcome. You don't hire a plumber and say "build me a new bathroom", you give them plenty of direction. Likewise when you hire a photographer you don't have to say "do whatever you want", you can give them as much direction as you like.

When I'm hired I don't want people trying to make me do something I don't like, or try to make me someone else, but I'm always very happy to get suggestions of what they want. If they tell me what they want it's easier for me to do what they want, which results in a happy customer. If they want something but don't tell me, and I miss it because I don't know about it, the customer is less happy.