Gag of a 'pro' photographer

Hi all,

Over the weekend I was at a family affair and the host hired a 'pro' photographer to shoot the event. So at first I kind of noticed that this photographer was just walking arround taking some 'blah' shots. Then my wife commented to me on the shots being taken. Now I started to really keep an eye on what the photographer was doing. So here are some things we noticed and was just curious to see if this was common 'family event' type photography.
1) He would stop people in the middle of the doing something and then pose them for the shot. (i.e. dancing, etc)
2) During table pictures, he would leave all of the shorter people sitting down and taller people in back, then shoot the picture with the center flower arrangement sticking up in front of the people sitting down.
3) During a limbo, from a standing position,, he took the shots from directly in front of the person going under the stick. I would think it would be better from the side, at the same level (or so) as to get the view of the person's backward angle trying to go under the limbo stick.
4) sitting down for 10 minutes or so and watching what else was going on.
5) when working, just walking around aimlessly taking a picture here or there whenever the mood presented itselt.

Any comments?

People typically don't understand photographers instructions or how they play into the final image. I've learned never to critique a photographers style until I've actually seen the pictures. If they pictures aren't up to par then neither is the photographer. In short, what do the pictures look like?

Doesn't sound impressive, but I'd reserve judgment for after I've seen the prints.

This isn't an EOS topic, btw. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the forum structure.

Rowdyred

I wasn't sure of where to put the post - however he was using a EOS 20D with a kit lens, strobophrame and what looked like a 420ex.

True -regarding the picutres - can't judge till you see the shots. Hovers, since most of the shots were 'posed', I would think it takes away from the real event. The absolute best pictures that we have from our wedding were candid shots.

Moderator - please move to general chit-chat please.

Don't judge unless you've seen the shots. You're not seeing what the photographer is seeing through his viewfinder - nor are you privy to his fee.

Mark_Cohran wrote in post #4796150
Don't judge unless you've seen the shots. You're not seeing what the photographer is seeing through his viewfinder - nor are you privy to his fee.

Exactly what I was thinking!

As to the sitting down....I can sympathize. I'm not a working pro, but I do a few paid shoots a year, and I shot a high school reunion last summer. There are only so many pictures to take, and it's hard work...after a few hours, you just run out of things to take pictures of. So you sit, regroup, and wait for something interesting to present itself. I am much more of a candids person, so I took mostly candid shots, but I told people to grab me if they wanted posed group photos, and several did. But once you have 3 or 4 candids of every single person at the event, you really just need to wait for something interesting. I had a real slow hour during that shoot, and then the final hour was great...everyone started dancing and loosening up, and I got a lot of great shots after that.

Jman13 wrote in post #4796328
.I had a real slow hour during that shoot, and then the final hour was great...everyone started dancing and loosening up, and I got a lot of great shots after that.

So you're saying wait until the booze kicks in to try and get good candids ?

bonefish wrote in post #4796397
So you're saying wait until the booze kicks in to try and get good candids ?

Yeah, more or less.

Jman13 wrote in post #4796328
As to the sitting down....I can sympathize. I'm not a working pro, but I do a few paid shoots a year, and I shot a high school reunion last summer. There are only so many pictures to take, and it's hard work...after a few hours, you just run out of things to take pictures of. So you sit, regroup, and wait for something interesting to present itself. I am much more of a candids person, so I took mostly candid shots, but I told people to grab me if they wanted posed group photos, and several did. But once you have 3 or 4 candids of every single person at the event, you really just need to wait for something interesting. I had a real slow hour during that shoot, and then the final hour was great...everyone started dancing and loosening up, and I got a lot of great shots after that.

Well this photographer decided to sit down and do nothing for about 15-20 minutes per hour, didn't work hard enough during the other 40-45 other minutes per hour to actually need to sit down. And it's hard to watch him sit there while the activities were going on and actually up and about taking pictures of the 2 couples dancing during a slow song.

Another thing my wife just reminded me of - lots of kids at this party - not ONCE did he get down the the kids level to a a picture.

Mark_Cohran wrote in post #4796150
Don't judge unless you've seen the shots. You're not seeing what the photographer is seeing through his viewfinder - nor are you privy to his fee.

the person who was paying the photog may have requested posed shots. not everyone likes just candids.

ed rader

and this is why i would never do family events. if i wanted to be critiqued, i would stay at home with my wife (just kidding of course). but seriously, as long as the person that writes the check is happy, i really don't understand why you are being so critical of the photographer. if you think that you can do better, just do it.

as a side note, i was at my best friend's wedding over the summer (he is more like a brother) and the photographer at his wedding also sat down a lot, chatted with some people and walked around casually. at first i was a bit upset seeing the guy just hanging out instead of taking pictures but after seeing a few of his shots after the event, let's just say that i felt like an idiot. every single shot that the guy took was spot on and he was able to capture the entire mood of the event.

at the end of the event, i walked up to the guy and shook as hand and told him that he is amazing and that i will recommend him to all my friends.

Hard to truly know what was expected of him without having:
1. Seen the contract,
2. Seen the shot list if it existed,
3. Or been a fly on the wall during the discussion when he was hired.

As Mark pointed out, you were not seeing what he saw through his viewfinder, nor what may end up as the final cropped picture, montage or album layout. Jordan is correct when he says this is hard work. The lack of structure - like a wedding or bar-mitzvah - makes it very challenging to come up with constant interesting shots the entire time.

Btw, what is your definition of a 'blah' shot?

Judge by the final outcome. Sitting down or taking a break and getting a feel for the event and what's going on is often a wonderful way of evaluating shooting opportunities. Often that's where the most thought is going into the shoot. The last concert I shot for example, I wasn't getting anything too hot, so I just sat and listened for a while. It gave me a greater feel for the band and the kind of songs they played, their movement, etc, and I was able to better anticipate when there would be moments of intense emotion during their songs - that's when you wanna be pressing the shutter. Same with portraits/glamour, the time taken to talk and establish rapport with the model, get a feel for the shoot etc, is invaluable.

Spray and pray is not the answer.

Excellent observation - your brain, eyes and "vision" are the best gear you have. Sometimes they take a few minutes to percolate before the plan and approach all come together.

perryge wrote in post #4796848
Judge by the final outcome. Sitting down or taking a break and getting a feel for the event and what's going on is often a wonderful way of evaluating shooting opportunities. Often that's where the most thought is going into the shoot. .......Spray and pray is not the answer.