a friend of mine hire me as the main photograper to cover for his out door wedding and actual day etc ,
so i did a plan like timing , location and wat to cover during the big day of my friend , but after shooting the outdoor (the following week is their actual day) all the sudden my friend sms me said that i dun need to cover the female side on that morning, reason given to me is they have a friend to cover that. I am fine with that so i cover the male side ,
During the actual day i found out that the so call friend of the female side is not their friend , it a freelance photograper hire by the female side.
well am telling myself it ok maybe they wan to cover both side at the same time , but during the shoot when ever i try to take a shot that guy will just go into my picture and take all the good angle and when we both trying to shoot he will tell me to stand aside and let him do the shoot 1st .....:sweat:
well i feel i was making a fool outta myself infront of some many ppl and look like an extra , so bro and sis here wat will u do if u r in my shoe ?
Don't mind (not making fun or looking down) but I broke up your monolith into paragraphs. Very headache to read leh.
First question: What was in the written contract?
Second Question: Did they try to bargain or don't pay you?
Third Question: Were you given a chance for proper discussion/briefing?
Legally, there's nothing wrong if the couple wants to hire another photographer, unless you have a clause in the contract that says you will be the only photographer.
The 'friend' or 'relative' reason is one of the most used to avoid confrontation or bad feelings (normally not to offend the main contractor or party). Asians can be like that. They prefer to avoid direct confrontation. Or it could be a face saving tactic.
Did they see the photos you took after the outdoor shoot? Perhaps they didn't like what they saw, the way you carried yourself during the outdoor shoot* for whatever reason, and since you were a friend, they didn't want to/could not fire you?
Another possibility if when you first discussed things with them, they could have agreed to some things/style of shooting etc, then they last minute change their minds. Since they knew it would not be fair to you to insist on a change of agreements/try to change your style, they went out and appointed another photographer in addition to your services?
Also, the freelancer they hired may actually be a friend. So perhaps what they told you was the truth.
As for that photographer's style of shooting, it depends if he did that on his own accord, or if he was instructed by 'someone' or 'anyone' to fulfill the roles and responsibilities of the main photographer. Or may be he was the 'dominant' type who simply don't care about other photographers?
When you were informed that there will be a 2nd photographer,
did you ask for a meeting to discuss things so that situations like these would not happen? Or did your friend take the initiative to disclose and discuss these matters with you, or at least inform you nicely?
Very often, couples are not logistics experts when it comes to photographers, so assuming you were the main photographer, it was your responsibility to do the necessary, i.e., call for a meeting in advance, or at least for a short briefing on the day itself to ensure that such things do not happen/there are no clashes etc.
Put simply:
As the main photographer, you're preety much supposed to be in charge of these matters.
Since it's a friend who hired you, I would first speak WITH that friend, in a neutral manner, to find out more details before forming opinions or conclusions.
From your nick and the way you post, I get the impression that you're a nice guy. Sometimes, nice guys kenar makan or get taken fore granted more easily.
Also, a small bit of advise: NEVER confuse friendship or familiarity with business. It's a recipe for disaster. Everything should still be handled professionally.
Hope you manage to find out what you need to know and settle this so that your friendship is not affected.
* NOT NOT NOT saying you were not professional or anything, but I tell you this from experience: people, sometimes women more than men, who are having anxiety attacks or going through a nervous phase can be very difficult to please.