Photographer's Etiquette During Performance

[furball]

Personally was shooting at Singapore Arts Festival over the past few days and am rather disturbed by some photographers' behaviour.

Hope these pointers would make this better between photographers and audience ... If you find all this is rubbish, move on.

1) When organiser say no flash, please dont mount your flashes and then try to sneak in a few flashes in between the performance.

2) Watch where ur flashes are pointing, I was blinded by flash myself. You are disturbing not only the performer and also the audience.

3) Do no obstruct the audience view. ie. do not stand right in front of the small little kids sitting in front trying to watch the performance. Sit down with the kids would be a better option.

4) DO NOT walk across the performance area (And I mean right through the center) when the performance is on-going !

 

[snowspeeder]

I agreed with you totally. Sometimes it really comes down to having a sense of awareness and simply common sense. There are some photographers who tend to be in a world of their own when they are shooting. It certainly shows a tremendous lack of professionalism even with all the pro equipment they carry. Perhaps the organizers ought to firmly remind and warn them.

Hint: Having bouncers in events can come in handy.

 

[TMC]

Good one FB. You might as well take a pic for record on the offending photographer as well.

 

[snowspeeder]

Good one FB. You might as well take a pic for record on the offending photographer as well.

That's right. If after repeated reminders yet they continue to do so, should actually take their image and post it here!

 

[espn]

2) Watch where ur flashes are pointing, I was blinded by flash myself. You are disturbing not only the performer and also the audience.

Why do you think I use eye cups? now you understand? Heehee...

 

[jkl]

2) Watch where ur flashes are pointing, I was blinded by flash myself. You are disturbing not only the performer and also the audience.

oh no oh no i feel bad now :embrass: coz while taking photos during the SFF i had no choice but to point the flash at some of the performers as the stage was too dark... cant bounce it oso coz was using 380ex which can only tilt so it was direct and full blast at the performers when taking portraits... :sweat: bet they must hv hated me... but then... i did try to keep my flash shots minimal and oso try (though not hard enough :bsmilie: ) to stand further away so the impact will not be so blinding... :sweat:

 

[hongsien]

oh no oh no i feel bad now :embrass: coz while taking photos during the SFF i had no choice but to point the flash at some of the performers as the stage was too dark... cant bounce it oso coz was using 380ex which can only tilt so it was direct and full blast at the performers when taking portraits... :sweat: bet they must hv hated me... but then... i did try to keep my flash shots minimal and oso try (though not hard enough :bsmilie: ) to stand further away so the impact will not be so blinding... :sweat:

At least you realised it now, and I commend you for being straight about it.....just for info: even if you bounce the flasy, it still can distract and blind.....

 

[nightwolf75]

At least you realised it now, and I commend you for being straight about it.....just for info: even if you bounce the flasy, it still can distract and blind.....

thot the general guideline is never to use a flash during any performace, particularly dat of stage performance?

attended a talk once by a pro earlier this year. he's a event/stage shooter for zaobao. he told us dat in some venues, the stage managers might even throw out a photographer so much as he/she hears a shutter click from the photog (thank God for leicas?). he also told us once a dancer broke his leg in a fall when some idiot took a flash pic just as he wanted to perform his leap, causing the dancer to mis-time his jump... ouch.

 

[CYRN]

Time to buy those ultra fast lens... then you can dump the flash ;p

 

[XXX Boy]

Once, I even saw a photographer climbing on top of a rubbish bin and take pictures....he was blocking alot of people man!!! I think he was in a world of his own - rubbish world! Damn cheapskate!!!

 

[CYRN]

attended a talk once by a pro earlier this year. he's a event/stage shooter for zaobao. he told us dat in some venues, the stage managers might even throw out a photographer so much as he/she hears a shutter click from the photog (thank God for leicas?). he also told us once a dancer broke his leg in a fall when some idiot took a flash pic just as he wanted to perform his leap, causing the dancer to mis-time his jump... ouch.

Canon, you hearing? time to put peliclle mirror on all cams. ;p

Seriously, photog gotta be considerate to the envrioment that he/she is shooting in... especially when the shows are ment for the audience... not the photog.

Wan an exclusive shoot.... "bao" the whole show lah :sticktong

 

[eikin]

my friend don't want to say :bsmilie: but i must add a feedback, everyone must learn to respect the official photographers at events as well, and even though some events are open to photography from public, holding a SLR or DSLR camera doesn't equate to having the right of way :nono: if one don't even know how to respect the official photographer at the scene don't expect others to respect one's existence as a photog. :sticktong

 

[yanyewkay]

Why do you think I use eye cups? now you understand? Heehee...

:think: eyecups reduces/eliminates flash blinds?

I only use eye cups when I need concentration on the subject eg: doing macro.

For events, the eye cups covers your periphery vision and you can't anticipate what's coming your way isn't it?

That's just my opinion.

Peace

 

[KNIGHT ONG]

Interesting remark from eikin and others ... :think:

As an official photographer for countless of events, there is no right or wrong answer to this thread .. it is still the photographer's discretion to exercise care and performs what is required of him to suit best on the environment.

If you need to block the audience to take images, then take the pictures and step aside if needed to ... :sweat:

Every photographer got different styles of taking pictures, hence the world becomes beautiful. You climb, you jump, you hop, you block :sweatsm: and even if you need to lay on the floor to get yourself dirty ... JUST DO IT and get the job done .. :devil:

Know how to respect others, and others will returns what you deserved. :sticktong

 

[Gymrat76]

Interesting remark from eikin and others ... :think:

As an official photographer for countless of events, there is no right or wrong answer to this thread .. it is still the photographer's discretion to exercise care and performs what is required of him to suit best on the environment.

If you need to block the audience to take images, then take the pictures and step aside if needed to ... :sweat:

Every photographer got different styles of taking pictures, hence the world becomes beautiful. You climb, you jump, you hop, you block :sweatsm: and even if you need to lay on the floor to get yourself dirty ... JUST DO IT and get the job done .. :devil:

Know how to respect others, and others will returns what you deserved. :sticktong

I think she was referring to the photographers who are NOT OFFICIALLY there to take photos, but rather hobbists who use the performances as a venue to practice...

 

[glennyong]

Knight ong say is true.. when u are official, u get the job done no matter what. if its at the expense of others view for a few minutes or so... u will do have to do it for the sake of producing good shots..

coz the audience will not appreciate u if u dun block their view. coz if u dun help urself when u are shooting as official, no one will.. u are alone out there.

so no point saying who is right or whos not.

for me, i get the job done. no matter what. by how by crook. i will get the job done. if organiser say before hand that there are some rules and regulations, den i will follow them. but if theres not. i will still carry on and make sure i get good shots so i can present it to the client.

when ur the official. u get the job done. sorry for being straight. but when i am on the job, i dun care whos behind me or not.. i get my job done and i move away. and if theres VIPs, den i will make sure i dun block them..

 

[KNIGHT ONG]

I think she was referring to the photographers who are NOT OFFICIALLY there to take photos, but rather hobbists who use the performances as a venue to practice...

Haha ... understands that .... but her point no.1 seem like that the organiser knows them as official ... then again if they requested for no flash photography do respect them .. :sweatsm:

 

[eikin]

agree there's no right or wrong ... just to add imagine this scenario: the official photog wearing the official pass while covering an event and then someone carrying a DSLR come over and tell the official photog not to block him/her taking the picture :sticktong what kind of manners, haiz

anyway i was helping my friend to cover some event involving school kids as well, though i have the official pass i do watch out for parents taking pictures of their kids in action while covering the event, sometimes even let them have the go before me, in return many times they try to make way for me without me asking. we don't always have to do things by throwing whatever 'authority' we may have.

 

[KNIGHT ONG]

and if theres VIPs, den i will make sure i dun block them..

It is a must not to block them as they are the VVIPs ... just step beside or lay low of them and adjust your angle ... :sweat:

Rules are rules ... knows when to break them .. :sticktong

 

[arowana]

Personally was shooting at Singapore Arts Festival over the past few days and am rather disturbed by some photographers' behaviour.

Hope these pointers would make this better between photographers and audience ... If you find all this is rubbish, move on.

1) When organiser say no flash, please dont mount your flashes and then try to sneak in a few flashes in between the performance.

2) Watch where ur flashes are pointing, I was blinded by flash myself. You are disturbing not only the performer and also the audience.

3) Do no obstruct the audience view. ie. do not stand right in front of the small little kids sitting in front trying to watch the performance. Sit down with the kids would be a better option.

4) DO NOT walk across the performance area (And I mean right through the center) when the performance is on-going !

Did you go to bugis and shoot today ?

Notice that your male fren also obstruct the audience behind?

Do you notice behind your male fren back? . Mind you , your friend was on a big camera bag, flash bracket, testing and firing shot at the performer while they are children cannot even see what going on .Some even resort to piggyback on the dad shoulder.Did you notice all this ?

Your male friend was in the middle facing the stage. Around 6 feet from the stage.