Wedding photography experience...

[nickmak]

Hey,

Just came back from Koh Samet to shoot my teacher's wedding. I was the backup photographer there... When I went there, I was told that the photographer was a bit of an arse... Initially I thought maybe it was a joke and I might be able to say hi to her, but when I met her she just shrugged me off, just like other people, especially my teacher's family members too! :bigeyes:

It was all ok because I assumed she was busy and we caught her at the wrong moment. Then the wedding went on and here came the family photos. At this very moment I just put my camera down and enjoyed the moment. After they got into position I took my camera up and wanted to stand back. At that moment the photographer came up to me and told me off. She said 'I'm sorry, you cannot take any pictures here!' in a stern voice. I was taken aback. Then after a few shots, my teacher's father took out his camera phone (I think its was a Nokia 7250) and he got told off by the photographer too! I thought to myself, is the photographer really that worried about her money? How big can the camera phone print a picture of decent quality? I initially thought maybe the people being photographed might be distracted by another camera, but even when my teacher's father stood quite some distance away, her assistant protested against that too!!!!

After all the family shots, there was a gathering in the nearby bar... I was prepared to shoot the lots of candids there... The main photographer was busy munching away at the food there and I was walking around talking to my teacher's family and friends. When I found a good shot, I prepared my camera and all of a sudden, the main photographer blocks my view. I felt that she was just pouncing on the good shots I had found. I know she was the main photographer, but it seemed to me that I was doing the work looking for a candid moment and when I found one, the main photographer just took advantage of me and took my spot, and just to repeat myself again, the main photographer was busying herself with eating the food provided, NOT shooting! ;(

For all you guys out there, please tell me this was a bad experience and not a normal thing...

Regards,
Nick

PS: Cannot post the pics here, my teacher asked for it to be private...

 

[Garion]

Sorry to hear abt your experience Nick, guess there are such ppl out there... :sweat: Strange though....as backup photographer you should be allowed shooting rights also mar. You didn't get in her way at all right? I think she's being too overly paranoid I guess.....or maybe she was intimidated by your "big" setup? :bsmilie: (juz kidding hehe).

Anyways dun let such things discourage you, do keep shooting.

 

[Twilo]

Damn...i'd have shoved that long white L lens of yours up her where it hurts most. What a biatch.

 

[Bernard Ong]

It seems to me the main photog has a stong sense of insecurity.

 

[nickmak]

Sorry to hear abt your experience Nick, guess there are such ppl out there... :sweat: Strange though....as backup photographer you should be allowed shooting rights also mar. You didn't get in her way at all right? I think she's being too overly paranoid I guess.....or maybe she was intimidated by your "big" setup? :bsmilie: (juz kidding hehe).

Anyways dun let such things discourage you, do keep shooting.

Hehe... thanks for cheering me up Garion!

Yea, I thought also that as a backup photographer I'm allowed shooting rights. I even told her I'm not going to get in her way of the best position to shoot. Besides, she's the paid one too! For example, when I saw my teacher's friend's little girl jumping around like a bunny, I found it really cute and prepared for a shot. When I put my eye into the eyepiece, I can't see my picture anymore. Why? Because I have my setup pointed into the main photographer's butt! Grrrr.... Sorry for venting my anger... I just found it a little unfair for everyone in the wedding.

Regards,
Nick

 

[singscott]

:what: I am a professional photog and don't need to feel treaten. It only show that you are doing a better job getting the angles first. The next time this should happen again, you should try your best to get first best shots possible and then politely ask her not to be rude to disturb your creative process. Then she will most likely to say she the main photog blar blar blar, then again politely ask to do her job rather then talk so much and been rude.

 

[nickmak]

Forgot to add... If you have known about the earlier post about me needing help for the wedding shoot, you would have known that this photographer was paid an equivalent of 1500 pounds to come here from the US (Forgot the exchange rate so cannot convert to US$) She's a paid professional and I'm an 18 yr-old student, why's she so paranoid? :dunno:

 

[nickmak]

:what: I am a professional photog and don't need to feel treaten. It only show that you are doing a better job getting the angles first. The next time this should happen again, you should try your best to get first best shots possible and then politely ask her not to be rude to disturb your creative process. Then she will most likely to say she the main photog blar blar blar, then again politely ask to do her job rather then talk so much and been rude.

That's a good one!

 

[madmacs]

Forgot to add... If you have known about the earlier post about me needing help for the wedding shoot, you would have known that this photographer was paid an equivalent of 1500 pounds to come here from the US (Forgot the exchange rate so cannot convert to US$) She's a paid professional and I'm an 18 yr-old student, why's she so paranoid? :dunno:

she's probably afraid that her pics will lose out to an 18 yr old

 

[jbma]

Honestly I believe that in a wedding situation there is no exclusive deal. Anybody at the wedding should be allowed to take any shots they fancy. The most important thing is that the host has given you the permission. I guess she feels intimidated by your setup. I was at an IBM function in Bangkok a few months back and there was an official photographer. I went back to my room and took my camera and started shooting away. We have an understanding that we would stay out of each other's way without even discussing about it. It is just automatic. Even when we are shooting the same scene he would wait for me to finish before he shoots or I would let him finish and then I shoot. We became friends. We shared our drinks, food and photo tips. I even tried his Nikon and he tried my Canon. This is what photography is all about.
If I were you I would have just shoved her off and tell her she is in your way. Or you should give her a taste of her own medicine by standing in front of her when she is about to shoot. I think you are being to kind. Sometimes this is what it takes to get a shot.

 

[sulhan]

Hiee....

I was told by a friend that he went to a wedding to shoot and found that each and every table was given a disposable camera.....

The final results......the candid shots from these cameras were more than what the main photog took....

Obvious ain't it.. :bsmilie:


rgds,
sulhan

 

[nickmak]

Honestly I believe that in a wedding situation there is no exclusive deal. Anybody at the wedding should be allowed to take any shots they fancy. The most important thing is that the host has given you the permission. I guess she feels intimidated by your setup. I was at an IBM function in Bangkok a few months back and there was an official photographer. I went back to my room and took my camera and started shooting away. We have an understanding that we would stay out of each other's way without even discussing about it. It is just automatic. Even when we are shooting the same scene he would wait for me to finish before he shoots or I would let him finish and then I shoot. We became friends. We shared our drinks, food and photo tips. I even tried his Nikon and he tried my Canon. This is what photography is all about.
If I were you I would have just shoved her off and tell her she is in your way. Or you should give her a taste of her own medicine by standing in front of her when she is about to shoot. I think you are being to kind. Sometimes this is what it takes to get a shot.

Hey bro, i agree with your point of view. That's what everybody thought initially. I don't know if she was intimidated by my setup but I knew my setup was rather big..1DMKII, 70-200mm f2.8L, 550EX, 300D, 17-40L on both shoulders, but I mean, if she's scared of my setup, she's not great because she's the one who has access to all the best angles but then she's not doing her job!

Hehe... I think if I did stand in front of her, she would have had her high heel up my butt! :bsmilie:

Thanks anyway bro...

 

[jbma]

Hiee....

I was told by a friend that he went to a wedding to shoot and found that each and every table was given a disposable camera.....

The final results......the candid shots from these cameras were more than what the main photog took....

Obvious ain't it.. :bsmilie:


rgds,
sulhan

Hey this is a very cool idea.

 

[czeyang]

If she has set up the group photos, I don't think you should photograph her setups. Why not shoot candids of the people preparing for the group photo?

As the backup, if the main photog is blocking your view, why not just turn around and shoot something her butt cannot see? Instead of shooting the bunny girl, shoot the look on the bride's face lah, or look for other opportunities. The main photog is going to get the shot anyway. Do you want the bride to have a good varied album or you just wanna show what a good photog you are?

Granted the main photog may not be that nice or doing her job well, but sometimes have to live with it and make the best pictures you can. Most of the wedding photogs I've met are very accomodating of other photogs.

 

[megaweb]

I don't know if she was intimidated by my setup but I knew my setup was rather big..1DMKII, 70-200mm f2.8L, 550EX, 300D, 17-40L on both shoulders

do you have a shot of yourself with the above setup ? :bigeyes:

look scary for a wedding photographer

 

[nickmak]

If she has set up the group photos, I don't think you should photograph her setups. Why not shoot candids of the people preparing for the group photo?

As the backup, if the main photog is blocking your view, why not just turn around and shoot something her butt cannot see? Instead of shooting the bunny girl, shoot the look on the bride's face lah, or look for other opportunities. The main photog is going to get the shot anyway. Do you want the bride to have a good varied album or you just wanna show what a good photog you are?

You see, even if I wanted to shoot the bride's face, she would also take that shot, as if to intimidate me and push me away...

I wanna give the couple, especially when I know both the groom and the bride as they are both teachers in my school, a varied album, and I want good pictures too...

In case you did not read it fully, I did try hard to get shots, and when the opportunity came, the main photographer, who was NOT doing her job, would take my opportunity and take advantage of it. Its as if I did all the work and she gets the credit type of situation that I was frustrated about.

Regards,
Nick

 

[nickmak]

do you have a shot of yourself with the above setup ? :bigeyes:

look scary for a wedding photographer

I think my teacher has a shot of me like that... hehe...

I seriously think that if the photographer was going to be intimidated of my setup, she would have told me to stop shooting only. But instead she told even the groom's father with a puny little camera phone to stop shooting! I was shocked by that! :bigeyes:

 

[czeyang]

Well if that's the way she shoots I guess she won't be in the business for long.

 

[Caussway]

Hey bro, i agree with your point of view. That's what everybody thought initially. I don't know if she was intimidated by my setup but I knew my setup was rather big..1DMKII, 70-200mm f2.8L, 550EX, 300D, 17-40L on both shoulders, but I mean, if she's scared of my setup, she's not great because she's the one who has access to all the best angles but then she's not doing her job!

Hehe... I think if I did stand in front of her, she would have had her high heel up my butt! :bsmilie:

Thanks anyway bro...

Get 1 or 2 more lenses, to balance your age and value of your equipments

18Y <===> 18K :bsmilie:

 

[Stoned]

Reminds me of this time some professional photogs were hired to cover my teacher's wedding held in my church.

The resident photogs at the church were highly unforgiving;
Our ST1100 produced a 1ds coupled with a 120-300/2.8 so as not to get in their way. Unfortunately, he also scared them all the way to the other side of the chapel.
Wkcheah76, who was waiting at the other side, then produced 2 f5s with manfrotto flash brackets, these had 2 80-200/2.8s mounted on them. The poor photographer was highly intimidated to say the least.
I really had a good laugh at the expense of the poor, unfortunate photog :bsmilie:
He probably felt as insecure as the paid photographer in your teacher's wedding