[Banded Drake]

This might be a long one ,


I got a call Tuesday night from a friend whos daughter is getting married and wants me to shoot . I told him NO a couple of months ago , and said I dont do weddings . I just dont think that i have near enough experrence ( sp ) to be shooting a wedding . We i caved in Tuesday , he said " we dont have any money , and we really want you to shoot " . So right off the bat i know there aint no way i can make anything off of this and there will be no pressure . I told him to buy as much film as he can and ill take all the pics i can. ( i know im a fool LOL ) but i thought that i could use this as a learning experrence ( sp again ) .

Well everything started out fine, im doing the pre wedding shots like the decorations and a few other things , just to get relaxed . She ( the mom ) tells me " all the film is on the table " , so i look over there and there is 5 ( five ) rolls there . I think to myself " 5 rolls is all you got you cheap %&^*#$ " . but ill make do with 5 rolls LOL

Then it happens , people start fighting amongst them selves about this and that . And here i am trying to not pay attition . I wanted to shoot everyone getting ready , so i tell them what i wanted to do , I start looking for the grooms men and they are everywhere else but where i wanted them . and already have there Tuxes on ( they showed up that way ) . SO i think no problem ill get the Bride and Bridesmaids , So i show up there and its a mess . I snap a few , about 5 so i dont run out of film . ANd i take few more of the grooms men and groom just wandering .

Now the wedding , i told them to give me a chance to take a picture when they are walking down the isle . THAT DIDNT WORK , the dern near ran me over !!!! it was all i could do to get out the way . So now its the Brides walk , i knew i didnt have to worry about her walking fast in that long dress ( which by the way was very pretty ) i take about 5 shots " to get it right " They get down there and start the ceromony ( sp ) , and the preacher messes up big time , the dad hasnt given away the bride yet and he starts the vows , i think to my self OMG i need to get closer so i dont miss anything . I nearly run to the front to get a " close up " of the " rings extchange " and " the kiss " . Thanks god i am fast LOL . I got them .

Now after the wedding , i told them lets get some " group " shots of the whole party and the mom of the bride says " no we are going to cut the cake and eat first " . I tell her that it would be much easier to get it done now since they are all together anyway . ( what i wanted to say was LOOK HERE IM NOT GOING TO BE AROUND HERE ALL NIGHT WAITING ON YOU LADIE ) , but i was nice . We got in the rception hall and the cake had fallen apart ( littereally ) and they are just about to cut it with out me there ( i had to pee ) . By now i am down to 1 roll of film , i told the da of the bride i was getting low on ammo so i want to get plenty of the bride and groom too , so he gets them all together ( after the cake and toast and all the reception stuff ) , it takes another hlaf hour to get everyone together and we were missing family members and wedding party memebers , there was cake all over the brides dress and in her hair and the grooms hair and it was a nightmair .

All of this to say I DONT SEE MYSELF EVER DOING A WEDDING AGAIN . LOL or a Free one . To be honest if it wasnt for the mom everything would have been fine but she was ( 20 years ago ) a wedding planner , and now i know why she dont do it anymore. SHE SUX at it . THe bride and groom were great to me , and so was the wedding party and the dad . BUT STAY AWAY FROM MOM , she treated me like i was her little camera man and that i was there for her to call on at anytime. They even handed my wife a camera and told her to take pictures too . That pissed me off bad , she was there for me , as my helper . Which she did a great job for me .

I will post some pics later , if i get some to play with and the Bride and Groom are coming over to take some portraits ( NOT FOR FREE ) , so ill get a little money out of it .

.............. Thanks for letting me vent ......... Shawn

[Petographer]

Be sure to remind them why you don't do weddings. Be nice about it but state your point. Then charge money for the images. No pay=no prints. This is why weddings should be on a contractual basis.

[EnglishBob]

Your a braver man than me Shawn, much braver! I've shot Pit Bulls for a friends website that were friendlier than some weddings I've witnessed.

[Banded Drake]

I will be sure to tell them Peto , they know that i am learning but i still feel like they are looking for a " pro picture " and dont want to pay for anything, I have to talk to the Dad he is the one that called me and the Mom really dont want to try my temper, its not really about the money for me , but i will get something out of it !!


EB ,

I really dont think Brave is the right word , maybe Stupid is closer , i need to learn to say no and stay true to it . Im just not the right kinda guy for that situation ( a wedding ) and i know that. Im very easy to get along with but when things are like they were/ are , they are going to find the other side of me LOL .


I think i just need to stick to " glamour " and " landscape ' ( if i can get a grasp on that LOL )

.... THanks for reading my rant ..... Shawn

[Toad]

There are more horror stories surrounding weddings than any other kind of photography.

A couple of my suggestions:

1. Don't work for friends or family - they won't treat you like a professional
2. Don't work for free - people don't appreciate what they don't pay for
3. Give your prospective clients a written sheet with your schedule and expectations in advance - this will help them plan around the photos
4. Bring your own film and batteries

Sorry it turned out so badly - but this is an old and familiar song that you are singing.

[matthew]

Sounds ghastly.

I "did" a wedding, my first, two weekends ago. I violated Toad's rules #1 and 2, and after that, #3 and 4 fall apart too. I hate to admit it, but the experience was a positive one.

There were a bunch of things that made a big difference.

I wasn't the primary photographer. I was simply backing up the paid photog, with a mandate to get the "other" photos, so there was a lot less pressure. Also, since the pro was being paid a fixed amount in exchange for the original camera files only, with no prints, I wasn't threatening his income so there was no competition. I also made it clear that I understood that I was to stay out of his way and make his job easier. As a result, we had several nice conversations during the lulls, he made room for me, and I was taken seriously by both him and the guests.

Even though it was my first wedding, I had gone to the rehearsal the night before (I am family, after all) and talked to the minister and the organizer, and knew the pacing, sequence, and who would be involved. The entire ceremony went as I expected it to, and I never found myself out of position. From what I could see of the primary photographer, he also had no problems with keeping up and being in the right place. (It would have been nice if he had worn clothing that would let him blend in with the guests a little better, though.)

I was shooting digital. I was able to practice post-processing with the photos from the rehearsal, could see what worked and what didn't, and review my shots as needed on the big day. While I do need to increase my collection of memory cards, I had about the equivalent of five rolls of film for the service and again for the reception (downloaded between the events), and if I was in a pinch, I could stop recording 5MP jpeg + 13MB raw files with every shot. I was also able to do ISO bracketing to ensure at least some decent images.

I hope the portrait session went well.

[smarti77]

Thanks for sharing your wedding stories. Sounds like way to much stress to me.....

[Banded Drake]

I think i broke all of Toads rules , there will be many changes if i ever do another wedding LOL . Thanks for reading yall ...


............ Shawn

[shuttertalk]

Hey Shawn, sorry to hear about the bad experience - it must have been frustrating indeed. I think Mr T's tips are great, although I broke the first three when I did my first and only wedding shoot!

The only difference was that I lucky to have been able to borrow a friend's digital SLR and I also rented a flashgun. With digital, I was able to take more shots than necessary just in case. I crammed hard the night before, studying all the different poses in wedding catalogues and portfolios on the web... and then it all went out the window the next day!! I ended up just shooting by instinct, and also just remembering the different poses I was made to do during my own wedding...

I also found it really helpful to have recruited an "assistant" that knew both sides of the family, so I could get the assistant to help me get people organised, round people up, etc.

Anyway - they say the best way to learn is though experiences and mistakes, so count yourself fortunate!!

[Wedding Shooter]

Hi Shawn,

I feel for you. I remember offering to shoot a wedding for family and they said no, they already had someone. Two days before the wedding they asked me to bring my camera as they had just bought some film for a friend of the family and there actually wasn't a professional at all.

It all went fine - but they were much more trying than any other wedding I have shot.

Look forward to seeing the work you did on the day. There will always be people looking for cheap/free photography at their wedding - you become a victum very easily. Who is paying for the processing/scanning?

[wulinka]

Shawn, I am really sorry to hear it went so bad for you! Lots of things to learn for the....next time :o

Kind of scared me to hear, since I am planning to photograph my best friend's wedding, thereby braking #1 and actually pretty much all of Toad's rules. But it sounds like being prepared is crucial and might help stay out of some of the trouble you had....

how did the portraits turn out?

uli

[StudioJ]

As much sympathy as I have for you mate I think this has got to be one of the funnier mental images I have seen.

I can just see the wedding invites coming out with "Ya'll wanna come n see us get hitched?". It may not be that bad but it screams yokel to me.

[Toad]

Everybody breaks all of my rules - including me...but in a perfect world...

[Polly]

This might be a long one ,


.............. Thanks for letting me vent ......... Shawn

I'm truly sorry you had such an experience but I gotta admit I couldn't help creasing with laughter at much of it. It reminded me of the time Rufus told us about the wedding shoot that got so bad he packed up and went home.

I think it was the Bride's mother who finally caused him to flip.

Pol

[Toad]

As much sympathy as I have for you mate I think this has got to be one of the funnier mental images I have seen.

I can just see the wedding invites coming out with "Ya'll wanna come n see us get hitched?". It may not be that bad but it screams yokel to me.

Accents from other cultures often can seem amusing, but commenting on them can be hurtful.

I never care for it when people make fun of Candian accents for example. (eh?)

[Banded Drake]

As much sympathy as I have for you mate I think this has got to be one of the funnier mental images I have seen.

I can just see the wedding invites coming out with "Ya'll wanna come n see us get hitched?". It may not be that bad but it screams yokel to me.

Accents from other cultures often can seem amusing, but commenting on them can be hurtful.

I never care for it when people make fun of Candian accents for example. (eh?)

There was no offence taken but thanks Toad, and to be honest that is just about what it was like . I do have a accent ( and i do type with one at times LOL ) but i didnt find it hurtful at all towards me .


Polly ,
to be honest while i was shooting i thought of Petos post and just shook my head and though " why didnt i learn from that LOL "

W S

They are supposed to be picking up the film ( i dont want to be out any money ) , and then getting them scanned after we look at them ... then i get to turn my hat to the Salesman . I think i can make some good out of this but we'll have to see ..

Wulinka

I havent gottne them back yet ( I REALLY NEED TO GO DIGITAL ) but i feel like they will be fine ( fingers crossed ) . I know that i need a lot more gear if , and i do mean of , i shoot another wedding .

S T

I didnt do near enough studding , not that it would have done any good though. I did learn a whole bunch . I will try to post some of the shots when/if i get them back ..


....... Thanks Yall for reading............... Shawn

[StudioJ]

As much sympathy as I have for you mate I think this has got to be one of the funnier mental images I have seen.

I can just see the wedding invites coming out with "Ya'll wanna come n see us get hitched?". It may not be that bad but it screams yokel to me.

Accents from other cultures often can seem amusing, but commenting on them can be hurtful.

I never care for it when people make fun of Candian accents for example. (eh?)

Yeah but at least I can say about without it sounding like aboat

Bloody Canuck!

J

[Toad]

Too right mate! Toss a shrimp on the barbi for me...