I just wanted to share this so we are reminded of the basics.
This issue actually is about the DJ that is hired to be at my wedding, but I found a lot of things to learn from as a photographer.
As photographers I believe at least hope we all understand what an "image" and "professionalism" is, but after last night I started really thinking there could be people that just don't get it out there since I ran into one! Here is what happened.
I am getting married in 10 days and I got to pick the photographer which I carefully made sure it was not someone on my guest list from all the nightmares that could cause, but the DJ was hired with out me even meeting the guy because he friends with the mother in-law to be. I asked about him and they told me how he has been doing this 27 year and so on so I went with it... that was my mistake!
Last night he made arrangements to meet with us to finalize the name list and order of songs and so on, so I went dressed how I would to meet a client of mine and showed up 5 -7 minutes early like any professional person would.
Strike 1..
Well after waiting at the local coffee shop for 10 minute which makes him 5 minutes late we get a call he is almost there and he will wait for us outside... well this took me since your already late, who is to say I am?
Strike 2
This DJ comes in wearing a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and board shorts and unshaven not to mention the huge chain around his neck... even my fiancee is mumbling "oh my god, what has my mother got us into". I could not believe it! I mean the guy was doing this for 27 year and shows up like this? Now I have to think that someone that DJ's is clearly not doing this as their main source of income since they do not have the work that a photographer does but seriously its a business act professional!
Strike 3
Since this is a friend of the MOB I say nothing and want to over look the prior strikes to see if this is just because he is a friend of the family... so he starts talking... he opens up telling me that he is not there to tell me how to run my wedding but to make suggestions and help me have a fun wedding, so I am thinking ok... this is just me being a idiot right now I can deal with this. So then he ask us for our plans and music taste. So I let him know I come from a very traditional family and so does my fiancee so we would like classical music for background during dinner and our songs for the dance... his reply is "well I am going to tell you no, You can't expect people to stay connected with that.... here what about some Kid Rock"..... at no point the words he said matched what he was doing.
The short of what I took from this meeting is, do we really listen to our clients? 27 years this guy has been working as a DJ and I bet you that he thinks he is a professional that makes everyone happy. I know there are a lot of very professional men and women on this forum that meet and exceed the bar for clients every day but this is for those that might have fallen into a rut and forgot that little girls dream of this day for years and if you are being hired you are helping her to complete that dream.
Hope this helps some someone from preventing them from looking like an idiot at a meeting!
In a strange way, music is sometimes even more personal than photography...
And, I hate Kid Rock as much as the next guy...
... I will say this though... As a professional, I would hope that clients put time into picking me because they like my work, and then allow me to do my job. While he was definitely wrong to say one thing and do the other, he probably also knows that classical may disconnect some of the guests and might hinder the party...
That's not to say that he's right or wrong, but I think that if you had never met with him or heard him work, then you can't really blame him for doing what he normally does. What he normally does might suck (or might not), but you hired him sight unseen (or unheard).
you definitely have to show yourself as a professional esp when you are going on client meets!
big nono on his part!
as for the type of music i think you should take it as a work of art like photography. usually clients find you because they like your style of shooting. in this case DJs definitely have their own styles. you admit to not ever meeting him or knowing what he spins so i think that is probably the root of that problem. he is in his element when spinning something contemporary whereas you want something classical. it is like getting me to shoot a wedding and telling me to shoot like jeremy clay (obviously style not talent wise since im not "there" yet) buttt at the same time he should definitely be more accomodating though.
again i dont agree with his approach when meeting with you but i would have to say judging a book by its cover is also a nono.
i just hope he does know what he is doing and that your initial meeting isnt an accurate representation of his overall work. i hope you have a great wedding!
The wedding I just did in the outter banks the DJ, named hambone, came to the wedding on a skate board.
So ya haha I am sure people are full of these stories. I am also getting married soon and can only imagine how you felt.
Doug
I think there are times in which a photographer's ego gets in the way of serving their clients ("No, I refuse to do table shots, sorry"). I think its important to remember who we work for and try our best to make clients happy.
Now with that said, I see this post as a thinly veiled attempt to trash some random vendor here on this board. There isn't a lot of redeeming value in this post other than to make you feel a little better for venting.
I think the real lesson here is to do a little better research when picking out vendors for a wedding. Obviously if this guy has been doing this for 27 years, he has been doing something right. From the way you described him, he wouldn't be in business for 27 days, nevermind 27 years. I suspect something is amiss.
Most DJ's are failed musicians so we cut them a bit of slack.
I'd be more concerned with his 27 years in the business .. that's like 1982. Which is as old as say, Jeremy Clay for example.
1982 .. the year Ozzie bit the head off a bird.
Some news from 1982:
"Larry Walters on July 2nd ties 42 weather balloons to a lawn chair and flies as high as 16 thousand feet before shooting the balloons with a pellet gun and landing about 90 minutes later. The FAA fined him $1,500. He later announced his retirement from free flight experiments and planned a career as a DJ"
the DJ at our wedding forgot his records at our ceremony so he had to play our cds and brought his girlfriend to our reception who helped herself to our food & open bar.
Two wedding ago the brides DJ showed up (had to drive about 2 hours) forgot the brides music. Then he had to borrow batteries from me for his headset his were totally dead and no spares. He left his 82 model van parked right next to the gazebo they were getting married in so it showed up in many of the shots. Pretty unprofessional, but hey once he had the brides music he rocked the joint>
deepbluejh wrote:
I think there are times in which a photographer's ego gets in the way of serving their clients ("No, I refuse to do table shots, sorry"). I think its important to remember who we work for and try our best to make clients happy.....
Interesting view. If it's not ones style why would they Macy's works for me when I visit their store because they sell the items I want. I don't go in there expecting something they don't offer.
deepbluejh wrote:
Now with that said, I see this post as a thinly veiled attempt to trash some random vendor here on this board. There isn't a lot of redeeming value in this post other than to make you feel a little better for venting.
Though I don't agree with the OP's opinion on how the DJ conducted business, I don't see it as not valuable or trashing at all. This COULD be (as the OP suggested in the very beginning) a way to conduct yourself when doing business.
Some people (like the OP) prefer someone dressed a lot more "tight" and an early arrival. I've worked in the corporate world for the past 17 years and absolutely hate dressing like a stiff nerdy idiot on 90 deg days. Even in the colder months it's stupid to me.....and no one visit the office!!! It's just us employees. I also despise churches that expect you to be in a suit instead of attending for the purpose of worship.
deepbluejh wrote:
I think the real lesson here is to do a little better research when picking out vendors for a wedding. Obviously if this guy has been doing this for 27 years, he has been doing something right. From the way you described him, he wouldn't be in business for 27 days, nevermind 27 years. I suspect something is amiss.
+1
Oh, the DJ is probably right on target with the classical music thing. Sure, your family may be into it, but what about the other guest? The DJ should listen to his/her clients, but the DJ has to read the crowd too. Dinner may be a point to play that stuff you want, but I hope you don't get bothered if he goes off into a different direction because he is watching no one get up because no one can do the hustle to classical music Though you may not be familiar with the hustle (not a jab at you so please don't take it that way).
When I started out as full time second shooter/assistant, I made sure I was working for top notch photographers. I was seeing a lot of high end clients.
From the top of the tallest building in St. Louis to swanky lawyers clubs to sprawling country clubs, I heard LOTS of classical music over dinner. It was a very appealing atmosphere, and at times the volume of dinner conversation in the room would keep growing and growing....
I would say that the OP probably knows his own friends (and family) much better than anyone NOT attending the wedding, and his and his bride's choice of music are the best and only choice of music for the wedding.
A more professional choice of words by the DJ could have been, "I'm sorry, I mainly spin music such as Kid Rock and such&such. I won't be able to maintain a cohesive set of music if I have to play an energetic cello peice by Yo Yo Ma during dinner."
Mike Mahoney wrote:
Most DJ's are failed musicians so we cut them a bit of slack.
I'd be more concerned with his 27 years in the business .. that's like 1982. Which is as old as say, Jeremy Clay for example.
1982 .. the year Ozzie bit the head off a bird.
Some news from 1982:
"Larry Walters on July 2nd ties 42 weather balloons to a lawn chair and flies as high as 16 thousand feet before shooting the balloons with a pellet gun and landing about 90 minutes later. The FAA fined him $1,500. He later announced his retirement from free flight experiments and planned a career as a DJ"...Show more →
What's your point? I graduated HS in '81.
Rude and insensitive to the wishes of the people paying the freight is timeless.
Two weddings ago the DJ began to play the wrong song for a first dance then the bride and groom stopped dancing and told him a few bars in and then he didn't have their actual song....five different friends went out to their car to find a cd with this song and some random friend saved the day...accept for the fact the DJ didn't have the base balanced: (
three weddings ago the DJ knew the exact songs to play.....to scare everyone off the dance floor: (
Four weddings ago the DJ hadn't come early and done a sound check and when he tried to have a sound check in the middle of the reception he blew a speaker and had to drive a half hour to his house and back the dance started way late and all of the speeches and slideshows had already happened...read and hour of driving and a half hour setting up of board guests.: (
a bunch of weddings ago=live swing band orchestra=awesome, amazing, every one danced the night away and the reception finished with the the huge orchestra circling the crowd and playing their instrument while standing on chairs and in the middle of the tables!!!!!!!
Macy's works for me when I visit their store because they sell the items I want. I don't go in there expecting something they don't offer.
Though you may not be familiar with the hustle (not a jab at you so please don't take it that way).