phil hawkins Offline Upload & Sell: On
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I'm the guy who coined the "Idiots with Rebels and D60s". What this is referring to is people who literally walk right behind the pro and shoot over his shoulder. At the very least it's distracting to hear someone else's camera going off in your ear when you're trying to concentrate, and it's also rude to think you can go right up behind someone and shoot what they are being paid to shoot. They are the ones there making a living by arranging everyone, balancing the group, requesting cooperation, balancing the background, and people come up and shoot away.
here's the deal; Wedding photographers make money by charging the B&G to show up and shoot the wedding. Various price levels can contain package amenities such as an album, maybe an 11x14 portrait, mother-in-law album, etc. Above the agreed-to items, they must pay for additional prints. If an amateur brings a Rebel or D60, which takes very good pictures, and then decides to start giving them away, he's taken money away from the pro. He's "stolen" his or her setup, then gives away the results. Try bringing an ice chest into the multi-plex movie theater next time you go and see what happens. They are there to make money. I am considering putting a clause in my contract that attendees may not bring cameras to the wedding.
Shooting a wedding is
a) Hard work; it takes intense concentration, a constant awareness of what's coming next, how it needs to be shot, and when. In a big wedding you will run all over the place, an average of two miles, changing CF cards, lenses, retrieving cords, etc.
b) An awesome responsibility; You only get one opportunity to get a shot of a one-time only event. For better or worse, the actions of these two people and the associated hangers-on will never happen again. Ever. So you HAVE to be good at what you do so you can make sure you get the shot. There will always be another football game, or sunset, or children playing in the yard, but this wedding and it's parts is literally, a once-in-a-lifetime-event. Here's a list of the BASICS that a two-shooter photography team must try to capture:
Pre-ceremony
* Bride's gown before she slips it on
* Bride having her hair styled and makeup applied
* Candid shots of the bride and her 'maids getting ready
* Bridal party reacting to the bride in her gown
* Bride heading to the ceremony site
* Bride and her father just before walking down the aisle
* Groom with his father
* Candid shots of the groom and groomsmen getting ready
* Groom heading to the ceremony site
* Dramatic on-site landscapes (such as stormy skies, lush woods, fields of flowers)
Ceremony site
* Exterior and interior of the ceremony site before guests arrive
* Guests arriving
* Bridal party arriving
* Musicians performing
* Family members being seated
* Processional and recessional
* Bride and her father (or escort) walking down the aisle
* Groom reacting to bride walking down the aisle
* Father giving the bride away
* Wide shot of the altar/chuppah
* Bride and groom reciting their vows
* Bride and groom exchanging rings
* The couple's first kiss
* Bride and groom being introduced to their guests as a married couple
* Bride and groom exiting their ceremony site
* Receiving line
* Bride and groom in their getaway car
Reception site
* Exterior and interior shots of the reception site before guests arrive
* Table settings
* Menu, escort, and table cards
* Guests signing the book
* Escort-card table
* Food stations and bar setup during cocktail hour
* Bridal-party table
* Bride and groom cutting the cake
* Wedding-party entrances
* Guests seated at their tables
* Bride and groom's first dance
* Toasts and blessing (if applicable)
* Father-daughter dance
* Mother-son dance
* Band or DJ
* Guests dancing
* Bouquet and garter toss, anniversary dance
* Candid shots throughout the night
* Bride and groom send-off
Formal portraits
* Bride and groom, each alone
* Bride and groom posed together
* Bride and groom with wedding party
* Bride with her family
* Groom with his family
* Bride and groom with bride's family
* Bride and groom with groom's family
* Both families together
* Bride with her mother
* Groom with his father
* Flower girl and ring bearers with bride and groom
Close-ups
* Bridal bouquet
* Boutonniere
* Shoes
* Details on the bride's gown
* Details on the groom's attire such as cuff links
* Jewelry
* Ceremony programs
* Centerpieces
* Hors d'oeuvres
* Specialty drinks
* Wedding cake
* Favors
(from bride.com)
c) Very, very hard on equipment. Banging around, the heat, and back east and in the midwest you have humidity and the threat of sudden rain. If you shoot a wedding on the beach the sand and salt will eat your equipment like acid. Setting up and using strobes wears on your flash heads, bulbs, etc. Wind can and does knock over softboxes, little kids running around tripping on power cords, Great Aunt Martha unplugging your strobe so she can use the AC plug... and not to mention shooting 1,500 shots the toll on your shutter...
d) Very demanding work even after the wedding with post, delivery of proofs, etc.
A wedding photographer earns every cent he or she receives.
DO NOT, that means DO NOT shoot over the pros shoulder on formals... or anything else you see him shooting. I shot the cutting of the cake and it was like shooting jubee shots after a football game. I am the pro and could not get a position without pushing amateurs out of the way.
I had to WAIT to get my shots done while a guy with a Rebel took his own setups of the B&G and parents on their way to my location for the same thing. Pissed me off!
Seriously, I am thinking about banning all other cameras at my weddings. They want pictures? I am the official wedding photographer and you can buy them from me. Otherwise, you do without.
I will give you Kudos for having the courtesy to ask the question. Please spread the word.
Edited on Oct 22, 2008 at 02:26 AM · View previous versions
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