Didn't you recently switch to Nikon?

I had a wedding recently where due to a trifecta of videographers (really cool guys actually) I didn't get a shot that I envisioned in my mind which got me down a little and made me feel like I had failed. I loaded the cards, backed up and forgot about it for a few days. A week later I edited the pictures and realized that we rockstar ninja'd the heck out of that wedding. That one shot was not going to be missed by the couple, nor by me.


"Baby, its not you, its me. I just need some time to gain some perspective..."

McGrattan wrote:
I had a wedding recently where due to a trifecta of videographers (really cool guys actually) I didn't get a shot that I envisioned in my mind which got me down a little and made me feel like I had failed. I loaded the cards, backed up and forgot about it for a few days. A week later I edited the pictures and realized that we rockstar ninja'd the heck out of that wedding. That one shot was not going to be missed by the couple, nor by me.


"Baby, its not you, its me. I just need some time to gain some perspective..."



Very cool.

On the other hand.... I had a wedding that I did FAIL. Everyone was late, stressed, not having fun, etc. and though I didn't realize it so much at the time, I really dropped the ball on the quality of the photos. They got their money's worth and good coverage, but not the quality I feel should have been there. It didn't help that smiles were rare and tension high, but the last thing I want is for them or their friends to see my other work somewhere and think about how their photos didn't compare. No idea if they would actually think this, but it's very possible. I decided to offer a press book album at a special price to help showcase their wedding. More work on my end, but it highlights the good of the day and also helps put this behind me.

Going forward, it's a hard lesson that was well learned.

mjp698 wrote:
Definitely don't let the couple know your disappointment.

+1

If you're totally unhappy, just redo it. If it's engagement, just take them out and shoot during better time of the day and weather. If it's a wedding, offer after-shoot. Why not? It takes 2-3 hours and leaves you happy. Also you can use all your new techniques you wished you could use during the actual wedding, but didn't have time to do it. Now is the perfect time to play!

Just a thought!

Ah, +1000 on never ever letting client know you are remotely unhappy with the results!

Thank you all for your comments. Now the set I'm editing aren't awful or anything, they're actually not bad at all. Any client getting them would be very pleased with them. Not to mention the second shooter got some really great shots too, so combined, it's a great coverage. To me personally, they just don't live up because the last few weddings I've shot were so amazingly good. So I guess it's more of a personal thing. Just wanted to see what others experiences were with this scenario.

Oh, and I know never to let the client know if one wedding wasn't a s good as another. However, if it gets brought up by them for any strange reason, I can point out specifics as to why it is the way it is.

Daan B wrote:
Sahid Limon wrote:
How do you usually deal with it, or what steps do you take?

Stay in bed, curtains closed, listening to Nirvana all day long...


Hahaha... all I'm missing is the suicide letter from this strategy