So in that case an employee who works an 11-9 shift is eating two meals from a lunch box? That's going to make for some pretty miserable employees and crummy productivity. They recognized that.
DannyBostwick wrote:
Come on guys, your already being paid several thousand dollars on average. At a decent wedding a meal is upwards of a hundred bucks at plate. Be grateful you have such an epic job & eat the damn turkey wrap and enjoy it.
Edit: Didn't realize Lisy already made this point. Just got frustrated with a bunch of people complaining about not getting filets.
KMA...it's rude and really quite absurd not to feed your vendors. If you can't swing the extra few bucks to feed them you should re-think your budget.
Do I take home "several thousand dollars on average"? Hell no. Give me a break!
ckhagen wrote:
So in that case an employee who works an 11-9 shift is eating two meals from a lunch box? That's going to make for some pretty miserable employees and crummy productivity. They recognized that.
aaaaargh! I'm not saying "don't ask to be fed" ... I'm saying bring food for backup!!!!
I get fed all the freaking time... but if it doesn't happen... especially if you think your performance will suffer.. bring something. That's all.
I'm not advocating scoffing at the hot meal and walking off with a cliff bar... just saying that clauses in the contract mean nothing if you're not going to fight for them on the day (and I strongly think you shouldn't)...
I mention being fed to the couple... I tell them "hey will there be food we can eat while shooting? You don't want us passing out from having no food... the pictures aren't gonna take themselves" ... and they ALWAYS say "yes, of course!"
In practice for short weddings I bring nothing... I can go 6 hours with just liquids. For longer weddings i bring backup. and yeah I'll be bringing a cooler a-la-Scott from now on all the time.
Brian Virts wrote:
That probably would have been a deal breaker for me. I look for clients that want a win-win experience. When they start cutting me out, I close down. Money is nice, but feeling a sense of belonging and being apart of what's happening; directly or indirectly is paramount to me booking a client. Your MO might differ...greatly...
To the people that have in their contract that they must be fed, what happens when you get to the reception and whoops, they forgot to get you a meal? Is that a breach of contract and do you walkout, refusing to shoot the reception?
I guess my question is, why put it in the contract?
Wow, this is a controversial and argumentative thread....
As someone who got married two months ago, can I chime in?
We asked our photographer what he needed from us during the day - here's what he asked for:
Somewhere quiet and out of the way to store his gear and that he could go to for breaks, to review photos and unwind in between shooting.
Something to eat if possible, but he could bring his own sandwiches etc if needed. He declined the offer of a full meal as he wanted some time to himself during the wedding meal (we did the toasts and speeches at the start).
Given that it was looking to be about a 12 hour gig for him, I naturally expected him to want some food and probably somewhere away from the hubbub to collect his thoughts. After all, my employer doesn't expect me to work for 12 hours without breaks or sustenance.
I arranged a room at the venue for him to use and arranged for the venue to provide him with food. (He still brought his own sandwiches for backup!)
We didn't have to get contractual about it - he made a couple of very reasonable requests and I made sure that they were fulfilled.
I don't shoot weddings, but I think the easiest way to go about getting fed during your work day shooting a wedding would be to ask the couple about it when they engage your services, explain that you'll need something to eat and that you'll need to take breaks in order for them to get the best out of you on the day. They should be able to arrange for the caterer/venue to provide you with food just as they do for the wedding guests.
Our photographer got fed, had space and quiet to collect his thoughts, and captured some outstanding memories from our day.
Being a photographer myself, my wedding was probably different since we arranged everything as conveniently as possible.
3 hours for really casual formals and just hanging out? Yup.
Tons of buffer time in between ceremony/formals/reception just in case? Yup.
Arranging for the vendors to be fed when the head table was served and making sure nothing interesting was happening while we were all eating? Yup.
That said, our wedding was probably not the typical case.
IMO, communication is key - talk to your clients about it and be clear about scheduling around it. It doesn't help if you have a catered meal and they're off doing a first dance while you attempt to carve up a steak with one hand while taking pictures with the other.
TomHarmon wrote:
To the people that have in their contract that they must be fed, what happens when you get to the reception and whoops, they forgot to get you a meal? Is that a breach of contract and do you walkout, refusing to shoot the reception?
I guess my question is, why put it in the contract?
It's a matter of setting expectations. I would imagine the number of couples who truly "forgot" would be incredibly small. Caterers ask if a couple will be feeding the vendors.
I have been to a few venues where the manager or owner has told me that they refuse to even offer vendor meals. They get my referrals every time.
RJKphoto wrote:
It's a matter of setting expectations. I would imagine the number of couples who truly "forgot" would be incredibly small. Caterers ask if a couple will be feeding the vendors.
I have been to a few venues where the manager or owner has told me that they refuse to even offer vendor meals. They get my referrals every time.
But why not just set that expectation during the consults. Why put it in your contract? What recourse do you have (or are willing to do) if they just refuse to buy you a meal?
So in that case an employee who works an 11-9 shift is eating two meals from a lunch box? That's going to make for some pretty miserable employees and crummy productivity.
Well, yes (!), it's possible you'll need to eat two meals from a lunch box. Come on, guys, is this so serious a problem that we can't prepare for it? Good heavens, we often come prepared to SOLVE all kinds of problems (lots of photographers come with dress-mending kits, bobby pins, white duct tape, and small nuclear reactors at the ready).
If you don't get food you were promised, that is a problem you can anticipate and solve on your own. It's disappointing, but it doesn't have to impact your work unless you don't have the foresight to anticipate the possibility and imagine a creative My-Little-Pony solution.
Ale, maybe get with Fed Ex and a dry-ice company and start selling emergency meal kits. I like what you're dishing out.
M Lucca wrote:
Do you provide food for your contractors that reno your home?
If I held them hostage for 8-10 hours a day without letting them leave or have a break, I would hope so.
If not... I'd have to let them go for 30-60 minutes to get lunch.
Nothing in my contract but I do send out a little questionnaire a little way before the wedding with this in it:
Wedding Breakfast:
If possible it really helps if we’re able to eat as wedding guests. It enables us to photograph the food and record it as part of the day and means that we don’t have to worry about missing anything. Please can you indicate whether this is possible:
Yes / No
NB: If it’s not possible, please could you ensure that a hot meal and soft drinks are available to us at the same time as the top table is being served. We often find that venues don't quite understand this and are reluctant to serve us alongside the top table, but there’s more reasoning to it than us being greedy – we just want to make sure we're not taking unflattering photos of you eating then missing all the good stuff while we're out of the room munching.
Would I ever bring it up with the couple if we didn't get fed. Hell no! The couple of times we've had problems with it they've asked me directly about it without me saying anything. I've always replied with "Don't worry we're sorting it" but each couple has always made sure. I usually work a 14-16hr day at a wedding, most couples understand if they're getting me for that long I need to eat.
TRReichman wrote:
I've been responsible for feeding myself for several years now - showing up for thousands of dollars to work doesn't change that. 1 meal out of one day out of my entire life is really not the hill I want to die on nor the thing I'd like to be judged on. Making a big deal about it seems ridiculous to me, but keep it up because it makes our jobs a lot easier.
- trr
You mean someone else fed you prior to those several years ? Were you spoon fed or was it with a bottle ?
alohadave wrote:
So feel free to put clauses in your contract, but if you try to enforce the clauses, you are a douche. Are you a douche for enforcing the payment schedule in your contract?
"Ahhh, i feel im pretty much done with this coverage, even though they still have two hours left in their contract. So what. Contracts are for wienies anyway".
D. Diggler wrote:
Or THE BAND showing up right at dinner time and gettng the same as what the guests eat!
Excellent point. I've seen that so many times. 6-8 band members, haven't played a note, have their own table, eat just like everyone else THEN go play their crappy top ten tunes with Dora the Crooner belting out "It's the Last Dance" with spinach in her teeth.
Photographers are such wimps. "Thats ok, shit on me, I'm used to it anyway", it's part of the industry.
TomHarmon wrote:
my question is, why put it in the contract?
To try to increase compliance. The client will be much more diligent if they know they are contractually obligated in writing as compared to "I think meals might have been discussed briefly when we met with the dude a year ago".
