BGP1 wrote:
Everybody has a story about uncle bob. Last week for me it was the grooms parents during the ceremony specifically the father of the groom. He sat in the front row taking pictures almost the entire time. I have a shot of him I have been debating to post because it's pretty funny but sad and irritating at the same time.
i would use them to move left/right/forward/back/other to avoid obstacles that may happen to fall into my path.
i have a brain.
i would use it to evaluate a situation, and determine a course of action.
i have a mama & daddy who raised me right.
they taught me that i'm not the center of the universe.
they taught me to be empathetic, and self-aware, and accountable to myself.
they taught me to be polite, and charming, and to face adversity not with an eff-you-guys, pissy attitude, but instead as a problem-solver.
my advice for "dealing with uncle bobs" is to quit assuming that guests with camera are the enemy. quit making excuses and blaming your poor photography on some marginal annoyance.
start practicing your craft, adapting to challenges, and appreciating the experiences & perspective of other people instead of viewing them as some inconsequential bastards standing between you and the making your oh-so-important art.
(andrewho - please note that i was referring to "you" as a collective - not you, specifically, andrew ho)...Show more →
This is good! I usually get a minimum of 4-10 UBs at EVERY Indian and Nigerian wedding. You just have to work with it.
ksmahgrts--Perfectly stated!
Why do some of us consider anyone else with a camera as the enemy?
I shoot performing arts, concerts, etc. There are always a hundred other cameras in my way.
How do I deal with that? I have to be better!
Sometimes, I get good ideas from the competition, and I wouldn't want to lock down the shoot.
Think of it as showing that you ARE a professional.
it is not about us, we can ignore it, we get paid regardless.
it is about couples, to help them to get most of their wedding because most of them simply have no experience with weddings. my couples get annoyed even more from UBs then i am. but they do not know how bad it can be until it is too late.
little effort for unplugged wedding can make a big difference.
never had a priest run away from church because of UBs?
i guess i can then use my brain and wedding experience to jump in and finish the ceremony right?
i sure am not center of universe, but that day, the couple is center of (my and their) universe. And if somebody (UB) was not raised properly to know that they are not center of universe, then somebody can inform them. It helps to make the world a better place.
I went to a wedding last month as a guest. Turned out I was the uncle bob. Like I was literally the only one who took a photo at the ceremony. And I shot from my seat with a 7 year old P&S because it's the only P&S I own. I felt so awkward being the only one with a camera I took about 10 shots the whole wedding. I'd never seen anything like it before.
they probably had agreement that they dont want to have ceremony disturbed.
in first photo you helped nobody with this kind of shot, in second you duplicated and disturbed pro`s shot. either way you are UB
i know you are probably trolling but in case that not, trust me, you don't want such photos for your portfolio. shoot your own wedding, even for free.
this gives you experience, shows you how horrible it is to work with UBs behind your back and last but not least you can say that you had "x" weddings done already
Check out this UB. Literally laid on the floor in front of the couple to get some awesome artistic shots. When he wasn't laying down on the ground he was standing up dead center blocking everyones view making full use of his pop-up flash and live view. .
BostonGreg wrote:
he was standing up dead center blocking everyones view making full use of his pop-up flash
In my experience, Uncle Bobs are usually using consumer-level gear but last weekend I worked this high-end gig where everyone had money. Had to deal with THREE Uncle Bobs - each one using pro-grade gear including Speedlights. Oh ... and atleast one of them was crouching down (like a stereotypical "pro") when he was taking dance floor shots at the reception.
A wedding a did about a month ago had a really bad one. Every time I set up a shoot he had to take one too. Now the thing is I don't compete. If a family member wants to take a picture I don't feel it's any of my business to say no. After about the 5th time or so.you could tell the groom was getting really upset about having to wait for Uncle Joe to Get his shot before I took mine.
And at another wedding I was doing formals and the father of the bride had me photograph every group pose with his phone. Which I did before I took my shot. His daughter eventually told him no more after the fourth time or so.
I am not a wedding photographer, but I do have an opinion about this subject. Every so often, there’s another thread complaining about others taking photos at a wedding (Uncle Bobs) and what to do about it.
My first thought is to tell the author to get over themselves and just deal with it. What do you do if the weather crumps or there’s a power outage or some other unforeseen contingency? You just deal with it. Accept the fact that others will take photos and move on. Besides, why are you the only one allowed to take photos at a wedding?
It seems to me that ultimately it’s the bride & grooms responsibility to control the guests---after all, it’s their wedding. If having others take photos at their wedding doesn’t bother them, why does it bother you? If it does (or will bother you), then discuss it with the bride & groom before the ceremony and let them deal with it. Let them know the potential problems it may cause. If they want only you to take photos, then it’s up to them to notify the guests of that. If they don’t care if others take photos, then you just have to deal with it. If you can’t, then perhaps you’re in the wrong business.
I find it humorous that Uncle Bobs seem to exist only in wedding photography. In landscape photography, if another photographer is in the spot you prefer, you either wait or work around them. You don’t assign some silly nickname to them, and start a thread wondering what to do about it.
Come-on. Accept the fact that you can’t control every aspect of the shoot and be prepared to deal with any contingency that may come along.
and last but not least you can say that you had "x" weddings done already 
, applause. 
Oh ... and atleast one of them was crouching down (like a stereotypical "pro") when he was taking dance floor shots at the reception.