BBC: How hard is it to photograph a wedding?

I looked this up on Answer.com... well mostly

I looked this up on Answer.com... well mostly

Main Entry: mas·och·ism
Pronunciation: \ˈma-sə-ˌki-zəm, ˈma-zə- also ˈmā-\
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary, from Leopold von Sacher-Masoch †1895 German novelist
Date: 1892
1 : a sexual perversion characterized by pleasure in being subjected to pain or humiliation especially by a love object — compare sadism
2 : pleasure in being abused or dominated : a taste for suffering
— mas·och·ist \-kist\ noun
— mas·och·is·tic \ˌma-sə-ˈkis-tik, ˌma-zə- also ˌmā-\ adjective
— mas·och·is·ti·cal·ly \-ˈkis-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
3 : Subjecting ones self to the practice of photographing weddings, either for pleasure, or to derive income.




 
If you get your M2 or M3 "upgraded" with M4/PC sockets tell the tech to just do the X socket. On a Rollei or Autocord cover the synch selector lever with masking tape. You can blacken it with a sharpie. A TLR is neither old fashioned nor primitive. It'll do things that a DSLR can't do, and it's as close to silent as you can find.
 
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Actually, I've been spreading the word amongst my gay friends that I'd love to photograph a comitment ceremony or same sex wedding. I suspect that a lot of photographers would avoid them or feel very uncomfortable doing it.
 
My corollary to the old adage: "Those who can't do; teach" is the following.

"Those who can't (or won't) do somehow feel superior in mocking those that can (or choose to)"

Cheers,
Dave
 
Al Kaplan said:
Actually, I've been spreading the word amongst my gay friends that I'd love to photograph a comitment ceremony or same sex wedding. I suspect that a lot of photographers would avoid them or feel very uncomfortable doing it.
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Au contraire mon Al ;)

I was lucky enough to shoot my first same sex marriage (it's legal up here like that ya know.. because we're.. well.. some folks would say communist.. I just think we're Canadian.. :D ) this past year.

There are a lot of photographers actually looking to at that "market segment/demographic" simply because it's, basically, untapped.

I have to admit, it's not easy when there is no clear cut dominant partner in the relationship but overall, it turned out quite good and I would be happy to do another one should the opportunity present itself :)

Cheers,
Dave
 
Owning a camera does not = a photographer

Owning a camera does not = a photographer

I agree with DCSang that the advent of digital cameras makes a lot of people believe that anyone can shoot good pix, including weddings.

It is, of course, not so. Everyone can likely shoot a good pic with a digicam from time to time but for a wedding you need the experience and discipline to deliver.

I occasionally do weddings. I think the most important thing is to have good rapport with the couple and to be on the same page about the style of the photos.

A wedding is a story and journalism is a good background to tell that story -- from the engagement, to the rehearsal to the bride getting dressed. (It's probably best to stay out of the bedroom on the wedding night :)) )

The group shots can be a challenge.

I like to scout the locations, including the church before the event and, of course, backup equipment is a must.
 
In addition to Al's recommendation (first reply), one more thing:
Never "do" a friend/family's wedding.
(No personal bad experience, luckily.)
 
I've photographed weddings as a friend with a camera, do it for fun and make a present of the photo's. I've done this for two weddings that used my pictures over the paid photographers. I saw the paid work, and in those cases it was not very good. Looked like a big "picture factory" was hiring anyone that could point a camera to make a profit.

I hope the Pro Photographer that did Nikki's Communion Portraits will still be doing weddings when it is that time. He'd get my money, but I'm still bringing an SP.
 
It seems that in the same sex relationships that I know there's no dominant partner. One friend in a long term committed relationship has an adopted daughter, about eight years old now, and since I met her at age five she just tells people "I don't have a mommy. I have two daddies!" I met a fiftyish couple, two women, at a party a few weeks ago. They'd been together for seventeen years and were upset that Florida has no domestic partnership legislation either on the books or in the works. They're at an age where they worry about things like hospital visitation rights.

Another close long time friend of mine who was the first elected official in the state of Florida to announce that he's gay told me a few weeks ago that he "finally met somebody". Being the partner of a public official puts a lot of pressure on him/her too.

For the photographer it might involve finding substitutes for traditional shots like removing the garter or the bouquet toss.
 
Well, haven't you been compared to WIlliam Eggleston, a lefty who hung out with Eudora Welty? So I presume you shoot stuff for free as a duty to the state, too?
 
Al Kaplan said:
If you get your M2 or M3 "upgraded" with M4/PC sockets tell the tech to just do the X socket. On a Rollei or Autocord cover the synch selector lever with masking tape. You can blacken it with a sharpie. A TLR is neither old fashioned nor primitive. It'll do things that a DSLR can't do, and it's as close to silent as you can find.
Click to expand...


One of the studios I worked for said they would pay more for a camera with only X sync.

The Rollei's had several types of switches, and the Mamiya C's had a tiny lever, which could, and should, be glued with a drop of super glue or even model cement, using a toothpick to apply. When I looked at used cameras, I would come across some with glued syncs, and knew those puppies had a few rolls through them.

I used the C300s for many years because I could normally see if someone closed their eyes, plus you could see the lighting at exposure. When I went to an SLR I shot doubles of posed work.

Working as a free assistant is a good experience, and I trained for the first studio I worked for, and signed an exclusive contract for a year, so we both got something out of it.

J
 
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Sometimes I DO "give it away" - not as a duty to the state eh (The People's Republic Of Canada) but because a couple wants wonderful photos and they're tight on cash (not because they give me a wonderfully crafted yarn about how hard it is for them but because I actually know they're struggling) .

Anywho... I enjoy doing it - there are good things and bad things about it but that's the way just about any job is... good & bad... but in the end.. the good outweighs the bad and, luckily for me, the couples are happy with their images and I don't get sued ;)

Good Day eh !!
Dave
 
I saw that link on another message board and boy are some of those photos terrible! I wonder though about the photographers portfolio - are all of his photos bad or were the bride and groom just being super picky?

I got roped into photographing someones wedding a few weeks back and can attest to the amount of stress it puts you through. My husbands co-worker saw him with a camera and asked him to shoot his wedding for him so they could save money. Like a chump my husband said yes, which meant that I had to do most of the work. :bang:

He ran around with a D60 - no flash at all and shot in sports mode on auto the whole day. No gear. I had all of the gear in my trusty Domke backpack, including the extra flash cards, batteries, lenses and anything else I could stuff in there.

If he ever volunteers me again I will shoot him (and not with film).
 
If you're going to shoot the wedding - tell 'em that you will!. More and more people are saying that they have been asked to shoot a wedding , but declined, and then told the couple that they will 'wander around'- shooting as an interested friend/guest, of course - this is a 'get-out' clause, in case things don't go well!, because afterwards ( when they have a few reasonable pictures! ) they start asking around, and on forums - about how much they should charge the couple for prints, and how they should present their work to them!.
Yes we all have to start, and learn somehow, but let's not do it in a way that undermines the work of the man who's doing it for a living!. I used to shoot quite a few weddings (as a semi-pro ) in younger days, now at the few I attend - I just eat and get a little drunk, and maybe take a few pictures for my own use or amusement.
Dave.
 
dcsang said:
There are a lot of photographers actually looking to at that "market segment/demographic" simply because it's, basically, untapped.
Click to expand...

Really interesting choice of words, there. 'Tapped'. Perhaps it does not have the same meaning it does in Detroit.
 
bmattock said:
Really interesting choice of words, there. 'Tapped'. Perhaps it does not have the same meaning it does in Detroit.
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I was going to say...! ;)

A lawyer who represented me (I was injured in a pretty bad car accident several decades back), and settled my case out of court, had one bit of advice about lawsuits in general. "Never sue someone who has no money." You'd think more people would get the reasons why...

As for shooting weddings, I've done several, but usually with serious reluctance. It's crazy-hard work. Yes, I get to josh and drink a bit with everybody, but I'm working my gluteus max off at the same time, making certain someone's cousin who flew in from Wales gets in the group shot (and looks good), getting everyone in that shot to loosen up and smile (ever try to get a tired nine-year-old to smile, or at least stop grimacing?), getting the cake-cutting shot perfect (okay, near-perfect...still working on that). It's Hell on wheels. And that's when things are going fine.

And it's always the brides twisting my arm to do the shoot. (Galfriend thinks I get some vicarious, psycho-sexual thrill from this exchange, but I'm pretty sure I don't...). And, I acquiesce. But the last few times, I've laid down ground rules. I shoot it My Way (b/w film, with rangefinders, PJ style...at least, as long as that's still en vogue). The good news, for me, is that it's cut down the number of people signing on, which is good for my sanity. The bad news is that some people say "That's EXACTLY what we want! None of that color cookie-cutter crap!"

At least no one's sued me for this work. Yet.

25.jpg

Daughter of the Bride, 2006

(Technical: Hexar RF, 50mm f/2 M-Hex, Ilford XP-2 Super)


- Barrett
 
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Almost 30 years ago, a former college roommate and best friend handed me a VHS video camera moments before his big church wedding and said, "Rob, you went to film school, right? So, it should be no problem to be our videographer, right?" Big mistake. I have never seen the video. I would never want that responsibility again. Being far more the artsy-fartsy iconoclast than I am now, I caught the mother of the bride in extreme close-up mid-ceremony looking as if she was going vomit. Good in a documentary, but wedding videos are marketing communications, not documentaries. Maybe this is why we haven't stayed close since the pal's wedding.

I did recently attend a relative's wedding and had loads of fun shooting because it was for me (not them), as they had an "official" wedding photographer who, I suspect, was every bit the amateur that I am. Apparently, two months after the wedding no one on the groom's side of the family has a single one of her images. I feel sorry for her, but I learned my lesson many years ago. Glad it wasn't me. In the meanwhile, my shots are among the most popular ones on my flickr page. Not because I'm good, but because I had not pressure to perform.

I respect people who can earn money at this and I admit that I am not one of them. I would gladly play second string at anyone's wedding, tasked simply to catch some atmospherics.

The good news is that the mother of the groom asked if I'd make her a Blurb book of my shots. She's seen 'em and likes 'em. So nothing to lose there. Much to my relief.

These have been posted elsewhere on RFF. It's fun to be an amateur.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/3860429231/in/set-72157622118949270/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/3860085735/in/set-72157622118949270/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/3860359653/in/set-72157622118949270/

3860359653_0d9a12f377.jpg
 
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