Sbrav77
Premium
join:2004-03-02
Bourbonnais, IL
| Couldn't believe this
Not sure if this belongs here. If not, please move it. I want some opinions on something. Last night, a good friend got married. They had one of the bride's relatives shoot the wedding. She was supposedly a photographer. The part that made me shake my head, before the bride and groom had their dance, she made them wait so she could drag out extension cords and set up lights on both sides of the dance floor. Then she had them pause during the middle of the dance and pose for a few shots. I can see that sort of thing for the acutal wedding pics. However, I think the pics at the reception shouldn't be staged. The photographer should just go with the flow of things and get natural pics. IMO those shots are much more memorable than anything staged with lighting, etc. Please give me your opinions on this subject. |
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Pretorious
Theres more behind the pic than the wall
Premium,MVM
join:2003-01-08
clubs:  
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| I'm no wedding photographer expert tho I have shot a few. I try not to interrupt the ceremony or distract from it in any way, but depending on the lighting conditions and what lights the photographer uses or doesn't use it sometimes is necessary to get in rather close for the shot. Myself, I try to look the location over closely before the wedding, find out what events are going to take place and exactly where and then try to setup ahead of time for the shots. Then after the initial ceremony capture a few staged shots, most times they'll want pictures of the newly-weds and their families, everyone who was involved in the wedding etc... the reception is a good time to capture whatever else may have been missed during the wedding, tho it requires a good deal more time. By attempting to setup ahead of time, knowing the lighting conditions and what you'll need to use you don't have to interrupt or disturb the natural acts so much and tend to capture more of the 'natural' looks IMO. Tho there should be a time of staged shots as well.
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DownTheShore
Maddie Knows Poopie
Premium
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ
clubs:
| reply to Sbrav77
She should have set the lights up before hand if she needed them for a dance shot. Interrupting their dance for the photos sounds very intrusive and amateurish to me. I've never seen that happen at a wedding before. What is more important - their enjoyment of their first dance, or a picture of it?
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Life is simply one damned thing after another. |
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Sbrav77
Premium
join:2004-03-02
Bourbonnais, IL
| I agree with what you are saying. The photographer was in close enough for the dance shot, approx. 1-2 feet that there really was no need for external lighting. She already had an external flash on the camera, if it was needed at all. She did a good job not interfering with the actual wedding. And as I said, I agree with setting up lights for the after wedding pics. With the families, wedding party, etc. However, I feel basically staging pics during their dance, cutting the cake, etc was not necessary and should be natural pics. A good photographer gets good pics without the people even knowing they just had their picture taken. Some posed pics are ok at the reception. For instance, the bride and groom with their parents, friends, etc. But most should be candid shots. |
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pog
Premium
join:2004-06-03
Kihei, HI
·Hawaiian Telcom
| reply to Sbrav77
said by Sbrav77  :... They had one of the bride's relatives shoot the wedding. ... 'nuff said, I think. 
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simplykristi
Cancer Sucks
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join:2001-11-28
Metro KC
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| reply to Sbrav77
I am certainly not a pro by any stretch of the imagination. The dance pictures should be candid. The photographer should have been set up and ready to go before the dance started.
Kristi
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Exit
Premium,ExMod 2002
join:2001-04-10
Canada
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to Sbrav77
You get what you pay for....or don't.
There may be plenty of reasons why the photographer did what she did, but we'll never know. If she was setting up external lights she must have had some idea of what she was doing (technically at least)??/ 
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No_Strings
Premium,Mod
join:2001-11-22
The OC | reply to Sbrav77
It's my lay opinion that the only two people who should care are the bride and whoever wrote the check for the wedding. Everyone else is there in a supporting role. |
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SueS
Premium
join:2007-05-16
Macon, MO | I don't disagree with what you said, I do believe it is not good for people to adapt to shoddy work and practices. That lowers our standards of what to expect. We need to strive for the best in everything we do, I think. |
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DownTheShore
Maddie Knows Poopie
Premium
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ
clubs:
| reply to No_Strings
said by No_Strings :It's my lay opinion that the only two people who should care are the bride and whoever wrote the check for the wedding. Everyone else is there in a supporting role. But when you hire a photographer, you don't really know how intrusive they're going to be, do you? You discuss beforehand what shots you want, which ones you think are important, where the group shots will be taken, but you don't really know how the photographer is actually going to accomplish all that unless you've already seen him/her in action at another wedding.
I would imagine that even if the bride or groom were annoyed at what the photographer was doing, they weren't going to cause a fuss in the middle of the celebration - and especially if the photographer is a relative or if they were doing it gratis.
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No_Strings
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join:2001-11-22
The OC
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| And from the available information, it's not clear that any or all of this was not discussed and agreed to in advance. Anyone who's ever dealt with weddings has seen plenty of left-field requests.
I'm not saying what was done is right, wrong or indifferent. My point is simply that only two votes count. Those votes have not been read. |
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Sbrav77
Premium
join:2004-03-02
Bourbonnais, IL
| reply to Sbrav77
Just a follow up. I visited the lucky couple yesterday. Had to drop off the video of the wedding and reception. We had put it on dvd for them. Anyway, while watching the reception part with them, the groom commented about how much he disliked the bright lights, etc. for their first couple dance. He said it was way to bright and he was hoping she wouldn't find a place to plug the lights in. As he felt it should be more of a romantic moment. Not a brightly lit scene that looked like it was outside in the daylight. He also, didn't like it when she asked him to remove his baseball cap and pose for a pic. If you know my friend, the baseball cap is just him. He's never without it. He wanted to wear it during the ceremony also. However, nothing was said to the photographer because they wanted to keep peace and not make a scene. None of this stuff was discussed before hand. The photographer showed up to the wedding in a t-shirt and jeans and didn't take time to walk around the church ahead of time to locate possible places to take the after the ceremony pics. She didn't even have a list of photo's that she wanted take. She took about 1 1/2 hours after the reception getting pics. Granted this might not be a real long time. But, the majority of the time was spend setting up equipment and trying to decide what pics she still needed to get. Had she been prepared ahead of time, I bet she could of had all the shots taken and been done at least 30 minutes earlier.
Again, this is just my opinion. After talking to the newly wed couple. |
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Jodokast96
R.I.P Bassman442
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Erial, NJ | Sounds like a typical GWC (Guy/Gal With Camera) and not a photographer at all. Exactly why I would never do something like that for someone. |
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rusdi
American V
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-28
Flippin, AR
clubs:
| reply to Sbrav77
Well, I'm certainly NOT a professional, nor do I portray one on BBR. 
I think, if I (were) a "pro", I would try to anticipate & prepare for events, if I expected to produce good results, and get PAID for 'em.
Jus' MHO.
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HFB1217
The Wizard
Premium,ExMod 2000-01
join:2000-06-26
Camelot
clubs: | reply to Sbrav77
Sounds like she is a studio portrait/Sears type photographer. |
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