Things that get in the way...lingering assistants and overly "instructive" wedding planners

Kimberly Coccagnia , jun 08, 2004; 11:17 a.m.

"My assistant or myself will "unobstrusively" stand in their line if

sight and then, snicker." (This comment was posted to a topic

about "shadow amateur photographers" at weddings....

<P>

It reminded me of something I have wanted to steam about for a while.

I don't think there will be many answers to these problems, but I do

want to complain....and well, maybe someone will have some ideas.

<P>

I have worked for the past several years as the candid/journalist bw

photographer with a wedding photography team-who are my dear friends

also. It wasn't always like this, as I remember, but of late there

are endless little last minute changes to a formal pose before the

photograph is finally taken. The husband, who used to be completely

in charge of the posing, is quite talented-perhaps due to years of

training as an engineer-in holding the bride's train up in the air,

puffing it with air, and letting it fall down, seemingly, perfectly

in place. Of late, and more and more, the wife(-who with her husband

as I said, are my dear dear friends-) will then walk into the

picture, and pat the dress down in place, which ultimately either

does nothing, or causes the husband to have to go and do the fluff

thing again.

<P>

I can sometimes get very good photos of the "after picture" as I call

it, when someone will laugh, or the groom will lean over and kiss

the bride between shots...things like that. These become more and

more difficult to catch, as someone in this team is always next to

the bride, plucking and puffing, or sometimes, simply chatting about

nothing.

<P>

Personally, I believe these formal shots are left over from the "old

days" when people absolutely had to hold still for quite a while for

formal portraits. I would never ever want to hang one of those

formal family shots in my house, or care to see them in others houses

or albums. Yes, a group photo would be nice....but I am reminded of

an old Life magazine my mother cherishes. It was the "after" photo of

a formal photoshoot of Queen Elizabeth and her whole "gang" and it is

a lovely lovely photograph, telling far more, and becoming more

pleasing and entertaining than the formal portrait.

<P>

The next thing that really gets in my way are wedding planners who

almost hold the Bride and Groom's hand while they cut the cake. What

a nice close up shot-three hands instead of two. It's as if the

Bride and Groom become suddenly helpless, as if they had never seen a

cake before, much less not know how to cut it. There has been just

much too much of that in the past few years..how do you edit out the

wedding planner on the spot? Drown her just as the limo pulls up to

the reception?

<P>

This same wedding planner, whose dissertation on cake cutting ran on

and on, also forgot to have the champagne and the champagne glasses

for toasting at the cake table.

<P>

I still get good photographs...not always the ones I want...so it's

not the end of the world....it's just very very unpleasant.

<P>

Now, I'll go say my "oooooommmmmmms" and wipe all this out of my

mind, remembering, the greater the challenge, perhaps the greater the

photo!<div></div>

Take a tip from Marlin Perkins on the old "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" show.

 

<<FX: sound of rotor blades: whup whup whuppa whuppa whup...>>

 

PERKINS: Big cats can be vicious if cornered. I'll stay here in the helicopter while Jim tranquilizes the cougar.

 

<<long shot of Jim in safari clothes, walking through tall grass with dart gun>>

 

PERKINS: And just as the cougar protects her cubs, Mutual of Imaha can protect your family... we'll be right back after these messages."

 

See, what you need at the wedding is an assistant of your own, armed with a blow gun or a Remington and those tranquilizer darts. The wedding planner steps up alongside the bride and groom and says:

 

"Remember, dear, don't get frosting on your dress. I'd cut the middle layer first, wouldn't you? And be sure to <<thhhhhh... FWIPP!!>> Oh my. I think I'll just have a little nap.... <<<whumpf>>".

 

Voila. Bride and groom alone at the cake. Smiling!

 

Be well,

You didn't explain whether you actually spoke with your dear freind phtography team. Have you? As to the wedding planner, have you communicated with such people about how, as wedding planners, they can enhance the wedding experience? Does anyone talk to the B&G about such things?

 

If the answers are yes, then the situation is most unfortunate. If the answers are no, then the situation is most unfortunate and unaddressed.

People "in frame",that dont belong there ,need to be asked "to please move".I have had limo drivers that felt compelled to hold up women's trains halfway down a church aisle!And of course,"the maitre de in the cake shots".You have to open your mouth!As for formals being old fashioned,this is for our clients to decide not us.The fluffing & primping of a gown is needed to make things look just so.Never knock someone for being patient,and going the extra mile to make a picture perfect.

<i>...The next thing that really gets in my way are wedding planners who almost hold the Bride and Groom's hand while they cut the cake. What a nice close up shot-three hands instead of two.</i><p>

 

Don't know what the problem is. I would simply say hold everything, tell the jerk that I'm sure the B&G know how to cut a cake and to get the hell out of the way. <p>

A little tact can go a long way :).<p>

-Hal

Kids Kids Kids everywhere!!!! Running into the frame of the picture, jumping,

making sure to distract the formals, during the cake cutting looming around

the B&G (always 1 or 2 cute candids there) but then GET OUT. NO parental

control whatsoever. During the important dances I have seen 10 kids on the

dance floor bumping into the B&G. Dont get me wrong 95% of my images are

PJ style but enough is enough. Atleast I can tell the limo driver or the planner

to please allow some space, but we have no control over the rugrats. I dont

know if I'll ever figure out a good way to handle this (stun gun ??)

I would suggest you use your zoom or a telephoto to come in tight on the action you're interested in. As a PJ style photographer, I would just let things be and photograph what I can. Since I am actually a hybrid PJ and traditional, I sometimes take control of the situation, like the cake cutting. If there is a wedding coordinator, I tell him/her that I have my own way of setting up the couple and ask to have control. I set up the couple, with instructions for the one posed shot I do, then I just tell them once they cut, do not look at the camera, just do the feeding and whatever else they want. If kids are around the table I shoo them off for the posed shot but if they return and mess with the cake after that, I let them, and photograph them. Same with the first dance scenario. I would shoo the kids off myself, but if they return, OK, I'd just get a tighter frame on the couple. I've only had one coordinator whose nose was pushed out of shape when I asked to take control of the situation. If the coordinator seems to be "ever hovering" in each and every photo situation, I would take that person aside and ask that they be less so, or at least be mindful of your needs as well. Anyway, perhaps you should sometimes just photograph the scene, coordinator and all--it IS a purely PJ thing to do.

I have not missed shots due to this it just makes our jobs a little harder.

When the bride is scowling because her 2nd cousins neighbors kid is up her

dress during the first dance, its not good. I know how to use a zoom and do, I

have "shooed" kids but they come back and I have shooed 2 or 3 times and

the parents are oblivious that we are shooing. I guess Im thinking about the

couple more than myself, I can get the shot, but I know that some of my

couples did not want to share these moments. Let me add that not all kids are

evil, alot of the times I have seen very well behaved children that knew where

they were not supposed to be, but still, the crazy ones with no dicipline do

cause some problems.

Kimberly, if you suspect you'll have a problem with kids (one can usually tell by the time the reception is underway), have the DJ make an announcement right before the first dance to tell parents to get their kids off the dance floor, and keep them off, while the couple has their first dance. Two things about this. Suggest to the DJ that any announcement he makes be made with the music cut off entirely. I've found if it isn't, no one hears or listens. And, the announcement should be made multiple times, for the same reason. I've actually had some DJs make this announcement on their own. Also, if he interrupts the first dance to make the announcement, you can bet that the parents will get the kids off the floor. Better to not have this happen though, for the couple's sake. Why not use the coordinator to good effect here? Get him/her to keep the kids off the floor.

I agree with Nadine on the matter of the professional photographer taking some control

over the situation. The couple really wants a perfect product for a few photos. Candid

photojournalism does not protect violation of these moments. Sometimes the

photograpaher just needs to stop/start the action to get it really right. Sure, I am

"unobtrusive", but I can instantly take control of the situation for brief moments to get the

perfection I need.

"The next thing that really gets in my way are wedding planners who almost hold the Bride and Groom's hand while they cut the cake. What a nice close up shot-three hands instead of two. It's as if the Bride and Groom become suddenly helpless, as if they had never seen a cake before, much less not know how to cut it...."

 

 

 

You just have to learn to 'become a grouch' and ask the third person to move 8 feet away from the wedding couple: it is the bride and groom's day -- not the wedding planner's. Be firm.