My best and worst wedding (Must Read)

I have to share this story with you all. I will do my best to make a long story

as short as possible.

 

I was hired to cover a wedding in Atlanta this past weekend, so I drove there

from Ohio. I spoke to the bride several times prior to the wedding day, so that

we were all on the same page. I made out a schedule for the photography based

on her plans. Everyone had a copy of the schedule and we were good to go.

 

I was to start with some shots of the groom at 2:00pm, he, and some of the 14

groomsmen arrived at 4:30pm. I did what I could.

 

I was to start with the bride at 3:00pm, she didn't show until 6:00pm. The 14

bridesmaids were there at 5:00pm. The ceremony was to start at 6:00pm, and she

shows at 6:00pm wearing jeans. Guests were there at 5:30pm, waiting. She didn't

want to put her dress on until she had lotion on her feet, so people were

trying to locate lotion? The ceremony finally started at 7:10, as the bride &

father walked down the isle without her bouquet. The wedding planner ran the

bouquet up to her at the alter.

 

All of the images had to be taken after the ceremony, along with extra

requests, and the family was large. The reception, which was 20 minutes away,

was to start at 8:30pm, and be completed by midnight, but we all got there at

10:00pm.

 

The bride was beautiful, and the groom was a handsome guy, so they were both

very photogetic, as were the wedding party, but I didn't get the chance to work

with them much. The brides dress, the dresses of the bridesmaids and the guys

tuxes were awesome, but again, I didn't get to bring that out. They had a Rolls

Royce that they were to drive around in, that I knew nothing about, but by the

time the ceremony was over, so was their driving around time. They rushed me

outside to take their picture with the fancy car, but it was dark outside by

this time, and I didn't have the correct lens on my camera because I didn't

know what was going on, and I had lost track of time and didn't think about it

being dark, so I did what I could with a flash and slow lens. The reception was

at a awesome country club at the golf course, but it was dark and the ceilings

of course were dark stained wood up about 30-40 feet, so no bouncing for me.

Couldn't use the dark walls either because it was packed with standing people

in every direction.

 

Wait, that wasn't the worst part of the whole thing! She hired a videographer

to record the wedding. He had nice, big, equipment. He started off by walking

around shinning this bright light in the faces of the guests as they waited. He

then moved onto the stage to video the singers and piano players, as he and his

equipment stood there next to them almost the entire time. I managed to get

shots after he decided to move. He remained on the stage as the bridal party

entered and got them as they walked down the aisle, as did I, but I came in

from the side and moved as they approached, he stood his ground. He remained

there as the bride came in and stopped at the alter. He moved as the bride &

groom walked up the stairs to the alter only to walk out to the front aisle,

set up his large tripod and camera, and recorded from there. He then removes

the camera from the tall tripod and leaves the tripod right there in the front

center aisle as he, YES, walks up and stands next to the bride & groom weaving

between the wedding party going from one side to the other! I don't mean he was

up there on the side zooming in either, he was as close to the bride as the

groom & pastor was! THEN, a guest in the front row sees this happening, so what

does he do, he decides to walk up and stand next to the videographer snapping

shots with his point and shoot with a flash! I am thinking that this all has

got to be a joke, and that I was getting punked, but it was real! Following the

ceremony the guest complained about this videographer and could not believe

what they had seen either! Many came to me following the ceremony apologizing

for all of what just happened knowing that I drove 10 hours to cover this

wedding. The bride apologized too, several times, but she had to have known

what this guys was going to do because she had seen his "work", loved it, and

hired him? Needless to say, many the shots includes the videographer! I was

ticked, to put it very mildly. But there's one more thing! The videographer

comes up to me after people complained about him being in my shots and says: "I

hear I was in your shots, why didn't you come up to me and tap me on the

shoulder and ask me to move over?" Meaning: he was saying that I should have

walked on the the stage, during the ceremony, and ask him to move? I told him

that it was a wedding ceremony, and what he had done was rude, unprofessional

and yes my shots are ruined. He didn't say anything else as he walked away

shaking his head as though I was in the wrong. He didn't understand! I still

cannot belive all that took place.

 

The same wedding planner that planned this wedding did my cousins wedding a few

years ago, which I wasn't able to attend, but they say it was on time and one

of the most beautiful weddings that they had ever seen, so that's why I went to

Atlanta, but of course, as luck would have it, I get this. Oh well! The bride &

groom were happy with how things went, so it seemed, and they were still

married, so I guess that's what it was all about.

 

The End.

 

 

Wow!

 

But it was someone's duty to tell the videographer to get out of the way. Most likely that person was the wedding planner first and if not her then you. Hope you got paid and the checks cleared the bank!

...so what made it your best?

Not that it's always possible, but I try to talk to the videographer before the ceremony starts to get our game plans straight. I specifically ask where he or his second camera guy is going to be during the ceremony, and make note of whether they have a bright light or set up additional lighting. I'm surprised the pastor didn't tell him to get off the altar. I have sometimes done pantomime to get a videographer or amateur to move. You might try that if there is a next time. As for the lateness--not a thing you can do. Lost time means lost photo ops. If you can't get that into their heads before the wedding, you just get what you can and let it go.

That sounds like a typical wedding. "Worst" only applies when you screw up the pictures. Everything else is just fun & games. Circumstances are never the same twice. Situations, are the same every week. That is you have to shoot a series of photos to please the clients.

 

 

 

Dealing with other vendors is part of the job. Always make it a point to talk to the video people, and find out their game plans. And once you're at the reception, find both the DJ and the banquet manager for information. And of course always introduce yourself to the officiant,(pastor, rabbi, etc)and ask about any do's or don'ts they have. If you respect them, they tend to cut you some slack.

"That sounds like a typical wedding."

 

Agreed. Nothing new there...

 

But this is does exemplify why I like two shooters, flash gizmos, and the willingness to deal with the stress.

Not me, but I know someone who did a wedding with a collapsible Summicron partially collapsed. All out of focus of course.

 

He also had a drum drier, a big 36 in dia pro model, not start and he had thousands of wet fiber prints he and his crew had made for the previous weeks weddings.

 

Then one he had boxes and boxes of #3 Medalist or Opal G that was labeled #2. The Kodak rep came and replaced it all.

 

Same guy who had 10,000 shares of Haloid Corp he sold for a pitance. It morphed into Zerox. He lost his lifetime beach pass in Florida.

Wow. talk about a tough wedding. you are right - as long as the clients are happy; that's what matters.

 

"I didn't have the correct lens on my camera because I didn't know what was going on..."

 

this is a great argument for a think tank belt system! www.thinktank.com.

 

this is also a great argument for a 2nd camera by your side at all times...

I'm thinking one positive you can take from it (maybe the only one) is that from now on, no matter what happens you'll think to yourself, at least it's not as bad as Atlanta! Now you know you can survive that you can survive anything :-)

Remeber, your wrote:

Many came to me following the ceremony apologizing for all of what just happened knowing that I drove 10 hours to cover this wedding. The bride apologized too, several times

 

They all saw you a a professional if they felt the need to apologize to you. Well done!

Mercy! I'm a coordinator, and have shot a few myself. That sounds like it was a real nightmare, as if doing a wedding that goes according to schedule isn't stressful enough! I don't think I can top that, but I had a rough one a few months back. The groom was late, there was a mixup with the tuxes - the best man ended up with the wrong style jacket, so because it was the only one that was different, the groom had to wear it. Unfortunately, it was the style that he hated, so he was not happy about having to wear it. It took some doing, but he finally agreed.

 

Then, he wouldn't stay put, and I could never find him to send him where he needed to go for photos, etc. So, I was constantly looking for him.

 

Then the photographer shot the entire cermony with a powerful flash. It looked like a lightening storm throughout the whole thing. They did ask me beforehand if flash was okay. I said yes, but in my mind I was thinking 'within reason' only during entrance, exit etc..NOT during the entire thing, especially the vows, etc. To make matters worse, she straighted the bride's train twice DURING the ceremony. You know the drill...the 'pick up the edge and foof it up. She was also running back and forth across the front of the platform...barefooted. I was livid!

 

It's a rather large church, so there was really no way to get her attention to make her stop, not that she would have. Sometimes trying to intervene can be more of a distraction.

 

Needless to say, I learned my lesson and am now very detailed in the guidelines that the photographers and videographers are provided. I do understand the importance of capturing the event, but there is also a need to respect the sanctity of the ceremony. I have worked with photographers and videographers that captured the event beautifully, and you barely knew they were there.

 

That's how I define a 'professional'.

I feel your pain.<div></div>

I made a mistake. The above caption should read: "Videographer taking down during the recessional". My bad.

 

I also have another picture from the same wedding captioned: "Really huge and ugly video camera sticking out of the back of the best man's head", but you get the idea.

Hi Paul, I have seen worset, But I have to say that I am 100% with Nadine. I do both video and photography I always plot out where I am going to be with the video guys and make sure we are not in each other way. the same goes when i am doing video I plan my camera way out of teh photograhers way and it sad that I get some photograhers who ruin my shots sometimes. It gets tough sometime.<div></div>

"Videographer taking down during the recessional".

 

Yes, it is a bummer when there's a big video camera in the way, or worse...coming out of someones head, we experienced this a bit with a recent wedding. The space for the ceremony was tight and the videographer set up behind the groomsmen during the ceremony. We looked for the open spots but in some cases you can't work around it so the couple gets a few photos with the camera in the background. It's to be expected when both photography & videography is covering, just as we have to walk in front of the videographer now and then if there is no other option. We've been lucky so far and have experienced nothing but consideration on both ends.

 

Of course I would not be a happy camper if I had the situation described by Jeffrey. I don't see how the videographer did not know he was in the center of attention.

Yes, I did get paid prior to, but this will affect my album/print sales. But we will see? I did take a lot of shots, and I am pretty sure there will be some good ones too.

 

I normally always do speak to other vendors prior to weddings/receptions. The videographer I am talking about in this situation did approach me prior to the wedding asking me if it was ok to have the lights turned up more? I told him I was the photographer, and he would need to speak to the wedding planner and/or bride & groom? In all of the other weddings that I had done in the past that had a videographer, they stayed in the back or off to the side. I just assume that others will do all that they can to be respectful and professional as I try to be. I know to ask now. I never had one like this before! The images above was exactly what I saw. I haven't looked back at the images yet. I needed a break from that situation for a few days. I will sort the images out next week.

 

I have 2-shooters at weddings. I have 3-4 camera's that I use, and I have a bag that I carry equipment in. I just grabbed the wrong camera on my way out to the car in all the rush, and like I mentioned, lost track of time not realizing it was dark already. I was distracted in many ways as you can imagine. Plus we always shoot from back, sides, balcony and sometimes from front shooting out towards guests if the layout of the church allows, and if it's ok with the B&G and Pastor (we always ask). We shoot in a manner not to interfer with the ceremony or guests.

 

What I meant by "my best" was how elegant and well planned the wedding was SUPPOSED to have been. I am from a small farming town, so I don't get many opportunities to shoot really elegant planned weddings. I usually shoot in nice enough churches, but some are very old and very small. Receptions are usually in a pole barn/steel building. I recently shot a wedding/reception in the gym of a run down middle school, but atleast those weddings went according to how they were planned, or really close. Please don't get me wrong! It's not about where the event takes place or how elegant they are! I could care less, and I realize it is about the ceremony of the B&G becoming one and making a covinant with God. I am very honored and appreciate the opportunity that any B&G allows me to be part of their special day! I was just hoping for a change from what I normally have here for advertising purposes. I wanted images on my website as I see many others have that live in larger communities that seem to have more put in to their weddings. I am not meaning to come across as selfish or shallow. I hope you understand. What I meant by "worst" was just how things went as explained above, so I was disappointed because I didn't get the images that I was expecting to get. There will be other opportunities, God willing.

 

Jeff

Maybe there should be a special "wedding nightmares" category? Would make for interesting reading!

Other than the videographer (and even then) there isn't a whole lot you can do. You have to play the cards you were given. I don't get stressed if the bride, groom, mother, flower girl, or uncle bob is running late, because I can't do anything about it. If there are group shots and a member of the group isn't there it isn't my fault, nor my responsibility to get the missing person there. In the final images if someone is left out because they weren't there everyone knows why.

 

As for the videographer... same deal. The bride hired them and they have to deal with the consequences. I have to deal with the consequences as well, but I do that by trying to minimize their impact on my images. If I can't get shots because the videographer is between the bride and groom then I can't get shots. I feel awful about it, but there wasn't much I could have done.

 

I am not saying I don't give a damn, because I care very much about my profession and giving clients what they want. I do my best to minimize those things that impact the wedding in a negative way, and go above and beyond to deliver. But I don't let myself get stressed out over things I can not control. Even if I make a mistake I don't get stressed out about that either, at least not at the wedding. When you get stressed out and caught up in the drama you start making mistakes, missing things, and start the downward spiral.

 

But I learned two things a long time ago...1 - you can't control other people. 2 - when are given lemons you make lemonade (but when you have more lemons than sugar it still tastes sour).

One thing I would do, is get a few shots of the person that is interferring with your shots, and how they are interferring, in case you need it to explain why certain shots didn't look as good as the could have, or were not able to be taken.

Oh, I learned a long time ago not to stress either. I am not stressed over this in the least. I was a little frustrated at the time, but I was laughing about it in disbelief at the same time.

 

I want to deliver the very best to my clients, but as you stated, I can only do what I can do, and if things that I cannot control change, then that's not on me. It's their wedding, and they can do what ever they want to do.

 

Yes, I did capture many shots to show how the videographer ruined the opportunity for me to do my job incase, or should I say when, they forget. They will be given a proof CD containing ALL of the shots I captured so they know what they allowed to take place that day. There was also a large clock above the entry door as they walked down the aisle, which couldn't be avoided, but it shows the time that everything started (late). I feel that I have enough shots to cover by self pretty well. I managed to get good shots as well.

 

Normally I remove distractions that cannot be helped, like a thermostat for example, at no additional charge, but if they want me to remove the videographer from any of the shots they will be charged additional. I hope for the sake of the B&G that this is one awesome DVD!

Sounds like a typical wedding to me. Did they pay you?

We're there to record the day. If their day consists of stuff-ups and videographers attached

to the couple then, well, that's how the day was! <br><br>

 

But don't forget to shoot tight in these circumstances. Zoom in and get the facial

expressions.

This is what you meen?<div></div>

Sorry. Here is smoler size 448 x 336<div></div>

Shmil:

 

Actually no, much worse!

 

Yes, I had been paid, and I can only photograph what they give me, so it is what it is. However, some had said this is typical, but I have never seen anything like this before, so this is my first time. This is a good learning experience for me to know how to better prepare, and this will also be used as a tool when I meet with my clients.