How do you act as a pro photographer when you are a guest at a wedding

<p>Being a professional requires 100% concentration on the job at hand. Anything less and you might as well be a guest. The two functions cannot be mixed. If you are a guest -- go, have a good time, enjoy the event. If you are working -- work, that is what you are getting paid for and if you really are a professional, act like one and give your customer 100% of your best effort.</p>

<p>I act like a guest... I don't bring my camera (or I might bring a P&S if i do) and I don't talk about or brag about me being a photographer... Most people don't even know (especially the hired photographer) and those that do only know because they know me personally.</p>

<p>Usually I bring a smaller unobtrusive camera, not a DSLR. Recently got my hands on a Leica IIIc, which fits the bill perfectly - and indulges my camera nerd trait.</p>

<p>I rarely if ever bring a camera to a wedding ... if anything I take pics with other people's cameras so the camera's owner can be in the photo with their friends.</p>

<p>I'm nowhere near a professional photographer, so take my words as you will. I was at a wedding this weekend and brought along my 60D. I did feel slightly intrusive, and sensed that the professionals felt a little threatened. So my solution was to stay out of the way and act more as a "behind the scenes" photographer. While the professionals were taking the formal/posed shots I was shooting candid shots of the guests and festivities away from the pro cameras. I felt it was a good compromise, and I got to capture moments that the professionals would have missed out on. Yes, there was some overlap, but they aren't going to lose any money just because I ended up with some similar shots. As for equipment, I only have one lens and no flash other than the camera flash, but even if I did have all that equipment I probably would have left it behind to maintain the semi-transparent fly-on-the-wall ruse and not upset the professionals any more.</p>

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<p>Irony of all ironies, not having my camera was pretty much killing me after the hired pros left at their contracted time, but many photo worthy events went on.</p>

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<p><br />Just hobbyist here, but I bring my best camera (but only attach 18-200 most of the time) when I go to a vacation with friends or family. I know I will get less of the vacation, but I come home with great photos.</p>

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<p>People knowing I'm a photographer keep emailing me saying, did you get any photos at the wedding???</p>

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<p><br />This is another motivation why I bring my camera often: people like my photos. (Who doesn't like free, great photos? :) ). But you're a pro so I don't know how willing you are giving away your photos.</p>

 

<p>For people who are nervous about making the pro feel threatened, support the lens with an overhand grip rather than cradling it palm up. This will immediately let the pro that you don't know how to hold a camera, or have any idea of what you're doing. They will then ignore you for the rest of the day.</p>

<p>Myself I brought my Contax G2. Cause what the hell; why not. You get to have fun with film and no one feels threatened (except maybe the Leica users....). If I had a Fuji X100 I would use it. <br>

The only thing that caught me off guard was when the groom walking down the aisle with his just declared bride asked me for my camera which he then used to shoot a self portrait of the two of them with the wedding behind them (the old travel - arm out to the side photo).<br>

He didn't know I was shooting film. I didn't know he was planning to grab my camera. We both were surprised.</p>

<p>Just a P&S or non-pro SLR and stay out of the pro's way. After all I'm attending because a I care about the people getting married. </p>

<p>I like the idea of having it in the car. Should the need arise (i.e. emergency/no show, leaving early), you can break it out. I don't think I could get through a wedding in any capacity without taking pictures, except as the bride. When I was an amateur, I took what I wanted, and noticed the hired pro copied a few of my shots/setups. I say just lay low, don't get in the way, and maybe you'll get something cool the b & g will appreciate some time in the future. No pro can be looking in all directions at all times; it might be good to have it, just in case, but as mention, use ethical behavior and don't get in the way :)</p>

<p>Agreed, and that's the way I handle it as well. I have heard of too many instances where something happened and either the photographer didn't show up (by purpose or by accident) or the photographer actually walked out after a disagreement with someone or even that the photographer gets there and has utterly low-end equipment AND doesn't know how to use it well. I bring enough gear that should the need arise, I could go out to the car and get it. However, since I have it, it never comes up. Sort of like bringing an umbrella to ensure it DOESN'T rain. : )</p>

<p>But, whether I bring it in to take photos on my own? I shoot enough weddings throughout the year that I would prefer to just enjoy the wedding day. Although, I have been known to give fellow guests various posing ideas and techniques so that they are more comfortable when the camera is pointing their way.</p>

<p>If you were a pro baseball player at another team's game on your day off would you try and grab a bat?</p>

<p>The wife will let me take a point and shoot that fits in my pocket. If I even thought about bringing an slr I would be in trouble. I'm there to enjoy the company and socialize.<br>

I don't know why I would think I need to be an insurance policy for the hired pro nor would I critique him to the other guests.<br>

On another note being a pro isn't about gear, it's about making a living versus having a really great hobby. There are a lot of serious non-professionals that have wonderful equipment and take great images, they just don't make the mistake of thinking they can make a living at it comparable to their day job.<br>

Staying out of the way is of course widely recognized here in this forum but the pro always needs to be aware of someone with even a cell phone jumping into the aisle during a processional, walking behind the ceremony looking over the officiant's shoulder, etc. What most don't think about is the picture fatique that can happen when you have several guests going around posing other guests each doing their own thing. By the time the pro gets there people are annoyed about the 3rd or 4th request.<br>

A number of pros have had officiants give them the riot act for not following commonsense rules for that particular chapel because of guests who appeared to be with the pro based on equipment. Lot's of stories.</p>

<p>This is a bit OT as I was not the guest but a host at my Sister's wedding this last weekend, but the photog (+ videog) and me became good friends. He even helped me out with the video lights for my IR shots. I stayed out of his way for everything he was scheduled to shoot. I shot all the other family things for which the photog was not booked. Kind of worked out swell, cause I had plenty of work to do otherwise, during the time he was shooting. At the end of it all, I will have a nice timeline of everything from A to Zee. I've started my edits, waiting on his delivery.</p>

<p>The photog had his hands full with whatever he had to do... formals and all. I'm glad the guests brought cameras and have begun to share their takes on facebook, some of which have a very very different viewpoint from the official photog... and many are very nice too. A bunch of the guests did crowd the photog, but I doubt theirs will be the ones to catch my eye. Better photogs will always look for their own viewpoint, and that will probably be different enough not to disturb the hired pro.</p>

<p>I'd say, if you're a good photog, please bring your camera... a different take is always nice. If you're not a good photog, please (please, please) leave your camera/cellphone at home and don't suffocate the hired pro.</p>

<p>(P.S. : this was an Indian wedding so please adjust accordingly)</p>

<p>"If you were a pro baseball player at another team's game on your day off would you try and grab a bat?"<br>

I'd sure try to get into the dugout after the game's over and talk shop :)</p>

<p>I've only shot a few weddings, and only one of them for pay (and that for friends of the family who couldn't afford an expert, they were happy with the results so I guess I did alright), but here goes nothing:<br>

Someone else had, as a gift to them, arranged a pro to shoot a photo/video reportage of the day. That guy was a major PITA, constantly (and I think sometimes deliberately) trying to block my shots. He actually got in between the couple and the city official during the ceremony, disturbing everything. Without an extra camera there (paid or not) there'd have been no decent shots of the day.<br />As James said, take your gear and stay in the background. Maybe leave most of it sitting in the boot of your car unless needed, and put the rest in a smallish bag you can shove under a table where it won't be noticed. Enough other guests (who're not good photographers) will carry high end gear that you won't be the exception to the rule, except that you're more confident and proficient in the way you hold your camera (and most "pros" aren't, they're wannabees, no insult intended to the real pros out there).<br>

You're going to get things the hired shooter(s) miss because they were busy elsewhere, more informal shots to flesh out the memories of the party rather than the ceremony. That pro can only focus on one thing at a time. When (s)he's concentrating on getting the rings right, the little children in their bridesmaid dresses playing in the back go unnoticed by him but not by you.</p>

<p>I'm not a pro but I do have an "off-duty" camera. My G9 is almost always with me and I'm happy to pass it around the table as many of my friends are pros, journos, muso's etc and often want to take pics. At the end of the day we're all too busy clinging to the bar to care.</p>

<p>As for weddings, the B&G at one wedding I attended placed disposable cameras at all the tables for the guests to use so that they would have a more intimate and fun perspective as to the goings on at the reception.</p>

<p>Some interesting insights into the wannabe world of pro photography in some of the above replies.....There is the feel of Hannibal Lector in some of the answers......</p>

I haven't done weddings for awhile but when I was doing one or two a week the last thing I wanted to do is shoot someone's wedding for nothing. Weddings are hard work for a photographer. I would rather get my dance with the bride with the gear at home. Even now I have nothing to prove. At one wedding the bride brought point and shoots for all the guests. I organized some picture taking like face your table neighbor and take a picture and we all had a good time with it. I have had people go into competition with me claiming they could do better than me. I never minded anyone else taking pictures but I began my military career as a drill instructor and I have a very strong voice. If needed, which was not often I could organize groups very rapidly and pardon the expression command the scene. One other thought. Outside of organizing groups for 30 minutes of formals I tried to stay in the background and do mostly candid shots with a small amount of posing. I never took over the timing of the affair or revolved the festivities around picture taking as I have seen other photographers do. So, it would have been very uncomfortable for me if another pro, and I use the term loosely, was posing groups ad hoc during the reception. When I stopped doing weddings I was delivering 400 film pictures or so. Now I read of weddings of upwards of a thousand pictures. I think that is more than enough coverage.

Another thought. If I am there as a guest there is no contract or no understanding of my role in shooting pictures. I am not hired as a backup if the contracted party fails to deliver. I am there to enjoy a wedding. A pro bringing a camera to a wedding generally is a self-assumed role with usually no meeting of the minds between the volunteer photographer, the person who contracted for the wedding and the hired photographer. This can and has created areas for significant misundertandings about who is doing what to whom particularly if there is interference with the contracted photographers persformance. This happened in a couple of my weddings when someone repeatedly stepped in front of me until I became forceful (quietly and in private) about what I was there for. IMO I am not there as a guest to judge the performance of a fellow wedding photographer, make up for what they don't get, or interfere in any way with what they do. This could be a simple as not overriding the pros flash or blocking the view. I have seen worse. IMO difficulties are not usually from someone who does a lot of weddings but from someone who has a lot of good gear who is playing a role. So if the pro fails and I am there with a lot of gear, do I step in without a contract? Do I intervene if I think, as I have read about on PN, when the contracted pro is obviously not properly covering the wedding? In my experience in doing weddings there are a lot of messy things that happen between families and alcohol gets things pretty rampant at some receptions and some weddings go smoothly by design. Do I want to become involved in some of this outside of a contract. This won't happen to me if my camera is at home. Better yet, i have seen enough weddings so I should stay home, There is a legal term for someone who intervenes without status. It is "Officious Intermeddler".

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<p>Just hobbyist here...</p>

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<p>There's only hobbyists here. Real pros are busy doing SEO on their web sites and don't care about trivial things like this.</p>

<p>Vail<br>

I am a photographer. My camera goes everywhere I do, and I bring whatever lens[es] I feel like using that day, regardless.</p>

 

<p>I have just done 15 weddings for profits so far. But this question is a non-starter for me already at this stage of my not so illustrious photography career.<br>

Why would I ever want to lug around my 30 pounds of gears to a wedding when I'm not getting paid?<br>

Those people who bring 70-200 + 5D2 to a wedding are generally not "pro photographers" or at least someone who shoots for profit as your question indicates. They are just people with expensive gears but have no better place to use them except in a wedding.</p>

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<p>After shooting hundreds of weddings, I find the time I actually get to enjoy being at a wedding is when I am invited as a guest. Last year I was in 2 friends weddings as a groomsman, so I got to be in some of their pictures. Enjoy it. Leave the camera at home, and try not to get into "photography" talk with anyone. Being a photographer at a wedding comes just about every other Saturday... but being someone's guest is really a once in a lifetime event. Plus we've all been there where we are on the shooting end and have had people interrupting us and trying to ask about this or that ... I'd always end up thinking, "Sir, if you wanted to photograph this event, why didn't they just hire you instead, since you already knew them?" Let them get to work, and you be there to enjoy the food, drink, dance, and maybe meet a nice gal.</p>

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<p>Those people who bring 70-200 + 5D2 to a wedding are generally not "pro photographers" or at least someone who shoots for profit as your question indicates. They are just people with expensive gears but have no better place to use them except in a wedding.</p>

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<p>Interesting. I would just <em>love </em>to know where you got your stats on that from :)</p>

<p>@Rafael S well said! <br>

If you think bringing a camera to document what the Hired photographer miss out, think for a moment if you have twenty guests think this way, who need the hire photographer for? Maybe we all be mounting a camera on our forehead so we don't miss the special moment. This bring me back to the question, do you answer a business call in the public washroom? If yes then it must be a 911 call!<br>

Anyway, taking photos behind the Hired photographer can be very annoying, imagine someone is chewing gum while you are speaking. You might not see their faces but the annoying sound just not Professional. Switch shoes with the hire photographer for a moment! Think of this hire photographer needs to make a living so PLEASE let him or her do the work!</p>