Your wedding nightmare (and how you dealt with it)

[fotografz]

Hope you got paid "Gangsta" level hazard pay Gino. There are certain venues past Detroit's

"8 Mile" line of Eminem fame I just won't shoot.

 

Brings new meaning to "shooting" a wedding huh?

[laura_richmond]

it was the first non-family member wedding that I ever shot, my flash batteries died as the bride and groom were walking towards me... total darkness, my box was at the back of the room so i just kept shooting, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were posing and waiting at the end of the aisle, one girl didnt want to walk forward because she could see that my flash wasnt going off and was determined to wait until i got her pic with flash, i looked up at her smiled and nodded so she would just go. then it was formal pic time -oh the joy of trying to create beautiful portraits in a airport holiday inn banquet room - the spare batteries that i put in my flash died after 5 or 6 pops! somehow mostly dead batteries got in my "new battery" pouch - i got in close, used a tripod and switched to 400 iso film mid roll but they were still murky in a little room with "romantic" lighting - then at the reception i told the bride that i had to step out for a sec (to buy more batteries at the hotel gift shop) and not to do the dance yet - 2 min later i walked back into the hall to find the father/daughter dance was just ending and i had just enough time to catch the final hug , Oh yeah and their engagement picture memory mat that was supposed to be on the table outside the door got ruined in the rain due to a hurricane - all in all a sucky might.

[picturesque]

Yeah--never tell the bride and groom to "not" do something. They are too distracted to remember things. I've had this happen to me many times. Also, aggressive wedding coordinators or DJs who don't care whether the photographes gets his/her photos sometimes pressure the couple into doing things even when they promised to wait. You've got to determine who is really running the schedule and get that person to promise not to go on to the next big event before you get back. Or tell multiple people and hope one of them remembers. Or maybe get one of the groomsmen to go get your batteries, if you don't have an assistant.

[tom h.]

"One would never wager a war with a single bullet...why would

you go to a wedding with a 2-1/4 camera and a single flash

unit?"

 

A) 20+lbs of gear (including 35mm backup),6000 miles and

three flights in one day

B) $700ish MF flash setup (mostly new, but worked fine)

C) the job was a promise.

 

Plus, before I left, I asked a friend in Ireland who does weddings

all day- "whaddya do if the hassie dies?" and his (Makes six

figures a year) reply was "bottom line is,I shoot the Nikon F5 and

don't say a word.- no-one ever notices, ". Still, it sucked ass.

[audrey_griffin]

" Really man, you can't pay me enough."

Eat them words Higgins

 

Tom's wedding nightmare has just begun again. He has agreed to shoot my wedding in September in Ireland.

 

The aisle is 100 metres long so you will have plenty of time , U better get it right baby !!!

The bridesmaids will be putty in your hands (minus chewing gum)

 

bring a backup flash, no excuses:)

 

Would you guys trust him ??!