Nooooobody???? WOW!!! Ok, how about any other memorable stories?
Did you work with some bridezillas?
Did you have a irritating mom follow you on every step?
Did you have to deal with an annoying uncle John?
A drunk groomsman or a drunk ex-boy / girl friend? ....
Any funny toasts??
A run away bride / groom?
Last minute cancellations?
Did you stay in touch with some couples, how are they doing some years down the road?
I was 2nd shooting for another photographer, back in November, I was on the side and he was going to shoot the bride tossing the bouquet. So this one dude got directly in front of the main to shoot, at first it seemed ok cause maybe he was just gonna shoot a quick portrait and go. Nope. So she tosses it, main wasn't able to get the shot, but the bride missed by large margins, which was lucky cause we got a 2nd toss in and photo of it.
I had a funny bouquet story / pic too .... one of the bridesmaids jumped to get the bouquet (she didn't catch it), but she stretched so far in the air, that her strapless dress slid down ... I don't think anybody saw it except me & she was super fast pulling it back up again ... but I did get a pic of it (I actually didn't realized what happened until I was back home, working at the set) ... and NO the pic didn't make it in the set, but it was funny anyway
I've had my share of bridezillas, ... would rather not got into any details One of them was yelling at her flower girl (which was her 3 year old daughter!!), who forgot her flower basket back home, so she picked flowers from all of the bridesmaids bouquets yelling & screaming at everybody around her :crazy I've seen some stuff that really makes me wonder .... But I think I got better at selecting my brides. The first 1-2 years I was shooting I had some bad stories though ...
Last minute cancellations ... had one so far it was ~2-3 months before their wedding. Got an email from the groom asking me if there was any way he could get his deposit back as they decided to cancel the wedding. It was supposed to be a wedding in a really gorgeous hotel downtown, and I thought I had a great & fun connection with the couple & they were super cute with each other (during the interview anyway), so I thought it was a bit funny they would decide to cancel the wedding ... I somehow though they maybe just changed their mind, and wanted to go with an other photographer instead ... but then I remembered that he told me at the interview that he was a singer .... googled his name, found his website, and sure enough his most recent songs were just HEARTBREAKING. It was BAD :cry. I felt really sad for the 2 of them, and mailed back the deposit.
I do really wonder how many of the couples are already divorced. I had one bride once book me 2 years in advance. She said she was still waiting for the annulment of her previous marriage (which was like 4 months before she booked me !!) .... I didn't want to get into any details and obviously never asked ... but when her wedding finally came and she was yelling at her husband & poor mom (who was this tiny, really sweet old lady who just wanted to take some photos with her old camera) like if there was no tomorrow, I do wonder if they are still together
I had one last year that taught me a big lesson. Lovely wedding, but there was a portfolio-builder there who was never more than two feet from me the whole day, even during the ceremony! She had pro equipment, so at first I assumed she was one and would stay out of my way. But even during the private romantic shoot, she jumped in front of me and my second shooter and I had to speak to her firmly and ask her to leave the area. Still, she remained a thorn in our sides for the rest of the day. Speaking to the bride and groom did not change the situation. There was a lot they were dealing with (drama with both families). It was the first time I'd ever dealt with such an overzealous GWC (guest with camera) and yet not gotten any cooperation after politely speaking with the photo enthusiast about it.
So fast forward about a month...I have this "planning info for the bride" gallery on my website. It's more like a book than a gallery; it's really long. It's to help brides deal with stuff like timing issues, kissing for the camera, the best time for a romantic shoot, etc. No one but my booked clients ever reads it, I thought. Well, maybe a friend or family member, but it really doesn't get many hits at all.
It has a section about " Uncle Bob's" and other overzealous GWC's, and how than can negatively impact the couple's pictures at times. In updating it, I wrote about "Miss Nikon" at a particular month's wedding, and how her actions really affected some of my clients' images. I said that I had to photoshop her arms and "updo" out of some of them, as well as fix lighting issues caused by her flash over my shoulder at critical moments; that the post took much longer than usual, etc. I used it as an example of what to not let happen at my client's weddings, asking them to step up to the plate if informed that their photographer is having a problem doing her job in a similar situation.
So after the couple's gallery had been on line for a couple of months, I got a phone call. I didn't know her name, but she described herself as a guest at such and such a wedding with the D300, SB800 and
Fong lightsphere..."remember me?" My heart started pounding...what had I written? Was it bad? It had been months ago...
She first complimented me profusely on the pictures from the wedding, saying she had so much to learn, and that I was right ; she was trying to "build a wedding portfolio". She said she had read the planning gallery and learned a lot, and saw her behavior described as well...She said that she was very sorry for her behavior. She asked me to remove what I had written, because she was mortified and embarrassed, and that anyone who had been at the wedding would know I was referring to her. (I never identified what wedding it happened at or the date it occurred, but that's besides the point...) I agreed, expressed appreciation for her apology, and expressed surprise that she had read the entire planning gallery.
She explained that her best friend was also a guest at the same wedding, had just gotten engaged, and had been looking at my site. She had read that whole gallery on planning. She knew it was her photo-enthusiast friend being described, and had told her to read the planning gallery also. She (the future bride) had encouraged her friend to call me and apologize because she wanted to hire me for her wedding, and didn't want any weirdness between me and the maid of honor, who will be "Miss Nikon".
I can't do the wedding since the date is not available, (thankfully!), but it was a big lesson for me. Even vague descriptions buried deep in a gallery about anyone at a wedding, even those with rude behavior, can come back to bite. I was shaking inside when she called, and felt so bad that just venting to my second shooter on the drive home, and later to my husband as I spent extra time editing the images, had not been enough...I had to write about it too. Not wise.
But on the positive side, the couple whose wedding this happened at have been incredibly appreciative and are absolutely over-the-top thrilled with their pictures and album, which they just received.
I don't shoot weddings, at least not solo (been second shooter at a couple and videographer at a dozen family weddings), so I don't have any good wedding stories of my own. But one of my best friends shoots weddings and told me this one from 2 or 3 years ago:
Fairly ordinary wedding, followed by a fairly ordinary formals shoot at the church. Afterward, my friend jumped in his van and hightailed it to the reception venue to be in position for the bridal party's arrival.
But they didn't show. Everybody waited, and waited, and after a good 45 minutes, they finally showed up, and started unloading boxes from the back of the limo. The boxes were full of booze.
It seems that, despite the fact that they paid a premium for an unlimited, open bar at the reception, the entire bridal party - bride, groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen, still in full regalia - all stopped at a liquor store to load up on their faves, on the way from the church to the reception.
Of course, there were already a lot of guests who were half in the bag by the time the bridal party arrived.
It was a happy, happy reception. And a little on the loud side.
What I said when I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time: "The wide ain't wide enough and the zoom don't zoom enough!"
Did I ever tell about the time that I decided to try to take photos of the rings on the keys of a piano? Those great receeding lines were supposed to be amazing....
Wellll, just as I was about to snap the gorgeous perfect photo, both rings slipped under the keys... I didn't even know they could do that!
Fortunately, my assistant at that wedding was a music teacher and she was able to take apart the piano with just a screwdriver....
I laugh about it now, but GOSH did I learn my lesson.. What a stressful half hour.
Did I ever tell about the time that I decided to try to take photos of the rings on the keys of a piano? Those great receeding lines were supposed to be amazing....
Wellll, just as I was about to snap the gorgeous perfect photo, both rings slipped under the keys... I didn't even know they could do that!
Fortunately, my assistant at that wedding was a music teacher and she was able to take apart the piano with just a screwdriver....
I laugh about it now, but GOSH did I learn my lesson.. What a stressful half hour.
Did I ever tell about the time that I decided to try to take photos of the rings on the keys of a piano? Those great receeding lines were supposed to be amazing....
Wellll, just as I was about to snap the gorgeous perfect photo, both rings slipped under the keys... I didn't even know they could do that!
Fortunately, my assistant at that wedding was a music teacher and she was able to take apart the piano with just a screwdriver....
I laugh about it now, but GOSH did I learn my lesson.. What a stressful half hour.
Glad your assistant was able to take them out again, that would have been a bad one ...
I have to confess too (my story however had not a good ending), I broke one of my brides earrings. :cry the little "pin" that goes in the ear simply broke off when I tried to hang the earring from a gorgeous curtain ... now I stay faar away from earrings. Luckily the bride was waaaay to cool about it, and didn't really care (I however had endless nights where I had nightmares about it). She said they were just cheap earrings (sure didn't looks so), and luckily she had a pair of pearls with her ... Yiikes! BAD ONE! :hide
For a wedding I shot last weekend (there is a long back story to this) I got a really strange phone call from the bride about an hour before the wedding...
I was traveling in LA (about a five hour drive from my home) with only my 1DII, 35/2 & 50/1.4. I brought this selection because thats all that will fit in my underwater housing and I wasn't doing any "real shooting". Sure enough, I get a call from a buddy of mine who is an officiant that tells me the wedding he is shooting that afternoon has no photographer, the original photographer backed out at the last minute.
I called the bride about four hours before the wedding (after she had seen my website & portfolio) and she said that she was excited to be able to get photos like that. Being as honest as possible, I explained that I left the bulk of my gear (my favorite lenses and lights) at home because I had no plans on shooting a wedding and that the photos would be a little bit different from the photos on my website. Still she was excited and we quickly planned out the shoot.
Fast forward three hours to when I get the phone call during lunch with my family: "Now we understand we will see you at 3:30, but.... do we need to get you a camera?"
Did I ever tell about the time that I decided to try to take photos of the rings on the keys of a piano? Those great receeding lines were supposed to be amazing....
Wellll, just as I was about to snap the gorgeous perfect photo, both rings slipped under the keys... I didn't even know they could do that!
Fortunately, my assistant at that wedding was a music teacher and she was able to take apart the piano with just a screwdriver....
I laugh about it now, but GOSH did I learn my lesson.. What a stressful half hour.
Oh my! I think I would have had a difficult time not panicking...good advice to avoid the piano for ring photos!
I had one last year that taught me a big lesson. Lovely wedding, but there was a portfolio-builder there who was never more than two feet from me the whole day, even during the ceremony! .....
I can't do the wedding since the date is not available, (thankfully!), but it was a big lesson for me. Even vague descriptions buried deep in a gallery about anyone at a wedding, even those with rude behavior, can come back to bite. I was shaking inside when she called, and felt so bad that just venting to my second shooter on the drive home, and later to my husband as I spent extra time editing the images, had not been enough...I had to write about it too. Not wise.
I don't know if you should feel too guilty...I think informing your couples about things that could potentially ruin their photos is important. A Guest with Camera could really mess up your work, and you never named names or indicated which wedding it was at. I'm actually going to be on the other side of this equation at my brother-in-law's wedding coming up. I'll be the "GWC," but I'm going to make sure I don't hinder the official photographer in any way, knowing just how annoying it can be.
Glad your assistant was able to take them out again, that would have been a bad one ...
Yeah, it was sure one of those moments where you hit your head with your hands and yell "stupid! stupid!" That sinking feeling when I saw them fall still haunts me. I never did tell the b & g. And NEVER will.
Yeah, it was sure one of those moments where you hit your head with your hands and yell "stupid! stupid!" That sinking feeling when I saw them fall still haunts me. I never did tell the b & g. And NEVER will.
Yep. After reading these little tidbits, I am never ever going to put rings on anything that has a crack and a hole.
I don't know if you should feel too guilty...I think informing your couples about things that could potentially ruin their photos is important. A Guest with Camera could really mess up your work, and you never named names or indicated which wedding it was at. I'm actually going to be on the other side of this equation at my brother-in-law's wedding coming up. I'll be the "GWC," but I'm going to make sure I don't hinder the official photographer in any way, knowing just how annoying it can be.
I'd have been thrilled to have you as the GWC, Mishka- am sure you'd never be in the way, and I'd learn a thing or two observing in between my own shots. Thanks for the reassurance that I wasn't as out of line as my overly- sensitive -to -peoples- feelings-conscience may have indicated.
Hope your brother in law hired a good WP so you won't have to shoot unless you feel like it at his wedding!
I'd have been thrilled to have you as the GWC, Mishka- am sure you'd never be in the way, and I'd learn a thing or two observing in between my own shots. Thanks for the reassurance that I wasn't as out of line as my overly- sensitive -to -peoples- feelings-conscience may have indicated.
Hope your brother in law hired a good WP so you won't have to shoot unless you feel like it at his wedding!
Aw, thanks...yes, definitely don't feel guilty!
I think the WP they hired is good (and I'm excited to get to enjoy this wedding without any responsibilities), but of course I can't go without taking photos. Still, it will only be for fun, which means I can be really creative!
Heart attack inducing incident
This is all before the wedding, while the bride and groom where both behind closed doors and getting ready.
I'm working the ring shots (why is it always the ring shots that cause problems ) for one of my first ever weddings. I'm out in the middle of a grassy area, under a tree where I have good, even and well controlled light. I have with me the rings, her flowers, a copy of the wedding program, and one of their napkins. I have their rings (it's important at this point for you to know that both rings are pretty light-weight) positioned on the napkin.
I'm getting ready to press the shutter button and a pretty good zephyr blows through.
Can you guess what happened?
The napkin flipped over, sending the rings into the 4" tall grass. I found the grooms ring right away. It was a good fifteen minutes before I found the bride's engagement ring! Unlike Heather's event with the piano, I didn't have a clue where the ring was. I was really sweating bullets - "What ever am I going to tell the bride if I don't find the ring??"
I've been the GWC on two weddings, as requested by the B&Gs. With the instruction to be there were the official pg isn't ;-) So they would have photos of events where they aren't present: guests chatting while waiting for the B&G to arrive in the car, family getting ready for the ceremony, etc. Great fun, little to no pressure:D, much better than being the first shooter
After one of those weddings they showed only my photos to family and friends, because the official pg screwed up...
I had a close call as well, not with wedding but with a formal some time ago. After processing the photos I did a final quick scan to see I didn't miss anything etc before placing them online for all to see... In a flash I noticed a girl in the corner of the dancefloor having a major 'dress incident'... For all you women out there: strapless dresses are really beautiful, just don't jump too much when wearing one...
Comments
Did you work with some bridezillas?
Did you have a irritating mom follow you on every step?
Did you have to deal with an annoying uncle John?
A drunk groomsman or a drunk ex-boy / girl friend? ....
Any funny toasts??
A run away bride / groom?
Last minute cancellations?
Did you stay in touch with some couples, how are they doing some years down the road?
Well take everything!!
I was 2nd shooting for another photographer, back in November, I was on the side and he was going to shoot the bride tossing the bouquet. So this one dude got directly in front of the main to shoot, at first it seemed ok cause maybe he was just gonna shoot a quick portrait and go. Nope. So she tosses it, main wasn't able to get the shot, but the bride missed by large margins, which was lucky cause we got a 2nd toss in and photo of it.
www.tednghiem.com
I had a funny bouquet story / pic too .... one of the bridesmaids jumped to get the bouquet (she didn't catch it), but she stretched so far in the air, that her strapless dress slid down ...
I've had my share of bridezillas, ... would rather not got into any details
Last minute cancellations ... had one so far it was ~2-3 months before their wedding. Got an email from the groom asking me if there was any way he could get his deposit back as they decided to cancel the wedding. It was supposed to be a wedding in a really gorgeous hotel downtown, and I thought I had a great & fun connection with the couple & they were super cute with each other (during the interview anyway), so I thought it was a bit funny they would decide to cancel the wedding ... I somehow though they maybe just changed their mind, and wanted to go with an other photographer instead ... but then I remembered that he told me at the interview that he was a singer .... googled his name, found his website, and sure enough his most recent songs were just HEARTBREAKING. It was BAD :cry. I felt really sad for the 2 of them, and mailed back the deposit.
I do really wonder how many of the couples are already divorced. I had one bride once book me 2 years in advance. She said she was still waiting for the annulment of her previous marriage (which was like 4 months before she booked me
So fast forward about a month...I have this "planning info for the bride" gallery on my website. It's more like a book than a gallery; it's really long. It's to help brides deal with stuff like timing issues, kissing for the camera, the best time for a romantic shoot, etc. No one but my booked clients ever reads it, I thought. Well, maybe a friend or family member, but it really doesn't get many hits at all.
It has a section about " Uncle Bob's" and other overzealous GWC's, and how than can negatively impact the couple's pictures at times. In updating it, I wrote about "Miss Nikon" at a particular month's wedding, and how her actions really affected some of my clients' images. I said that I had to photoshop her arms and "updo" out of some of them, as well as fix lighting issues caused by her flash over my shoulder at critical moments; that the post took much longer than usual, etc. I used it as an example of what to not let happen at my client's weddings, asking them to step up to the plate if informed that their photographer is having a problem doing her job in a similar situation.
So after the couple's gallery had been on line for a couple of months, I got a phone call. I didn't know her name, but she described herself as a guest at such and such a wedding with the D300, SB800 and
Fong lightsphere..."remember me?" My heart started pounding...what had I written? Was it bad? It had been months ago...
She first complimented me profusely on the pictures from the wedding, saying she had so much to learn, and that I was right ; she was trying to "build a wedding portfolio". She said she had read the planning gallery and learned a lot, and saw her behavior described as well...She said that she was very sorry for her behavior. She asked me to remove what I had written, because she was mortified and embarrassed, and that anyone who had been at the wedding would know I was referring to her. (I never identified what wedding it happened at or the date it occurred, but that's besides the point...) I agreed, expressed appreciation for her apology, and expressed surprise that she had read the entire planning gallery.
She explained that her best friend was also a guest at the same wedding, had just gotten engaged, and had been looking at my site. She had read that whole gallery on planning. She knew it was her photo-enthusiast friend being described, and had told her to read the planning gallery also. She (the future bride) had encouraged her friend to call me and apologize because she wanted to hire me for her wedding, and didn't want any weirdness between me and the maid of honor, who will be "Miss Nikon".
I can't do the wedding since the date is not available, (thankfully!), but it was a big lesson for me. Even vague descriptions buried deep in a gallery about anyone at a wedding, even those with rude behavior, can come back to bite. I was shaking inside when she called, and felt so bad that just venting to my second shooter on the drive home, and later to my husband as I spent extra time editing the images, had not been enough...I had to write about it too. Not wise.
But on the positive side, the couple whose wedding this happened at have been incredibly appreciative and are absolutely over-the-top thrilled with their pictures and album, which they just received.
Fairly ordinary wedding, followed by a fairly ordinary formals shoot at the church. Afterward, my friend jumped in his van and hightailed it to the reception venue to be in position for the bridal party's arrival.
But they didn't show. Everybody waited, and waited, and after a good 45 minutes, they finally showed up, and started unloading boxes from the back of the limo. The boxes were full of booze.
It seems that, despite the fact that they paid a premium for an unlimited, open bar at the reception, the entire bridal party - bride, groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen, still in full regalia - all stopped at a liquor store to load up on their faves, on the way from the church to the reception.
Of course, there were already a lot of guests who were half in the bag by the time the bridal party arrived.
It was a happy, happy reception. And a little on the loud side.
Did I ever tell about the time that I decided to try to take photos of the rings on the keys of a piano? Those great receeding lines were supposed to be amazing....
Wellll, just as I was about to snap the gorgeous perfect photo, both rings slipped under the keys... I didn't even know they could do that!
Fortunately, my assistant at that wedding was a music teacher and she was able to take apart the piano with just a screwdriver....
I laugh about it now, but GOSH did I learn my lesson.. What a stressful half hour.
Gulp!!!
www.tednghiem.com
I have to confess too (my story however had not a good ending), I broke one of my brides earrings. :cry the little "pin" that goes in the ear simply broke off when I tried to hang the earring from a gorgeous curtain ... now I stay faar away from earrings. Luckily the bride was waaaay to cool about it, and didn't really care (I however had endless nights where I had nightmares about it). She said they were just cheap earrings (sure didn't looks so), and luckily she had a pair of pearls with her ... Yiikes! BAD ONE! :hide
I was traveling in LA (about a five hour drive from my home) with only my 1DII, 35/2 & 50/1.4. I brought this selection because thats all that will fit in my underwater housing and I wasn't doing any "real shooting". Sure enough, I get a call from a buddy of mine who is an officiant that tells me the wedding he is shooting that afternoon has no photographer, the original photographer backed out at the last minute.
I called the bride about four hours before the wedding (after she had seen my website & portfolio) and she said that she was excited to be able to get photos like that. Being as honest as possible, I explained that I left the bulk of my gear (my favorite lenses and lights) at home because I had no plans on shooting a wedding and that the photos would be a little bit different from the photos on my website. Still she was excited and we quickly planned out the shoot.
Fast forward three hours to when I get the phone call during lunch with my family: "Now we understand we will see you at 3:30, but.... do we need to get you a camera?"
Oh my! I think I would have had a difficult time not panicking...good advice to avoid the piano for ring photos!
Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer
Pittsburgh Wedding Photography Blog
I don't know if you should feel too guilty...I think informing your couples about things that could potentially ruin their photos is important. A Guest with Camera could really mess up your work, and you never named names or indicated which wedding it was at. I'm actually going to be on the other side of this equation at my brother-in-law's wedding coming up. I'll be the "GWC," but I'm going to make sure I don't hinder the official photographer in any way, knowing just how annoying it can be.
Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer
Pittsburgh Wedding Photography Blog
Yeah, it was sure one of those moments where you hit your head with your hands and yell "stupid! stupid!" That sinking feeling when I saw them fall still haunts me. I never did tell the b & g. And NEVER will.
Yep. After reading these little tidbits, I am never ever going to put rings on anything that has a crack and a hole.
www.tednghiem.com
Hope your brother in law hired a good WP so you won't have to shoot unless you feel like it at his wedding!
Aw, thanks...yes, definitely don't feel guilty!
I think the WP they hired is good (and I'm excited to get to enjoy this wedding without any responsibilities), but of course I can't go without taking photos. Still, it will only be for fun, which means I can be really creative!
Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer
Pittsburgh Wedding Photography Blog
This is all before the wedding, while the bride and groom where both behind closed doors and getting ready.
I'm working the ring shots (why is it always the ring shots that cause problems
I'm getting ready to press the shutter button and a pretty good zephyr blows through.
Can you guess what happened?
The napkin flipped over, sending the rings into the 4" tall grass. I found the grooms ring right away. It was a good fifteen minutes before I found the bride's engagement ring! Unlike Heather's event with the piano, I didn't have a clue where the ring was. I was really sweating bullets - "What ever am I going to tell the bride if I don't find the ring??"
My Photos
Thoughts on photographing a wedding, How to post a picture, AF Microadjustments?, Light Scoop
Equipment List - Check my profile
After one of those weddings they showed only my photos to family and friends, because the official pg screwed up...
I had a close call as well, not with wedding but with a formal some time ago. After processing the photos I did a final quick scan to see I didn't miss anything etc before placing them online for all to see... In a flash I noticed a girl in the corner of the dancefloor having a major 'dress incident'... For all you women out there: strapless dresses are really beautiful, just don't jump too much when wearing one...
www.warris.nl/blog