Who's responsibility is it...

Mark Dickinson

I see a wedding photo on my facebook, and I see high end wedding photos and you don't see this MESS of people trying to snap photos.

How can you control it, who's responsibility is it.... LOOK AT THE IPAD!



Anyone have any suggestions or complements to add to this in your situation?

Sam

Looks normal to me. Notice the photographer kneeling down in front capturing the bride walking down the isle. Most of the guests shooting won't be in his photo.

Unless your royalty and have a small army at your disposal you can't stop guests from taking photos. You do have some ability to limit them getting in your way, but overall guests will take photos.

Sam

Snowgirl

Yep, looks like a normal wedding to me!

Mark Dickinson

As I said though, look at high end weddings. I can guarantee you that the lady sticking her self out to do a shot will be in a photo.

Every higher end wedding I have done or gone to the guests seem to have a little more etiquette google the clinton wedding, google walking down the isle
The reason why I am asking is I have a bride who wants peoples hands edited or blurred so you don't see the camera. It's not normal to have an ipad with a case and holding the stupid thing up. I thought of having a spoof one, setting up a desktop with a webcam, and all saying... would this be ok...

I just think there needs to be some education to how tacky it looks.

Mark Dickinson

To clarify, its not that people are taking photos I think I should have mentioned, its bringing the ipad which is bothering me. I guess its just the ignorance of the user. I guarantee his phone has a camera on it that would do the exact same.

cdonovan

This is actually mentioned in my contract. It is up to the bride/groom to police this, not me. If the b&g don't mind, then they have to be prepared for possibility, that during that magical walk up the isle, there may be someone in my way, and it could be missed. My favorite is a killer shot, with beautiful expression completely ruined by someone elses the flash censor glaring off the grooms forehead.

I had a bride who had been to a wedding just before she got married, and she immediately sent an email to all of her guests, telling them to keep their cameras in their bags until after the ceremony, and no one with a camera was allowed during the formals, and we travelled to a secret location for the b&g's personal pictures!! She had purchased my disk package, and told them not to worry, that I would capture everything, and whatever shot they wanted she would give them a print for it. It was my most favoritest bride & groom to date (and yes, I just made up a new word!)

I just don't get why people feel the need to act like this. It's like they are on assignment for some magazine and absolutely have to get the shot, instead of actually enjoying the day, and the moment that they have been invited to witness, they are worried about catching a small glimpse of the bride, like she's some exclusive gem that will disappear as soon as the service is over.

I thought, over the years, that this is something that would dissipate, to some extent, if anything, it continues to grow into a larger problem!

Glort

I don't get why shooters get their knickers in a know about this. It's normal for a wedding and always has been in my 25+ yrs experience.
It seems to me that too many shooters treat a wedding as if it is set up for their exclusive benefit to create perfect photography and get upset when the people involved don't understand how to make it happen for the shooter that way all in a neat little box with a ribbon on top for good measure. it doesn't work that way.
The photographer is a hired hand that has a job to do in capturing the day. that job description does not include telling people what they can and cant do withing the normal scope of proceedings.

Guests take photos because they enjoy it and want memories of their own. While I think shooters have a right to set up and control the picture taking during the formals, I'd never be so full of myself to whinge about them taking pics as the bride walks down the aisle. Thats a " Public" thing as far as I'm concerned and not something the shooter should be concerning themselves about how they look doing it.

It would seem to me those that do pay attention to how the guests look probably aren't concentrating on the job they are there for or have come to learn how to adapt and overcome which is a key element of a GOOD wedding shooter.

If someone gets in my way, they get in my way. That's a reason why I did not get a shot the B&G wanted not a fault on my part and often not something I can control.

Mark Dickinson

I've been shooting since digital age, so everyone has about the same experience with digital. Im not in a knot, im asking what people are doing with giant ipads. because I've been asked to edit things like this out if I can. So when you get asked a couple of times, and then bill the client and they get upset you start to take preventative measures. I shoot about 40-60 weddings per year with our team so you can see how many times this could occur.

The requests were how do you handle the situations when this arises, for instance I would say.

"I put it in my contract" like Cdonovan indicated so that way when it comes to editing time they are aware that editing like this could be extra because it was forewarned.

I def don't mind people taking photos. I've bumped into people standing in the middle like the lady in the photo when I was walking backwards from the exit got a little laugh but its the post side that they are wanting things done. I may end up putting a better post process editing inclusions or not since I think its only been less than 10 percent of the yearly weddings request it.

I think I get a little aggravated when I am at Catholic weddings and they say no flash photo (I dont need to use it) even my 400 is a 2.8 so I stress that I dont need to use it... but make it a point to tell me the rules, and yet people in the audience are popping it off. That would be my only gripe or getting my panties in a wad.:P

vivalaveritas

The guy with the iPad is my favorite

zoomer

Looks normal to me also. They pay you to capture the day..you captured it. I would definitely charge extra if they wanted cameras cropped out of shots.
It is their responsibility to tell their guests they hired a professional photographer and to please refrain from bringing their cameras and photographing during the day......if that is what they want.
It is not the photographers responsibility to manage the activities of their wedding guests.

Jeffro

That's a crazy shot.

I'll have to agree with it being the Bride and Grooms problem. If they don't want to tell their guest to refrain from taking photos during the ceremony, they should expect to get some ruined shots. I don't think it's too much to ask that guests refrain from taking photos during the ceremony, since the B&G are spending a pretty good amount (guessing here, hoping too) on a photographer to capture the moment. I didn't even take a camera to the last wedding I was a guest at......I figured I was a guest, not the photographer so I just enjoyed the day.

Glort

Mark Dickinson wrote: »

I've been asked to edit things like this out if I can. So when you get asked a couple of times, and then bill the client and they get upset you start to take preventative measures

Your saying the B&G want you to edit out the guy with the Ipad?

Mark Dickinson

Yes, they want me to either blur backgrounds, or try to edit them out. I blur, but it's only about 3-4 xper year I get this request. I just don't want to make it habit, since it really. Is capturing threat and that's what I'm gonna stick to.

bnlearle

I wouldn't dream of editing anything like that out. If I can't get it out of the frame within my composition preference, then it stays and I'm not about to edit it out. IMO, catering to things like this is a bad business idea...

Matthew Saville

Quite simply, the bottom line answer is that your brides should NOT expect such service (editing out guests cameras) unless they are willing to pay handsomely for your retouching time. That is just a LUDICROUS request, and not even CLOSE to your responsibility.

Sure, you could find better angles and shoot tight to get as many guests as possible out of the images. But then almost the entire wedding would be a 70-200 view of the bride and groom's faces, I mean seriously...

I personally do a few things- I pre-emptively discuss this with the cilent. I tell the bride that guests with cameras are just fine, as long as she doesn't mind them showing up in MANY of my photos. I promise to be pretty dang good at selective focus and composition, but I'm not magic and I won't go out of my way to photoshop a guest's camera out of an image, not unless the bride / client is willing to pay my hourly rate for advanced retouching. It sounds cold-hearted and old-fashioned "business-is-business", but if you're a full-time professional struggling to make a living at this, you'll probably know what I mean. I also offer a few suggestions to the couple, plus I do make a few "demands"...

* I suggest that if they know of any "uncle bobs" who are avid photographers and are planning on packing every last lens they have at this wedding, I encourage the couple to ask that person to just keep it simple, bring just one camera+lens, and relax and enjoy the wedding day so that I can do my thing.

* Generally, I do warn the client that if everybody at the wedding has a camera, then that is just a part of their day and those guests will show up in the photos. *IF* the client really doesn't feel okay with this, then it is up to THEM to send out a little note to all the guests, maybe with the final RSVP details or something. Just encouraging guests to please refrain from snapping tons of photos at every moment of the day, and generally to just relax and enjoy the wedding day, letting the professionals do what they're getting paid to do...


* I openly tell the client that hey, they hired me for a reason; if they wanted to they certainly could have just hired that uncle bob. But I'm assuming that, even if uncle bob is a *decent* photographer, they do really want MY style and quality. So, I just let the couple think about that in general.

* I do kindly request that guests with cameras stay in their seats during the ceremony. They absolutely MUST stay out of the center aisle and front row. I've just had too many shots "ruined", (and at leas one shot almost completely BLOCKED) ...by zealous uncle bobs



All in all, I'd say that you should simply reply to this bride and say that it is impractical for you to be photoshopping THAT many cameras out. Or, if she really has 5-10 photos that she simply MUST have photoshopped, you'd gladly do 1-2 for free, or beyond that maybe $25 per image that needs to receive "advanced retouching"...

Take care,
=Matt=

Mark Dickinson

Thanks Matt! Good write!

Mark Dickinson

Lol!
Just this morning.. I had one come in jsut requesting a CROP because of a cell phone Mother in law was texting.. :P So i will just do what Matt says and help educate:)

kdog

Honestly in that shot I'd be more worried about the orange pom-pom in the foreground than the guy with the Ipad.