Wedding photographer

DannyDMR

DannyDMR

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Just had a wedding photographer come round last night as for some odd reason my missus asked him too (we already have a photographer)

He came round with a portfolio of his wedding shots and to say they were of dodgy quality was being kind. Most of his portfolio shots were either bad composition, out of focus, he for some reason had a shot of a pig in there.

I asked him what gear he uses and what back up gear he brings alone,

D3000 with 18-55 kit lens, no back up as he doesn't need it! he said his gear has no reflextion on his ability to photograph our wedding, so he must know hes ****

He wanted to charge £799 for 8 hours coverage and all images on dvd, photobooks are £80 extra. i nearly ****ed myself laughing

Never shot a wedding myself but he said he wouldn't be able to shoot the ceremony as 90% of churches registry offices don't allow it during the service. He said this as i ask how he will shoot during the ceremony as i know flash is not allowed and it is a little dark in there, his kit lens won't cope

Anyone else ever had something or heard of someone like this?
 
POAH said:
heard of what before?
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Dodgy photographers with low end kit charging more than they are worth. Nope never seen anything about that on here before:):exit:
 
Sounds like he has no clue, I've never not been able to shoot a ceremony (church or otherwise) due to rules. Sure no flash is common which is why we have fast glass.

I see this sort of thing as both bad for the photography profession as it shows the worst side but also for a 'real' pro turning up post a couple meeting this guy then they will simply shine in comparison. I would love to be the photographer coming through the door after this shooter as I would almost guarantee to sign them up and I don't class myself as anywhere near the best yet.
 
i have read stuff on here but actually experiencing it first hand really got to me, hats of to him for wanting to give it a try but at least learn something first and don't argue with a potential client lol i can understand that you don't need the best camera with 50 million mega pixels to get a good shot, but at the end of the day it's always going to be the camera that makes the images. i had a similar discussion with a friend who also shoots weddings with a D3000 and kit lens, and she is adamant that she produces just as good photo as a pro, only reason pro have expensive gear is because they can afford it
 
DannyDMR said:
i have read stuff on here but actually experiencing it first hand really got to me, hats of to him for wanting to give it a try but at least learn something first and don't argue with a potential client lol i can understand that you don't need the best camera with 50 million mega pixels to get a good shot, but at the end of the day it's always going to be the camera that makes the images. i had a similar discussion with a friend who also shoots weddings with a D3000 and kit lens, and she is adamant that she produces just as good photo as a pro, only reason pro have expensive gear is because they can afford it
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Where did your wife find this contact details from?

50 million mega pixels? :lol: I'd love to see the size of that sensor!
 
through a friend i think never asked

was watching through the worm hole few days back and they were using a 500odd mega pixel sensor to photograph the sky that was pretty impressive
 
DannyDMR said:
everything i have said up there ^^^^ but mainly the ceremony part
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It's possible what he's saying is true for him, many churches/reg offices don't allow photography during the service so all the ones he may have done might not let him, but I wouldn't put it at 90%, probably around 30-40% don't allow it in my experience, most don't like flash though.
 
I was thinking of starting a thread along these lines about something i saw yesterday.

I was at a brother in law's engagement party and the girls side had hired a tog. So being a fellow tog i was really honed in as to what and how he was shooting and i have to say i was pretty surprised. considering there was a film being made with a flash i didnt see him once alter his settings to accomodate this which made me think he was shooting on auto.

Personally I'd never shoot it in auto - not sure what the pro-wedding toggers would shoot as but i find i get some great shots with it in manual.

Then on a sunny day he was using his flash outside too. needless to say i was saying to SWMBO get me a dvd of the final pics *LOL*
 
best time to use a flash is outside on a sunny day!

but that said the friend i have who does weddings uses scene modes, i look through the photos and wonder how they manage to continue to photograph weddings, ok they are charging £300 £350 but common, look around theres good photographers that only charge a few pounds more, my tog for our big day is only £450 and hes good ok you don't get the bells and whistle that you would get from £750 upwards but i get good images on cd to do what i want with, all shot on a D700
 
I lent a couple of memory cards to a friend the other day so he could shoot a wedding and he left the images on the cards when he gave them back so naturally I had a look at them. I have to admit I was appaulled at how bad they were. I'd say at least 50% were out of focus and the other 50% were soft at best because all he had was the standard kit lens. All the shots with flash had harsh shadows and the formal shots looked like he'd been battling with other photographers because there was very little eye contact.

This is a guy that charged £750 for 8 hours of shooting. I don't think I'd have given him £50 for photos of that quality.
 
swanseamale47 said:
It's possible what he's saying is true for him, many churches/reg offices don't allow photography during the service so all the ones he may have done might not let him, but I wouldn't put it at 90%, probably around 30-40% don't allow it in my experience, most don't like flash though.
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Registry offices can be a pain but never had a church ban shots during the service as long as flash wasn't use,that's what Fast Glass/Tripods are for
 
DannyDMR said:
best time to use a flash is outside on a sunny day!
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Oh its even better - he was pointing the flash to the sky. I'm looking up at the clear skies wondering what he's trying to bounce the light of. he had a d3000 with a decent lens on it though
 
You will always get people like this, it's no big surprise.

Pretty poor form getting him to give up his time though when you've already booked someone and had no intention of booking him anyway.
 
Dman said:
You will always get people like this, it's no big surprise.

Pretty poor form getting him to give up his time though when you've already booked someone and had no intention of booking him anyway.
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agreed totally and was my fault, i was meant to cancel him apparently!!!
 
DannyDMR said:
i can understand the flash but why would they not let you photograph it? just curious
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It's an honourable estate and not to be entered into lightly etc etc.

Seriously, if you're distracted by a tog and fluff your lines, or the shutter sounds like cannon fire in a small church, or whatever, then basically the vicar or registrar is in their rights to stop the ceremony.
 
mani said:
Oh its even better - he was pointing the flash to the sky. I'm looking up at the clear skies wondering what he's trying to bounce the light of. he had a d3000 with a decent lens on it though
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Well that's a classic!

There are rather a lot of cowboys out there it seems. With much more confidence than ability. :eek:
 
Stevie_D said:
Well that's a classic!

There are rather a lot of cowboys out there it seems. With much more confidence than ability. :eek:
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Was the flash defused? many togs will point the flash straight up or at and angle just to allow a small spread of light to be used as fill. instead of direct.

Registry offices will tend to state no photography while they are talking.
So you just wait for them to take a breath and fire.

Churches I have never had a problem shooting during the service.
 
Well this thread is making me think I could earn a few quid...... Are the public really that stupid??

Im trying my hardest not to let people down with my shots - but if Joe Public really don't care what they get, I'm giving up on the sports and and becoming a Wedding Tog..... AARRGGHHHH somebody shoot me :(
 
Blaggers, seen a few of them over the years (not photography) and I'm sure you get them everywhere in all professions! As long as you can talk the talk and ******** your way through you can make lots of money, I however cant! :lol:
 
-Rob- said:
I have to admit I was appaulled at how bad they were.
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This is interesting to me because *a family friend who shall remain nameless* got married recently and spent about two grand on a four-person team to shoot his wedding (it was in foreign climbs, I worked it back and it'd be the equivalent of spending 8k over here).

He's just got the shots back. There are 500+ of them and personally I think they're pretty ropey. Some key ones of the B&G are really very good but the group shots aren't great and there are very few 'reportage' shots from the day which was one of the key reasons they had the four person team. A lot of the guests don't really feature at all.

He (and more crucially she) is absolutely delighted with them though. Sometimes it seems the worst peope to assess whether a photo is any good (good in the sense that it brings pleasure to other people) are photographers themselves.
 
I was at the wedding last year and the "photographer" they hired was using (by using, I mean fumbling about with) a Minolta 7D and a Sigma 28-300 zoom both of which seemed the worse for wear. He wasn't using flash for any of the indoor shots - apparently he "didn't believe in flash" and then just before the speeches ended his battery died and he had no back up battery. So he just said "that's it then, I'm off."

I never did see the pics but heard they were pretty awful but "it's ok because he was cheap".
 
Just in relation to the church part, we are getting married on the 5th august, and we checked with the vicar and he has no problems with our photographer taking pictures in the church, as long as there is NO flash, and he doesn't interrupt the ceremony! I think thats fair!

I think its the vicar's decision, each one will be different, and have a different view on it, so just ask them!

Jordan
 
DannyDMR said:
i have read stuff on here but actually experiencing it first hand really got to me, hats of to him for wanting to give it a try but at least learn something first and don't argue with a potential client lol i can understand that you don't need the best camera with 50 million mega pixels to get a good shot, but at the end of the day it's always going to be the camera that makes the images. i had a similar discussion with a friend who also shoots weddings with a D3000 and kit lens, and she is adamant that she produces just as good photo as a pro, only reason pro have expensive gear is because they can afford it
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I think its the photographer that makes the images. A good photographer would get good photographs using any decent DSLR or film SLR body. Good glass is more important than the body.
 
The photographer's photographic experience, knowledge and confidence in their ability can make a huge difference to the end results.

Over the years I have shot and been well paid for weddings at which the images have been taken on 35mm film SLRs (various), Medium Format TLR (Mamiya C330f), Medium Format SLRs (Bronica ETRs, SQA and Hasselblad 500CMs), Digital Bridge Camera (Fuji S602 Pro) and DSLRs (Nikon D70, D200 and Canon 5DMk2). Most of these would have also been shot with a Metz 45 series flashgun and tripod.

It's really not the Camera equipment that makes the difference, I would rather have a lower specced Camera and Lens with a decent flashgun and tripod than a top of the range Camera and Lens with no flash (or just the inbuilt one) and no tripod.
 
Its very common that you arent allowed to use flash in ceremonies due to the distraction it causes. I've been told that as long as you dont distract people and dont use flash, you can shoot through church ceremonies.
However, i've done a few registry office ceremonies and they all vary in what they allow.
Our local office doesnt allow any shooting during the ceremony, other than Bride entrance and mock signing (The room is very small).
Another one not too far from me allowed ring exchange, first kiss and mock signing (Very slightly bigger room).
However, I've shot "hotel" weddings and the registrars from the same venues have let me shoot through the ceremony. It got me wondering if they just dont want the distraction in such a small area?

As for the chap having no back up becasue he doesnt need one..... What happens when he turns up, and the camera fails/drops and smashes the camera mount/ lens appertures stick wide etc? It WILL happen at some point, and if its right at the start of the wedding, say goodbye to any form of word-of-mouth bookings and look forward to issuing a full refund to the bride and groom, leaving them with no photos other than guests shots.

As for his price..... need I say any more!
 
EdBray said:
The photographer's photographic experience, knowledge and confidence in their ability can make a huge difference to the end results.

Over the years I have shot and been well paid for weddings at which the images have been taken on 35mm film SLRs (various), Medium Format TLR (Mamiya C330f), Medium Format SLRs (Bronica ETRs, SQA and Hasselblad 500CMs), Digital Bridge Camera (Fuji S602 Pro) and DSLRs (Nikon D70, D200 and Canon 5DMk2). Most of these would have also been shot with a Metz 45 series flashgun and tripod.

It's really not the Camera equipment that makes the difference, I would rather have a lower specced Camera and Lens with a decent flashgun and tripod than a top of the range Camera and Lens with no flash (or just the inbuilt one) and no tripod.
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Thought I was the only one around here who mentioned weddings and Tripods in the same breath
 
MJ Stebbings said:
Its very common that you arent allowed to use flash in ceremonies due to the distraction it causes. I've been told that as long as you dont distract people and dont use flash, you can shoot through church ceremonies.
!
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As an former church warden I can confirm that the vast majority of Vicar's/Priests/Pastors will be happy with photo's being taken as long as they don't cause a distraction and in fact some will be positively proactive in suggesting angles to get the best shots from.

However there are some (One in particular who I was on Synod with at the time) who when I turned up at the church told me 2 shots whilst in church,the mock up register and walking down the aisle,and he meant 2 shots not 2 opportunities and these guys ruin the day for all concerned
 
I'm doing a wedding next month, after doing my sister-in-law's earlier this year... still only for a friend, but I've made sure that they know I'm NOT professional and don't have a high-end camera!! I'll be armed with my 450d, 28-135 and 50mm (plus a borrowed back up camera!). I've only asked for £250 and I'll be there all day... my sis-in-law bought me a 430EX for doing hers, as I knew I would need one....

I did get quite a few shots I was really pleased with, but on the other hand did miss a few moments which would have been good to capture... :(

But the guy mentioned in the original post sounds like someone who's a bit of a chancer... as for 'not needing' a back-up? I feel he may eat his words one day....
 
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I think that is why it is important to pick the right wedding photographer. If you have a church wedding, one that know the church and even more important the vicar/priest. And likewise for the registrar office. If that mutual trust and respect is there it wont be an issue.

On a day like that it is not just the photo's that count, the style you like, but a good photographer is essential to time keeping as well. A good one has more experience than the couple. Knows order of service, knows the venues, is invicible whilst doing the job, able to read people and pick the important ones, prepared, gives you the time, representable blah blah blah

And yet each time I look on these boards there seem to be a group of people saying it is the easiest, lowest form and everybody can do it.
 
dejongj said:
I think that is why it is important to pick the right wedding photographer. If you have a church wedding, one that know the church and even more important the vicar/priest. And likewise for the registrar office. If that mutual trust and respect is there it wont be an issue.

On a day like that it is not just the photo's that count, the style you like, but a good photographer is essential to time keeping as well. A good one has more experience than the couple. Knows order of service, knows the venues, is invicible whilst doing the job, able to read people and pick the important ones, prepared, gives you the time, representable blah blah blah

And yet each time I look on these boards there seem to be a group of people saying it is the easiest, lowest form and everybody can do it.
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That was one tip I had from a photographer friend... be prepared.... suss out the venue... talk to the vicar/registrar... get a list of photos needed beforehand (groups)... find out if any family hate each other... etc etc...

Managed to stick to most of this!

And yeah, anyone 'can' do it, for sure. It's whether they can do it 'well', is the difference.... I'm certainly at the learning stage.
 
What I can't get, is why you all care so much what equipment they are using?

When you get your car serviced do you ask if the Garage are using Snap-On or some lesser spanner.

If someone books a wedding photographer without seeing images from previous assignments then they get what they either deserve or can afford.
 
EdBray said:
What I can't get, is why you all care so much what equipment they are using?
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Indeed, i hope I never get spotted using my old D200 at a wedding...............:eek:
 
EdBray said:
What I can't get, is why you all care so much what equipment they are using?

When you get your car serviced do you ask if the Garage are using Snap-On or some lesser spanner.

If someone books a wedding photographer without seeing images from previous assignments then they get what they either deserve or can afford.
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Well said its the images that count not what they are taken on,only a few years ago when digital first came along we were using a Canon D30 and that would be laughed out of court by some on here today
 
if it's all down the the tog as to how good he is with any given camera then why do nikon sell D700's D3s's D3x's? and why do pro's use these camera's?

A good tog can take a great picture with a cheap camera, but the quality wont be anywhere near as good as with a high end camera.

I can take great photos on my 12mb camera phone, but i wouldn't shoot a wedding with one!
 
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