Some people are just strange and some are even stranger.
Case in point: the vanishing bride
Earlier this year I get a frantic call while I'm on vacation. "I need someone to photograph my upcoming wedding, just the ceremony and a part of the reception".
"So when and where is the event?" I ask, not expecting it to be until the following year. "It's on July 4th at 5:00PM and the ceremony and reception will be in Willestead Manor."
I paused for a moment, then told her this was only three weeks away and I was currently out of town. I could shoot the event, but I would like to talk to her when I got back. We discussed price, not something I normally do over the phone, but under the circumstances, agreed upon a price. I asked her to email me some details of the event, number of guests etc. I was familiar with the location, only one kilometer from my home and the place where my wife and I got married. The next day, a long email arrived, giving me details on how she met her future husband whilst on medical duties in Africa. We never did meet until 10 minutes before the ceremony, hardly the best of circumstances, but what the heck!
The ceremony went off well, but something about the whole event didn't quite seem right. However, I shot the usual groups, family, friends etc., and some of the reception set up. I was done in three hours and headed home.
She had told me that she was leaving to live in the USA late the following week, so I pulled out all the stops and had prints in an album in three days along with the complete set of photos on my website.
When I called her cell phone, she told me she had just crossed the border on her way to Savannah, Georgia and could I just mail the album to her new address (which incidentally she never did give me),she would then send me payment upon receipt. Something didn't feel right about this conversation, so I suggested she send me a money order and upon receipt, I would mail the album and email the link to the website photos, but I still needed her new address. For the next few weeks I sent several emails requesting payment. The response I got was zero. Finally I sent one last email with a deadline for payment. If this wasn't met, I would delete the photos from the website, remove the photos from the album and use it for another client.
That was two months ago and still no response.
Now for the punchline(s):
1) The venue for the reception informed me that they had a bounced check and refused to go ahead until it was paid in cash. They only received payment the day before the reception.
2) The "wedding" was not legal, since the groom was still married.
3) No legal papers were signed, only a piece of paper stating their vows to each other.
4) The bride and groom were medical "professionals" ( I use the term loosely) since professional people are usually good citizens.
5) Many of their guests were medical professionals and I assume they know the couple well.
6) My quote for the event was a mere $200, hardly enough to break the bank, especially for medical professionals.
Fortunately for me, I had that particular day open, so it was not a great loss of income. What I don't understand is why they would go to all the trouble of documenting this, along with a lavish reception.
In retrospect it was all just a lavish DECEPTION, perhaps designed to fool their friends and family.
Beware of sweet talkers and remember, a finely cut suit of clothes can hide many imperfections, giving the illusion of an honorable person.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
That's what I asked for, but it's not what I wanted
Wedding photography can be fast paced, tiring and sometimes very frustrating.
Case in point, an all day photo shoot in 2008, made me re-evaluate my whole approach to wedding photography.
Scene 1: the church
A hot and humid day in a small church with no air conditioning, only one fan at the front of the church. I did contemplate shooting the entire ceremony from in front of this fan, using only a couple of telephoto lenses. Obviously not an ideal vantage point. Every pew was filled and to add to the mix, the church doors were closed once the ceremony began. I was probably more fortunate than most, since I was not requested to wear formal attire. Even so, the temperature inside must have been approaching 34C and the bridal party, decked out in formal wear, were suffering greatly.
I made judicious use of a cleaning cloth to keep my cameras free from perspiration.
Scene 2: outside the church
Pandemonium reigned supreme, as everybody and their dog, jostled for position with their point and shoot cameras, for a quick snapshot of the bridal group.
Then it rained, not much, but enough to scatter everyone, including the bridal party.
I managed a few shots inside the limo, then split for the outdoor shoot in a local park.
Scene 3: the park
Luckily the rain stopped as everyone arrived at the location. The most important part of the proceedings seemed to be the consumption of as many beers as possible during our stroll through the park. Firstly it is illegal to consume alcohol in a public park and secondly, it is a real pain to get people to put their bottle of beer down long enough for a photograph.
Scene 4: the reception
A short drive from the park, but time was running out, so a mad dash ensued to get to the hall in time to set up. In retrospect, the reception was the easiest part, as the party was being fueled my more and more alcohol. After getting the more formal group shots out of the way, the rest of the evening was a typical wedding party. Lots of informal shots of friends, families, decor, cake cutting etc.
Scene 5: post processing
In this particular case, I was scheduled to leave the country for an extended period, two weeks after the event. I had previously notified the bride of this fact and informed her I would have everything ready within a couple of days. I uploaded everything to my website and emailed her, asking her to choose which photographs she wanted for printing. Also, did she actually want prints in an album, or did she want a printed photo book, like the sample I had previously shown her.
Nothing transpired before I had to leave, despite my sending several emails and a few phone messages. So I opted to take the entire photo shoot with me on my notebook computer. My rational was that I could easily send the photos for print or upload to my book publisher's server from wherever I was at the time I received confirmation.
I did receive several emails from her, but never once did she tell me "prints in an album" or a "printed book". In frustration, I asked her "prints in an album, YES or NO". The response I got was YES.
Scene 6: six weeks later
Now I'm back home and finally got to talk to her on the phone, again asking the simple question I had asked in several emails. She told me she wanted "prints in an album". I asked for confirmation in an email and got the same response.
A few days later I had all the prints and assembled them in a nicely bound white wedding album.
Scene 7: the grand finale
Happy to have finally got this particular wedding almost complete, I duly presented her with her wedding album. She didn't appear too enthusiastic and when I asked if there was a problem with the photographs, she told me she thought they would be in a printed book. After explaining that this is what she asked for and showing her the email trail, along with her confirmation of prints in an album, she accepted it and paid me.
I did offer a printed book of the same photographs, but it would incur extra cost and not out of my pocket.
Scene 8: the moral
Get everything in writing, print all electronic communication and above all keep smiling. You never know, she might have relatives or friends who are planning a wedding.
Case in point, an all day photo shoot in 2008, made me re-evaluate my whole approach to wedding photography.
Scene 1: the church
A hot and humid day in a small church with no air conditioning, only one fan at the front of the church. I did contemplate shooting the entire ceremony from in front of this fan, using only a couple of telephoto lenses. Obviously not an ideal vantage point. Every pew was filled and to add to the mix, the church doors were closed once the ceremony began. I was probably more fortunate than most, since I was not requested to wear formal attire. Even so, the temperature inside must have been approaching 34C and the bridal party, decked out in formal wear, were suffering greatly.
I made judicious use of a cleaning cloth to keep my cameras free from perspiration.
Scene 2: outside the church
Pandemonium reigned supreme, as everybody and their dog, jostled for position with their point and shoot cameras, for a quick snapshot of the bridal group.
Then it rained, not much, but enough to scatter everyone, including the bridal party.
I managed a few shots inside the limo, then split for the outdoor shoot in a local park.
Scene 3: the park
Luckily the rain stopped as everyone arrived at the location. The most important part of the proceedings seemed to be the consumption of as many beers as possible during our stroll through the park. Firstly it is illegal to consume alcohol in a public park and secondly, it is a real pain to get people to put their bottle of beer down long enough for a photograph.
Scene 4: the reception
A short drive from the park, but time was running out, so a mad dash ensued to get to the hall in time to set up. In retrospect, the reception was the easiest part, as the party was being fueled my more and more alcohol. After getting the more formal group shots out of the way, the rest of the evening was a typical wedding party. Lots of informal shots of friends, families, decor, cake cutting etc.
Scene 5: post processing
In this particular case, I was scheduled to leave the country for an extended period, two weeks after the event. I had previously notified the bride of this fact and informed her I would have everything ready within a couple of days. I uploaded everything to my website and emailed her, asking her to choose which photographs she wanted for printing. Also, did she actually want prints in an album, or did she want a printed photo book, like the sample I had previously shown her.
Nothing transpired before I had to leave, despite my sending several emails and a few phone messages. So I opted to take the entire photo shoot with me on my notebook computer. My rational was that I could easily send the photos for print or upload to my book publisher's server from wherever I was at the time I received confirmation.
I did receive several emails from her, but never once did she tell me "prints in an album" or a "printed book". In frustration, I asked her "prints in an album, YES or NO". The response I got was YES.
Scene 6: six weeks later
Now I'm back home and finally got to talk to her on the phone, again asking the simple question I had asked in several emails. She told me she wanted "prints in an album". I asked for confirmation in an email and got the same response.
A few days later I had all the prints and assembled them in a nicely bound white wedding album.
Scene 7: the grand finale
Happy to have finally got this particular wedding almost complete, I duly presented her with her wedding album. She didn't appear too enthusiastic and when I asked if there was a problem with the photographs, she told me she thought they would be in a printed book. After explaining that this is what she asked for and showing her the email trail, along with her confirmation of prints in an album, she accepted it and paid me.
I did offer a printed book of the same photographs, but it would incur extra cost and not out of my pocket.
Scene 8: the moral
Get everything in writing, print all electronic communication and above all keep smiling. You never know, she might have relatives or friends who are planning a wedding.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Film in the 21st century
So there I was, in the 21st century and still taking photographs, mostly with a series of digital SLR's, when I decided to get back to where it all started.
I still have a collection of film cameras in 35mm, medium format and a 4 x 5 studio camera, mostly they were gathering dust on display or packed away.
Last Winter was brutal, snow every day and bitter cold temperatures. I needed something to keep me occupied on those long dreary days. That's when I made my first pinhole camera, a 5 x 7 format, using sheets of photo print paper for negatives. It was a simple box within a box, made from black FoamCore material. The pinhole was crudely punched in a piece of aluminum duct tape and the paper negative was simply wedged in the back of the camera. Fortunately, I still had my developing trays form years ago and with the purchase of some basic chemicals and the use of a second bathroom as a darkroom, I was once again hooked on the process.
There is nothing quite like the thrill of seeing an image emerge from the "soup" and knowing it is your own creation.
Over the last twelve months I've made several more large format pinhole cameras and converted some old film cameras to pinhole, all with varying degrees of success.
As a Flickr member, I discovered the large following of photographers who are members of the pinhole community. Some of these images have to be seen to be believed, they rival anything shot with a digital camera and all are inherently artistic.
It's ironic in today's world of instant gratification on the web, where everything is just a few milliseconds away, that this type of photography is still alive and gaining popularity. When a single exposure can take from a few seconds to several minutes, it gives me time to reflect on how far photography has come, yet the basic principles are still being explored and developed (pun intended) by so many.
So, if you have the opportunity, give film a try, or a second look, I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
By the way, you'll probably get a few curious looks and some equally curious comments, when shooting with a pinhole camera. But be careful, you may have to engage in another of those lost arts, conversation.
I still have a collection of film cameras in 35mm, medium format and a 4 x 5 studio camera, mostly they were gathering dust on display or packed away.
Last Winter was brutal, snow every day and bitter cold temperatures. I needed something to keep me occupied on those long dreary days. That's when I made my first pinhole camera, a 5 x 7 format, using sheets of photo print paper for negatives. It was a simple box within a box, made from black FoamCore material. The pinhole was crudely punched in a piece of aluminum duct tape and the paper negative was simply wedged in the back of the camera. Fortunately, I still had my developing trays form years ago and with the purchase of some basic chemicals and the use of a second bathroom as a darkroom, I was once again hooked on the process.
There is nothing quite like the thrill of seeing an image emerge from the "soup" and knowing it is your own creation.
Over the last twelve months I've made several more large format pinhole cameras and converted some old film cameras to pinhole, all with varying degrees of success.
As a Flickr member, I discovered the large following of photographers who are members of the pinhole community. Some of these images have to be seen to be believed, they rival anything shot with a digital camera and all are inherently artistic.
It's ironic in today's world of instant gratification on the web, where everything is just a few milliseconds away, that this type of photography is still alive and gaining popularity. When a single exposure can take from a few seconds to several minutes, it gives me time to reflect on how far photography has come, yet the basic principles are still being explored and developed (pun intended) by so many.
So, if you have the opportunity, give film a try, or a second look, I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
By the way, you'll probably get a few curious looks and some equally curious comments, when shooting with a pinhole camera. But be careful, you may have to engage in another of those lost arts, conversation.
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