Yesterday I spoke with a teary-eyed newlywed named Melissa. She booked a session with me to take pictures of her and her groom in their wedding day attire. Some couples choose to have more pictures taken after their wedding day to get the most out of that FABULOUS dress... but for this bride, it wasn't really her choice.
She had a well-meaning friend with a great camera photograph her wedding. And her friend takes great pictures... but sometimes, hiring a professional photographer (or any wedding vendor really) is about more than just whether or not one can take a great photo. It's about experience and knowledge and preparation. Her well-meaning friend with a great camera who takes good photos only had one camera, one lens, one battery, two memory cards, and no off camera flashes.
This sweet soul, because I truly believe this person had the best of intentions, had not one mis-hap, but two - and now a couple has special moments from their day missing.
As Melissa's dad got ready to walk his only daughter down the aisle, her friend's battery died. Yes, that sweet moment of dad walking his little girl down the aisle has come and gone... and while that moment will forever be in Melissa's heart - she will not have any photographs of that moment to share with her loved ones and future children. Her friend quickly found a corner to charge her battery (she was smart enough to bring the charger!) and grabbed a guest's point and shoot camera to capture the rest of the ceremony.
By the end of the ceremony, the battery was charged. Whew... just in time for the family formals. She captured the family pictures on her memory card. Then the bride, groom and friend with a camera went to get some much anticipated couple shots... by a fountain. The family had left and made their way to the reception... it was just the three of them.
Her friend placed the camera down next to the fountain (see where this is going) while she positioned Melissa and her husband in a wonderful pose... turned around to grab her camera.. and as she turned around knocked her camera into the fountain.
The friend had one wonderful thing on her side... she had taken the first card out of the camera and inserted a new one as they left the church... so all the pictures she had taken were safe. Of course the camera was soaked and wet, and the displays were flashing until finally nothing displayed and it was obvious the camera was fried.
However, with just one camera - and no one else around with even a point and shoot (the rest of the bridal party and family had left to go to the reception).... they were left there, without a camera. Melissa confessed that she cried all the way to the reception.
Her friend grabbed the other guest's point and shoot again and captured the rest of the reception with just a point and shoot.
So here we are... it wasn't a total loss. Melissa has lovely preparation photos and family formal portraits. She has what her friend was able to capture with the point and shoot but is missing her walking down the aisle and pictures of just the couple they had planned on taking. And while the photos from the point and shoot will do... its just not the same.
I could really go on and on... but when you pay money for a photographer, don't think of it as 6 hours or 8 hours or whatever time you have contracted them for on the day of your wedding. For each wedding I spend 4-5 hours of preparation charging batteries, packing bags, typing out a list of family formals, going over the wedding day timeline, etc. I spend many hours after the wedding uploading images to multiple hard drives and then burning onto disks in case of a drive failure. It's the equipment costs, maintenance costs and costs to insure the equipment.
To every wedding I photograph I bring 4 professional SLRs (A 5D MkII, a 7D, and two 30Ds), 12 fully charged camera batteries, 6 professional speedlights (flashes), 11 lenses, 40 compact flash cards, 36 fully charged NiMh AA batteries, three light stands, a tripod, an umbrella, and my chargers. This is so that if something horrible happens and a camera body or flash breaks, I don't even have to blink... I pull out a back-up.
When you pay for a professional you're also paying for them to maintain and insure tens' of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment.
Last year I had a wedding on a particularly dry day. Lots of lightening, but no rain. One of my cameras just failed on me - I can only guess it was the static electricity in the air. And it happened during the father/daughter dance. But guess what - the bride has NO idea. Because within seconds, I had my second body up and taking photos.
Do things like this happen? Sure... but it's the professionals that are prepared for it.
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2 comments:
Yikes! Lisa, that is so hard to read. I know so many DJ companies that send their guys out with very little in terms of "backup" gear. Even worse, I ask if they have ever tested the backup equipment, and most tell me "no" or that "it's part of another system we bring" (as if that makes it better).
Well told story, and it should make anyone think twice about the price and experience.
wow... what an unfortunate experience. Thank you for sharing this story Lisa.
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