Chatting to some people at an event lately and they shared some stories of grumpy, bossy or at the end of the day just darn rude wedding photographers at recent weddings. I stood there amazed at what I was hearing. Wedding photographers work in a service industry so surely being upbeat, flexible and amenable should be their priority. I know it is for me. As well as your obvious creative expertise you are being paid to be a part of someone's special day amongst their closest family and friends so being friendly and helpful should be obligatory.
Just to share two stories with you. One lady told me that at her wedding the photographer strode up to her father just after the ceremony and demanded to be paid there and then! The situation then got increasingly heated as the agreement had never been for the father of the bride to pay him, let alone in the middle of the Celebrations.
Another was even more shocking! The bride and groom received their wedding photos and they weren't any photos of them together and hardly any of them in the photos at all. When they confronted the photographer his response was to say that he thought the bride's brother was actually the groom and to their further amazement he said he could just PhotoShop the groom's head onto the brother's body and then that would be job done!
When looking for a photographer please, please choose someone who you think you will get along with, who puts you at ease and is not in your face or pushy. Make sure they are upfront about any costs or payment terms and who asks for a clear brief of what photos you want beforehand. Do meet them in person if you can or if not ask for a recommendation from a friend. After all it's YOUR special day and you don't want to share a big part of it with someone rude and obnoxious. After all isn’t that why you didn’t invite flatulent Auntie Maude with the drink problem, quick temper and potty mouth!?
