HELP Possible Tense Photo Situation

I need some advice on handling what could prove to be a tense situation. A little background first. The only daughter of a couple we are friends with (they have know my husband since he was a teenager in their church) is getting married this weekend. I was offered the chance to photograph the wedding but turned it down because I have only done three weddings and this one will be on the beach at sunset. I just didn’t feel confident I could provide good results with the ever-changing light that time of day. They found a local photographer to do the wedding (4 hours of coverage) and I agreed to take the more casual photos at the reception. All seemed well.

But how things can change. They, mother and bride, have not had good dealing with this photographer so far. The bridal photo shoot went well but she was several weeks late in getting the final portrait to them. The quality of which they were not happy with. Don’t get me wrong the photo was good but the quality of the print seemed lacking for what they paid for it. My personal opinion when looking at it was that it could be due to the fact that it was printed on mat board. My suggestion was that they let the photographer know the love the picture but that maybe it would look better on a standard photographic paper instead of mat board. This was not well received by the photographer and now they are truly concerned if she will even show up.

I have agreed to go early to take photos of the bride and bride’s maids getting ready. They would also like me to take some photos while the photographer does the formals. This is where I feel it could get tense. I would be doing what the bride and her mother asked me to but I feel this could bother the wedding photographer and I don’t want to be the cause of any more problems. :confused:

Sorry about this being so long. Any advice or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Stina

Stina,
I did more or less this same thing back in September for some close friends.
They had the "pro" that did the bridals do the more formal stuff, while I was there to get more candid stuff in black and white.
Check out the following gallery for all for all of those images.
http://gallery.photographyreview.com...ry.php?cat=531
The "pro" and I talked which just kind of happened but he knew through my friends that I was going to be there, and was more than OK with that.
So my advice, talk to the "pro" so he or she knows what you are there for and you shouldn't have any troubles at all. Overall, my friends LOVED my photographs far better than the "pro".
Brian
[IMG]http:/gallery.photographyreview.com/dataphotography//531/214966/M_AAisle.jpg[/IMG]

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The "pro" and I talked which just kind of happened but he knew through my friends that I was going to be there, and was more than OK with that.

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That was my original plan but since the "pro's" attitude of late seems to be less than professional I fear their may be a problem

I wouldn't worry about it, if the "pro" asks you, say that you were asked by the bride and groom to be here and leave it at that.
Some "pros" don't always act "professional", but as long as you do I see no problem.
This help? Hope it does!
Brian

Yeah it does help Brian. I will just stick with my original plan and be professional and courteous. If the “pro” sees fit to make a mule of them self it is their reputation not mine on the line. ;)

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Originally Posted by Stina

If the ?pro? sees fit to make a mule of them self it is their reputation not mine on the line. ;)

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You Go Stina!
I am sure that you will be more professional then.
Keep Us posted!
Good Luck!
Brian

One thing to be aware of...

I was reading that a lot of wedding photogs have clauses in the contracts about being the only photographer. Some to the point that if there is another photog there, they are in breach of contract and can loose their money and the photos. Obviously this is the extreme end of it, but you might want to check it out.

Printed on mat board? I've never seen that done. Did they see sample images from this photographer printed like that?

Having the bride and the mother asking you to shoot along side the hired photographer for the formals is going to be a mess. Most hired wedding photographers are in business to sell prints and their contract with the couple (if there is one) may state that they will be the only photographer at the wedding. Of course they can't stop, nor do they really care about shots taken by guests with P&S cameras. Pros usually try to keep anyone not needed for the formal shots out of the room for a lot of reasons - including less distractions and less "competition" from other people. So you have to understand this first...

They're putting you in a bad spot by asking you to duplicate the work of the pro especially during the formals. If it were me, I'd just try to act like I was a guest with a camera. As long as you stay out of her way and don't seem like you're trying to cut into her sales then she shouldn't have a problem with that.

The contract clause is something I've heard of also and I don't want to cause any problems for them with that. I would be using my Rebel XT and a 420ex flash so it would be more obvious than a P&S. They intend to purchase photos from the pro but they have become concerned with making sure the have photos of the wedding. A big contributor to this is the pro saying they use a one-hour lab for processing and the other issues with being late and the quality of the print the received.

Maybe mat board is not the correct term but the closest thing I could compare it to is the foam presentation board you mount something on. It looks like the photo was printed directly on a side of the foam board. I don't know why it was not printed on photographic paper but maybe that's what included in their package. The photo it self is good but the print quality seem lacking, if that makes any sense.

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My suggestion was that they let the photographer know the love the picture but that maybe it would look better on a standard photographic paper instead of mat board. This was not well received by the photographer and now they are truly concerned if she will even show up.

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This is a potential legal issue and I can definetely see why you and the couple are concerned although I can't really measure the amount to be concerned. I don't know how bad things got when the couple compalined about the photo but if there is a valid reason to think that the photographer isn't going to show up then at least they'll have you around to help out. And assuming they have a contract with the photographer they can sue that person later in court.

Of course, you don't want that to happen, you want the photographer to show up and put his heart into it and do a good job. Now you and the couple have doubts about the quality of work the photographer wil do.

Question: Is there a contract yet? If not, and you're really that unhappy, ditch the photographer and find another.

If there is a contract, talk with the photographer and see if they'll let you out of it while being honest about your concerns (tell the photographer that you weren't happy with the quality of the photos, why you weren't happy, and how that makes you concered about the total quality of everything else).

And do all of this communication in WRITING, not verbally. Keep copies of the sent letters for yourself.

I believe there is a contract and I know the pro had to be paid in advance to secure the day. I hope it is all just pre wedding stress because the wedding is Saturday. I will have all my gear including my backup in the car ready just incase it is needed. Hopefully all will run smooth it just helps to get a little advice and input from others.

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Originally Posted by Stina

the closest thing I could compare it to is the foam presentation board you mount something on

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I have seen a lot of photos mounted to foam core. A lot of photographers do this for display, usually of big prints where framing isn't always so practical (expensive, for one). I've never heard of a print made directly on foam core, usually it's a photo print mounted to the foam core on a press, and the edges trimmed so it looks like one piece.

If the quality of the print isn't good, then that's a separate issue. Lots of reasons for why this might be happening. If it's not sharp or a little grainy, using the next standard size down might make it look a lot better.

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I have seen a lot of photos mounted to foam core. A lot of photographers do this for display, usually of big prints where framing isn't always so practical (expensive, for one). I've never heard of a print made directly on foam core, usually it's a photo print mounted to the foam core on a press, and the edges trimmed so it looks like one piece.

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I've seen that too but the photo doesn't look like it is printed on photographic paper. It is a bit grainy (it's an 11X14) but it looks okay at a distance. The suggestions we gave were to ask to have the photo printed on photographic paper or a smaller sized (8x10) or if it was a croped tight from the negative to loosen the crop a bit. The feel of what it is printed on feels just like the paper on a foam board. I never seen one like that before.

I wonder if it's just an inkjet print mounted on foamcore (or matteboard)?

Like Epson Matte paper? It has a much different look to it than regular matte photo paper from the lab.

I wouldn't ask for the crop to be changed, that's part of the finished product. A smaller print may help the problems though. Bottom line is that the customer isn't happy and it would be nice for her to try to remedy the situation. That's part of professional photography - keeping clients happy...

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I wonder if it's just an inkjet print mounted on foamcore (or matteboard)?

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I kind of wonder that myself because it really feels nothing like any matte paper I've encountered before.

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I wouldn't ask for the crop to be changed, that's part of the finished product. A smaller print may help the problems though. Bottom line is that the customer isn't happy and it would be nice for her to try to remedy the situation. That's part of professional photography - keeping clients happy.

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Your right about the crop that was not a good suggestion in hind sight. I just hope it all works out in the end.

By the way, I didn't mean "just an inkjet" the way it might have sounded. Inkjet prints can be very high quality prints but like anything else the quality can vary depending on a lot of factors. I've seen gallery quality inkjets (bought one, actually) and seen bad ones too (like my first attempts! :) ).

Hope all goes well!