Furious Photographer

[Arthur Gannis]

How about including a fly swatter and/or a taser as essential accessories in videographers toolkit ?

Ta·ser
ˈtāzər/
noun
a weapon firing barbs attached by wires to batteries, causing temporary paralysis.

[Arthur Gannis]

Josh, I sometimes think they have this malicious intent to make our lives miserable. It happens so often and at the right time and place that I would rule out chance and coincidence. But yes, I absolutely am convinced that they " conduct the rest of their lives with this same sort of obliviousness."

[Chris Harding]

Hi Arthur

It's simply an obsession with phones ...I think they even sleep with them, eat with them and most wedding guests cannot wait to post to Facebook "I'm at Brett and Jean's wedding" .... they have become slaves to their devices so at a wedding they are not only blocking us and taking poor photos but are also uploading during the ceremony too.

Hmmm ..how about a big basket at the entrance to the Church or Venue with a sign saying "Place your mobile devices in the basket ... no devices beyond this point" I guess that wouldn't work either as all the guests will start getting signs of withdrawal. It's hard to even see people nowdays without a phone in their hand. It's just the age we live in and most are slaves to their phones it seems.

I was doing guest comments at a wedding and one young lady declined to give a comment as her face was buried in her phone. Jokingly " I said "OK, I'm going to impound your phone and delete your Facebook page" .... she looked really worried and said "I'll say something then" and proceeded to do a very nice comment to the couple ...As I say it's OBSESSION !!

[Paul Mailath]

it's been a frustration for me for ages but I'm having a good deal of success with emails I send to the bride - the celebrants usually say what I want word for word and it's great to see all the women looking at each other and then putting their phones away.

here's the text from my email for interest.

"iphones & cameras
Over the last 4 years there has been a dramatic increase in mobile phones with cameras. The use of these cameras has become such a problem that we feel the need to make you aware of it. It can not only be an irritation to the bride but a real problem for us.

Recent research shows that people who take pictures of events such as weddings actually remember less of the event than the people who simple watch & enjoy the event. Unplugged weddings (strictly no phones or cameras) are becoming more popular for that very reason.

While some guests like to take photo's of your big day, you have hired professionals to record the day and both the photographer & the videographer's job is made harder by guests with iphones getting in the way as you walk down the aisle etc.

Here's a news video on the subject - "Don't be that guy"

Don't be that guy Sacramento Wedding Videography on Vimeo

We do our best to cope with this if that's something you want but if you don't - you need to let your guests know.


There are 2 things you can do to minimise the problem:

1. Ask the celebrant to speak to the guests before you arrive. I've prepared a script that most celebrant's are happy to read out - if you feel it's suitable you can pass it on to the celebrant or print it out for their use.

...........................................

Ladies & Gentlemen, If I could have your attention for a moment..

______ and _______ have specifically invited you to attend their marriage ceremony because, as family & friends you are an important part of their lives. when _________ walks down the isle - she wants to see your faces - not your iphones.

Remember, whenever you hold up your iphone or camera you are blocking someone else's view & you are making it harder for the professionals to do their job - so please turn your phones OFF, relax & enjoy the day.

.....................................................


2. Ask the MC to remind people not to obstruct the photographers or videographers view during important parts of the reception. Again I've prepared a script that you can ask the MC to read out - if you feel it's suitable you can pass it on to the MC or print it out for their use.

..........................................

Ladies & Gentlemen, before the bridal party enter can I remind you give the professionals room to get their coverage before you take your shots.

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Ladies & Gentlemen we're about to cut the cake, can I ask everyone to remain seated until the professionals get their shots and then everyones welcome to come up and get their own photo of the event.

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For most couples the day is a blur and you don't even notice these things happening. If you want a sea of cameras to greet you at the church and meet you at the reception, that's fine, we'll cope as best we can. On the other had if you're happy to make our job that little bit easier, minimise the number of iphones in the air and end up with better photo & video, we'd be delighted to hear the Celebrant & MC remind the guests - of course some people won't listen but we can only try.

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I also chat about lighting & audio - but that's another story

[Chris Harding]

Awesome Paul

It might be worth sending the prospective bride a link to that video too! It should open some eyes quite wide. I'm happy the bride I booked last night decided on an unplugged ceremony ... I usually chat to the MC too, especially if they are just a family member!!

[Arthur Gannis]

I wish every bride would eMail those responsible for being an obstruction and say " I deeply thank you for being part of my wedding day, hope you enjoyed the meal the the music and dance and the cake and I would like to especially thank you of Fu*#ing up MY video. You were really a great part of my wedding day that I now can remember you forever. Just wait till you invite me to YOUR wedding."

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Josh Bass

Do you guys think these are otherwise intelligent people whose brains just turn to pudding at certain moments in their lives (i.e. weddings/similar events) or do you think they conduct the rest of their lives with this same sort of obliviousness? Genuinely curious.

The other day I was watching some smart person on TV and they said the following; our phones have become an extension of our self expression, our identities and our social interaction. Think about it this way, people actually report anxiety problems being away from their phone. With a million social sharing programs out there, people are mainly doing what's normal, expressing themselves at the wedding. What's not normal is remembering that while a ceremony is a social event, it's also not theirs.

[Arthur Gannis]

Absolutely Steven. 110% in agreement with you.
They could put down that phone for a day and enjoy the full wedding.
It seems like more of an incurable disease. It's as if that phone is their lifeline to survival. Sure, use it as a phone if it vibrates but please stop using it as a camera. At least for a day.

[Rob Cantwell]

last week we had the usual compacts phones/ tablets and one pro Dslr! oh! and one loud ringtone the culprit can be seen looking at who's calling her!
It's in the video - hope the Bride gives her a bit of her mind.

I have noticed now that I have to elbow my way to the front sometimes to ensure I get the shot.
I'm certainly going to encourage 'unplugged' from now on. Don't know how it will be viewed here people aren't very good with rules in my part of the world.

[Jeff Harper]

Guests with Ipads and phones can be an issue, but overall it just doesn't bother me much, I work around it. Complaining about such things is just futile, IMO. Isn't it easier to just do the best we can and forget about it?

I think it's more fun to work around stuff than to freak out.

[Chris Harding]

Bottom line here is that when a bride books you it's certainly worth telling her about the advantage of having an unplugged wedding ... if it's going to happen then Jeff's approach is the best but if she likes the idea and wants to make sure eager "phonies" keep their distance then Paul's advice is well worth considering.

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Bottom line here is that when a bride books you it's certainly worth telling her about the advantage of having an unplugged wedding ... if it's going to happen then Jeff's approach is the best but if she likes the idea and wants to make sure eager "phonies" keep their distance then Paul's advice is well worth considering.

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Guests with Ipads and phones can be an issue, but overall it just doesn't bother me much, I work around it. Complaining about such things is just futile, IMO. Isn't it easier to just do the best we can and forget about it?

I think it's more fun to work around stuff than to freak out.

My only comment about 'not worrying about it' is, I am working on this really nice wedding, I have a great shot of the groom crying, very emotional, and then a guest hangs out of the pew with an SLR and immediately your attention as a viewer goes from him to her SLR. So I think it matters as a point of art, She ruins a great moment. I've decided to put a slide show together of these shots when I talk to couples.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Steve

You could also just email her the link to the video that Paul posted. That really hits home and if she does watch it it's quite likely that she will have already decided that she will have an unplugged wedding before you even sit down with her. Interview time is precious so you really don't want to waste it showing her a slide show of people blocking the ceremony ... If you do want a slideshow wouldn't it be better to pop it on your website under a section "Why you should have an unplugged wedding" ??

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Hi Steve

You could also just email her the link to the video that Paul posted. That really hits home and if she does watch it it's quite likely that she will have already decided that she will have an unplugged wedding before you even sit down with her. Interview time is precious so you really don't want to waste it showing her a slide show of people blocking the ceremony ... If you do want a slideshow wouldn't it be better to pop it on your website under a section "Why you should have an unplugged wedding" ??

Yeah Chris,

I may try an all and above approach. I usually don't bring up the camera thing, but it is in my agreement, so most couples get it, but without a taser or a policeman to stop people, it's amazing how people ignore being told. I had two announcements done at a single wedding ceremony this year and the next day I find pictures all over Facebook done by a relative with and SLR that rivaled mine, and people just don't care. Crazy.

But Yeah, I may go all of the above approach. Good ideas.