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Solo Wedding Photography..What happens if…..
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I photographed a wedding on Friday. Yesterday afternoon I started feeling a bit off, and today I’m down with full-blown flu.
So I got to thinking.. if the wedding had been two days later, or the flu two days earlier?I know some of you use two shooters. Then it wouldn’t be so much of a problem. Even if the main photographer was the one stricken, they could swop roles.
But what about the ones who work alone?
Do you just stagger out of your sick-bed, and do the best you can?
Do you contact another photographer mabye, that you have a prior agreement with?
(Who most likely would be unfamiluar with the church, hotel, couple??)Up to now I’ve been lucky I guess, but boy am I glad the wedding’s not today!
I’d be curious to see how other solo-operating wedding photographers out there cope in adversity?Any comments?
this is one of the main reasons i think it’s important to establish a good relationship with other photographers.
I think it’s vital that you have a few but at the very least 1 photographer you can come to an arrangement with in case of grave illness, death, etc etc.
most wedding photographers i know have a clause in their contracts for instances like this and stress that they try their best to provide
another photographer of similar style and if they can’t, they are only liable to refund monies already paid.i’ve second shot for a couple of local photographers and i’m low on their list of back ups as they have such an extensive network built up over the years.
there’s a pro tog in my area whose been in the business since noah built the ark and no one would stand as back up for him because aside from his perfectionist
issues (which is mostly a good quality for a photographer), he hasn’t a good word to say about any other photographers unless he was stuck and he’s not shy about expressing
it either.I’m in the same boat as you ROG – solo shooter who thus far has not been in the unfortunate situation of not being able to make a wedding.
The best answer I think is to network and get to know a few people that you can mutually rely on to help each other to help out in sticky situations. I know a small group of people who could step in but have no arrangement with anyone in particular.
After all angles have failed to find suitable back up and there is no way you can make it, then your contract should be water tight for this eventuality. We’re only human and I suppose you’d hope the BnG would eventually understand this. In any case for legal reasons I’d get to a doctor to as close to the wedding day as possible to document the illness.
For myself I take as many precautions as possible. No leftovers, try and get my vitamins and stay away from any unnecessary risks. Sounds a bit over the top but my intake of take-away food drops considerably duding wedding season.
Sounds a bit over the top but my intake of take-away food drops considerably duding wedding season.
LOL! good thinking, batman! can’t be too careful.
Interesting topic this one, and an issue which I have been thinking about for a while.
Whereas I have no formal arrangement, I do have a couple of other photographers, who
would be quite like myself in terms of style etc. who I could call in an emergency, but there
are some cases where its not possible due to timing issues.
I had a couple of very close issues last year – towards the end of August my eldest daughter
had a very serious reaction to an operation she had undergone the previous week. So, at 1am the
ambulance was called out, neighbours were in and mayhem ensued. We arrived in Temple Street
at 2am and things were touch & go for a couple of hours. By 7am things had calmed down, and my daughter
was stable – the wife stayed put and I headed home, farmed out the two younger kids to friends, had a quick
shower and headed off to the Avon Ri hotel for 12 noon to photograph a wedding. It would have been too late
to try get a replacement in, but luckily the adrenaline kicked in and the day went without any hitches.
Later on in the year I got a phonecall on the morning of a wedding to tell me that my mothers life support
machine was being turned off (long story), but, with 2 hours to go before I was to be in the brides house again
it was too late to try contact anyone so I had to go ahead with the wedding, That decision was based on what my
mother would have wanted, and also the fact that I was dealing with a bit of a bridezilla so I don’t know what
her reaction would have been.Its great to have a few photographers in reserve, but really only useful if you have a bit of advance notice.
Rgds
Kevin
Some tough calls there Kevin. I really do take my hat of to wedding photographers as they have an awful lot to get right and only one thing going wrong could spoil the day. Well done Kevin for going ahead with the weddings under such adverse conditions.
Network, network, network! Make sure you know a few guys/girls who maybe able to step in. In busy summer, they’re probably booked anyway, so try and know more, maybe even UK shooters. Unless a broken leg/arm/death, a wedding photographer really needs to be there on the day. It’s part of the service when somebody books you 1 year in advance, that on that couples date in 2011 or whenever, you’ll turn up.
Some interesting questions (and solutions) posed here.
Getting other photographers to agree to stand in if the need arises seems, on the surface, to be a good solution.
Unfortunately, as Kevin has demonstrated, advance warning of any meaningful degree may not be available.
You’re also relying on the dedication and commitment of the other person/s, not to mention their skill level and style being roughly a match for your own. Would they, for example, be willing to step in to cover a wedding at the last minute of a couple they themselves have given no commitment to? Suppose, for example, they had arranged a family day out, or had booked tickets for that special show?How about this for a possible solution?
Two photographers, who operate in the same area, do roughly a simular amount of weddings per year, and have a style which, while not having to be too alike, aren’t at polar opposites, come together.
This would work better with photographers who operated on the lower end of the bookings scale, as two who had a lot of bookings would tend to overlap.They agree to go second shooter on each others weddings, for a pre-agreed fee.
So, the main photographer does his usual gig, while the second shows , say, from the church to the hotel.
This has the advantages of:
1: The back-up is there anyway
2: He’s getting extra revenue.
3: He’s keeping his photographic brain ticking over.All he has to do is show up on the day, take his shots, and hand the memory cards over.
His fee could be split, the main photographer taking a bit less for added security and pease of mind, the B&G paying a bit more for extra coverage of their big day.I know this isn’t THE solution, but it could be one possible answer to a very tricky question.
I think Kevin showed a lot of courage in a very tough situation.
I’m only glad I never had to face situations like he did.
All the more reason to just smile quietly to yourself when you hear people say
“I don’t know why those wedding photographer guys get paid so much. All they do is show up for a few hours, take a few pictures, and stick them in an album. Sure, anybody could do that”In the current climate it can be difficult to get a good working relationship with, what is effectively, your competition, but it is a nice concept. I’m hoping to get my L with the IPPA this September and I know that they have ideas and suggestions of how to manage this type of situation – if I get any inspiration I’ill be more than happy to share.
In regard to my decisions over the two scenarios in my earlier email I didn’t want to make myself out to be a martyr for the cause, to be honest, when you start taking photos you (well I do) get completely caught up in the whole day and everything else goes out of your mind so it can be quite a good thing – but it can leave you totally drained.
I think Marks post makes a lot of sense. Try to have a good network of colleagues you can turn to in case of emergency and then just hope that you are never going to need them !
Kevin
I have a good back-up photographer – but he only does digital !
He’s never used medium format in his life !!!
And my type of approach requires both !
I’ll have to knock a couple of old butties up out of retirement, that’s what,
Thanks for reminding me.Cheers,
Michael .After reading post. Got me thinking about a subject that i was trying to ignore for some time, this big what if !!!!. Am shooting weddings solo for the past few years. would be shooting about 8- 10 weddings per year. I have photographer friends but they would be more old school as regards their style and I would hate to have to send them to cover a wedding for me. I was just wondering if there were any photographers out there who would consider being my back up for a day when I cannot make a wedding and perhaps I could do the same for them. would like to experiment with a second shooter for some of my weddings.
I am from Roscommon
my main signature shots would be Candit shots but I also shoot some formal.
I would have a very laid back approach towards the clients and let the day take its own course.would love to hear from a guy or gal who feel they could duplicate me for the day, (ok, i know its sounds like an add from a lonely hearts column :cry: )
Thanks,
David.
Hi Roq,
I agree with the guys. It is important to network with other photographer to get your clients cover.
It also is important to bear in mind that your clients choose you because they like what you are doing. So find photographer with a style close to yours.
And don’t forget that at point you will have perhaps to cover a large wedding where it is best to be two.
Cheers.
I shoot woth another photographer based up the North. I am based in Kildare
Far enough away so that we do not actually compete against each other:-)Sometimes we do get to charge properly for a second photographer although sometimes one of us will be on site free of charge if we have a “gut feeling” it will be a difficult one. eg: arkward couple, huge crowds, terrible weather so lots of indorr shots with lighting etc.., Thisi way we at least ensure that the prime photographer never has to do a less than acceptable wedding.
I would have a note in my diary for any solo weddings he is doing just in case I am needed last minute. Although our styles are somewhat differnet, they do work well together and as often as not clients choose an equal number of images from each photographer
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