05.11.09
Is dressing properly “Old School”?
Last weekend, I had the unusual pleasure of being a guest at a wedding and not the photographer. The wedding was upscale, the ceremony and the reception where both held at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The Mayor of Philadelphia, Mayor Nutter himself the was officiant and a guest.
The wedding started at 6:30pm, so it was a formal evening wedding All the guest were decked out in their finest, some actually in black tie. There was a 10 piece orchestra all dressed properly and even the wait staff was all very appropriate.
Then there was the photographer and videograper. Let me start off first by saying, I have no idea of the quality of their work as I haven’t seen a single image or frame. So this is in no way a reflection on the actual photographs. But, when the videographer is wearing sneakers, black jeans and a black t-shirt. The photographer was wearing some sort of casual blouse and pants that were so long that they dragged on the floor, which was good because they covered the Crocs she was wearing. Her assistant, who I later found out was her father, was at least wearing black dress pants and shoes, but no tie.
Maybe I am old school but this lack of proper attire shows no respect for the bridal couple. No respect for the ceremony that you are covering and personally no self respect. I really can’t see that the quality of their work could be any good when they don’t have the decency to dress well. When I photograph a wedding I am either in a suit or a tuxedo. The point being is it shows respect for the couple who hired you and also, you can blend in with the guests. So many of my couples are amazed at the images I can get and they don’t know I am taking them. the reason is that when I put the camera down, I look like any other guest at the reception, but when your clothing is just sloppy or not appropriate for the event, then you stand out…like a sore thumb.
Then there was the fact that with about 2 hours still left at the reception, the photographers left. It probably was in their contract that they are only there for six hours but come on. The night was still young. The bridal couple was dancing, having fun with friends and family and being romantic on the dance floor. Great shots, missed because these photographers didn’t think much of it. A bride shouldn’t have to look at her watch and make sure the photographer will still be around when they cut the cake.
I guess the point of this blog post is, make sure you know what your getting when you hire a photographer. they may have a slick website, may have a great selection of photos, but what is their appearance, are they professional, will they get everything that you want and will you be embarrassed to have your guests see them.
A wedding takes months of planning, every detail is important. The emotion, joy and fun of the day what you should be thinking about, not what your photographer is wearing or where they are when you and your fiance are sharing a touching moment.
With the advent of digital photography there are so called professional photographers crawling out of the woodwork because they can shoot a ton of images and the camera will make sure they are at least decent. But if they don’t have the experience, they don’t have the instinct to what will be happening and they won’t have the creative savvy to use a place like the Constitution Center for some once in a life time wedding portraits. Make sure your photographer has been in business for at least 4 years, See if they are a member of any reputable organizations such as the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) or the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) If they are a member of the PPA, are they Certified? This guarantees they have a reputable business as well as the technical knowledge. And also, when you are interviewing them make sure you see complete weddings, maybe the entire proof set from a wedding and also take note of how they are dressed. if they don’t care enough to dress neatly for what could possibly be a job, how will they dress for your wedding.
The entire wedding reflects the couple, shouldn’t your vendors reflect the best?