Two interesting things happened today which taken individually may not have much meaning. However, taken together well that is a whole different story.
Part 1: Roger Called
First my friend Roger called. I first met Roger back in 1988 when I was on a temporary assignment for IBM and Roger was a gate agent for United at Houston’s Hobby airport. At first, I was just a passenger and he was one of the United people who took care of me. Each Sunday night or Monday morning, I would fly from Albany, NY to Houston. Then on Friday, I would reverse my commute. Each week there was Roger with his friendly face. As the weeks turned into months, Roger realized I was a frequent traveller. We got to know each other and talked about our common interests flying, photography and women.
Well my assignment and eventually my job with IBM ended. Roger transferred to Chicago. Whenever I passed through O’hare, I would look for Roger. Eventually, Roger moved onto another job and we lost track of each other. Then one day, I met a gal from Milwaukee and moved to Chicago. Then through a strange twist of fate, I ran into somebody who was able to get a message to Roger. Our friendship was renewed.
Anyway, Roger, who still works for United, also photographs airplanes and sells the stock images to aviation magazines. It does not make him rich but he enjoys this niche of professional photography. Roger called me because a friend of a friend was getting married in Florida. Because the bride does not want to spend a lot of money for a professional wedding photographer Roger was asked to provide the wedding photography. Now Roger knows a lot about airplanes and photographing them. But he knows very little about wedding photography nor is he properly equiped with all the needed lighting and backup cameras.
I’m sure that given the motivation and time he could learn the ropes pretty quickly. Roger can even rent the needed backup equipment. But the key to realize is that since Roger sells photographs to a magazine, he is a professional photographer. Having him photograph a wedding is a little like asking a dermatologist to perform brain surgery. During our discussions, Roger mentioned that he would replace training by just taking a lot of photos. Still, I’m sure there will be missed photos. We concluded our phone call with Roger assuring me he will make sure the bride knows he is not a skilled photographer and she is taking a risk with her future family heirlooms to save some money.
Part 2: AOL News Story
Within hours of talking to Roger, I opened my web browser and just happened to catch the following headline Utah Woman Dies Hours After Her Wedding. I’ve heard stories of family members dying after a wedding. I’ve had a client call me six months after a wedding to ask for a photo for the funeral home. I’ve even know of cases where the father of the bride died at the wedding reception. But this was a first for me. At first I thought this was a second marriage of an eighty year old women. Then I read the story and realized the sad awful truth.
This bride was only 25 years old! Besides her husband of only a few hours, her survivors include two young children of her own and a step child from her husband. At this time, the cause of her death is undetermined. Not only does this drive home our mortality to me but also how important my profession can be. I am privledged to be a part of one of the most important days of a person’s life. This is such an awesome responsibility. A task entrusted to me which I don’t take lightly.
Part 3: The Juxtaposition
As I was contemplating what I would write about, I realized these two remote events taken together, Roger’s phone call about a wedding in Florida and a bride’s tragic death in Utah had meaning. Many times I’ve had phone inquiries where the first question out of their mouths is (even before asking if I’m available for their wedding day), is “How Much” I’ve begun to learn that I will never be able to win a bidding war for these types of clients. There is always somebody with a camera, regardless of training, who will be willing to photograph the wedding for less money. These people could be like Roger, a friend of a friend who suddenly got themselves in over their heads. Or they could be somebody who received a digital camera for Christmas who is looking for easy money on the weekend.
Regardless of why they decided to photograph the wedding, what happens if something goes wrong with the camera? What happens if they get a lighting situation which they don’t know how to photograph? My conversation with Roger who knows quite a bit about photography showed me that even some professional photographers don’t know how to photograph a wedding. So there is very little reason to believe any person with a camera can photograph a wedding. Weddings are very unpredictable when it comes to lighting conditions.
Combine that with the fact that weddings are a once in a lifetime event and there is very little room for error. Through my professional association, Professional Photographers of America, I’m aware of a situation or two where all of the photographs from the wedding were lost and they restaged the whole day, including room and board for the out of town guests. Very expensive propsition. Even then, some people are just not able to attend the restaging. Most importantly, there is no way to recreate the groom’s first look at a bride as she walks down the aisle. Or the groom dropping the rings because he is so nervous. So you save a little money by not hiring an experienced professional wedding photographer and pay for it in the long run by not having priceless family treasures
I do have to admit that after I got over the shock of the Utah bride’s death, my thoughts turned to the photographer. I know from personal experience, the family will want every photo of the bride they can get their hands on. I prayed the photographer had all the photos the bride and her family would have wanted. For in this case, there is absolutely no chance to even restage the wedding.
