Newbies and events/wedding photographers

[jsbn]

that is quite insulting... coming from an event background.... i can quite safely say it is not easy .... NOT everyone can do it.

Before I really ventured into photography I looked at photographers and asked myself, "How tough izzit to just take ur camera, aim and shoot?"

After getting my 1st digital Point-and-Shoot, it reinforced my belief that photography is all about "Aim-Shoot-sharp picture-hahaha"

After getting my 1st DSLR, I realised how DEAD WRONG I WAS ON PHOTOGRAPHY as a subject. There are like 15 million stuff u've gotta know before a really good, powerful picture comes out.

After taking a course on Actual Day Wedding Photography, I realised that event coverage is not about "snap-snap-snap" but documentation of the event which involves capturing Kodak Moments.

After my first portrait shoot, I realised that shooting portraits is not about getting the chio model to just pose and u just shoot. A portrait photographer who doesn't know how to pose his model and snaps up (or down) the wrong way is as good as a vouyer photographer.

After my first landscape shoot, I realised that shooting landscapes is not about "stand there, steady, shoot". Its about bringing the entire landscape to LIFE, to show people the beauty of Mother Nature's Drawing Board.

Everyone's got different speciality. Sure, I bet all brothers here can do events. Nice exposures and all. No doubt abt skills and equipment knowledge. But how many can actually do a proper DOCUMENTATION of an event, which is what event photography is all about (I believe).

The definition of 'proper documentation', I'll have to leave it to the experts in this field liao since I don't 'do' events. :sweat:

 

[Jemapela]

I feel that you are discriminating this person, his is making a honest living despite his mantel condition. He may not able to understand how a camera work, may not understand all the technical aspect of photography, so you think his is not competent to be a photographer? But as long people still hire him, buy pictures from him, I don’t find any problem at all

So, please leave this person in peace.

Maybe I wrote it in a tone that sounded discriminating. However, discrimination is not the issue/topic here. I'm also not bothering the person and he is surely living in peace with me (except maybe the voices he hears in his head).

The issue here is that, although event photography may have its difficulties and demands, it can be attempted quite easily by someone of slightly lesser mental abilities. I did say/warn that my post would sound disturbing to some professionals, freelancers, amateurs, hobbyists, newbies, beginners, etc.

In my earlier post, I did say that it's not difficult to turn on a camera, mount an automatic flash, aim the brackets/boxes on someone, and fire away. The same person knows how to count money, press the right buttons on a ticketing machine for his train ride, and find himself at the right location to shoot an event.

When I was a young boy, a mad woman lives 2 blocks away from me. Early every morning at about 6am, she would go to the bus stop and wait for SBS bus 2 (going to work maybe?). While waiting at the bus stop, she would pick on some unlucky commuters and scream si lang tau and ke si lah at them. (I was 1 of them.) When she boarded the bus, she would do the same to the driver, and sit on the nearest seat next to him, near the front door. If it was taken, she would scream at the passenger and guess who wins? A few years later, her screaming stopped. My father reckons she was treated with electric shock. I haven't seen her in years now.

The reason for this story is not a comic relief. I'm trying to say that mad or mentally disabled people (such as the Aussie photographer in my real life example) are not completely stupid. With careful instruction, they can follow a routine and perform some tasks.

 

[Deadpoet]

You are not the only one, i find event/wedding photography boring (unless its an event that i am interested in lah, mardi gras maybe? :bsmilie: :bsmilie: )..

gotta to shoot Mardi Gras in Rio, that will be one event I will find interesting.

Back to my original question and from your answers, seems like many are looking to recover some of the cost of their camera gears from shooting events and weddings. That is fair. I love to be able to recover some of my cost too, but I am just too stubborn to be shooting for others.

Now, my follow up question is that does any of these casual event photographers feels the need or have already done so, bought new equipment so that they are better equipped to shoot event?