Newbies and events/wedding photographers

[Jemapela]

huh, you mean as easy as point and shoot ah :think:

The thread starter Deadpoet made it obvious that his intention was not to annoy or offend the professionals in the trade.

Similarly, I want to make this clear that this is not intended to deliberately or directly insult the professionals, or even the freelancers, or amateurs or newbies or any person of average IQ. However, you may find this very
disturbing.

In Melbourne, I know of an Aussie man who is a freelance event photographer. He gets work not very often, but good enough for me to see him walk into the photo lab where I work at roughly 1-3 times per month to develop his films. While his shots are not aesthetically fantastic like National Geographic or some press, they are technically passable... meaning exposure is not severely flawed (or beyond rescue on Fuji Frontier machine) and focus is not hopelessly off.

I believe all of his gear are 2nd hand. He uses Canon EOS 50E, and recently upgraded to a EOS 1. I have seen him using Canon 50mm f/1.8 and Sigma 15-30mm lens, and I suspect he has a tele zoom. He uses a Sunpak tower flash and a Sunpak hotshoe-mounted flash, both fairly powerful, enough to mount a softbox.

Here's the insulting bit. This man is on a mental disability pension! (Ehh... you didn't get that? Those words too dense?) He has lower than average IQ. He is a mental patient. He still sees a psychiatrist regularly.

Guess what? He doesn't even know what exposure compensation is! He's got difficulty resetting his exposure compensation dial on the EOS 1 back to zero after accidentally turning the dial.

Ouch! That hurts doesn't it? As I already said in my earlier post, doing event photography is not really that difficult. It's nearly a no-brainer.

Don't flame me. I'm only sharing my true encounter. And the truth hurts.

 

[jopel]

wah you think i returned from the furnace of hell ah anyhow flame people :bsmilie:

good for that photographer you mentioned it could be the love of photography kept him going.

well, it could be me what ever I shoot it is with passion. Yes, even when I cover funeral services.

 

[Halfmoon]

Another way to enjoy wedding is to become a groom once a month and shoot your own weddings (If the law in your country allows you to marry so many times). :bsmilie:

You can get MARRIED ILLEGALLY.... have dinner, without ROM..... :bsmilie:

As long as not caught by the law and your so many wives.... hahaha.......

 

[Sion]

i don't see how getting married every month is something very enjoyable at least i don't envy someone who do that

Your other older wives will envy the newest and latest wife. :lovegrin:

 

[Sion]

You can get MARRIED ILLEGALLY.... have dinner, without ROM..... :bsmilie:

As long as not caught by the law and your so many wives.... hahaha.......

I think you have to set aside 4 tables just to sit your wives. :lovegrin:

 

[Witness]

erhm i like to take photos for portraits and weddings...not events...coz basically like u...i find events pretty boring...

as for portraits and weddings...lets juz say its a good extention of human interaction...i like the "commuication" and "link" that happens between me and the subjects when i am shooting these...

cheers..

 

[iamasaint]

The thread starter Deadpoet made it obvious that his intention was not to annoy or offend the professionals in the trade.

Similarly, I want to make this clear that this is not intended to deliberately or directly insult the professionals, or even the freelancers, or amateurs or newbies or any person of average IQ. However, you may find this very
disturbing.

In Melbourne, I know of an Aussie man who is a freelance event photographer. He gets work not very often, but good enough for me to see him walk into the photo lab where I work at roughly 1-3 times per month to develop his films. While his shots are not aesthetically fantastic like National Geographic or some press, they are technically passable... meaning exposure is not severely flawed (or beyond rescue on Fuji Frontier machine) and focus is not hopelessly off.

I believe all of his gear are 2nd hand. He uses Canon EOS 50E, and recently upgraded to a EOS 1. I have seen him using Canon 50mm f/1.8 and Sigma 15-30mm lens, and I suspect he has a tele zoom. He uses a Sunpak tower flash and a Sunpak hotshoe-mounted flash, both fairly powerful, enough to mount a softbox.

Here's the insulting bit. This man is on a mental disability pension! (Ehh... you didn't get that? Those words too dense?) He has lower than average IQ. He is a mental patient. He still sees a psychiatrist regularly.

Guess what? He doesn't even know what exposure compensation is! He's got difficulty resetting his exposure compensation dial on the EOS 1 back to zero after accidentally turning the dial.

Ouch! That hurts doesn't it? As I already said in my earlier post, doing event photography is not really that difficult. It's nearly a no-brainer.

Don't flame me. I'm only sharing my true encounter. And the truth hurts.

My take on this?

You are right. Anyone can do event photography. It is not too difficult.

Similarly, anyone can cook or draw or sing but why are some guys able to make a good living out of these? Its because they are good in it and have marketed themselves well. There are things these guys are doing that are different from what the masses are producing. So while we all can do event photography not all of us can do it really well.

Ehs?

 

[espn]

My take on this?

You are right. Anyone can do event photography. It is not too difficult.

Similarly, anyone can cook or draw or sing but why are some guys able to make a good living out of these? Its because they are good in it and have marketed themselves well. There are things these guys are doing that are different from what the masses are producing. So while we all can do event photography not all of us can do it really well.

Ehs?

His intentions lies beyond his words Just let it be

 

[jsbn]

point and shoot also a kind of style, than maybe you should try contax T Series or nikon 28 of 35 Ti.

My experiences with P&S are of a pretty basic type, full auto, no control, high lag times, blurred pix and noisy pieces of crap.

The Contax T-series looks quite good. Seen it at TCW on display. But the price just turns me off. I've gotta sell off my 300D or my 17-40L if I wanna get a Contax. Its an 'either-or' thing not a 'this-and-this'. :cry:

 

[catchlights]

My experiences with P&S are of a pretty basic type, full auto, no control, high lag times, blurred pix and noisy pieces of crap.

The Contax T-series looks quite good. Seen it at TCW on display. But the price just turns me off. I've gotta sell off my 300D or my 17-40L if I wanna get a Contax. Its an 'either-or' thing not a 'this-and-this'. :cry:

Camera is just a tool, what matter most is the person whom use the tool, off cause with a right tool.

Never look down on other photographers with what they’re using, you have not seen their pictures yet.

Don’t envy about other people holding an expensive camera or lens, they maybe more interested on collecting them instead using them.

Hope this make sense to you.

 

[Jemapela]

good for that photographer you mentioned it could be the love of photography kept him going.

I should have stated that, as best as I know, it's not his passion. It's just a job he does to supplement his pension. He only entered into photography a few years ago, after his release from detention and being classified as having mental disabillity.

Walking around with his gear hanging all over him, he goes on and on about "I project myself as a professional photographer" but when he describes his shooting conditions at an event, he has problems recalling the well-known aperture "f/5.6".

In my earlier post, I said he doesn't even know what exposure compensation is, and was fumbling over the camera trying to reset it back to zero. Not knowing what exposure compensation is (and what it's for) suggests that he doesn't know the fundamentals of how exposure meters in cameras work! (I mean it's not really necessary to completely understand your 35-zone meter but just comprehend the gist of it.)

He recently got himself a 2nd hand Nikon Coolpix 5700 and was getting burnt out faces in his night shots (with lots of black areas in the image). Day in and day out, he ranted his favourite phrase "shitty little digital camera".

It's quite obvious he doesn't know enough but still gets event photography work.

I know that there are also photographers in S'pore who (are not mental patients but) don't really know what they are doing in their event photography work. They can't explain why they adjusted their cameras in a certain way but they know it works, and it's all that matters.

 

[zekai]

My take on this?

You are right. Anyone can do event photography. It is not too difficult.

Ehs?

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

 

[dawgbyte77]

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

I Think what IAmASaint meant was that anyone can take photo but not everyone can take quality pictures.

 

[obewan]

My own opinion is no matter what type of photography, just do it well. Especially, if you are paid to do so. Is the professionalism that counts, even you can be a just a freelance to cover an event or wedding. Shoot it like as if it is your own wedding. :angel:

 

[catchlights]

I should have stated that, as best as I know, it's not his passion. It's just a job he does to supplement his pension. He only entered into photography a few years ago, after his release from detention and being classified as having mental disabillity.

Walking around with his gear hanging all over him, he goes on and on about "I project myself as a professional photographer" but when he describes his shooting conditions at an event, he has problems recalling the well-known aperture "f/5.6".

In my earlier post, I said he doesn't even know what exposure compensation is, and was fumbling over the camera trying to reset it back to zero. Not knowing what exposure compensation is (and what it's for) suggests that he doesn't know the fundamentals of how exposure meters in cameras work! (I mean it's not really necessary to completely understand your 35-zone meter but just comprehend the gist of it.)

He recently got himself a 2nd hand Nikon Coolpix 5700 and was getting burnt out faces in his night shots (with lots of black areas in the image). Day in and day out, he ranted his favourite phrase "shitty little digital camera".

It's quite obvious he doesn't know enough but still gets event photography work.

I know that there are also photographers in S'pore who (are not mental patients but) don't really know what they are doing in their event photography work. They can't explain why they adjusted their cameras in a certain way but they know it works, and it's all that matters.

All clients’ want is the photo, they don’t hack care that who do it, how you do it, as long they have the photos.

Even if you are top photographer in the world, can’t delivery a photo which clients want it also unless, No photos, no talk.

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.

 

[icarus]

Personally, I found event photography very boring, wedding only a little less so, and yet, events and weddings far out weight others areas, like landscape, portraits, still life, nature and so on and so forth ...

Just wondering :dunno:

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: )..

 

[jopel]

It's quite obvious he doesn't know enough but still gets event photography work.

Hmmm...should i come over to Melborne. But I worry I might deprive this gentleman his rice bowl. Aye, no worry,I guess rice ain't his staple diet. :bsmilie:

 

[jodie_tan]

Events or weddings?
I'd prefer to do the Wedding portfolio where I can work on numerous concepts before shooting...sorry for the advertiser tone. It's fun to work with a concept, explore different lighting and techniques, rather than shoot an event, which I find boring after doing it for some time.

 

[ortega]

Luckly, you are not the one that people pay you and ask you not to shoot!!

:bsmilie: :bsmilie: :bsmilie:

hahaha ... that would be even better, just turn up at all the events and weddings with all my equipment and collect money and go home.

Don't need to shoot, don't need to Post process. :bsmilie:

 

[yqt]

hahaha ... that would be even better, just turn up at all the events and weddings with all my equipment and collect money and go home.

Don't need to shoot, don't need to Post process. :bsmilie:

wah!!! if next time got 2 of this type of events on the same timming can pass one to me or not :sweatsm: