Don't Be Rude infront of your Customers

TheFantasticG

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The Question: You've been in the photography business almost 20 years. This
isn't your first gig. How do you act in a National/State Park while
photographing a couple?

The Story: I had a wonderful time as did my Wife
and my two friends on their wedding day. We have been planning for months to
visit the Valley of Fire for post-wedding photography and knowing that there
might be a permit required I decided to contact the park. I emailed Mrs. Sandra
twice, and then called. During that call I was informed that since this was not
a commercial event i.e. no financial gain from the photography, and the party is
well under XX people (I don't remember the exact number), there was no need for
a permit. I was the best man in the wedding for my best friend of almost twenty
years. After the ceremony and the post-wedding lunch, my wife, the new bride
& groom, and myself went to the Valley of Fire. We were awe struck by the
bueaty of the park. I could see now why this is a popular venue for wedding
photography. We stopped at the Bee Hives first, then looked at the map and
agreed on the Arch Rock. Had fun there then went onto the Seven Sisters. That
was when our fun began... There was a photographer from "Scenic
Tours"
who was there performing commercial work at the Seven Sisters site
around 15:00 Saturday afternoon when the winds were gusting furiously upwards of
40-50 mph. This "professional" photographer, Trey Tomsik, decided that his
permit covered the entire state park which included no one using any other part
of the park. and took it upon himself to harass myself and my two friends whom I
was not paid by to image their wedding photos at the park until we started
heading back to our car. I tried rationalizing with him that I had checked
previously with park Management (Mrs. Sandra Huffman) so that if I needed a
permit I would get one but because of the reasons we discussed on the phone it
was decided I did not need a permit. When I tried kindly to tell him that the
park does not issue a permit of such magnitude he started getting irate because
we would not leave right away. He kept repeating he has the park permitted. No
other wedding photography (unpaid or paid) is to be occurring at the same time
anywhere else in the park. So, we took a ride to the range station four miles in
on the left from the entrance to the park for me to speak with personnel there.
After confirming with a nice lady (whom remembers me calling a few months ago
about the permit requirements) that I do not need a permit under these
stipulations and cannot permit "the entire park" as he stated.
In fact, she said if there wasnt already an emergency in progress they would have had the
resources to deal with a commercial entity harassing other paying tourist.
Bothers me that if he had such all-inclusive permit why would he not simply
produce it and we can be on our marry way? Why get belligerent, argumentative,
and rude when we were showing no disrespect to him? I.e. staying out his shots.
It's understood on my photography web sites and forums that the Valley of Fire
is a well known destination for wedding photography and cinema projects. I've
been to many many state/federal parks in the southeast US and have never run
into any one who had been so grotesque in character and manners. The Valley of
Fire has been the first venue that I got into an altercation with any person
holding a camera. I honestly thought at one point I was going to be forced to
use self protection measures for my Wife and friends.

The Answer: If you
are in the middle of performing on location spot at a national/state park do
not
act in such a matter so that one could describe you as having a
grotesque character and monsterous manners. You're doing it wrong.
 
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if i was with clients I would act as professional as possible and let the other guy look poorly. if i was with my friends who know me. after talking with the lady confirming you were fine, I would have went back up there and gotten my pictures.
 
We did. We filed complaints with the Nevada State Parks and the Southern Nevada BBB. This is just a reminder to those in the business. He could have handled himself in a much more professional manner. Hell, I could have hired him when my Wife and I go back to Vegas to renew our vows. But, he screwed the pooch on that one. And that's the moral of the story.
 
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How about breaking down your story into several, manageable paragraphs so people will read it? I stopped after several lines because it's nearly impossible to read. :irked:
 
Why not just try to make an effort to read it? I didn't even notice it was so unformatted until you said so.
 
Yes bad form on his part.
Assuming the story went exactly as you tell it.

Hard to imagine why a person would act that way, it is always easier to explain things in a way that builds bridges, assuming a receptive party, than to do it like this fellow did.
 
I would have ignored him and went about my business. It's not like you were in the wrong unless you were interfering with their shots. (purposefully getting in the background, etc...) I'm confused as to why you would link their website? Do you secretly work for them and want to drum up web activity?
 
How about breaking down your story into several, manageable paragraphs so people will read it? I stopped after several lines because it's nearly impossible to read. :irked:

Wait, what? It's in one paragraph because it's one idea. Not multiple ideas. It's english. It's not difficult to understand. It's written in a very understandable language and context. If you do not want to read it, then don't.
 
Yes bad form on his part.
Assuming the story went exactly as you tell it.

Hard to imagine why a person would act that way, it is always easier to explain things in a way that builds bridges, assuming a receptive party, than to do it like this fellow did.

I have retold it as best as I can remember. No more, no less.
 
I would have ignored him and went about my business. It's not like you were in the wrong unless you were interfering with their shots. (purposefully getting in the background, etc...) I'm confused as to why you would link their website? Do you secretly work for them and want to drum up web activity?

As far as I could tell we were not interfering with his shots. If we were, he did not voice that. When I noticed him, his customers were facing me, and he was headed towards us, yelling at us about his permit. I linked to his websites so you would know who I was referring to, nothing more.
 
How about breaking down your story into several, manageable paragraphs so people will read it? I stopped after several lines because it's nearly impossible to read. :irked:

Wait, what? It's in one paragraph because it's one idea. Not multiple ideas. It's english. It's not difficult to understand. It's written in a very understandable language and context. If you do not want to read it, then don't.

Kind of a belligerent response there from a guy busy railing against belligerent photographers dontcha think?
 
How about breaking down your story into several, manageable paragraphs so people will read it? I stopped after several lines because it's nearly impossible to read. :irked:

Wait, what? It's in one paragraph because it's one idea. Not multiple ideas. It's english. It's not difficult to understand. It's written in a very understandable language and context. If you do not want to read it, then don't.

That's not the way it works.
You break the writing the way you take a breath when you're talking, to give people a chance to absorb what you've written and to understand that a specific point has been made.
If people have trouble reading it, especially in the screen where reading is even more difficult, than you break it up to allow them to comprehend better.

On the other hand, your attitude makes me start to wonder that there might be another side to this issue that hasn't been addressed in your story.
 
There are two sides to every storey; we have only heard one, therefore, in fairness, we cannot make any sort of judgement. Regardless of how impartial you feel your re-telling was, it's human nature to remember events in the way that suits us; that is why when police interview five eye-witnesses to a crime, they often get five different versions of the events.

With respect to the paragraph issue, while it is one idea, there are multiple thoughts relating to that idea. Each of those thoughts should be represented as a paragraph.
 

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