Wedding Guest Photographer's Etiquette Help

[Derrel]

IMO, posting a wedding on your BLOG, FACEBOOK business page, or website where you were NOT the hired photographer is NOT cool. Go ahead and post it on facebook to share with your friends... but once you put it on your blog, website, etc.. you are crossing the line IMO. Post it on facebook without signature or watermark.

I will give you an example. Lets say photographer A was hired to do a famous couple wedding. You attended as a guest and post photos from the wedding as if you were the hired photographer. How do you feel if you were photographer A?

Who cares. If you're ANY good at ALL as a shooter, then YOUR images will knock the socks off of those shot by the guests and Uncle Bob and Aunt Mildred. This isn't 1975 any longer...at a wedding there are often 50 to 100 cameras and cell phone cameras taking images...to say that it is uncool to post the images? I don't agree with that....that smacks of severe insecurity. And, as a private, third party, WTF would I allow somebody ELSE to control where and how and WHEN "my images" are to be shown or displayed??? Seriously man...think it through a bit.

You completely missed my point. You think it is cool if I shoot a wedding and in a few days after that I see someone else posted photos with watermark all over it? People will start thinking that is YOUR work. It is not about the rules.. there is no rule. It is about common sense and do what is right. I will be pissed if I was the hired photographer and I see someone posted photos from the wedding on B&G facebook with "Precious Moment Photography" watermark on it with cheesy selective coloring.

Your "point" is simply ridiculous and self-serving. What--do you think that only "YOU", the hired weekend wedding shooter, has the technology and the savvy to post images on the web????

Are you telling me that you imagine/worry/fear that people will automatically "assume" that any images they see on the web will be those of the "Official Photographer"? Is that your assertion?

Oh, come on....let me recover from laughing for a bit before continuing....

zOMG Schwettylens...welcome to the second decade of the 21st century dude!! Images appear all over, on the web, and in e-mail, and social media outlets, from the cameras of MULTIPLE people after ANY event of ANY importance these days. Hell...my iPhone can upload images directly to Flickr, Facebook, or Instagram, or Twitter within SECONDS of me shooting the images...

 

[rub]

IMO, posting a wedding on your BLOG, FACEBOOK business page, or website where you were NOT the hired photographer is NOT cool. Go ahead and post it on facebook to share with your friends... but once you put it on your blog, website, etc.. you are crossing the line IMO. Post it on facebook without signature or watermark.

I will give you an example. Lets say photographer A was hired to do a famous couple wedding. You attended as a guest and post photos from the wedding as if you were the hired photographer. How do you feel if you were photographer A?

Who cares. If you're ANY good at ALL as a shooter, then YOUR images will knock the socks off of those shot by the guests and Uncle Bob and Aunt Mildred. This isn't 1975 any longer...at a wedding there are often 50 to 100 cameras and cell phone cameras taking images...to say that it is uncool to post the images? I don't agree with that....that smacks of severe insecurity. And, as a private, third party, WTF would I allow somebody ELSE to control where and how and WHEN "my images" are to be shown or displayed??? Seriously man...think it through a bit.

You completely missed my point. You think it is cool if I shoot a wedding and in a few days after that I see someone else posted photos with watermark all over it? People will start thinking that is YOUR work. It is not about the rules.. there is no rule. It is about common sense and do what is right. I will be pissed if I was the hired photographer and I see someone posted photos from the wedding on B&G facebook with "Precious Moment Photography" watermark on it with cheesy selective coloring.

People wont think it is your work for long. And when you do post you will look 1000x better. Unless its in the contract you cant really dicate who posts what on Facebook. Sad but true.

 

[Overread]

OP - you've already had most of the advice you need and I can only second that if your friend is worried just leave the situation unstrained and hold back on showing them for a little while. I (personally) can't think why there would be any problems at all showing them, but if its worrying her just be nice - it should only be for a short while until the regular photographer has uploaded theirs.

You completely missed my point. You think it is cool if I shoot a wedding and in a few days after that I see someone else posted photos with watermark all over it? People will start thinking that is YOUR work. It is not about the rules.. there is no rule. It is about common sense and do what is right. I will be pissed if I was the hired photographer and I see someone posted photos from the wedding on B&G facebook with "Precious Moment Photography" watermark on it with cheesy selective coloring.

I'm a little confused why you'd be annoyed.
They are their photos that they have shot at a the wedding. Unless you had a clause written into your contract which prohibited photos being taken by other parties at the wedding then they have every right to take the photos - post them online - put whatever editing or watermark (of their own) they want over them. Heck they can sell them to friends or give them away for free if they want - without any problems what so ever.

As a pro you shouldn't even feel threatened by them; the average photographer with a camera shouldn't be able to outclass you for a whole event. Sure they might get one or two good shots at key moments you weren't at - but all your earning bread and butter shots should be solid.

 

[raider]

post em, let em sue you. i'd like to see them come up with that one in the law books. you clicked the shutter, you own the photos - the paid photographer should have made their business presence known with cards directing guests on where to look for the pro photos.

 

[Overread]

Just a point people - but the message hasn't come from the Pro photographer at the wedding - it's come from a friend of the Bride who happens to have a photographer boyfriend (who didn't shoot this job).

 

[bunny99123]

IMO: You will get plenty of opportunities in the future to take photos for your fb favorite page, so if she is a good friend, out of respect I would remove them all until the hired photographer releases his/her. I worked as a wedding coordinator for several years, and a wedding can bring the worst out of some people. The bride is very stressed, because it is her dream day, and wants everything to be perfect (never perfect wedding). This results in a lot of people not acting like them normal self. In the old days, the Photographers that were hired would not allow anyone to take a picture. If others are posting pics on there regular fb page, I do think it is okay for you to do the same without your name on them, but I agree that you should not post pics on your fb favorite page with pictures with your name on them until the she has posted the ones from her Photographer. It appears as if you where the hired Photographer (most people look at the photos, not that you have posted you were not the Photographer). Just be a friend on this one from your heart. No, the others should not get involved into the situation = DRAMA. Stomp drama out like a wild fire. Word of mouth spreads like a wild fire.

 

[tirediron]

IMO, posting a wedding on your BLOG, FACEBOOK business page, or website where you were NOT the hired photographer is NOT cool. Go ahead and post it on facebook to share with your friends... but once you put it on your blog, website, etc.. you are crossing the line IMO. Post it on facebook without signature or watermark.

I will give you an example. Lets say photographer A was hired to do a famous couple wedding. You attended as a guest and post photos from the wedding as if you were the hired photographer. How do you feel if you were photographer A?

Who cares. If you're ANY good at ALL as a shooter, then YOUR images will knock the socks off of those shot by the guests and Uncle Bob and Aunt Mildred. This isn't 1975 any longer...at a wedding there are often 50 to 100 cameras and cell phone cameras taking images...to say that it is uncool to post the images? I don't agree with that....that smacks of severe insecurity. And, as a private, third party, WTF would I allow somebody ELSE to control where and how and WHEN "my images" are to be shown or displayed??? Seriously man...think it through a bit.

You completely missed my point. You think it is cool if I shoot a wedding and in a few days after that I see someone else posted photos with watermark all over it? People will start thinking that is YOUR work. It is not about the rules.. there is no rule. It is about common sense and do what is right. I will be pissed if I was the hired photographer and I see someone posted photos from the wedding on B&G facebook with "Precious Moment Photography" watermark on it with cheesy selective coloring.

Ummm.... Robin, if you're worried about your work being confused with a "Friend of the bride's" you might wanna order the second session of those lessons from NYIP!

 

[Buckster]

LOL!

 

[manaheim]

IMO, posting a wedding on your BLOG, FACEBOOK business page, or website where you were NOT the hired photographer is NOT cool. Go ahead and post it on facebook to share with your friends... but once you put it on your blog, website, etc.. you are crossing the line IMO. Post it on facebook without signature or watermark.

I will give you an example. Lets say photographer A was hired to do a famous couple wedding. You attended as a guest and post photos from the wedding as if you were the hired photographer. How do you feel if you were photographer A?

Who cares. If you're ANY good at ALL as a shooter, then YOUR images will knock the socks off of those shot by the guests and Uncle Bob and Aunt Mildred. This isn't 1975 any longer...at a wedding there are often 50 to 100 cameras and cell phone cameras taking images...to say that it is uncool to post the images? I don't agree with that....that smacks of severe insecurity. And, as a private, third party, WTF would I allow somebody ELSE to control where and how and WHEN "my images" are to be shown or displayed??? Seriously man...think it through a bit.

You completely missed my point. You think it is cool if I shoot a wedding and in a few days after that I see someone else posted photos with watermark all over it? People will start thinking that is YOUR work. It is not about the rules.. there is no rule. It is about common sense and do what is right. I will be pissed if I was the hired photographer and I see someone posted photos from the wedding on B&G facebook with "Precious Moment Photography" watermark on it with cheesy selective coloring.

I must still not be getting it, because this sounds really crazy to me.

As a professional hired to shoot a wedding, how would I care what others with cameras at the wedding do? I'm a pro, and I stand on the quality of my own work. What someone else shoots has zero impact on me, unless my pictures suck... at which point, I have other issues and I shouldn't be getting so much defensive as I should be getting on the ball and getting better.

What you're saying just sounds like defensive protectionism... but again, maybe I'm missing your point still.

Edit: I should have read the second page before posting... others have basically said the same thing. BTW... to the OP, I agree with the "ignore the person claiming you are out of line, but do what the bride wants regardless".

 

[Robin Usagani]

Sigh.. All I said was.. post the freaking photos and dont make it look like you are the official photographer (no watermark). I have seen ENOUGH pros get mad because of this. Geez people.

 

[Overread]

But watermarks don't make you professional. All it is is a visual display of the creator of a photo in a name form.

Honestly it happens in loads of visual mediums - painters sign their work - sculptors will often initial the base - photographers put a watermark. Doesn't matter if they are paid or not or if they are pro or if they are above a certain arbitrary quality level. They made it - they can sign their name all over if it they want to.

 

[Robin Usagani]

It seems that some people here just scan trough what people say instead of reading it. Go ahead.. post photos that you shot as a guest on your PROFESSIONAL page. It does nothing but pissing other professional off. People here get tick off when "non professional" photos make it to the "pro" forum on TPF, yet they think it is ok to shoot a wedding as a GUEST and post it on a Business Page? I dont really care if the guests post the photos they took. I do care if one of the photos have some kind of "professional" watermark on it.

 

[Overread]

But if they are photos they have taken and if those photos are representative of their own quality of product in a professional capacity they can post them on their business website. Heck its often advised for amateurs to second shoot weddings just to get those photos to make a start with their own portfolio of work to open their business with.*

Now I can agree that its somewhat out of line if that person hounds after the photographer for the entire wedding - but a few snaps here and there shouldn't be any the worry at all.




* - far as I know and feel about the only photos that a person takes which shouldn't appear on the business pages are the kind where someone else has posed and set the lighting for the shoot and the photographer just runs along and takes the picture (ie at lighting sessions and the like). Then I agree that its wrong to present that as a class of work they can produce because - they haven't been in full control of the process to really class the full final effect as theirs and as representative of what they can achieve.

 

[Robin Usagani]

But if they are photos they have taken and if those photos are representative of their own quality of product in a professional capacity they can post them on their business website. Heck its often advised for amateurs to second shoot weddings just to get those photos to make a start with their own portfolio of work to open their business with.

Now I can agree that its somewhat out of line if that person hounds after the photographer for the entire wedding - but a few snaps here and there shouldn't be any the worry at all.

That is SECOND shoot. All of photographers I have 2nd allow me to use the photos for my marketing material. They didnt make me sign a contract. But.. .I do use my common sense. I always put the link to their website, I dont blog the photos before the main shooter has a chance. Yes, I do put my signature on wedding I 2nd shoot.

Either you agree or disagree with me, the fact is... you will piss off a lot of photographers if you do that. Just use common sense.

 

[Derrel]

"Just use common sense," eh???

Do you have any of that? You seem to hold a rather un-common point of view here, as compared with the stated opinions of multiple other people.