Picdude Loc: Ohio

???????

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

12ga riot gun, short barreled shotgun that is easy to carry and use.
12ga = 72 cal if it was a rifle
50 cal sabot is a 50 cal bullet with a collar that falls off on the way out of the barrel, being pushed by a powder charge designed for 72 cal, high velocity, high energy, high penetration = very good for dangerous animals at close range (like a grizzly eyeing you as the blue plate special)
Convoluted way of saying photographing bears and thus armed would be safer than Bridzilla or her mother, whom you are not allowed to shoot with anything but a camera.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I'm reminded of the story attributed to Mark Twain:

A man with a mule for sale is approached by a prospective buyer who asks the price. He is told $25. The prospective buyer then proceeds to thoroughly examine the mule, pointing out each minute flaw. He asks again about the cost of the mule and is told $30. He points out that the original price was $25 and asks the reason for the price increase. The seller tells him that everytime he criticizes the mule or questions the price, the price goes up $5. Maybe selling mules and photographing weddings aren't too different after all!

tradergeorge Loc: Newport, Kentucky

I have always come from the school of, "Take what you want...and pay for it", and "I can do anything if you are willing to pay the price". Assuming that all her demands are not things covered in the contract, every time she asks for something, just answer, "I can do that, but that is not included in the contract and therefore will cost extra". She will either fire you, or comply...In my experience, after they hear that spiel for about the second time, they either pay up or shut up. I have never been fired for saying such things...

Make sure that you are not part of the problem. I am not saying that you are, but some of us can be divas at times. People hate to be told they cannot have whatever they want. So, just make sure they pay for it. As usual, JMHO, YMMV

rrayrob Loc: Las Vegas, NV

One word - BRIDEZILLA! That said, if she's questioning everything you world or are doing shows a lack of respect for you as a professional. Since you're being paid - that makes you a professional. Chances are you're in for a year of headaches and must frustration to be followed with the Bride not being happy with any of your work, no matter what you do. You said you were hired due to a referral so she must have seen your work and liked it to have hired you - maybe you can remind her of that, gently, as you don't want to piss her off otherwise the word of mouth, from her mouth, won't be favorable for you thus potentially affecting you getting future work.

Picdude Loc: Ohio

Actually I'm very much aware of what a riot gun and a sabot round is. What I don't understand is why you would want to use such a round in a smooth bore weapon that it's not designed for that has a tube magazine that it definitely warns against loading more than 1 in, so you have a weapon that can carry a best two rounds with degraded accuracy to go against a potentially irate grizzly. Doesn't sound really smart.

Xantoz Loc: Delaware

Thank you, emotionally you may be correct! I find having my husband all dressed up as my assistant looking handsome, really helps with the fluffing and puffing of the dresses really calms the jitters down. Weddings are complicated!
I have one next month that is nuts, it's same sex female, wealthy, older, Wicca high priestess officiating, all in Tartens, kilts, goddesses, Celtic outside at a yacht club and the getaway vehicle is a restored schooner!! ALL WOMEN!!
I don't care how fussy they are, I just shot them a big number and made sure my insurance is paid up!!

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

And her mother hasn't started on you yet.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Say what? I have never seen or heard of not using the sabot rounds in tube magazines, they are made for them. The 12 ga sabot has a flat nose and is entirely enclosed in the shell casing. A friend who has owned gun and police supply stores for 30 years never heard of it either. They function and feed just fine in my Rem Mod 11 riot gun. Just checked a box of them, read every word on it, nothing of that sort.

As to accuracy, I have another friend that uses an 870 with rifle sights and a slug barrel to hunt and for home defense, he gets 3-6 inch groups at 100 yards with sabot rounds. That is a lot further than the range at which you can justify shooting something in self defense.

74images Loc: Los Angeles, California

Part two...

I want to add more...
25 years ago I had a friend of mine who was & still is a model, & when I did a photo session with her she was difficult to cooperate with, the final straw happened in December 1989 when we were at a park here in the L.A.area & I wanted to do a swimsuit project with her, & she was to wear the swimsuit under her dress suit, along with her panty hose, & 2 tone dress pumps.

when she went to put on the swimsuit under the dress suit & the shoes, she didn't have the panty hose on, the project was to have her walk in the park in the grassy area, & while she was walking, she was to shed her clothing, the shoes, the suit, the panty hose, & she was to be free & in her swim suit walking to the waterfall in the park, the sticking point was her not putting on the panty hose, & we argued over it, & I just couldn't take anymore, so I packed up my Pentax SF1N film camera that I got that may, along with my camera bag & walked, never seeing or hearing from her until may of 1991.

what drove me away from her was her ''uppty attitude'', & i wasn't going to take it from her anymore!

the moral of my comment is that if it gets to hot in the kitchen ''get the f**k out, nobody is worth getting you stressed out for a wedding job, I know the bride & groom want it right for their special day, & they want this & that!, but if they are putting in too many demands, just walk away like I did in the past.

...as dealing with her in the future in photo shoots, we got straighten out, & she cooperated on future shoots, & she did want I wanted, if I wanted her to take off her hi-heels & walk in her stocking feet, she did, it, if I told her shed off all her clothes (suit, stockings, shoes, etc), while wearing her swim suit, she did it.

...& when she got married in june of 99, we had very little rumbling about her bitching over her poses. :-) :thumbup:

joe west Loc: Taylor, Michigan

tell her you can always buy it for me...the equipment

tradergeorge Loc: Newport, Kentucky

The biggest question is why you would even use Sabot slugs in a smooth barreled shotgun. They are designed to be used in a rifled barrel. But, that aside, they are no more accurate when shot from a rifled barrel than a plain slug and cost a lot more. (This is backed up by many tests in gun magazines) The only advantage I see here is perhaps bragging rights, but I see no real reason to use a slug in a way other than what it is designed for.

nikon_jon Loc: Northeast Arkansas

Back in the 70's I had a small studio and shot a LOT of weddings. Once I did four in one weekend.

Two things I learned from that. 1) Weddings done properly are some of the hardest earned photography money there is. 2) There is not enough money made for me to ever shoot another wedding. Especially since we have entered what I call the Walmart culture. That is, Walmart and the other large retailers have created a culture of people who believe they are royalty of some sort and that by having themselves a little 'hissie fit' they can get their way with anything they want.

Later in my life, I ran a flea market. Leased a huge building and rented spaces inside for vendors to sell their goods. The arrangement was that our vendors did not have to be present. We took care of all sales through one check out. We had signs up all over the store that all sales were final. When someone tried to pull a little Walmart temper tantrum because they were not happy about something, I took almost fiendish delight in pointing out that our store was not Walmart, Sears, Kmart or whatever and that they were welcome to find the door and use it.

For me, anyway, no bride or client of any other type is worth the stress and aggravation, and I would be happy to tell them where the bus stops and how to use the door.

dickwilber Loc: Indiana (currently)

After my thirty year career in the corporate world ended, I needed to do something else. I had been in photography since I was a child, and that seemed to be the direction I should take but I was apprehensive about dealing with bridezilla and her mother. But with some experience working for other photographers and being mentored by an exceptional group of pros in Northern New Jersey, I entered the fray and for fifteen years was pretty successful. (Enjoyed it all.)

Over that period, I never once encountered bridezilla! Or her mother!! Most often I ended our collaboration with her as my friend (and usually had a little crush on her). Only once do I remember anybody asking a question about equipment or techniques (though I did tell them up front that while the formal stuff was shot with medium format, I switched to 35 mm for the reception). Moved back to the Midwest so my wife could be near her parents in their final years, so I now only do an occasional pro bono shoot.

I am not certain what sandheimrichc should do, but suggest he sit down with his clients and review the contract and their desires.

And, as to Lowkick’s remark that the contract be “... specific about what you will supply for the job.” Yes – what you photograph, when, time you’re finished, what she gets after the shoot, and the time frame in which you will deliver it! And discuss it all in detail in your preliminary meetings.

I cannot understand MT Shooter’s problem with the disposable camera’s flashing ruining his pictures; was he not using flash, too? Was he controlling off camera flashes with optical slaves (which would fire every time a disposable’s flash went off)? He should have been able to cope. The only time the guests photography ever bothered me was when they got between me and my subject, but they always moved on request.

And I agree with dat2ra’s remark about women wedding photographers sometimes having an advantage. (Watched a pretty good one do my granddaughters wedding up by Yosemite last June).

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

OK, I've had people like that. 32 (I think, without using my fingers and toes) years of wedding photography now, and basically, I read that the bride is asking a lot of questions. How I handle something like that is to answer the questions honestly, and not take offense. She didn't demand that you have a changing tent, so the answer is "no, I'm sorry, I don't"

Only you can decide if maybe, that would be a good idea to get, so she can tell others that it is something you offer.

If she decides that she doesn't want to use you because of that, only you can decide what your contract says about returning any of the money she paid for you to hold the date.

I'm really not sure how to say this without sounding insulting, so please don't take it in a way that it is not intended.

Wedding photography, obviously (from even what you see in other posts) isn't for everyone. If people who are nervous about what should be the biggest day of their lives, want to ask questions, because they know you are the expert.... and that makes you angry, maybe you really should consider maybe doing portrait photography. Wedding photographers have to be equal parts therapist, and photographer.

I hope that makes sense, and doesn't come across as condescending. I'm not cut out for advertising photoraphy, as I like to have my own vision, and don't like being told by an art director what I have to do. I just want to tell them that if they know everything, they should do it themselves....therefore, I'm not an advertising photographer.

If you want to continue shooting weddings, seriously, be honest when answering questions. "no, I don't have that" is an answer. Put yourself in their shoes, and understand that they don't have as much experience as you do (or they assume that you do) with weddings. If they ask if you have ____ another answer would be "no" that piece of equipment isn't used with my style of photography. They have seen examples of your work and style haven't they?

Relax, go with the flow, be honest, and above all else....make them relaxed, and let them know that everything will turn out beautifully. After all, that's really what they are worried about.