greg vescuso Loc: Ozark,Mo.

Went out of state this weekend to go to a wedding of one of my kids friends. I originally planned on not bringing anything but a camera and lens, but my future son in law told me he was going to propose to my step daughter. So I brought a camera bag with one camera and a few lenses and two flashes because the bride who is his girlfriends best friend had planned during the bouquet toss instead if tossing the bouquet she would turn around and walk over to her and hand her the bouquet and then tell her to turn around and her boy friend walks up behind her and gets on one knee . We'll I thought what romantic and very unselfish thing for a bride to do for her best friend on her wedding day. So I packed enough stuff to get the shot not knowing if her hired photographer would be able to get the shot since it wasn't what they we're hired to do. Fast forward two hours before the wedding I was getting out of the shower and I came out to get my clothes and my wife had just answered the phone and it was my stepdaughters best friend ( the bride ) and she was crying and said she got ahold of the photographer she hired and asked we're he was and he said he didn't know that today was the wedding and because she didn't communicate with him he wasn't going to be able to come and shoot her wedding he said it was too late to go now. So my wife tells me and I called the bride and told her to just not worry about anything I would be their in 30 minutes and everything was going to be fine. So I get there a hour and a half before the ceremony is going to start and go to work shooting the bride and her bridesmaids. My wife shows up about 45 min later but we only have one camera. And a old point and shoot. We shot the whole wedding thru the night and the bouquet toss was so cool, we missed a lot of stuff we would have normally gotten but I rely so heavily on my wife being the main shooter having to shoot both angles with one camera I missed a lot. My wife did get as much as possible with her point and shoot and with the ceremony outside in good light I think we will be able to give the bride enough to have good album.
Here is we're I have a problem the paid photographer said he couldn't shoot her wedding because there wasn't enough time to get ready, now he was in the same town I was in 25 from the venue and if I was there 500 miles from home with a limited amount of gear, why if he was 25 minutes from the venue couldn't he shoot her wedding. In my opinion this was totally unprofessional to ruin a brides day. And then kept texting her saying it was her fault. I you take a deposit for a wedding you don't wait till the day of the wedding to say you are not coming I don't care if their is a communication problem you get ahold of the bride well ahead of time and tell her what you are doing and why, not the day of the wedding. And the reason I wasn't going to shoot this wedding in the first place was it is a week before my other daughters wedding and I would have been too busy to be able to shoot her wedding.

superpijak Loc: Middle TN

That does sound rather unprofessional Greg. Glad you were able to step in and salvage the day.

Bobbee

This is so obvious I am not sure it needs to be posted.

In his defense, i start charging my batteries for a wedding two days out. In an emergency, I CAN walk straight out the door as I typicall have enough power to so 'something'. But it does take some time to be 100% ready

In his offense, Microsoft Calendar with notifications, Smart Phone with notifications, etc. It is not her responsibility to tell him to be there. It is his responsibility to call a min of two weeks out to touch base. After all. He is the professional.

And in the end........................he probably did not want to do the wedding for a hundred million reasons. So he stands fast and blames her.

I have been where you were, it worked out and they were then happy I was crashing the wedding!!!

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Way to go Greg. Like so many of us, it sounds like you shoot weddings, because you love doing a great job for people. A while back, I was at a wedding where the photographer had a panic attack and just LEFT!!! All I had was my wife's point and shoot. I did the best I could, and they were thrilled.

A panic attack is a real thing, and I felt bad for the kid, but in the end if he wasn't ready to shoot a wedding, and took it on. I feel that he's responsible. This is exactly why we carry professional liability insurance to cover non-performance. The bride from your wedding has every right (if she has a signed contract) to collect any fees involved with reenacting missed shots, including travel of those involved, renting the space again, renting tuxes, etc.

Putting blame on the bride is just trying to deflect the fact that he didn't hold up his end of the contract. I never shoot alone, so I'm still covered if some illness or something comes up, but if something did happen, I carry the insurance to protect me. I think this guy should be hung out to dry. If you book the wedding, how the heck can you not be ready at least the day before?

People like that give us all a bad name, and that's why people are starting to say, "I'll just have my friends send me all their cell phone pics of the wedding, just forget paying someone"

Once again, Greg, congratulations on making us all look a little better in the case of one "unprofessional professional"

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

I nominate Greg for Wedding Photographer of the year! Seriously, that is such a great thing you did. Probably the most impactful was getting the brides emotions back on track on her special day. Hopefully you post that Bouquet toss/hand off. Would love to see that.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Way to go Greg. Awesome for you to step in and save the B&Gs day!

My guess would be that they hired an amateur with a camera playing professional photographer. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of stories like this of people trying to save a few bucks and not doing enough research on those they hire. There is a reason that "professionals" charge what they do, and you truly do get what you pay for. I get at least one call every week of people wanting me to "fix" their wedding photos from a "shoot & burn" photographer that are not even printable . . . my answer is always "No"

Hopefully when this happens to other folks out there there will be a "Greg" to save the day!

Kudos!

greg vescuso Loc: Ozark,Mo.

Thanks for all the positive thoughts, but I missed more shots than I ever have, I won't even get a chance to do anything to them for a least a a couple weeks. On the up side one of the Aunts was following me around shooting over my shoulder all the shots we set up and she is posting all her shots on Facebook. All and all they look pretty good, so that should buy me some time on getting my edited ones back to them.

greg vescuso Loc: Ozark,Mo.

My other son in law shot the bouquet toss hand off with a go pro and it is a real cool video. I think I like it better than the stills.

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

Sounds like it might be You Tube worthy

greg vescuso Loc: Ozark,Mo.

Never thought of that I will have to tell him to post it.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Same here, but I do take on the jobs when they may be savable. Light work, I get $10 each, and it goes up from there. Generally, it is a pretty easy way to make a few hundred bucks (like the shoot and burner) without having to be on my feet all day. I won't cull, or do an entire disk. I make them decide which ones are worth it, and explain what can, or can't be done. The funny thing is, a LOT of the issues are just white balance. Pretty easy fix for $10.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

My goodness! This entire story is the stuff of NIGHTMARES! I hate to sound like the voice of doom or some kind of a negative influence, here on the Hog, but common folks- what's going on? What is the "profession" of wedding photography coming to- is it going to the proverbial "hell in a handbasket" scenario?! Is there total consumer ignorance and/or total lack of professionalism on the part of so-called wedding shooters.Perhaps, in this situation, there is a combination of both!

What ever happened to writing proper contracts for wedding photography coverage? In my book, a photographer not showing up at a properly booked wedding is a MORTAL SIN, a career ender, and grounds for a nasty and devastating lawsuit. Do brides nowadays, think so little of their wedding photography that the don't communicate, on an ongoing basis, with their wedding photographer as preparations are moving along? This has got to be the worst case of a communications breakdown that I have every heard! By the way, it's up to the PROFESSIONAL photographer to keep the channels of communication open at all times and make sure all plans are well understood by all parties concerned and are intact right up to the wedding day!

When an emergency situation occurs, and a real pro steps in, that professional must take charge and should not have to put up with interference from relatives or other craziness. Taking control of the situation in a gentle yet stern manner is oftentimes part of the job! If control;l is somehow lost, it's like walking into a hornet's nest!

Call me old fashioned or call me a grouchy old geezer but to me, once a job is booked- it is carved in stone- it is entered on the agenda- I have one at the studio and one at home. Same goes for spare equipment! If my studio burns down to the ground, I can still cover my assigned weddings. The only excuse for not showing up on time is DEATH! I have covered weddings with bad colds, fever, and injuries. If you car won't start, you take a taxi! If the job is out of town, you get there a few days prior to the date! You always have spare gear and charged batteries. I have always networked with other photographers to the extent that in the event of serious disablement, there is always someone to cover for you- no excuses! If I drop dead, right in the midst of an assignment, my assistant is always a capable shooter!

Think about this! What if the clergy or officiator forgot about the wedding- the caterer, the florist, the limo drivers? Why should the photographer get away with this nonsense! Would the clients leave any of other vendors or service people to last minute preparations? I think not!

Again! I don't mean to be the grumpy guy around here but I do like the idea of folks who take on wedding photography, on a full or part-time basis, to take their work seriously. Even verbal contracts are binding! Get everything down in writing! Forgetting an assignment is not an option- it's grounds for a lawsuit and rightly so! Being the official photographer at a wedding is not a "hobby" kind of thing!

Sincerely, Ed

Bobbee

In a word, yes. Not totally, but yes. Our stuff outlives time and we are the least considered. They will drop 1,200-1,800 on a DJ but argue a fair price for the photography.

So I agree with what you say. everything in fact.

Three weeks ago I showed up to shoot the wedding on triple Tramadols and Lydacain patches to shoot a wedding. People in the wedding section know the story. I paid dearly the next day like I am now from this Saturdays wedding. Was I crazy, I don't think so. Do I want sympathy, well................LOL. No, just responsible. It was how I was brought up. Death is the only reason. But I did put a call into my associate when I could not get out of bed that morning and walk.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Well said Ed. If that same "photographer" did not show up to work at his regular full time job . . . would he get away with telling his boss that he "forgot"?

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

The "no show" photographer definitely has some type of issues he/she is dealing with that we will probably never know. Communication issues are no excuse to leave the bride or any customer hanging.