crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Ok you wedding shutterbugs, its time for confessional in the worst wedding photography moment. Purpose is help educate others and perhaps share some tips in the process.

I will go first

Ready to shoot the signing of the register. A moment that the bride wanted to exactly recreate a photo from the 60's of her grandmothers wedding. Someone she never met as she died young. Pretty special moment. I was in position, they were posed for the shot, I pulled the trigger....Card full....

I always carry 2 cameras ina double BR strap so i simply dropped that camera (24-70) grabbed the other one (70-200) took 3 steps back and fired. Both cameras were on triggers so I got the shot BUT the perspective was not perfect. (Original photo was 35mm so a 70mm had a little more compression). Client was happy nonetheless....I was not. Learning to be satisfied but not settled is a good recipe for contunuous learning :-)

However, that moment still haunts me a little.

I normally replace all batteries and cards and reformat before the start of the ceremony as a practice. In this case, i forgot to format one of the cards and it was 5 shots from full.

What I do now is take care of all that the night before...even if I cross the cards between bodies they will be empty and still work, worst case.
If i forget to do it in camera in the moment, i wont get caught.

What has been your worst experience and what did you learn?

CataMissionVT Loc: Vermont

I only shoot weddings for family and friends and make it clear that this is not my 'thing'. I have done 2 freebies for experience, 2 paid with another coming up next spring. At one wedding, I was leaning against a wall to get a shot from a cool perspective, when all of a sudden it moved. Luckily, I caught myself before the 'movable wall' rolled into the next room! No one noticed, but I freaked for a few seconds. I fessed up about 6 months later to the bride and groom - they were hysterical and had no idea.
I also forgot to bring the clip for my tripod at another wedding, but didn't notice until after I starting setting up. Some of the bridal party were watching and waiting so I casually said without missing a beat... "Eh, I don't really need this after all" and quickly put it away.
I guess the bottom line is that shit will always happen and our job is to not let on about it! lol

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

I have gotten the card full warning before, but figured out it was the backup card that I was not so diligent about formatting. Lesson learned: format all cards. I also increased the capacity of my cards. Some like to change smaller cards during the day, but to me that is more probability something can go wrong. I have had lots of scary moments like that and still do. The key is to learn from them and "minimize" the probability of bad things happening next time. A fortune cookie I opened a while ago said "experience is being able to recognize when you have made the same mistake twice".

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

In thinking about scary moments, I think truly scary moments for a wedding photographer should be reserved for moments that threaten to shut down the ability to perform at all. Like, a catastrophic drop in the water or finding out the images are all bad because of a damaged card with no backup. Bob has one of those stories. Anything else is problem solving. It rains, the wind blows, the wedding party gets in an argument. Somebody is late and gives you no time. All of that is what the wedding photographer signed up for, problem solving on the fly. Not for the faint at heart.

I will share a scary moment from last weekend from my DJ buddy. He had just asked me when the bridal party was ready to be announced. I checked with them outside and they said they were ready. I came back in and a fuse blew in the facility knocking out his computer and other DJ equipment. I thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown. We got the fuse changed (circuit breaker) but he had to reboot and re-program stuff. It all worked out, but now that was a scary moment that potentially would have rendered his function useless.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I shot a wedding in the park with no back up plan in case of rain.......so ......it rained.
My camera body (D-200 at the time) was weather sealed. My second shooter's camera body (I can't remember, I think it was a D-60) wasn't.

As a boy scout, I learned to be prepared. So, I brought along 2 of those camera raincoats. He was "too cool" to use one. He decided that he would stand under one of the 3 "pop up tents" to get his shots. Well, after so much rain fell, you know what happens to those tents, they just dump whatever water has collected in the little valley between the top and the frame. He and his camera (along with the keyboard for the musician) all took a bath. It was an amazing amount of water, actually. Somehow, his camera did survive the ordeal, but the keyboard didn't fare so well.

Even when the weather calls for a sunny day, I have those camera raincoats ready to go for any outdoor wedding....just in case.

I don't work with that second shooter any more, he's out on his own now... but I'm guessing that he's got a stash of raincoats as well. I know they call them "weather sealed" but I don't want to trust that claim. And I know I wouldn't trust one of those pop up canopies. I've seen that, and also seen them blow completely away. Water and electronics (as described in my post about my flashes going for a swim in the river) don't mix too well.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Gonna get some raincoats.
I have used plastic bags in the past for my non-weather sealed kit but if i had proper gear, i would use my good stuff.
Thanks for reminding me.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Pretty severe situation.
That tops the list !

Beercat Loc: Central Coast of California

Scariest moment is every wedding I shot using a single card camera.

I bought the 5D III because of the dual cards. I purchased a speedy 120 mb 64GB CF card as the backup. Then purchased spped 90mb 64GB SD card as the primary. I'll intentionally shoot 90% of the pictures on the 5D III because of the backup. I use my 6D (single card camera) as my second body and keep an on-camera flash on it and the standard walk around 24-105 f/4 lens for those moments that come up that you've got to be prepared on the fly.

I format the SD card before every wedding and even though I have the CF backup I only format after I download to LR and a thumb drive. I'm a fanatic about back up.

You only need to have a corrupt card once with no back up and it changes your whole way of thinking as far as equipment and back up.

Off to go shoot a wedding at a wonderful facility ... Wolf Lakes in Sanger, CA .... later

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Ditto on everything you noted.includinf 2 backups on 2 physical locations.

Only differenc is that I wind up shooting a higher percentage on my 6D ...probably 60-40, 5dmkiv to 6d.
100% on the 5D for the posed family shots.
But its always in the back of my mind. Inwas hoping the 6dmkii would have dual slots....nope....looking into a used 5dmkiii as backup now...

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

I have been a very fortunate wedding photographer in that in over 50 years on this job, I have never found myself in a position where I could not complete a wedding assignment due to faulty equipment or lack of backup gear. Part of this good fortune is just plain luck but most of it is the FEAR AND PARANOIA that was drilled into my psyche, during my apprenticeship, by Harry, my first boss and mentor. When it came to equipment failure, he had a philosophy that predated Murphy's Law. Murphy states that: “Whatever can go wrong will go wrong”. Harry's Law is:: “Everything will go wrong and we work backward from there”! My rule is that even the finest equipment can unceremoniously drop dead at the most inopportune times, like right in the midst of a wedding ceremony. The foolproof only preventative measure is redundancy, that is, totally duplicate or overlapping gear always at the ready. Even in the olden days of a 15 pound rig, a 4x5 Speed Graphic with an on-board strobe and a heavy external power pack, was either with a second shooter or set up on a nearby pew in the church so it cloud be pressed into service at a moments notice. Regardless of my main setup, a second camera with a speedlight is always hanging from my neck or shoulder at all critical times where and when those must-have shots are going to happen.

Another time-honored vestige of the past is FILM MANAGEMENT. Whether it was bulky film holders, Graphmatic magazines, medium format roll backs or of course nowadays CARDS, you gotta make sure you have enough ammunition for every planned or unforeseen event at weddings. Film holders and magazines could jam and today's cards can become corrupted or just get fill up with data so it especially important to have enough on hand and that spare camera on you person. The “no space” message is not like the trouble lights on your car's instrument panel, when it comes on it's too late! If I am the least be suspicious that any piece of gear may be about to malfunction, I switch over immediately and deal with it later on the suspect item when there is a break in the activities. It's a good thing when certain old habits die hard. With my old film gear, during the course of events, I used to check for flash synchronization intermittently, make sure all settings and basic controls were in order and oftentimes lock certain settings or adjustments in place so the could not be accidentally or inadvertently moved. Serious issues could have gone undetected until the film was processed and that would be way too late to remedy any mistakes.

Nowadays, what with computer-age technology built right into our gear, there is even more things that can go wrong so we must remain diligent at all times and make certain that all systems are go! Y'all rookies out there- don't listen to those macho-guys and gals who espouse anti-chimping rhetoric. You don't need to do that after every shot but it's a good idea run a few test shots before the beginning of each action sequence or formal session and make sure everything is copacetic and if not, there is time to make any necessary corrections or adjustments before going on the the next stage or leaving the venue. In the days of mechanical/manual cameras, it was easy to detect impending malfunction sin that there were palpable symptoms like a funny sounding shutter or a physical resistance when winding film. Electronic/digital imaging is wonderful but it can silently harbor technical difficulties that come back to bite you later if they go undetected.

Again, fortunately, I have never suffered a total gear disaster but I cam close a number of times but my paranoia and spare gear rescued me. I once got rear-ended by a stupid tail-gaiter on the way to the church. I stopped off and photographed the damage, the guys license, registration and insurance card on my cell phone camera and drove off the the ceremony. I missed the bride and her dad entering the church but I re-staged the shot after the ceremony.

Most of my really scary incidents were client or guest caused, things like crazy drunken groomsmen or guests, fights, late running schedules, no-shows, and a bride who backed into a candelabra during the ceremony and set fire to her veil- the groom put the fire out with his hands and sustained 2nd degree burns and was rushed to the hospital. He came back and cut the cake with his hands in bandages.

The WORST?- I still have nightmares about this. About a month after coming back from the service, I covered a wedding in Queens, New York. The bride's dad was a police officer- a really nice jovial guy just a few months away from retirement. He was supposed to wear a tuxedo for the wedding but as a joke, he came down the stairs in his patrol uniform saying that he forgot about the wedding and though he was going to work. The bride good-naturdadly admonished him and everyone had a good laugh! When I posed the bride and her dad for a formal shot, I noticed he was in a bit of a sweat and his breathing was somewhat labored but I though it was a bit of nervousness. It's not every day that a dad walks his daughter down the aisle and even the big tough guys can get emotional. We went on to the church and the following formal session at a nearby garden where everything went well. When we arrived at the reception hall the bride went to freshen up. The two dads asked me to come to the bar area and share some refreshments and if I could shoot a “gag shot” for them. The wanted a shot of them both with there trouser pockets turned inside out after “going broke” on the wedding expenses. I did the shot, we all had a laugh and I gulped down my ginger ale. The dads did a toast, I took another shot. That was the last image of the bride's dad- he the fell to the floor to his death. A doctor who was a guest stepped in within seconds and did CPR and the the paramedics came and tried to revive him but the coroner later said that he suffered a massive heart attack and was gone before he hit the floor. The reception took place a few months later, I covered it at no additional charge. It was a rather subdued occasion but in a speech, the mom said that dad would have wanted to festivities to continue in the couples honor and his memory. After that, just about nothing else at a wedding could traumatize me. Scary! That happened many years ago but it stands out in my mind as if it were yesterday.

Lessons to be learned? Well- obviously be prepared for just about anything- emotions can run high at weddings and we need to remain calm and professional. More importantly, be kind, compassionate and respectful toward all your clients- treat them like family! You never know if you are making someones very last formal portrait- do a special job for everyone.

Beercat Loc: Central Coast of California

Yes Ed ...........

I remember a bride asked me to video a 30 second dance between her great grandfather and herself. Her grandfather had flown all the way from Brazil for her big day ... he was 91

Two weeks after the wedding he passed away back in Brazil ... the last picture/video of him was this 30 second dance ... you just never know ...

The bride to this day occasionally reminds me of how grateful she was/is at having that special moment to remember him ....

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

I love the quote "Harry's Law is:: “Everything will go wrong and we work backward from there”! "

Redundancy Redundancy Redundancy
...a 2nd shooter asked me what they should prepare for....I said "dont worry about anything, just focus on worrying about everything"
We both laughed....and then we got serious:-)

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Stories like this, and my story about the Senior boy who passed away just a few days after the shoot, are things that keep me going. Many people don't understand the real value of what we do, until they lose someone.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

■ Segue: In the film days I used to make sure I had names, and I (would have) labeled the backs and put a caption on the front. A *nice* one. You're not just taking pictures, you're making- and creating- memories.
Like my Uncle Joe- he died a few months after that wedding. He had a few too many at the reception. He peed twice, pooed a little, slapped three females and one male on the butt. Given the microphone he went down on it like a starving hooker. I never mention nor share those pictures. I do have one good shot that everybody got- smiling, rheumy eyed, a little half salute. Caption: "Uncle Joe- doesn't he look good here?" All anybody remembers 20 years later is what I wrote. Especially those folk who never met him.