Reply To: Assisting a Fauxtographer

[cameraclicker]

You and some photographer are friends.  He/she/they asked you to help out at a wedding, at which he/she/they shot 2000+ photos, 99% of which are reported to be crap!   This leaves 20 good photos!

If that was one person shooting, at an 8 hour function, it works out to just over a photo every 15 seconds, non-stop!  For a 10 hour event, it works out to a shot every 18 seconds, non-stop.

Weddings are like herding cats.  Getting everyone together for the shot is time consuming.  Getting everyone looking at the camera without blinking is a challenge.  As is getting a good expression on everyone’s face.   I don’t think I could do 2000 photos in a day.  A big day for me is 800 or so.  At the wedding before last, there were 3 of us shooting.  We started at breakfast and continued until mid-night.  All together we only shot about 2100 photos and the couple only got about 600 to choose from after duplicates, blinks, flash misfires, and so on were removed.

Heads and arms being amputated is common in candid shots of large groups.  The frame has to be somewhere and if people are standing as a mass, and you are picking out individuals, something’s gotta give.  On the other hand, amputating parts of your actual subject, unintentionally, is not good.

 

What to say when they get back?  How about “hello”?