Surprise Your Guests, Not Your Photographer

Most of us enjoy a good surprise. A surprise gift, a surprise birthday party or even a surprise visit from a friend or relative. But as a Photographer shooting your event, we HATE surprises. Let me explain and not look like a grouch.

I’ve been at the center of some monumental surprises in my life. Like the time the family didn’t tell my Mom that her Mother came to town for Mom’s 60th birthday. Although, I didn’t know Granny was here for that either (insert angry face). Or the surprise where my college teacher kicked me out of class by placing my jacket and books into the hallway for disobeying his command that no one leave his class for ANY reason. I had to wipe my nose Mr. McPherson! Those surprises can be fun or at least make for an interesting story, but when a client’s event is concerned, I don’t need a surprise.

Take for example, you as an about-to-get-hitched person, spend 1 yr (or 18 yrs for some of you ladies) planning your wedding. You are going to WOW your guests with everything from celebrity appearances, musical performances or dancing animals. You’ve kept a tighter lid on these plan than a Jay Z Beyoncé courtship and plan everything down to the second. Imagine your guests’ faces when _________ happens! The joy, the laughs, the tears. SURPRISE!

Oops…You forgot to mention it to your Photographer.

How could they not get that shot?!? It’s their job to get that split second moment! What happened?!?!

Well I can help you out, you didn’t mention it during the MANY client briefings. That vague outline that you gave wasn’t specific enough.

You have to remember that many things that go into each photograph. Angles, too dark, too light, backgrounds, foregrounds, humans, all sorts of things make up an image. We the photo people need as MUCH detail as possible. It’s to your benefit.

In my early Photosapien days, I wasn’t told that the Bride n Groom were releasing doves. It must have been HIGH COMEDY as my face went from smiling to sheer horror when some lady in jeans walked up to the couple at the altar and handed them something in white. OMG, whatever it was, was moving. I’ll give you insight as to what went thru my mind in that 4.3 seconds:

It’s alive
I’m dead
I gotta change lenses
I’m too close
I’m dead
I gotta reset my settings
Don’t vomit

BANG!

I missed the moment by a split second. NOOOOOO!!! Luckily, I took 3 rapid fire shots and spent 2 hour too many photoshopping them together to get an amazing shot! Praise the Lord!!

That 4.3 seconds and the subsequent 2 hours all could have been avoided if I was made aware of the big bird send off!

All I am trying to say is go ahead, surprise everyone except the people helping you put on or capture your event. We don’t need the added ~~pressure~~ excitement of who know’s what’s next that’s about to happen. We have enough on our plate–I mean we are already having enough fun doing our job! No need for surprises. We want to you get the memory and we don’t want to vomit.

Anyway, here are some shots from a beautiful wedding I shot alongside Maranda Elysse Photography. This wedding was surprised filled. It had a First Look (Bride and Groom see each other before the ceremony), a long entrance to the altar, a Piper playing, a golf course and great food (which I wasn’t surprised at).

SI the “Not Caught Off Guard” Photosapien