Ripoff Photographers

Had to post about this..

I was talking to one of the Gig photographers I know in the area and he was saying how there was a local Wedding Photographer Mel Bouzad looking for 2nd shooters and he had applied for a position and was waiting to hear back. So when I got off the phone I sent an e-mail to the Mel saying that I had heard he was after 2nd shooters, and shortly after sending it I received a mail saying that this was true and he was always on the look out for 2nd's.

So the next day I received a phone call from the Mel asking how much experience I have in wedding photography, so I explained that I've shot as the main tog and as a 2nd. He wanted to know what kit I owned so I told him that I shoot with Canon Bodies and a mixture of fast Tamron and Sigma glass. He seemed happy enough with that, he then explained how he paid and said he had a wedding on Saturday and was I interested? I don't have anything on Saturday so I said that I was. Ok, he said I'll e-mail you the information and said bye.

So about 30 minutes later I receive a mail and its got the website for the venue, and that I was to turn up 1 hour before and stay until the first dance.. That was it.. that was all the information he sent.. I didn't really expect that little information about a wedding. It also sounded like I was going to be the Main shooter at the event, so I mailed him back asking who the main shooter was for the wedding, he replied I was the main shooter..

WOW! he was expecting me to turn up at the venue without a clue of what the itinerary of the day was! unbelievable.. so I mailed him back with a load of questions, what was the name of the Bride and Groom, were they happy with me shooting their day (having never met them before), how many people where there, what group shots did they want etc. I also said did he expect me to shoot the day with 2nd photographers pay? The e-mail I got back was "I will call you later", well later didn't come until this morning (Wednesday).

The conversation went something along the lines of - "Hi Rob, its a basic wedding, there is photography allowed during the Ceremony, you just need to turn up, shoot some formal's, some reportage and candid style photos and stay until the last dance. Burn the JPEGs and send them in."

So I asked him who the Bride and Groom were, he didn't know, I said that surely he'd met them? He said that the Brides mother had booked the day, and the contract was with her. So I asked if he had a contract? Yes the contract was with the Mother of the bride, Doesn't that have the name of the Bride and Groom on it, their contact details? Nope, and the mother is very hard to understand.

"Look do you want to shoot this wedding or not" he said. Having thought about this since the e-mails yesterday, I wasn't happy going to a wedding without first talking to the couple, knowing their names, how many people there were, all the usual stuff that we ask when we book a wedding etc.

So my answer? "Sorry I can't go to a Wedding without knowing at least some details, I'm not happy with this, I can't believe that you haven't got all the information needed.."

"Yeah well I have over 100 Wedding Bookings a year, they sign up on the website, I send off the Contract and Information Sheet and that's all I need. Look are you going to shoot this wedding or not?"

"No, Sorry"

"Right, Bye" *hangs up*

I just can't believe that this guy operates like this, looking at his site you can see that no attention has been given to 80% of the photographs. He's paying peanuts for Photographers to cover a Wedding as a main shooter without giving them full information! Leaves me speechless.. Its these photographers that give the rest of us a bad rep..