Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/05/13

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: Re: Lenses For Wedding
From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 20:36:08 -0400

You can view what I do and believe any way you wish Jim. But, quite simply,
as I don't have to do weddings to feed my family, and have absolutely no
interest, either photographic or intellectual, in doing traditional wedding
photography, I don't do it. You call that self-centered; I call it honest.

I am, on the other hand, interested in documenting weddings as important
days in the lives of families. And when brides and grooms are interested in
having me shoot their weddings the way I want to shoot them, I'm happy to
shoot weddings. Given the number of your friends on the LUG who have made
all manner of nasty remarks about shooting weddings and those who shoot
them, I do have some trouble understanding your reaction to my attitude
toward wedding photography. But then it shouldn't surprise me, should it?

You'd also be both delighted and horrified to know that I handle commercial
jobs - for which the agency I work charges a great deal of money -
essentially the same way: If a client is interested in hiring me to shoot
the way I shoot, I'm available; if they are looking for another kind of
photography, then I'm simply not the photographer for them.

Self-centered? No, just extremely lucky that I am able to work the way I
want to work.

B. D.



The reason I

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Jim Brick
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2002 7:32 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us; leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] Re: Re: Lenses For Wedding


At 03:36 PM 5/13/2002 -0700, Brian Reid wrote:


>>I think that this is totally incorrect.
>
>This is what the yellow pages are for. I'm fine with a photographer who
>will refuse to do things outside of his or her experience. The client can
>just find another photographer.
>
>I've shot maybe 100 weddings. I've said no (or had a studio say no on my
>behalf) to 200 more.



Of course, a photographer can have whatever attitude they wish.

But I suspect that their attitude might reflect their competence as well.

Really good photographers know how to schmooz and mold events in their
favor without being overbearing and dictatorial. I've been to enough
weddings to know how to instantly spot the good photographers from the
lousy photographers.

Mark Rabiner photographed my daughter's wedding last summer in Monterey.
Mark hadn't photographed a wedding in a decade, or more. He was probably
the most professional photographer, at a wedding, that I have ever
witnessed. He and my daughter talked things over and away he went. You both
didn't realize that he was there, and then did realize that he was there.
Like the Predator. Only visible when he uncloaked.

The wedding photographs are stellarly fantastic.

Mark is an amazing photographer.

Jim

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