Photographers v Musicians

E Minor

I am a musician/singer who performs regularly at weddings, and I have become so fed up of photographers ruining what music/song has been carefully chosen with the bride and groom for their walking down the isle and ultimately exit from the church that I have just had to put pen to paper. So I am pleading with photographers out there - live musicians/singers are not jukeboxes that you can just point at to play when it suits you, and when you do this - it is incredibly disrespectful to the performance and the people concerned. You need to understand that when exit music/song has been chosen it is for the bride and groom to leave to, be cheered out of the venue to, it is NOT for you to:

(a) shout "STOP" at the bridal party and guests in the middle of their walking, and race up to the organ gallery for a group photograph;

(b) start calling directions for a group photograph - a group photograph in the church is a lovely idea, don't get me wrong, but if you have to start calling directions on top of somebody who has started to play or sing, it's incredibly disrespectful to the musician/singer unless it has been previously arranged that background music will accompany such "directions". I recently had a patronising "You can sing your song now" said to me as if I was a five year old.

(c) shout "PLAY" at a musician (in front of the whole church) when they're merely waiting for the group photo to be taken so that they can then commence the exit music.

This is worse still when it is a song that's interrupted in this way - as you can't restart, and there are only a limited number of words and a limited number of times you can play the same piece without sounding like you're on a loop.

My list could go on. I and so many of my musician/singer friends have experienced this TOO often, so much so that one of them has put it down to being "the photographer's day"!!

It is a process of respect - we are all there to make the bride and groom's day as special as we can, so I am BEGGING:

(a) The signal or wave or whatever sign you give to a musician is for them to play without interruption so that the celebration can end exactly as planned.
(b) If you plan on stopping the bridal party half way down for your "group shot" or any other "ideas" you have - YOU HAVE TO TELL THE MUSICIANS, and don't humiliate them by shouting at them - it is NOT your day!

Finally to any potential brides and grooms out there, please find out what your photographer plans and pass this on to the musicians and vice versa. Like I mentioned earlier, we are all there to do a professional job for you on your special day.

Thank you for reading, and please do pass the message of this onwards.

pwurple

So, is it just small islands you do, or the mainland too?

That does sound annoying. Photographers are under pressure too, but when I see them not bothering to learn the peoples names, it is a bad sign.

Fionn

the way I see it is, both you and photographers and indeed any other vendor are supplying services to the the Bride & Groom. So really it's up to the B&G to indicate clearly what exactly they want.
Thats what the planning stage is all about, right?

The more information you have of the wishes of the B&G the less chance of this sort of thing happening.

AoifeCork

Drives me insane as well. Many a time I have introduced myself to photographer and specifically asked him what HE/SHE is planning to do from the signing of register onward so that I may work with THEM. They either change their mind, forget I'm there or just look at me blankly like I'm telling them to do their job (which is most definitely not the case.)

The "recessional battle" is the absolute worst. Let the bride and groom have their moment walking down the aisle! Surely a gentle and discreet hand signal is sufficient if you'd like them to momentarily stop etc etc. Also this whole "RIGHT EVERYBODY LOOKING UP!!!!!!!!!" bellowing from the gallery while a musician is trying to perform a special request-and getting paid to do so- is so disrespectful. It's little things like that that turn a nice ceremony into a circus.

Thanks OP, great thread, great points.

Henwin

ya i agree, cud a possible solution be where a group photograph be taken when everyone is outside the church and has congratulated the bride and groom.
Ive seen it happen a gud few times and it ruins the walk out. the photos dont even look gud anyway. all you can see are heads and hands waving.