Last night’s wedding was something else (Warning: possible self-righteous rant below) when I was hired to DJ for a wonderful couple and had a great time with them. They decided to hire a wedding photographer other than us for the photography service, and that’s fine; our services are available independently and without obligation to others.
However, I believe that when the sales process is over, and all the accounting and clerical paperwork is done, and it’s time to deliver real performance (aka “execution”), it’s time to put marketing aside.
That’s where this particular photographer clearly had a very different philosophy than we do. Having worked on another event in another capacity with them before and recently, I immediately noticed a similar trend as above. From the moment they arrived at the venue, she and her assistant (to rant and not name names, I’ll just write “she” and “he” and so on) methodically began selling themselves to anyone and everyone they could, looking for who get paid for your next event. wow.
Seriously, at one point I saw her curl up and compose a Gmail reply, something hard to miss, while my back was to the action that unfolded and concluded without her input.
At another point, I let him know, as event DJs are known to do, that something special was about to happen. He absolutely surprised me when he told me to wait because he had something more important to do right now at this very moment. It turned out that he wanted to run out to her car and get some marketing materials to go to the Director of Catering so he could work for her and become a preferred vendor at the facility. He had felt an opening and it was like a shark with blood.
Then there was his partner. This guy…
As before, he loudly announced his entrance and proclaimed his glory to all on earth. He made sure everyone knew his name and the fact that although he was “just the second shooter” he had his own photography company and would be happy to let you know. He spent a lot of time standing around talking loudly (at very inappropriate times, like, for example, the Wedding Ceremony!) and “chatting”, which basically means extolling his virtues. During the installation, I was faced with a particularly difficult technical issue related to poor Wi-Fi access on site, and worked feverishly to fix it. He felt this was the appropriate time to question me about my business practices, beginning with “how did I get hired for this job?” and so on. Both had previously quizzed me about my rates, marketing strategies, reservations, and more. I was wondering if they were going to ask me for my social security number and my mother’s maiden name!
However, things really changed this time, when I had the audacity to request that the associate stop “talking about work” and focus on the task at hand. You know, the bride and groom?
For the rest of the night, she pouted around me, which was fine because I certainly didn’t need her frivolous distraction. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help himself and wait until all the guests left when he exploded with “I didn’t like what you said!” and he wouldn’t stop until he had worked on the script for the old Jerry Springer show in front of everyone. Funny for TV, but incredibly inappropriate at someone’s wedding.
Sales and marketing are essential to the success of any business. But there is a line that should not be crossed, when it becomes shameless and relentless self-promotion at the expense of the customer. A wedding photographer has a particular obligation to his client, often now his friend, to give him his undivided attention during this important time in his life. Please let him choose someone who wants his heart and his soul in theirs.
