Tiffinbox

Ethics & Etiquette For A Second Photographer

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Doug Levy is a Sharon, Massachusetts photographer and former professional baseball umpire. You can see his wedding photography at douglaslevyphotography.com, and his portraits at douglaslevy.com. He also blogs at dougblogs.com and spends way too much time with his Blackberry updating those sites.

With the wedding season quickly approaching, Seshu and I thought it might be helpful to put together a blog post of suggestions that might help second shooters this summer.
 
Since I first assisted Rob Brown at my first wedding in the fall of 2007 I've assisted and second shot for nearly a dozen Boston-area photographers. Some have been amazing, inspiring learning experiences. Some, well, I'll just leave it at I've only worked with them once.
 
Second shooter Do's and Don'ts
 
If I could give you one bit of advice, I'd just say, “be cool.” It really should be that simple. Wedding days are long, and when I'm the lead photographer I'll hire someone I want to hang out with who takes OK photos before someone who takes amazing photos but is a pain in the ass and I have to baby-sit all day.
 
A little more practical advice (what, “be cool” wasn't clear enough?)
 
Dress appropriately

Rob prefers me to wear a tie when I shoot with him. I don't wear one for my weddings, but I certainly don't mind wearing one for Rob's – remember, you are a representative of the lead photographer's brand and business, if you show up in unshaven in cut-off's, it's the lead photog's brand you've just damaged.
 
Treat Clients As Your Own

As an extension of that brand, it's important to treat the client as though they are your own. If possible get some information from the lead photographer about the couple beforehand. How does the couple envision their day? Is photography the most important element or just one part of a much bigger plan? Are there any family issues you need to be aware of? Is it OK to use flash during the ceremony? Are there any explicit do's and don't during the ceremony (many venues are specific “Don't stand here, no moving once the ceremony has started etc..”

But, Your Business Is No One's Business

Don't sell yourself to the client or their guests. This is probably the number one no-no. This should be painfully obvious, but don't pass out your business cards either (unfortunately I've heard of this happening). It might even be a good idea to ask the primary photographer for some of their cards, that way if guests asks you can have them at the ready.

Wedding Rings By Doug Levy
 Experiment With The Gear

From a technical standpoint, second shooting can be a great opportunity to use some gear you don't own (especially if you both use the same brand), but, and this should be obvious, it's not a good idea to go rooting around in another photographer's bag without permission.
 
Commit To Making Great Images

Be fully committed to the photos, not just your photos. I've probably missed dozens of portfolio quality moments while second shooting. But the thing is, it doesn't matter. This may be the most important thing I say here – it's not your show.
 
This means that there will be times during the day when you have to give up “your” picture because time is tight, or the primary photographer has a different vision, but that's OK. There will be times when have to fall-back into the role of an assistant. Usually this is during the family formals, when time is tight, or during couples portraits when additional lighting may be necessary.
 
Sweet Embrace by Doug Levy
The Experience Of Being Photographed Counts

The important thing to remember is while good primary photogs will want to hear your ideas, as my friend Ned Jackson has said numerous times, giving the clients a great experience is just as important as giving them great photos. If formals run 30-minutes long and the couple misses cocktail hour because of the photographers, they'll remember that, no matter how great the photos are.
 
(A quick aside: After I attended one of my best friends' wedding as a guest this fall I was at his apartment a few months later looking at their proofs, and while the photos were amazing (and the couple loved them), they also remembered by the end of the couples portraits, “We were totally exhausted and sick of photos.” I never want my clients to reach that point of exhaustion.)
 
Don't Just Shadow The Primary Photographer

Don't simply make your version of the lead photographer's photo. I think we've all seen this happen, there's great light, a great moment, and you obviously both want to capture it. The thing is, it's not your show, so it does the lead photographer no good to have two versions of the same image. So, don't stand next to the lead photographer and shoot with the same lens.
 
Take Risks

One of the best parts of second shooting is the ability to take risks. If the lead photog is making the “safe” image, it's your job to find the “hero” image. (Some lead photogs prefer to work the opposite of this. I know Joe Buissink hires a second photographer to take the safe shots all day so he is free to roam. This goes back to why it's important to game-plan the day before).
 
That said, I know if the lead photographer is shooting long, I'll shoot wide. If they're shooting available light, I'll crank up the flash. The best second photographers will give an entirely unique perspective to the day, without being intrusive.

Filled With Joy by Doug Levy
Don't overshoot

No one wants to go through 3,000 images with minute variations. Get the shot, then look for the next one.
 
This Is Not A Workshop

Don't forget this is not a workshop. One of the best parts of second shooting is the window into someone else's creative process. Literally no one I've shot with does things the same way, from formals to how they approach the ceremony. So while it's important to not be afraid to ask questions, make sure you pick the right time. Generally this will be in the car in between locations or toward the end of the reception once things have slowed down a bit.
 
Publish & Perish
 
After the wedding day, don't blog/publish the photos before the primary photographer does. And when you do blog the photos (and make sure the other photog is OK with it), don't try to play the wedding off as your own. Make it clear you were the second photographer and link to the main photographer's site/blog post in your own post.

Childs Play by Doug Levy
 Advice for the main photographer:
 
Don't expect the second photographer to edit their images for free.

If you want me to edit my take, I'm happy to, but should be compensated. (I'm talking about a full edit here, color correction, culling etc.)

Don't ask me to sign a work-for-hire-agreement.

This type of agreement typically states that any images made for the primary photographer's studio become the copyright of that studio. Many second photographer are new shooters with minimal portfolios. When I first started, the only images in my portfolio were from second shooting, don't take that away from me.

Don't show the second photographer's photos as your own.

I had a friend recently call me after second shooting for the first time for a more experienced photographer. A few weeks after the wedding she was on his website and saw some of her photos from the day in his portfolio. While it's expected that my photos will end up in the client's gallery from the day, don't show them on your site as your own.

Don't ask the second photographer to put your logo on their photos.

I know this may sound a bit funny, but when I was first starting out (and didn't have much of a portfolio) one photographer asked me to put her logo on photos I shot while working for her. Photos that were on my website. I'm still scratching my head about this one …
 
I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but I hope this helps some people going forward this season. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at doug@douglaslevyphotography.com

You Betcha Sharing Feels Good!

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As you all know Tiffinbox is a labor of love. I drop in and send you a few links here and there that might make our shared passion for photography a little bit more fun or interesting.

My core belief has been to share, with expecting nothing in return. Sure, if you were to click on the adverts and buy something or sign up for a service, I receive a few dollars here and there. But my life doesn't wholly depend on it.

Some of you know that I am a wedding photographer based in Connecticut. Take a look at my site – Seshu Photography – and help me spread the word. If you have a blog and want to interview me about multicultural or interfaith weddings, hit me up. If you wanted to simply link back to my wedding site, that would be grand. The more people know, the better. So, thank you in advance if you have reached out and connected with me – through Twitter or Facebook – to get to know me a little bit better. So share this link – http://www.seshu.net – with a friend, colleague or relative who might be planning their wedding and is in need of a documentary wedding photographer.

My friend Rosh Sillars at NewMediaPhotograher highlights the need to share rather succinctly:

What do you think? How open are you to sharing? By the way, Tiffinbox welcomes guest bloggers. More about that and why in my next blog post.

We’ve got something to SAY. So do Midival Punditz & Karsh Kale!

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My mother gave kisses like satin and embraces like warm honey. Making Punjabi-style home-made yogurt every evening was a religious practice for her. I would hover, eye-level with the kitchen counter, and gawk in awe at her magical hands that never spilled a drop. With those same bare fingers, she would flip oily, gritty and hot parathas. One time in Randall’s (a chain grocery store in Texas), in the soda aisle, someone accidentally put an eggplant on top of a 24-pack of Pepsi. It looked so out of context, so unabashedly “eggplant” amongst rows of sodas, that it spurred giggle after giggle after giggle from my mother. (Of course, my mom didn’t see the eggplant but rather baigan bharta!)

Many called her Nancy, instead of her Indian name, Neroo.  She and I are inextricably linked through the times I skipped school to create ‘busy' tasks for her; through the times I bought her bunches of her favorite bananas and playfully called her a monkey, just to see her laugh; through the times I would stand in her hospital room and just hold her in my arms, oftentimes only letting go when she told me I was suffocating her. We are linked through the drops of coconut oil she rubbed into my hair as a child, and through the drops of coconut oil I rubbed into her hair as an adult.

Coming from India in the late 60’s, my mother found herself lost in America, in a country where she couldn’t find cumin seeds and where people didn’t sleep on rooftops during summer. The story is one which has been now immortalized in books, movies, our memories, and our childhood of mothers who always wore saris to birthday parties of our white or brown friends from school.

The rest of her story has yet to be documented, has yet to be said. In what’s proving not to be such a rarity anymore for Indian families in the U.S., my father’s sudden departure from the family when I was 8 triggered severe symptoms of depression in my mother. This, combined with a complicated, abusive and rather hateful relationship with her own family, eventually morphed into biploar disorder -manifesting itself through hysteria episodes, hospitalizations, screaming, fights, multi-car trains of non-logic, and numerous suicide attempts. 

Since my pre-teens, I provided care for my mother. I tried finding creative solutions, taking great joy in the small victories, tried every resource I had at my disposal. I knew she was battling something larger than her, but her condition was not recognized by members of her Indian family and close friends in the South Asian community. This pitted me in complete disagreement with my mother’s family. Mental illness carried a stigma, it was an “American” problem, it wasn’t a real condition.

My father was often held at blame, I was often held at blame for her condition, being told my nontraditional choices and lifestyle left my mother in an “extreme sadness.” What were my nontraditional choices? Choosing to leave Texas when I felt my mom could take care of herself, opting for travel in the world instead of staying in Texas, choosing colorful boyfriends over marriage. Their medium of blame was a simplistic and dismissive answer to a complicated issue. My mother’s mental illness fell silent to her traditional family, to the South Asian community and prey to the stigma – the problem did not exist, so how could the solutions?

In 2006, my mother’s hallucinatory break-down and months of hospitalization led to her sudden and unexpected passing. It didn’t have to get to that point.

In the summer of 2008, I realized I had something to SAY. I knew the residual pain and isolation from my mother’s loss to bipolar disorder was so profound that if I didn’t channel it towards positive means, it would destroy me. So, in July 2008, I started SAY Campaign, to recognize and legitimize the fight against mental illness within the South Asian diaspora community (Check this YouTube video as well). There are hundreds more individuals in the South Asian community in the U.S. like my mother who, due to the stigma and lack of recognition, do not receive proper care. I am hoping by saying my mother’s story, sharing my story as a caretaker, it will be a catalyst for others to say their story and begin to chip away at the stigma.

I have something to SAY and I know others do as well. Join us, and South Asian artists and supporters Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale, in the SAY Campaign. Please keep an eye (or ear) out for concerts showcasing SAY Campaign with Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale in Spring 2009. Feel free to contact me at: graj@saycampaign.com

Introducing Guest Blogger: Geeta Raj!

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Geeta approached me a couple of months back about blogging in this space. Tiffinbox is and probably will always be a labor of love and as my “online” baby, it was hard to open the front door and just let anyone post here. I was also transitioning Tiffinbox from a Typepad platform to WordPress, so I was able to stall the progression of events. All jokes aside, I exchanged multiple emails with Geeta to get a sense of who she is and what she wanted to say here. I was quickly convinced that Geeta would bring a very different perspective to Tiffinbox.

In her own words:

Geeta is new to blogging – she decided to start officially blogging after she realized the 5-paragraph messages she emailed her friends every day were essentially blog postings. Geeta works in humanitarian assistance and international development in Washington, DC, but has spent the better part of the last 10 years working in England, the Balkans, and Afghanistan. Her most passionate love is writing – you’ll often find Geeta balancing her time between her profession (which she strongly believes in) and her need to write for self-preservation and self-growth. Geeta holds a BA in Creative Writing and a MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and is giggly, intensely curious, and enjoys reading Paul Auster and Yusef Komunyakaa. A little more about her is at: www.idropseeds.wordpress.com. She is also the Founder of The Global Sleepover.

Please help me make Geeta welcome and at home here at Tiffinbox. I know her posts are going to instruct, inspire and perhaps even incite you into positive action.

Please Vote Palin Off The VP Slot

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Ok, the headline is a bit misleading. Sarah Palin is John McCain's VP choice and can't be voted off the ticket. Boo hoo.

But you can still let your opinion be counted for something. Personally, the woman scares the bejesus out of me. Her personal business with her daughter aside (I happen to think that's really none of our business), her hiring/firing policies, her ability to govern, her flip-flopping on earmarks … are all fair game for scrutiny and it is plain as day that she is perhaps the most unqualified VP choice ever made. Let me be very clear about one thing – I am no misogynist. I absolutely think that a woman can be, no, will be President of the United States very soon. But Sarah Palin, in my mind, is simply not the right person for the job.

Check this link out – http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

Now, go vote. If you think she is qualified to be VP, say yes. If not, say no. Easy-peesy.

[I wish there was a choice to vote – “&*CK NO!”]
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