Why do guests ask the photographer for pics?

amother

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:40 am

I recently made a simcha. We got the pics back and there were a lot of random posed pictures of people who we did not ask the photographer to take pictures of. I asked him why there are these photos. He said guests stop him and ask him to take their picture, he said it happens all the time.

So my question is this - why do people stop the photographer and ask for their pic to be taken, when they are the guest?

Also, my MIL gave me a long list of pictures she wanted me to have taken for her. But she has no plan to pay for them. What am I supposed to do with those?

clowny

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:44 am

Photographers charge either by the hour or they have a set price for the night. They usually don’t charge according to how many pics are taken and/or printed. So I don’t see the problem with that.

amother

Nasturtium

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:44 am

They assume you will pass it along to them so basically free pictures for them. I think it's rude. Sometimes photographers have told me to pose for a picture and I said I'm not really important enough but they insisted so I did it. But I know as a the baal simcha I have no interest in random people posing, I want general ones of the people at tables and dancing and then people who are important to us.

amother

Nasturtium

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:45 am

clowny wrote:

They can be getting important shots for the baal simcha instead so it's a distraction and a time waster.

amother

Rainbow

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:45 am

Some photographers charge a fee for the night regardless how many pics they took. Taking a few extra shots wouldn't cost the Baal Simcha. So I guess some people figure, why not have pictures taken for free whilst they look their best. I assume they'd want the Baal Simcha to send them a digital copy.

amother

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:46 am

amother [ Rainbow ] wrote:

So these people then want the baalei simcha to spend time finding their email address, etc? Seems like an imposition to me.

Sesame

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:51 am

Photographers don’t normally charge per pic. If they charge per edited pic or you only have a limited number to put in an album, you don’t choose the ones you don’t want. I don’t get the big deal

amother

Chestnut

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:52 am

While some photographers charge for the night, they still will usually give a set amount of photos. So, you're stealing from the bal simcha possibly since you don't know the deal the photographers are offering.
You're also stealing time from the bal simcha

Also, do u really expect the bal simcha to hunt you down to hand over the pictures?

It's really a chutzpah of people that do this

dandan

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:53 am

I really don’t understand the uproar. When I make a Simcha, I’m so excited to get my pictures back and see that my friends/family got nice pictures too! It takes me a few minutes to send over an email or WhatsApp with their pictures and theyre so happy to receive them. What’s the big deal?

clowny

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:56 am

amother [ Chestnut ] wrote:

They’re probably just trying their luck, posing just for the fun of it or want the bal simcha to remember they attended.

What’s the big deal? The bal simcha doesn’t even have to choose to print it.

amother

Diamond

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:56 am

dandan wrote:

I saw this going on 30 and 40 years ago when nobody had email, WhatsApp, or digital pictures. Photographers would show up to deliver a box of proofs for the Baal simcha to go through to make their album selections. I think those people hoped that when the Baal simcha was done they'd pass on the proofs and they'd get a free family photo. I've no other explanation.

amother

Nasturtium

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:58 am

dandan wrote:

Most don't feel this way. No one should assume this is the norm. It's an inconvenience for many reasons. Firstly some do have a limit on pictures, secondly they are taking time away from catching important moments, thirdly it makes the gallery larger and is annoying to sift through, fourthly most people don't have time or energy to go through and send pictures out to everyone. So basically unless you know the baal simcha would like you to use their photographer for free pictures, don't mooch off someone's paid photographer.

amother

Anemone

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 10:58 am

Did they give the digital prints on a cloud. You can share with guests and they can print
Almost no photographers today charge per print at a simcha anymore. It’s all digital.

It’s also a nice way to thank ppl for coming. I’d text ppl memories and thanks for joining in simcha.

amother

Anemone

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 11:00 am

amother [ Chestnut ] wrote:

This is still true? I haven’t heard of limit on number of pictures in years.

With digital photographery you pay per hour and he just takes pics and posts to cloud or dvd

I guess this is personal. While I hate pics do I’d never ask myself. I love seeing pics of my friends and family while going through and seeing them enjoy my simcha. I only invite ppl I like to simchas so seeing them happy brings me joy. (Not anger)

amother

Coral

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 11:03 am

Sometimes it comes at the expense of the photograph not having the time to take the photos of the family.

Yes, the photographer should know how to tell random people that a/he is busy and unavailable now, but I think they think it will generate good will and future business for them.

I won’t tell you how few pictures there are of me and my father and what other family permeations are missing.

amother

Nasturtium

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 11:06 am

amother [ Anemone ] wrote:

There is a limit in proofs especially with more expensive photographers. So let's say the photographer took a bunch of random pictures people asked them to take and you get 25 of those instead of 25 dancing ones. I would be very upset.

justforfun87

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 11:06 am

Well I do photography so I can help answer this. I have no clue who the important aunt is, or the cousin in from Israel, or the best friend etc so I try to have at least one photo of each guest. Way more people would complain that I missed a photo of someone random. I always approach mom and ask is there anyone you want me to make sure to photograph but they don't remember. From a personal perspective my husband loves opening up our album and seeing all the relatives he lost in their happy times.

amother

Alyssum

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 11:08 am

I find it's mostly kids at a bar/bat mitzva that do this. They are in a fun mood and don't realize they'll probably never see it. Some simchas have magnets for that purpose.
But it didn't cost us anything either so I didn't really care. We pay the photographer by the hour.
On my dime, though, I did make a small album for my parents and in-laws. It really did not cost much. And I sent out any extraordinarily cute pictures of little children or more distant relatives to the subjects.

amother

Anemone

Tue, Jun 07 2022, 11:08 am

amother [ Nasturtium ] wrote:

I didn’t know they still do proofs. Sounds backwards.
Almost everything is digital today.