Busy Bees

Wedding photographers wear alot of hats on the wedding day.... we aren't just taking photos, we are also amateur psychiatrists, on the spot negotiators, set decorators, advice gurus, professional athletes, fashion experts, and miracle workers.  It takes alot more than just knowing how to take photos to be a successful wedding photographer.  Ultimately, the most important personality trait to pull off the multiple roles we must fill is patience.  Without patience you will see photographers who become stressed and frustrated, which will result in rudeness and overbearing bossiness.  My wedding this past weekend is a prime example of the many hats worn on a weekly basis....  pre-set up of the getting ready and first meeting shots (clearing the getting ready room of any unwanted chairs and clutter for clean backgrounds, delivering the flowers to the proper rooms to ensure everyone had theirs either pinned on or in their hands at the proper times, and posting "bodyguards" at entry points of the first meeting space to keep the moment private from onlookers), adding a couple of shots to the formals to avoid any hurt feelings or arguments later, resetting ceremony chairs to make sure I would not block the view of any guests, repeatedly encouraging the bride and her mother that everything was going well and they both looked fabulous, supporting the father of the bride in his efforts to make sure all the details were going as planned, or making sure they went as well as possible if anything went wrong, keeping the mother of the bride calm when presented with challenges, and most importantly making sure I showed no sign of frustration or stress.... it is my job to put on the best face possible for my clients and to not add any stress for them.  Too many times I've heard stories of photographers who treat their clients like children and boss them around disrespectfully.  This not only creates tension, but also makes the families and wedding party act differently around the photographer, which means the photos have been altered by the photographers lack of patience, respect, and foresight.  It takes time and experience to truly know what to expect and how to anticipate anything going wrong.  However, just treating their clients as friends instead of a job will serve any photographer well if they don't have the background body of work to fall back on.  We have a tough job that many don't see if we do it well....  if it looks like no effort, then we are doing something right.

Computer

Spent almost three hours last night texting back and forth with my IT guy trying to walk me through fixing my DVD burner.  While it's very frustrating not being able to talk to him and move the process along a bit faster, it was also pretty satisfying knowing I did all the work myself and learned a bit more about the inner workings of the computer.  Plagued by computer issues for over a month now, I am hoping this entire mess will be resolved early next week.  I have never had so much go so wrong in such a short amount of time with my computer!  It's humbling to be such a slave to a box full of wires and circuit boards....  when something goes wrong, my business life takes a plunge, and I can only pray my clients will be understanding and patient while I try to hobble along until the problem is fixed.  I am very fortunate that most of my clients are fantastic and sympathetic, but at the same time I am not naive enough to think they are not frustrated.  This current situation has really put them to the test and I am so grateful I can at least tell them now that the end is sight.  Computers... friend or foe?  I think both....