Photographer etiquette 2

I specifically asked mine this and he said a bar snack would be nice, but if not he'll take his own sandwiches

HTH

I will happily feed both of mine, I would feel comfortable enough to just say to them what I expect, although I'm happy for mine to eat with us - Obviously not at the top table or anything lol.

We fed our tog. The hotel had extra food plated (I think generally venues over cater anyway) so once everyone had been served their main, we just asked if something could be served for him. They were more than happy to oblige!

So you didn't know until the day that you would feed him?

We hadn't discussed it with him, but I'd spoken to the hotel before and they had said there would most certainly be food leftover from our main, or they could just fix him something from the restaurant. I just needed to let the floor manager on the day know when to serve it ?

Most of our clients make sure we are taken care of, which is nice, but not required or expected. I think it is the case that we usually have a strong relationship with our couples, and they want to make sure we are taken care of. As we often work from prep til after first dance at full tilt, having a break when everyone is eating is a time for us to recharge, catch up on what we have captured so far, and just collect our thoughts and prepare for the next phase of the day. We don't photograph people eating. We have at times had to leave to find our own food, which is fine, but it means we are not close by in case of any unexpected speech or anything else that may not be on our schedule of the day. What is important is to know ahead of the day, as we have ofter packed our own food, only to find out that we had a full meal prepared for us, which is lovely, and never going to be turned down, lol.

Best thing is to check with your photographer, who I can promise will say not to worry about providing them anything,, but trust me, any offering would be greatly appreciated after working hard to do a great job.

This really applys if your photographer is going to be there from prep til late evening,, if your photographer is only there for a few hours, and leaving before the wedding breakfast, commonsense would dctate no provisions are needed for them.

? I had better be on that top table Lady!!! ?

All of the weddings I have been to I have been fed (but it wouldn't bother me if I wasn't). 90% of them I was on the tables with the Guests. 10% of them was a case of 'go to the bar, order what you what and we'll pick up the tab' kind of thing. Either is absolutely fine for various reasons. If I am on the Guest tables then I don't need a cue for when the speeches are happening (if after the meal) so I don't miss them because I am in another room. Saying that, when I am in another room, it is a lovely breather and time to unwind for a little while before it's all go again.

If you don't feel comfortable having them on the tables with guests then just tell them what is happening and they really won't mind. Hope that helps x

It's not so much that I feel uncomfortable with the photographer sitting with guests. At the moment, we probably won't have space. But if we end up with places, I just assumed that he wouldn't really want to sit with us for dinner.

Our venue is a per head payment and 'crew meals' for photographer, DJ, MC, band etc are only 1 course & a soft drink, & cheaper. (Unlike free flow & 3 course for guests). When I enquired about having a DJ or band, most requested some sort of meal if their performance was longer than about 4hrs.

My TOG said venues usually have a small table/chairs set aside in a back room or nearby for crew, & would never expect to sit in the main room with guests.

I need to check now if any have any dietary requirements as didnt think of that!

It's in my tog's T's&C's that we should provide him with refreshments, which is completely understandable as it's a 12 hour day for him pretty much!!

He didn't used to put it in such a formal way but found that it would get overlooked and he'd go hungry/thirsty!!

I'll be putting him on a table with guests unless he'd prefer to eat separately, though his wife is our second shooter, so hopefully it would be nice for them to have a meal together

I just asked them straight out 'Do you want to eat with us or would you prefer to sort out your own food?' They must get asked this all the time though, so I wouldn't worry too much. As it turns out, they never eat with the guests anyway (I forget why).

That's not a problem. Stick them in the bar area. They will like the time just to unwind ?

If you do have a 'crew meal' or such that covers the band, videographer, photographers, etc, make sure that the venue know how many people that will be. I can't tell you how many times it's happened that by the time we were able to go to where the venue had set up the vendor meal area, there was nothing left, as the band had eaten it all. This happens alot. Once a venue put out a plate of two sandwiches, cut into 8 little bits, and that was meant for 4 people, lol. The videographers thought it was just theirs,, sigh. In all of these cases, we were told there would be food provided, so we didn't bring anything. We don't trust that anymore, and as I am diabetic, I have to eat something regularly, or I will be on the floor. So I make sure I sort myself out,

Also, if you have arranged for your photographers to have a hot meal, make sure to let them know, as they will assume they need to leave and sort them selves out, and you could still likely be charged for the food they didn't know was laid out for them. This has happened alot too. They will be concentrating on covering your day, and food will not be something they willl think about having to chase down.

As for sitting with guests,, like it's been said alot when this topic comes up,, that is a time where most photographers really need to go off and have a breather. Don't worry about putting them with guests. Sometimes couples do put a place setting for us, and while it's really sweet of them to do that, we really need that break away to regroup.

So for obvious reasons, and to avoid discomfort over something as simple as food, we always keep something in the car just in case.

Personally I never expect food. I usually take a packed lunch, and graze on it. If I worked in a office, I wouldnt expect my boss to buy me lunch

However, I dont mind being fed, but nothing more than a light snack... but note that the last thing we really need is a big heavy meal, it makes one feel slugish. A jug of squash or water is a absolute godsend

I second the water.

Sorry Daffs, will adjust the seating plan for an extra 2 on the Top Table ?

My boss always pays for my lunch or tells me to help myself out of her fridge ?

When I worked events as a make up artist, food was always catered in for us.

Thanks to all who have replied (so far), it's been immensely helpful. I will speak with my photographer and tell him we would be delighted to provide a dinner for him, whatever he wants from the menu, and to have a quiet break away from us to regroup (speeches will be before dinner so no rush to get back for the end of the meal).