Guests as photographers?

Carrie81677

The wedding planning for my crazy cousin just keeps making me go "Um, really?"  The latest and greatest: received our invitation yesterday (we'll be declining), and there was a business-card sized insert informing us that "we" (as in all the invited guests) were the photographers for the wedding.  They're not having a professional photographer (I'm guessing due to money), and they ask that everyone that has a digital camera to please bring it, take photos, and then upload the best ones to an account (information was provided).

Is this an actual thing?  Cameras on the tables is one thing...this seems like more work than one should strictly ask of guests.  Again, we're not going, so it doesn't much matter, I'm mostly just curious to hear what other folks think of this.  Am I being a crank?

adamar15

I don't think it's a big deal that they provided an account to upload them to, but it's definitely strange for them to ask their guests to be the photographer.

aragx6

Most people bring their cameras and take pictures, so providing a place to upload them makes sense and I've seen it done. But asking people to bring them in the invitation seems odd.

ski2play

really?  Now I believe I have truly heard it all.  Not sure I would want to leave these important memories to my guests.  So much for the guests relaxing at said wedding.

ETA:  I get the common site for them to be uploaded to, (we are doing that part for our wedding next week), but to put the entire responsibility onto the guest, that is the part I just do not get.

mica178

In everyone's favor box, I had a little business card with the website address of H's and my wedding photosharing site.  Some of our guests captured great shots that I included in our wedding albums.

Of course, I didn't ask anyone to be the actual photographer (since we had a paid one too), and I didn't put any of that stuff in the invitation packet.

It's a little weird what your cousin did, but it's not that big a deal that she wants you to share WR photos if you have any.

Carrie81677

I admit, I loved that several of our guests took extensive photos, and uploaded them to Facebook so the rest of the family could see them.  But they did that on their own--we had a photographer--and it was mostly people that I know enjoy taking photos in general.

It's more the vibe of "please work at our wedding" that irks me.

ski2play

mica, threadjack,

tee hee hee.  Your sig is funny!

LiLe422

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_guests-as-photographers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:21c51fb4-d637-4335-a28c-2617537e8928Post:ce723bc5-4a47-448c-9ecb-aed91aa14269">Re: Guests as photographers?</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>In everyone's favor box, I had a little business card with the website address of H's and my wedding photosharing site.</strong>  Some of our guests captured great shots that I included in our wedding albums. Of course, I didn't ask anyone to be the actual photographer (since we had a paid one too), and I didn't put any of that stuff in the invitation packet. It's a little weird what your cousin did, but it's not that big a deal that she wants you to share WR photos if you have any.
Posted by mica178[/QUOTE]

I like that idea! 

hwoychowski

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_guests-as-photographers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:21c51fb4-d637-4335-a28c-2617537e8928Post:65b4e6a3-1481-4590-9df9-6e6c19f7fdc8">Re: Guests as photographers?</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't think it's a big deal that they provided an account to upload them to, but it's definitely strange for them to ask their guests to be the photographer.
Posted by adamar15[/QUOTE]

This

pokepoke27

We had little business cards that basically said "IF you took any pictures and WOULD LIKE TO share them, you can upload them here"

And so far, only one person has uploaded any to that site. It can be a lot of work, so it's kind of crazy that they're relying on their guests to actually do it.

RebeccaB88

I'm not bothered by them saying 'if you took a picture you'd like to share, here's how you can do it'.  I think that's great.  You can get a lot of good candids that way.

I just think that it's inappropriate of them to make the guests do work at the wedding.  Same thing as asking people to stay and clean up afterwards, or cook for a potluck reception.  If you need someone to do work, hire them.  Plus, I think they are setting themselves up for serious disappointment when no one brings a camera, or those who do are lousy shots and they don't get anything worth keeping.  I probably wouldn't bring one after that, just on principle.    

Carrie81677

It is a lot of work to upload photos, especially if you take a lot, like I often do, or want to edit all of them first, like my H does.

Asking folks to share if they're so inclined is fine.  Making people feel guilty that there won't be wedding pictures if people don't "do their part"...not so much. Of course, these are the same people that initially tried to use their wedding website to solicit donations for the wedding, and are now using the "Registry" tab on their website to solicit cash gifts to use towards the honeymoon.

My cousin is a tool, and his fiance is proving to be just as bad.

rlavach

You're sure that they don't have a photographer? Like PP have said, having a site for guests to upload photos is becoming more common. Perhaps they thought it was cutesy wording to say 'be our photographers'? If they really don't have a photographer, then they're crazy.

Carrie81677

Yes, the insert card specifically said that they were not having a photographer.

rlavach

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_guests-as-photographers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:21c51fb4-d637-4335-a28c-2617537e8928Post:1875c55c-ffbf-4fef-9d98-224b2aadd373">Re: Guests as photographers?</a>:
[QUOTE]Yes, the insert card specifically said that they were not having a photographer.
Posted by Carrie81677[/QUOTE]
Oh my, that's just terrible on so many levels.

HandBanana

In Response to Re:Guests as photographers?:[QUOTE]Yes, the insert card specifically said that they were not having a photographer. Posted by Carrie81677[/QUOTE]

Don't forget to send your bill with the response.

mica178

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_guests-as-photographers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:21c51fb4-d637-4335-a28c-2617537e8928Post:df82b368-53ca-43a0-b2cd-7e2b92bdedf7">Re: Guests as photographers?</a>:
[QUOTE]mica, threadjack, tee hee hee.  Your sig is funny!
Posted by ski2play[/QUOTE]

<div>I showed H, and he laughed.</div><div>
</div><div>Well, he should have 20+ years of me looking like be before kaboom.</div>

Carrie81677

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_guests-as-photographers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:21c51fb4-d637-4335-a28c-2617537e8928Post:8e288e83-b8bf-4945-a369-86b00db8f6e8">Re:Guests as photographers?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re:Guests as photographers?: Don't forget to send your bill with the response.
Posted by HandBanana[/QUOTE]

No charge, since I refuse to attend this fiasco. :)  I already attended the first clusterfluck, I mean wedding, for this guy.

jemmini6

Even though it's essentially the same thing, there's a major difference between saying "hey, I'm sure you probably took photos, so if you'd like to share, here's a site to upload them to" and saying "we are too cheap to pay for a photographer, so it's now your responsibility to take pictures for us, here's a site to upload them to".

I'd be very interested to hear their later complaints about how they don't have any good pictures from their wedding, and how much they blame their guests....