Wedding drink?

[Phil_Taylor]

OK, I'm an ex wedding snapper. I now shoot 5 weekly columns on pubs and clubs for 5 local papers- in 2 years I have not drunk so much as a half on any job! There's the safety aspect of being tired/stressed and driving for a start. Oh, and in the UK losing your licence.

If you have a beer in your hand, you can't use a camera, and you could tip it over your kit.

After a wedding I just used to chill with my assistant and a long soft drink- it's very easy to become dehydrated on a summer wedding, that really does muck up your concentration. We used to carry bottled water in refrigerated boxes.

Now, I also shoot a food column, and I know that in certain cultures, it's very impolite to turn down hospitality, especially food. I've eaten some lovely Thai food in my time. The rule seems to be, the more East you go, the more likely you are to get fed once you finish work, and the more offended they will be by a refusal.

The rule should be, let people know why you don't want a drink- basically tell them it's because you are concerned for THEIR interests.

I've finished work for the night now- and I'm sipping a lovely British live bottled beer at HOME!!

[SteveWynn]

I will not drink at a wedding. And I'm working most of the time in a county that consumes more beer per capita than any other in the state of Ohio. They wouldn't think too much about it if I had one when I was done, but I still don't think it's worth the risk of ruining the reputation. Just my conservative nature.

Steve

Ahh.. I thought I made it clear that the video guy's were drunk and not me.
It was in a couple of other replies that members suggested they drink a glass of wine with dinner.
My only drink on the night at any wedding is at the end. As far as the law is concerned; three standard drinks put you at the limit; I have one standard drink on the way out of the reception so I'm far from the limit.
Each to their own... I do think that drinking on the night during work time impares my ability. But after I'm done...
And I do think that it is up to an individual as to what they will do with their lives.

I will suggest that some of the replies here are rather prudent. I don't represent anyone other than myself when I work.
I welcome discussion and debate. That is what these forums are for. But there is no credibility I need from a faceless computer screen.
Those that say they don't judge and then in the next line decide that I have phsycological problems are probably right but they 'are' judging...

I'M NOT... EVER!

I think there are two too many George Bush's in the world already.

I don't try and tell anyone what to do, merely offer my outlook... take it or leave it.

Bill.

If you don't know these people well enough to not be comfortable drinking or eating around them...

How the heck are you comfortable taking photographs of anything REAL of them?

By the time the wedding comes around, I'm practically one of my clients' best friends and eating and drinking are just as comfortable to me as being in the bride's bedroom while she's half-naked, or photographing the groom while he's half-naked, etc, etc.

If you are afraid of what people think of you, and are only concerned about how "respectable" you look, you'll take a lot of uninteresting photographs.

however, conventional photography does seem like the main objective of most people in the wedding biz, so it's understandable that most are conventional in their outlook. But to get pj stuff is to get inside the lives of the subjects.

I want clients that want unique images, period. That means I enjoy myself, too. If they don't respect that, they can just hire someone more traditionalist. I made the mistake of shooting for an uptight client two years ago and I won't ever do that again--never before had I felt so out of place and my pictures show it.

So i say, party on! As long as nobody's drinking any ****ing merlot!

-m

[David_A_Smith]

Couldn't agree more Maurice.
I would like to see someone safegaurd their professional reputation by declining a drink with the explanation " I'm sorry, but I don't know you well enough to drink or eat with you". Like I said things are different in different places but I can't see turning down a drink like that would endear you to anyone for your professional behaviour. Like yourself, I have a good rapport with me clients before I even get to the job. Like Bill says I may not want to see them again after the day but on the day, I want to be as close a part of that family as I can.

I am also a bit mystified how people can feel their photography is so affected by one or two drinks over the course of an entire day or evening. You don't have to booze on with people and match them drink for drink but one or two drinks over the course of a normal reception wouldn't even have you registering on a police alchol meter. I believe here in oz we have some of the tightest drink drive laws in the world , the accepted amount is 3 drinks for the first hour and one every hour after that. The worst that could happen if you had a drink before you left the reception if you got pulled over would be for the cops to make you wait 15 minutes for the mouth alchol to clear and then test again. Of course with one drink there is no possible way you couldn't pass. I would certainly think driving a vechicle takes a lot more concerntration than working a camera and if the police deem me fit to drive something as potentially lethal as a car after one or two drinks, I would think I should take up another profession if I couldn't operate a camera properly.

AS for not eating anything at a wedding.... That is too diffirent a concept for me to even contemplate. The amount of weddings I have covered for 12 hours or more would be well over 70% of the jobs I have done. If they want me to finish their reception without keeling over then I better get fed. It is considered great rudeness not to feed the photographer, video person, band, and MC at a function here so much so that virtually every reception place has a table reserved just for these people. Rather than the guests think the shooter would be unprofessional by having something to eat or drink, it is automatically expected that they would and encouraged as a sign of hospitality.

One thing this all certainly highlights is the different outlooks and customs around the world.

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[ThomasRyan]

David,

Um, I think your second paragraph needs a serious edit...

I can ABSOLUTELY GUARANTY you that three drinks in one hour gets ANYONE in the US legally intoxicated. When you combine that with the fact that you have been going all day long and, quite likely, not eating enough, I think that is just plain bad advice.

Now, since I am sure that someone will ask why I can make that claim: We did a rather unscientific experiment with a friend who is a cop. Basically, he brought his breathalyzer to a party, just to be safe, but the hosts wanted to see exactly what it would take to register as legally intoxicated (which, in Illinois, is .08). Of the four people who tried, all were legally drunk within one hour. One person on just one drink (a rum and coke, but probably stronger than normal) and all of the others between two and three drinks. For me, at 190 lbs, three beers in a little over an hour had me at .11, which is legally drunk in every state (some states are still at .10).

Back on topic, I don't have a problem having a drink at a wedding, but it is one drink, at the end of the night, and usually only if I'm going to sit down and chat with the couple/parents for a few minutes before leaving. I don't make a habit of having a drink before leaving, but I would not turn down the offer of hospitality either.

Regards,
Tom

[TerryZorich]

(I know you weren't the first to offer their two cents on this...)

[ QUOTE ]
...I think there are two too many George Bush's in the world already.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ooh! Now personally, I'd jump at a chance to offend Liberals, but there's a decorum here. Thus, you might choose to reserve your political views for the "Politics" sub-forum? (In case you didn't notice, there is no "Politics" sub-forum. Perhaps that's because this is a forum for digital photography and not political comment.) [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

As for the question, I have occasionally had a drink at a wedding I was shooting. In the past I have done numerous weddings for friends and family, and at those events in particular, I needn't worry about perception.

However, I agree that at the more typcial wedding, when hired by and surrounded by strangers, having a drink during or after a wedding while at the venue is probably not a good idea. It does seem unprofessional.

If you really MUST drink, how about a rum and Coke or something along those lines? Of course, if you can't go a day without a drink, good luck with everything else in your life. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]