Common Courtesy

Common Courtesy...it's not something everyone has.

I don't consider myself a "professional" photographer and I don't know that I ever will but I do have some consideration for others.

On Sunday, my family and I attended the Commemoration Ceremony for the 1916 Remembrance Gardens at Forest Park in Springfield Massachusetts for the Easter Uprising in Ireland. There were several Irish Dignitaries, political figures and some famous people at the ceremony, so I thought this was a great time for some more practice for event photography.

Now I stayed away and out of the way of the obvious news crews and "pros" that were getting paid to shoot the event and I also try to stay out of the way of people just trying to get some snapshots with their cell phones. I don't try to intrude on the event and stay in the background and the outer perimeter.

I knew there was going to be a processional into the garden of the important attendees  so I scouted out a spot for myself far away from the other photographers so I would be well out of the way.

So, the parade starts with the Sheriffs leading with the colors and the Springfield Kilty Band behind them. Bagpipers always make for great subject matter by the way. So I pop off a couple of shots of the Sheriffs, I picked a great spot, now here comes the Pipers. This "Pro" walks toward me, I have my camera up and watch him through the lens, he looks directly at me, he plops his monopod down and he stands directly in my view. He watches the band come by without ever taking a shot. He doesn't even look through his camera and then moves on when the band is out of the shot. Come On!!

Again, I don't consider myself a "Pro" but I would NEVER intentionally get in someones shot. I guess they don't teach manners in photography school.

Something else I just had happen is the whole setting up a shot and having the cell phone fauxtographers shooting from behind you thing. This takes the attention of your subject off of the camera and draws their eyes else where thereby messing up your shot.  What people also don't realize is the flash from the phone cold potentially wreak havoc on the photographers shot as well. So, if you plan on mirroring a photographer, please wait untill he/she is done before you try to take a cell phone pic.

 So basically, please pay attention and be courteous to the other photographers in the area and to the fauxtographers too.

Thanks for putting up with my rant.

E

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