Guests blocking my shot!!!

[Peter Rush]

One of my 'must have' shots in any wedding is the B&G walking hand-in-hand down the aisle after the ceremony and I'm used to guests leaning out a little with their camera or phone to take a snap but recently I've had guests who simply walk out into the middle of the aisle and stay there - completely ruining my shot (I'm mainly talking about churches here - other venues have a wider space for them to walk down so I have more options to move around anyone doing this)

I normally position myself right at the back of the aisle, usually with the photographer, and do a slow zoom out followed by a backward walk when they get close. I am tempted now however to position myself near the first few pews and backward walk all the way down the aisle, leaving no space for anyone to get between us. This though would probably pi** off the photographer and might be seen as being intrusive but at least I'll get my shot. Having said that I would feature in the nice wide shot I get from my balcony camera!!!

It seems like a case of 'damned if I do and damned if i don't!

I'd love to know your thoughts

Pete

[Stelios Christofides]

Peter

see here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-...y-cameras.html


stelios

[Peter Rush]

Yes I've been reading that thread but I'm more interested what you folks think about this particular 'walking down the aisle' shot and how you would deal with the issues of guests ruining it - I should have titled the thread better :/

[Chris Harding]

Hi Peter

There is not very much you can do really!! I normally let camera 1 in the aisle facing the altar catch them walking and then I step into the aisle and film them walking out. If I have a GoPro near the back it will cover the shot but that's usually halfway up the airsle again facing forward..what I often do is rely on the Hero to grab overhead footage and then disregard the rest..if the couple get "mobbed" it's a tough call.

I really wouldn't worry too much about it unless you want to place a cam at the Church exit at about doorframe height just to capture the aisle shots.

Chris

[Tim Bakland]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

I really wouldn't worry too much about it unless you want to place a cam at the Church exit at about doorframe height just to capture the aisle shots.

And even that wouldn't guarantee the shot weren't going to be blocked (by either a backing up photographer, or guests leaning into the asile).

Bottom line: you cannot guarantee really anything in the aisle. But, in some ways, it's kind of what the bride and groom signs up for (they invite those same guests who lean in and they hire us vendors who back our way down the aisles)

I try not to bank on any one guaranteed shot -- but try to keep on my toes and adapt. If the aisle shot gets blocked, we make up for it later with a nice walking away shot (often outdoors and in better light) not to replace the church aisle shot, but to put something with the same idea somewhere in the video.

[Nigel Barker]

I like to make sure that I am walking backwards down the aisle a few feet in front of them using my Glidecam. This is not only a fantastic shot but also blocks all the Uncle Bobs shots so getting my retaliation in first. I do crouch a bit to allow the photographer to shoot over my shoulder although I have occasionally trampled a photographer when they haven't out of my way quick enough. I don't walk the full length of the aisle but duck to one side about half way & then get the shot of them walking away from me.

[Paul R Johnson]

I don't do weddings, but for my industrial work, I often mount a gopro onto a mic boom pole and for shots where people come towards me, but things are in the way. I angle the gopro so that the more distant shot means the boom actually isn't vertical but has to tilt backwards, then gradually move the boom towards vertical and then forward a bit, and then do a gentle zoom in the edit. Maybe this could be useful in a wedding where a high angle shot would clear all these people getting in the way. I use the open frame case, and have a monitor attached to the pole. The overhead shots look nice, and the bent verticals rarely cause issues.

[Peter Rush]

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

I like to make sure that I am walking backwards down the aisle a few feet in front of them using my Glidecam.

Nigel this is exactly what I now intend to do - I have recently added a Steadicam Merlin to my kit and intend to start using it asap - Cheers

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

I am tempted now however to position myself near the first few pews and backward walk all the way down the aisle, leaving no space for anyone to get between us. This though would probably pi** off the photographer and might be seen as being intrusive but at least I'll get my shot.

Many photogs do that here, they walk backwards in front of the couple and halfway the aisle they turn around and run to the altar to stand beside me leaving me just a few seconds of usable footage, here we don't have that problem so much with guests blocking that shot, they do lean over a bit but the aisle if often wide enough. Sometimes the priest welcomes the couple at the church entrance and then walks in front of them to the altar, that's even worse. Or we do have master of ceremonies that block the aisle shot for half the time.

It is what it is, I won't ever walk backwards through the aisle, as I see it the bride needs to have the whole length of the aisle all to herself, it's her moment, not mine or the photogs or anyone else feeling the need the be breathing down her neck, reminds me a bit of paparazzi mentality.

I will always wait at the altar and capture in a position that is the best I can do at that moment, if I get a lot of heads blocking my shot so be it and I will only use the part when I have a full shot of the bride, even if that means she almost reached the altar.IF a bride would complain about it, I always keep the raw footage until I deliver so I can show her what happened.

[Paul Mailath]

I always mount a camera on a light stand at the back of the venue (up around 7-8') - I'll race back and try to get the bride walking out but the high camera is my safety for the entire ceremony.

[Peter Rush]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

Sometimes the priest welcomes the couple at the church entrance and then walks in front of them to the altar, that's even worse.

Noa - that happened to me only recently - the priest walked down the aisle to the alter directly in front of the couple and then after the ceremony walked again down the aisle to the exit directly in front of the couple - result: only the shot from my camera in the balcony was of any use!

[Katie Fasel]

The all-time worst for me is Catholic priests who will stand in front of the couple for the vows...yes, RIGHT in front of them, rather than behind them, which has happened at a LOT of our weddings. Always good to have that side-angle shot in that instance.

[Taky Cheung]

It happened all the time now everybody has a camera phone

I Want to Kill That Guy - YouTube

[Nigel Barker]

I had a similar situation to Taky's clip when shooting a first dance last Saturday. I had two cameras locked off on tripods about seven feet in the air while I swanned around with another camera on a GlideCam. I then had to nudge a lady out of the way as she was standing on tip-toe with her iPhone at full arms stretch right in front of one of my cameras.

[Kelly Huffaker]

Yes, this case is extremely ANNOYING!!! Nothing's worse then having your back camera locked off with a 70-200mm shooting up the aisle toward the alter, and seeing the back of the photographers head the whole time, cuz he refuses to stand anywhere except the main aisle, and only 5 feet away from the couple.