If you are a professional photographer and have been browsing  through our site, you may have noticed that we offer FREE CANDID still photos of MOST functions posted on our website. We would like to stress one important word.... CANDID!  We absolutely understand that photographs taken by a contracted professional are copyright of that individual.  We also understand that you will sell those photographs to the client at the end of their function.  Furthermore, we understand that although a professional photographer may a have contract that states "exclusive official photographer" we by no means claim to be official.  Our CANDID photos are exactly that!  We are not acting any differently than a relative with a camera.  If the photographer is taking "posed" pictures in the public view, one would not expect him/her to be upset if "Aunt Millie" were to take a snapshot.  We are sure this is why they usually take all the "posed" pictures in a private forum.  We never take pictures that the photographer has posed, unless they are in the open forum, where anyone could take one.  Nor will we take photos in the private forum. A professional photographer cannot expect guests to NOT take a picture when they see the opportunity.  We are merely acting as guests.

Our company has attended many functions where disposable cameras have been provided to the guests in order to capture CANDID photos of the evening.  We have also been to many events where the photographer is only contracted until a certain time and may not be taking pictures of some of the later events of the function.  This is why we have incorporated this service into our professional entertainment package.  And, as stated on our site, we primarily use it as a means to show friends and family what they may have missed.  With the increased of use of technology, any guest with a camera, digital or still, has the means of putting hundreds of pictures on the internet or printing them for free.  Does this mean that clients are going to have to tell their friends and family NOT to bring cameras to their function?  I would think not!  I am sure with advances in technology this process will hinder some professional photographers from selling many candid photos from their shows.  Although we do understand how many photographers use these candid photos as a means to increase package appeal to the customer, this problem will just increase with future technology.

I am reminded of an article from one of the DJ magazines from a few months back about what we in the industry refer to as "bottom feeders."   In my state alone there are over 200 "DJs."  In fact, nowadays, anyone with a computer can be a "DJ."  With the ability to download (steal) music from the internet, the ability to have as many songs as you want is unbelievable. Music is the staple of the DJ industry, on average a professional entertainer will purchase $2000 in music every year.  We have found that the only way to counteract this group of individuals is to convince the prospective customer why our services and professional entertainers are better suited for their event than our "competition."   Likewise, we are sure there are reasons why professional photographers are hired instead of just letting "Uncle Bob" take some shots.  We are not trying to be photographers, nor are we trying to take potential profits from the industry, however we are trying to offer a service that most other companies in our area are not offering for certain functions we perform at.  We do not consider ourselves to be competition to the photographer in any way. We do not offer "posed" photographs or "package deals" or even "professional quality" ; just some candid shots for everyone to enjoy.  This is a service which the majority of our customers are not offered.  The reason customers hire a professional photographer is because the provide "professional grade, high quality, printed" photographs; not just a few candid snapshots. 

Although we do perform at weddings, the majority of our business is NOT in the reception industry.  More often than not, there is not a photographer hired for the shows we perform at. Corporate parties, anniversaries, birthday parties are just a few that come to mind.  For these events we have found this added bonus is "above and beyond" what any other company in our area offers.  Additionally, we have performed at numerous weddings and have NEVER been confronted about our picture taking.   However, if we ever were confronted, as professionals, we would understand the concern of the photographer, and only take photos that could be used in our promotional and training materials.   Furthermore, for all functions that we perform at that have hired a professional photographer, we do  put the pictures online for at least 90 days; giving the photographer ample time to "sell" their photos and packages to the customer.

 It has come to our attention that some professional photographers have become very ANGRY with us for this service.  We are not trying to steal  business from anyone.  We don't even like to "step on toes," we are just trying to add value to our services.  We do not SELL any of the pictures, they are free to print and download from our website.  We do not make them open to the public, each event is password protected for privacy.  We are not trying to upset any part of the entertainment industry, we have just added a service which MOST other entertainment companies do not offer.  Most of our customers enjoy seeing these pictures after the event, and find it a way to see some things they may not have.  Our professional entertainers are always coming up with ways to make each event more memorable and unique.  The photos are a way of capturing the event for the customer and for training purposes.

Our company prides itself of staying in touch with other entertainment companies across the country.  We have found in the last few months more and more companies are taking photos and offering them to their customers. Some of them are even CHARGING for the photographs.  We have even come across a few photography companies who have posted "galleries" of photos on their websites and then offer them to the customers for a fee! What they do not understand is that over 99% of the photographs can be printed and saved for free directly from their site.  Of course we do not encourage "stealing" photos from the web, but we can all agree that it happens every day.  

We absolutely understand all of the concerns that have been addressed to us in the past, but have found that our customers appreciate and actually ask for this added service.  As professionals we respect the industry and any contracts that may be held by other vendors at the function, but we do not feel that we are interfering with any other services.  

It has also come to our attention in November 2001 that some "professional" photographers like to write nasty emails about their concerns with our service. Without even asking us for an explanation of the information they have read from our site, they have just taken it upon themselves to write uninformed, unprofessional emails, without even signing their names or providing contact information. Our website and business have been around for over 6 years and have never been confronted in the past.  We have offered the exact same "pictures on the internet" for the entire time we have been in business.  It seems that someone has become misinformed and has been misinforming other people in the photography industry about our services.  We would like to invite anyone with a question to contact us, like a professional, at 508-426-7430. Also feel free to email me.