I am an amateur photographer. I have a decent camera, I've shot maybe a dozen events for friends and family over the years, people seem happy with the results. When my cousin announced her engagement I genuinely wanted to do something nice so I offered to photograph the party as my gift. She seemed touched. I felt good about it. That was six weeks ago. Three days after I offered, she sent me a Google doc. The document was titled "Photography Vision and Requirements" and it had 47 numbered items. I'm not exaggerating, I counted. Some of them were reasonable, like "make sure to get a shot of grandma" and "capture the ring from multiple angles." Some of them were less reasonable, like "golden hour portraits starting at 6:47pm, we've checked the sunset time" and "candid laughing shots but everyone should look aware of the camera." There was a section called "Shots To Avoid" with eleven items including "no photos where anyone's eyes are even slightly closed" and "nothing that makes the venue look small." The venue seats 40 people. It is not large. Then she sent the mood board. It has 200 pins. I went through all of them. About 180 of them appear to be from professional editorial shoots with second photographers, lighting rigs, and presumably significant post-production. I have one camera, a nifty fifty, and a flash I bought used. When I gently mentioned that some of these might be tricky for a one-person setup she replied "I believe in you!" and sent me four more pins. The party is in two weeks. I am not being paid. I am bringing a gift. I love my cousin very much and I deeply regret this.   submitted by   /u/Paradoxsignal_5 [link]   [comments]