Originally posted by ffking i think that a lot of people might instinctively support the photographer not because they think he is right.
I support the photographer in the sense that his religious beliefs matter. Just as much as the rights of the same sexy couple matter.
I do not doubt that the couple has felt insulted and shamed. At the same time does that give them the right to shame the photographer?
To me the question becomes: Do religious rights and freedoms outweigh those of a minority, in this case the LGBQT.
Now here is a situation that reflects me: I have not been asked to shoot what my friend calls a "brown" wedding. I'm not sure which Eastern religion he practices, so I apologize if my summary comes off wrong, I lack education on the matter. The two of us have talked about the ritual and how it's a 4 day party. He has shown me images from other weddings of the same kind and they are very beautiful. In fact it looks amazing! It would be an honor to shoot it. On the flip side, I have no idea what it takes to shoot one of these weddings, it sounds like a crazy, insane amount of work that frankly is overwhelming. As a photographer who has only worked with "traditional western" weddings (see weddings as they take place on TV in western dramas for example like Grey's Anatomy) I would decline taking on a wedding like this because... frankly, it scares me and makes me uncomfortable. Not religion, not the culture... the sheer size of it scares me. I would second shoot one in a heartbeat, in fact I'd do the second shoot at a reduced rate because of the amount I would learn about these events. But I would not take one on solo.
So, if I did get an inquiry to shoot one of these 4 day events....and I respectfully declined stating that I believe a cultural wedding such as this is outside of my comfort zone for skill and experience.... could that be turned around on me to mark me as an insensitive biggot? When in reality, it's just outside of my skill and comfort level at this time in my career?
Last edited by Wired; 02-06-2017 at 01:31 PM.