Photographer: Out of 20 classes taking yearbook photos, only 1 class had an adult with them.

(Baonghean.vn) - "17 and 18 year old students are very stubborn. Even teachers and parents can't talk to them, let alone us. It's tiring enough to ask them to cooperate in taking pictures, let alone managing them."

After the unfortunate incident that happened to a group of students taking graduation photos at Cua Lo beach on April 9, many opinions said that photography groups working with students need to take some responsibility in managing and ensuring their safety. In fact, these contents are not mentioned in the working contract between the student groups and the photographers.

Some photography groups (who asked to remain anonymous) shared about the difficulties of working with "partners" who are high school students.

"Out of 10 classes taking yearbook photos, 8 classes choose to take them at the beach." Illustration photo (Internet)

Where there is demand, there must be supply.

Mr. T is the leader of a fairly strong and well-invested yearbook photography group in Nghe An. The group's scope of operation has also expanded to Ha Tinh. Mr. T said that the demand for yearbook photography among young people has flourished in the past 3 years, leading to the birth of many yearbook photography groups. Some groups operate professionally, while others only operate seasonally.

Mr. T observed that the "yearbook season" for students peaks before Tet, and for high school students in March and April. At its peak, there are days when the group takes photos for 3 classes, and there are weeks when they take photos for 10 classes. Many classes have to be divided into 2 or 3 sessions. Depending on the work, the group mobilizes 3-5 people to take photos for each "contract".

Mr. B, the leader of a famous photography group in Vinh City, commented: Because there is a lot of demand, there must be a supply. Seasonal groups "spring up like mushrooms" every yearbook season. And if they work seasonally, there will be groups that are unprofessional and lack experience working with students. Mr. B roughly calculated that in 2017, there will be at least 10 seasonal photography groups. Not to mention the photography teams hired by classes from Hanoi.

"We only advise, the customer is the one who decides"

Mr. T said that with his experience in the profession, he always advises groups of students to choose a safe, cost-effective and effective place to take photos. Especially this year, many classes want to take photos at night, so the photography team often advises students to take photos at school or on lawns in the city.

"However, most classes ignore it and choose to go to the beach to have a comfortable space to play. Out of 10 classes, 8 choose to take photos at Cua Lo or Bai Lu beaches. We only provide services and advice, but we have to respect the needs of our customers."

Mr. T also said that working with students is different from working with students or older customers, often having to remind them to cooperate, helping to take pictures effectively and quickly.

Before going to take pictures, both sides agreed to work together in the spirit of "cooperation on the basis of friendship". That is, to consider each other as friends to work more comfortably. However, when they got to the beach, the students were so excited and playful that the photography team had to constantly remind them not to go swimming in the sea. Maybe because they were young, they were more interested in going out to play than taking pictures.

Mr. B also had the same comment when working with high school student groups as clients: "17 and 18 year old students are very stubborn. Teachers and parents cannot even talk to them, let alone us. Just asking them to cooperate in taking pictures is tiring enough, let alone managing them."

In addition, the contract signed by both parties only mentions the terms of the package price, rental package, shooting time, number of products, product return time... There are no terms related to safety such as: if an incident occurs with people or property, who is authorized to represent each party, is there an adult supervising the class taking photos,...

A contract between the photographer and the class representative taking the yearbook photo. Photo: PV

Mr. B also said that in reality, the students' yearbook photo shoot trips are not accompanied by parents or teachers. "Out of 20 classes, maybe only 1 class has an adult to supervise. There are even classes where students still sneak out even though the school has banned them from taking yearbook photos. Therefore, I think the school and families should have more reasonable measures and not prohibit students from taking photos, because it is a legitimate need."

What do lawyers say about this case?

Dr. Lawyer Nguyen Trong Hai - Head of Trong Hai and Associates Law Office commented: In this case, it is difficult to discuss the legal responsibility of both parties. The "working contracts" between the photography team and the student groups are not contracts with full terms and legal validity, but can only be considered a form of agreement or contract.

"In front of the law, the photographers are not wrong and are not responsible for the incident. However, in my opinion, in terms of social behavior, you are still partly involved. When you work with students under 18 years old - who do not have full civil capacity, you should negotiate and sign with an adult who is authorized to represent them.

It could be a parent or teacher authorized by the children's parents. At the same time, the contract should include terms agreeing to let the children take photos at this location, during this time, by what means, who is the adult who will supervise... If any problems arise, clearly state who is the responsible representative. I think this will be a lesson for photographers, you should be stricter and more responsible for your work and your customers."

NPV