Wedding Videographer Walks Out After Couple Allegedly Kills Snake— Unprofessional or Justified?

(SPOT.ph) A wedding videographer has gone viral for walking out on a wedding and deciding to withhold the videos of a newlywed couple after a snake was allegedly killed in an encounter with the groom, with social media users sparking conversations on possible animal cruelty and even unprofessionalism.

X (formerly called Twitter) user Ben Jan (@benjahan) said they walked out of a wedding reception after the groom caught a snake at their outdoor venue full of trees and shrubs and "smashed its head". His new wife clapped, "probably thought it made him look good and manly."

"I’m at peace with what I did and I wish the couple nothing but the wrath of the engkantos that they angered by their dumb actions. Like legit," Ben Jan said in a tweet.

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The snake situation at the wedding, as told by the videographer

Ben Jan first showed a screenshot of a conversation where they were asked to produce the video, to which they said "ask mo 'yung ahas." The tweet has gotten more than four million views in three days.

"PTNGINA NYO MANIGAS KAYO WALANG VIDEO VIDEO PAKYU KAYO," @benjahan said, stressing that they stand by their action as humans were invading the snake's natural space.

"OA na kung OA, pero if I couldn’t do anything to stop that UNNECESSARY CRUELTY, I have no business glorifying what these people are celebrating either. Ganun lang 'yun," they said in a thread.

While the videographer said they wouldn't get paid for what they did and that "sayang 'yung aerial shots", they said they would still send a video to the couple... but not their wedding videos. Instead, they will receive a video lecture on the importance of snakes in the ecosystem and why they should not be killed.

Several social media users called the videographer unprofessional and overacting (OA). Some even pointed out it's a breach of contract, while some reasoned the groom's action can be a natural reaction when faced with danger, a.k.a. "fight-or-flight response."

Some X users also understood there could have been better ways to handle the twisty (quite literally) situation.

Hans Fausto, owner of Hans Fausto Image and Motion, told SPOT.ph it is "unprofessional" to inject personal beliefs into your work especially in this case where a wedding video was potentially withheld from the newlyweds.

"The fact is, the videographer was contracted to do a job. Masama nga I guess to kill the snake but if I were at my wedding and there's a snake, may chance na kakagatin ka ng ahas.... I can shoo it away or I can kill it, either way, that snake has to be taken out," he told SPOT.ph.

"I'll feel bad, I'll probably say something, but I will not hold the video because that's my job."

Photography and videography company The Cliffhanger Studios said that while they are in no position to judge the wedding videographer, they still believe that as wedding suppliers, their clients' need come first.

"Gaano man kataliwas sa paniniwala mo ang kilos at gawa ng kliyente, as long as 'di ka binabastos and tinatapakan as a professional, we should accomplish our tasks. At the end of the day, with the very saturated field of wedding coverage, pinagkatiwalaan nila tayo," they told SPOT.ph.

If they were in the videographer's position, they would probably be taken aback but "back to work agad" as they don't have the luxury of time to stop covering the wedding.

"Given that we are accountable to the client and that they first placed their trust in us, we won't withhold any deliverables."

What to do when you encounter a snake

It's understandable to feel threatened in an encounter with a snake—but it is important to note that not all snakes are venomous, though it is understandably difficult for untrained observers to distinguish which is which. Like humans, snakes would rather not encounter us too, and facing humans can also be scary for them as much as it is for us, according to the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida.

When outdoors, the best thing to do is to keep a safe distance from the snake.

"Don't panic. Back away to a safe distance and allow the snake to move away. Snakes often want to escape when disturbed," the Queensland Government said in its FAQs page on identifying snakes and what to do during encounters.

If you need to remove the snake ASAP, spray it gently with a water hose to send it away while you're in a safe distance, according to the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida.

If you want it removed humanely from the premises, you may contact the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the DENR at 8925-8946 or 8925-8953.