Wedding Camera Etiquette

So Lockdown is coming to and end. Normal is starting to appear, well, normal and weddings are back on the menu.

I was asked recently to attend a wedding for 2 hours. In that time I was asked if I would take pictures of the bride getting ready, then the ceremony, then go to Bromley ( some 20 miles away) to take pictures of the family and then go to London ( a further 20 miles) to Bombay Brasserie to take pictures of the reception....all this in two hours.

Etiquette also can extend to knowing what to ask the photographer and for the photographer to manage clients expectations. I kept asking multiple questions to the prospective client but getting one word answers in reply. I also kept asking if they had looked at my work as, anyone that knows me, will know I don't do 'group' shots!

The majority of us have attended a wedding of a friend or loved one, but in this era of social media, the bride can find her photo posted on Facebook or Instagram before she has even finished walking down the aisle!

Years ago, my best friend and her family would do the most fabulous idea of taking 35mm photographs of the ceremony and running the films to Boots for a one-hour service and then turning up at the reception with a gorgeous book for the bride and groom.

As a wedding photographer and as a guest, I have seen scenes like the below ( stock image) at lots of weddings. But, the new movement to ‘unplugged’ weddings is becoming more prevalent and popular and reminding people why they were invited to the wedding in the first place; to be part of the couple’s special day and witness them exchange their vows – and not through a viewfinder or LCD screen.

To combat this problem, brides and grooms are going ‘unplugged’ and asking their guests to turn off their phones and cameras and just enjoy the day. The chances are the bride and groom have hired a photographer, and spent a lot of money doing so, and as such want the professional photographs to represent their day. Most wedding photographers will provide an online gallery to the images which the bride and groom can share, so the guests still get to see gorgeous images from the special day.

Other people’s cameras don’t bother me at all. I’m probably one of the friendliest easy-to-chat-to photographers you’ll find at any wedding. If you have a camera, I’m very okay with others taking photographs, but there are a few times that I do insist I get preference, or that I’m the only one taking photographs.

People become passive aggressive when taking their shots. I have asked guests before if I may have priority and could they stand to my side, only for them to stand in front of me and not move. This is fine, I have legs and an eye for other angles but still….You’re the guest. The bride and groom hired someone else to document their wedding day. If you interfere in some way with the hired professional photographer, (especially if it is intentional), it is inconsiderate towards the bride and groom.

Another thing to bear in mind - If there are lots of guests pointing cameras at the wedding party, they don’t know where to look and as a result, the official photos can end up with people looking in different directions!

It is lovely to have images of your friends/family wedding, but isn’t it nicer to really be involved and enjoy the day? Leave the camera at home, switch off the phone…. and just enjoy yourself!

Don’t let the groom’s first glimpse of his new bride be through a sea of phones in the air!