Etiquette for Guest Photography

Last week, I talked about some of the pro’s and con’s of unplugged weddings, and how brides can go about asking their guests to put down their cell phones for their wedding ceremony. I felt like there was a lot to say on this issue, so I wanted to follow up with a “guest etiquette” on taking pictures at a wedding.

1. Stay out of the aisle
This could also read “Stay out of the photographers way” but I thought that sounded a little too abrasive. Generally, if you want to take a picture, be mindful of where the professional photographer is, and don’t interfere with the shot they are getting. The aisle is the only place the professional can get a clean, centered shot, so treat your seat like a roller coaster and keep all arms, elbows, legs, and cameras inside the pew at all times 🙂

2. Turn off your flash
Without trying to get too technical, photographers set their camera settings to match the light that is hitting the couple. If an additional light is added to the scene, it will ruin the professional photographers shot. This is really important for shots like the first kiss! Not to mention it is really distracting, and most churches have rules against it.

3. Don’t post your pictures right away
I can’t tell you how many times I have seen eager posters ruin for the bride what her groom looks like, or vice versa. Wait at least until the reception is over to post all of your pictures, although the next day would be even better.

4. Print your pictures for the couple
If you aren’t planning to print the pictures for the happy newlyweds, I would challenge you to ask yourself why you are taking the pictures. So many pictures never live a real life outside of social media. When the newlyweds are 70, and want to share wedding pictures with their grandchildren, they aren’t going to say, “Hang on, let me get on that old Facebook account and dig through 45 years of posts to find those tagged pictures that so-and-so took.” Print them, and send them to the couple to put in an album!

Happy Snapping! 🙂