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Unplugged Weddings – To Have or Have Not?

Wedding Tips

April 23, 2014

I’ve photographed quite a few weddings so I know the challenges that come with the territory. A lot of photographers won’t talk about it, but trust me, at one time or another they have thought it. Guests, though their intentions are good, can ruin a Bride and Groom’s wedding photos by trying to get their own. This is a very frustrating dilemma for photographers, as we are personally hired by couples (who pay money) to capture their day, all their special moments, so they can relive them, hang them on the wall…and share them with their guests. We don’t want to be rude to your wedding guests, but more than that, we don’t want to have to tell you that we couldn’t get that shot you wanted because one of your guests stepped in our way, or we got the shot you wanted but it was ruined because of one of your guest’s camera flashes went off. Trust me, it’s as heartbreaking for us as it is for the couple, especially if they specifically requested the photo.

So what are some ways guests can damage a couple’s professional photography?

Well, as stated above they can step in our way as we try to get a shot. This usually happens at the ceremony. They’ll either stick their arms out into the aisle as the Bride is entering or in many cases they’ll completely step into the aisle. BAM! Great Bride photo ruined. This happens all the time during the first kiss as well. A photographer will be in the back of the venue to get a wide, sweeping shot of the first kiss and in comes a guest…and that’s the photo you get. Keep in mind professional photographers and their assistants/second shooters have pre-planned where they’ll be standing to photograph the ceremony. They know how to hide and/or blend in so they are not seen in photos.

Also stated above is a guest’s flash going off. This can be a problem at indoor ceremonies and during reception traditions like the couple’s first dances and cake cutting. I have my flash set to properly expose the scene so if another flash goes off, the picture will be overexposed and unsaveable…even in the magical world of photoshop.

One of the things we are seeing more of lately are photos where everyone in the background has a camera or phone where their face should be. As a photographer this makes me a little sad because I enjoy shooting into the crowd to capture the smiling faces of everyone so important to the Bride and Groom.

Another way guests can damage photos is by distracting the people we are posing and photographing. This is most likely to happen during pre-ceremony bridals and wedding party photos and after the ceremony when we are trying to wrap up family photos. Guests often hang around to get pictures of the Bride and Groom which is sweet. But, this can cause two problems 1) there are too many people standing around talking, causing commotion and getting in the way of those we are trying to get in the photos, and 2) the additional cameras being pointed at the people we’ve posed causes them to not know where to look and we end up with photos of people looking every which way. The later can usually be tamed, as long as the crowd isn’t too big, by instructing the subjects…first you’re going to look at Aunt Sally and once she has her photo you’re all going to look at me. But even though this tactic allows me to control the situation and be polite, it cuts into the time I have with the Bride and Groom. This effectively causes us to a) get less photos and b) miss getting specially requested photos and sometimes c) postpone the Bride and Groom arriving to their reception.

These challenges bring us back to the end result. What kind of photos will we have to show you at the end? Pro photographers, at least myself and the ones I’ve worked with, are nothing less than obsessed with getting their clients what they want. We have a passion for our clients and their photos. Personally, I go over the potential for these situations with my couples and explain that to ensure we get the photos they want without distractions we’ll have to take these scenarios into consideration during the photography planning process. To aid in our success as team, I encourage couples to appoint at least one bridesmaid and groomsman (or other specially designated attendants) to be in charge of helping guests get to where they need to be. If our couple has a wedding coordinator, they can also fill this role, and most GOOD coordinators are happy to do it. This helps us protect our client’s investment in their wedding photography. Our #1 priority is our couple. They spent time carefully choosing us and planning their day, they spent money on our service and expertise and they are emotionally invested in the images, which is what they will use to tell their story to future generations. It’s a really big deal!

So what are a Bride and Groom to do?

1) Chance it. Assume your guests will be respectful of you and your photographer(s) and not get in the way or cause any mayhem. Sometimes we encounter groups where this is the case. You know your people better than anyone.

2) Ban all photography. There are actually photographers out there that require this. I’m not a big proponent of this. I personally think it’s totally fine for guests to grab a photo here and there…especially if they are going to share them with the Bride and Groom!

3) Go “Unplugged”. I love this! It’s the best of both worlds. Have everyone put cell phones on vibrate and put their cameras away during the ceremony (which is really the most important part of the wedding!) and certain parts of the reception (which generally all happen at the beginning anyway) and after dinner let your guests go crazy! Most guests will understand. Some great ways to get the word out that you’re having an unplugged wedding are to have the officiant or DJ make an announcement at the start of the ceremony requesting all electronic devices and cameras be put away. They can add that you want to have them truly be a part of the ceremony and to be able to see all their faces (an not cameras) in your wedding photos. You can also add a comment in your ceremony program if you are having one. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your photographer for ideas. Not only will they likely be inundated with excitement at not having to wrangle guests, they’re likely to already have ideas on hand to help you pleasantly present this idea to your guests.

Since we know that not being able to take pictures during certain parts of the wedding might have some guests feeling a little left out, we provide the website where they’ll be able to go to see (and download) all the photos after the wedding! Not only does this take the pressure off of them to “get a great shot”, it also gives them relief to know they’ll be included in the post-wedding reminiscing! It’s a win-win!
Below are some image examples of epic fails due to guest intervention.

This would have been a great shot over the Bride’s shoulder of the Groom and the guests looking at the her, but everyone is looking at their devices! A possible album photo ruined!
The iPad photographers really get my goat. They are worse than cell phones and cameras just due to their sheer size. In this one we not only have a distracting bright red light from a camera, this guest is awkwardly leaning into the aisle. First kiss shot wrecked!This one really killed me. The Bride had seen some first kiss photos where the officiant stepped out of the way so it could be photographed into the crowd. She specifically requested that this be done during their first kiss. Unfortunately, she didn’t share this idea with her guests and we’ve got some cameras instead of faces. I almost cried when I gave her the photos! A lovely ceremony exit shot turned into just a snapshot by a large camera in the back and a cell phone shooter on the side. This one can’t go in the album. I totally get how exciting the moment is when the Bride is entering. It’s one of my favorite moments. This otherwise great shot of our Bride walking in was damaged by a guest’s flash coming in from just off to my right. As it turns out this person would damage several of our photos. The additional flash put harsh shadows all over the walls of the church. Another ceremony shot damaged by a guest’s camera flash. You can see how bright the light is on the Bridesmaids. This would have been a great photo. Not only did a guest’s flash completely blow out this picture, almost no one is even looking at me! This photo is too overexposed to be fixed in photoshop. I’ll never get the detail back in the Bride’s dress. There is a point of no return. Not only that, but because there were so many guests hanging around trying to get photos of the various family groups, the subjects had a difficult time concentrating on us even with our direction of who to look at and when. Here is a Groom/Mother dance shot that was overexposed due to a guest’s flash. The photo can’t be rescued Here we have a Bridesmaid distracted by early arriving guests trying to get a peak at the Bride. And here we have another wedding party photo where half of the subjects are looking at a guest trying to get a photo. The guest TOLD ME TO GET OUT OF THE WAY so he could get a photo (it wasn’t a polite request, but a stern demand…the poor Bride was embarrassed). We were really pressed for time at this wedding because the couple didn’t do a first look which meant we only had a small amount of time after the ceremony to get all the full wedding party and family photos done before dark. To make matters worse a huge thunderstorm was rolling in and could begin dumping rain on us at any second. We managed to get all the family and wedding party photos, but because of delays to guests we missed getting very many photos of the just the Bride and Groom.