Advice for wedding guests who enjoy photography

A comment I hear over and over again from brides is how much they LOVE photos of things that were going on at their wedding that they were unaware of. If you want to make photos that the couple will treasure you should head in the opposite direction of the professional photographer. There is no reason to hang out and shoot the family portraits with the pro.

First of all, there is no chance your pop-up flash portraits are going to look as nice as my off camera softbox portraits. Set side by side the contents of our photos are going to look very similar, but the difference in the lighting is going to be significant. Given a choice I guarantee they'll be choosing my family portraits for their albums rather than the ones you snapped over my shoulder. It's not a secret technique, it's just real life.

Second the couple would really like to get these over with as quickly as possible so they can join you at the party! It's hard enough wrangling the people that are in the photos. A couple of extra enthusiasts can easily double or triple the time required to get these portraits. Your ideas are wonderful, but the bride and I already discussed all these things during several planning meetings. I am doing exactly what she requested. There is always a compromise between all possible portraits, and how much time they are willing to spend on them. If it's important to the couple and/or their parents it's on my list.

Third I'm not over there at the bar, hors d'oeuvre table, etc... They would really enjoy photos from the cocktail hour. Here's the big secret: they'll probably like them even better than the family portraits I'm taking! They are only putting up with posed family portraits because mom insisted. They'd much rather have photos of their friends and family enjoying the spread they spent a lot of money on (and the B & G are hungry and thirsty too! ). Here is your chance to make some unique photos, and thrill the B & G. Take it and run! They will thank you for it. And since it'll make my job easier, I will too.

So very true HP!

Great advice, well said.

On occasion I have been guilty of hanging around the wedding photog. But it was to learn, not to direct or compete.

shameless parasite

This was a good read, thanks for posting

That's great, but although I am not a pro, I find this post to be sorta insulting to some of the photographers here. I am sure there are photographers on this forum who have photographed weddings, and then are invited to a family/friend's wedding but is not the hired photographer. However they still want to get the shots they are used to getting when they shoot a wedding.

What you're saying is...shoot else where, away from the photographer. Sounds to me you had issues with people crowding your wedding event with their cameras.

... issues with people crowding your wedding event ...

Ok, I will play the goat. Why would a professional not have issues with other photogs crowding the session he was contracted to shoot?!?! Have weddings now become paparazzi festivals?

Kelly

Phil0 wrote: That's great, but although I am not a pro, I find this post to be sorta insulting to some of the photographers here. I am sure there are photographers on this forum who have photographed weddings, and then are invited to a family/friend's wedding but is not the hired photographer. However they still want to get the shots they are used to getting when they shoot a wedding.

What you're saying is...shoot else where, away from the photographer. Sounds to me you had issues with people crowding your wedding event with their cameras.

I can only speculate as to why someone would hire me to do the photography rather then their photographer friends or family. Possibly they want their family and friends to attend as guests, have fun and not to have to work. Maybe they prefer my portfolio. There could be many other reasons.

It's one thing if the bride and groom request other photographers to get certain photos. I would be unlikely to agree to such a situation if it involved the posed portraits I was creating, and would recommend finding another photographer when this was brought to my attention during initial consultations. In 350+ weddings I've never had to make that recommendation. It's another thing if the bride and groom have requested that all guests not involved in the family portraits move over to the cocktail area for food and drink so that we can finish their requested portraits quickly and efficiently. They want to get the posed photos over with so they can join the party.

Additional photographers, especially ones who have not been involved in any of the planning, can be distractions. Not all the time. At most weddings I shoot there are several guests who stick around and manage to unobtrusively take photos as I'm getting the posed portraits done. I don't have a problem with those folks. But when too many hang around, chat with the people in the photos, get in the scene, try to rearrange the posing, etc... it throws all of our planning out the window, and can turn something that should have taken 15-20 min into 45 min of herding cats. It's not only frustrating for me, but also for the bride and groom. If you intend to get involved in the wedding photography I think it's polite to discuss this with the couple long before the wedding, so they can discuss it with their photographer, and if they do want you to do some of the photography you can also be involved in the planning.

I was just trying to give some advice as to how we could all help them capture special memories in wonderful photos. At most weddings there is more than enough time and subject matter for everyone, but there are some things that the B & G have given me the responsibility to get done. In the weddings I've been hired to photograph getting these sorts of photos finished in a timely manner is almost always one of their priorities.

My advice is meant sincerely, and not as an insult. I follow it when I am a wedding guest. I can't stand leaving home without my camera either, but I find it easy to avoid troubling the hired photographer. I love photography, and understand that other folks do too. To me it just doesn't make much sense trying to get the same photos as another photographer. Especially if it becomes a distraction. As guest or the hired photographer I worry about what the B & G want rather than what I want.