Ever wonder why wedding day photography is such a big deal? Other than the fact that these guys (and gals) bring lots of equipment, is there really a difference in waiting for their shots, over the ones you could snap on your iPhone?
Let’s talk about it.
A bride and a groom hire a photographer–a professional photographer–for their wedding day, because they look forward to years revisiting memories from their favorite day. They want to blow up their favorite shots and remember exactly how everyone looked, felt and if they made fun fools of themselves.
Know what they don’t want?
Pictures of people taking pictures. They don’t want that gorgeous moment of your groom watching you walk down the aisle and Aunt Annie’s iPhone is stuck high in the air, mid-moment. Or your cousin’s giant iPad hanging out into the aisle, interrupting up an otherwise beautiful symmetry.
In fact, our team shooters here at The Decisive Moment have a few opinions themselves on exactly why the camera work should stay in the hands of the professionals.
Jes McGowan says, “Guests are invited to the wedding to enjoy the festivities and show their support to the couple, but they can easily get consumed taking photos of the wedding events. This actually makes them disconnected from being a part of the wedding celebration. In all honesty, they should allow themselves to experience the event.”
“I think its super important that guests recognize the responsibility of the hired photographers during a wedding,” Jason Seagle says. “It is particularly challenging when guests try to shoot over the shoulder of the photographer while doing group portrait work. What winds up happening is that some of the people in the photo are looking at the main photographer’s camera while others are distracted and looking at the line of family and friends taking pictures in the background.”
Not convinced? Check out some of the smudged shots we’ve collected over the last season!
So, when is it ok to snap your own photos?
“On the flip side,” Jes adds, “guests should take group pictures of friends and family that they want to share. Just try not to get in the photographer’s way during key moments.”