The Curse of the Wedding Photography Wrecker

Wedding photography wreckers. You’ve seen them. You might even be one of them. They’re the guests at weddings who spend the whole ceremony and reception moving about snapping pictures of the happy couple with anything from cell phones to point-and-shoots to Go Pros to iPads to DSLRs, meanwhile obstructing the professional photographer’s view. And they’re the subject of this KTXL FOX40 “Don’t Be That Guy” segment:

The job of a wedding photographer or videographer has never been easy. And it’s not getting any easier. In a society where everyone wants to share life as it happens on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media outlets, you can’t go anywhere–especially a wedding–without seeing a sea of phones and cameras held in front of peoples’ faces. Photographers must contend with stray flashes that wash out their shots, guests jumping in front of them during the first kiss, and iPhones creeping into every frame.

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Wedding photographers have to go to extremes to ensure that they can get the photographs their clients have paid for without well-intentioned guests ruining their shots. It’s becoming more and more routine for photographers to write a “no camera” policy into their contracts. Many photographers are asking couples to instruct their guests to please enjoy the festivities and let the professional photographer document the day.

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Have you unknowingly committed this wedding day taboo? Or are you a hired wedding photographer who’s been frustrated by this social pet peeve? Perhaps the “unplugged” wedding–at which no cameras or phones are permitted–is a trend we can all agree upon.

“You might have to get creative, because the back of somebody’s head’s not something you really want to look at…” –Alex Cristescu

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