| Digital photography, a fairly recent invention, has had | | | | the event for posterity. No need for panic |
| major ramifications in all aspects of photography, not | | | | whatsoever. |
| least wedding photography. The term wedding | | | | Indeed, cash-constrained couples are opting not to |
| photography, by the way, refers to the photographic | | | | hire a photographer for their weddings. Rather, one |
| activity that takes place before, during and right | | | | of the friends in attendance, who has the sense to |
| after wedding ceremonies. Such photography is | | | | use a digital camera well is assigned the task of |
| considered an integral part of the wedding ceremony; | | | | clicking at the most crucial moments. Better still, two |
| very much like the white gown, the procession and | | | | different friends are assigned the task, so that in |
| the wedding cake. A modern wedding ceremony | | | | case one doesn't get it right the other one surely will. |
| without photography would be considered | | | | Talking of 'getting it right,' the second effect of digital |
| incomplete, just as a modern (western-style) | | | | photography on wedding photography is that it has |
| wedding would be considered incomplete without a | | | | reduced the incidences where wedding photographs |
| cake for the groom and his bride to 'cut.' | | | | got 'burned' (overexposed) or otherwise messed up. |
| Now one effect that digital photography has had on | | | | The precursor to digital photography, which was |
| wedding photography is that there is no longer much | | | | film-based photography used to be open to so many |
| panic when the hired photographer does not show | | | | complications. In other words, so many things could |
| up. The Y generation may not really understand this, | | | | go wrong. Not so with digital photography. But should |
| but just a few decades ago (before the advent of | | | | something go wrong still, there is always a chance |
| the digital camera), photography was a very | | | | that someone else clicked away at the event in |
| specialized art/science: like medicine or engineering. | | | | question (seeing that everyone is a photographer |
| Only the specialists could do it. Not everyone could | | | | now), so that the damage is minimal anyway. |
| be a photographer. So if on a wedding day the hired | | | | The third effect of digital photography on wedding |
| photographer failed to show up, panic was sure to | | | | photography is that it has made it less expensive. |
| set in. It was not unheard of weddings even being | | | | The photographer using the digital photograph really |
| postponed on that account only; for how could the | | | | only has to care about running out of charge on his |
| couple say they were wedded when there was no | | | | camera. Nothing else gets 'consumed' and the whole |
| photographic evidence for the fact? | | | | thing is extremely cheap. Now compare this with |
| Thanks to digital photography, everybody is now a | | | | traditional photography - where there was always |
| photographer. Even many modern phones come with | | | | the cost of the film to contend with (or at least the |
| digital cameras. So if the hired photographer fails to | | | | risk of running out of film where the cost was not an |
| show up, that is his loss. Someone will take their | | | | issue) - and you see just how much of an |
| digital camera (or their phone), and start recording | | | | improvement digital photography is. |