| Have you ever been to a church wedding and been | | | | amateur photographers so, understandably, many of |
| taken aback by how visible and inappropriate the | | | | them paint us all with the same brush. |
| wedding photographer is - such as being in very close | | | | I always make sure to speak with the Officiant |
| proximity to the bride and groom and taking pictures | | | | before the ceremony so I understand the rules. |
| indiscriminately as if the end of the world is coming | | | | Regardless of how I feel about them, this is his/her |
| and he's trying to get in as many shots as possible? | | | | domain and I always respect that. There's no choice |
| Alas, this kind of scenario has been repeated so | | | | really. Once, in my early days, I was told off by a |
| often that many churches now have strict rules and | | | | Priest, mid-ceremony - not a pleasant experience for |
| limitations for wedding photography. Why has this | | | | anyone - and that happened while I thought I was |
| happened? Because amateur photographers have | | | | being cognizant of his rules. Yikes. |
| proliferated in the wedding photography business and | | | | My personal approach is to be as stealthy as possible. |
| their lack of experience and awareness has ruined | | | | Afterwards, I often hear from my couples that they |
| things for the rest of us professionals. | | | | didn't even notice me in the church until the registry |
| Limitations include: (1) no flash photography at all - | | | | signing. In my opinion, that is the ideal. At the end of |
| which can be debilitating in a dark church; (2) | | | | the day, most Officiants just want the wedding |
| photography only during the entrance, ring exchange | | | | photographer to have some common sense - do |
| and exit; (3) photography only from the back of the | | | | what we need to do, without stepping on their toes. |
| church or, worse, the balcony (arguably the worst | | | | In this case, as in other areas, common sense comes |
| case scenario, especially if it's combined with no flash | | | | with experience - it's not actually that 'common'. |
| photography). | | | | My advice to the Bride and Groom. Make sure you |
| This is quite a serious matter because obviously the | | | | take the wedding photography into account when |
| church pictures are important - and can be quite | | | | selecting your place of worship. Ask your Priest or |
| beautiful. There are many wonderful Priests out there | | | | Minister about any limitations. If the pictures of the |
| who realize that we all have a job to do and that | | | | ceremony are important to you, don't assume |
| when we work together as partners it's a win-win | | | | anything because you may be shocked on the |
| situation: The ceremony maintains its sanctity and the | | | | wedding day to find out there are significant |
| photographer gets the shots. But then other Ministers | | | | restrictions that may hamstring your photographer's |
| have been tainted with their experiences with | | | | ability to effectively capture your ceremony. |