Friday 18 September 2009

Instructions for wedding photography

When I take photos at a wedding there is a section of the day that is devoted to photos. I guarantee between 100 and 150 photos and this is fairly easy to achieve. I regularly supply around 400 photos which fit easily into two small albums that hold 6"x 4" photos. Of course they fit on a CDRom as well.

With all these photo opportunities it doesn't really matter about the restrictions put on photography within the church. I have been told that no photos are allowed during the ceremony. I have been told that there is only one rule on photography and that is that there are no rules. Between these two extremes there are many degrees of control. Don't take photos during the signing of the register is fairly common. So is no flash. Don't stand on the altar. It really doesn't matter as I just follow the instructions of the person in charge.

As for the photos, my preference is to take half a dozen photos with flash. This is discrete and there is no great change in settings, but faces do change and I also like some without flash. The problem with no flash is that if anyone moves then the photo is blurred. If I am not allowed flash then I take a couple of dozen photos in the hope that some will come out, and generally about half are good photos. I am conscious of the sound of the shutter which may be just as disruptive as flash.

The photographic limits are set in order to emphasise the ceremony and not to detract from it. The point is that the respect for the ceremony is much more important than the photography. Now any of the restrictions in the first paragraph have no link with respect. The best instruction that I have been given is to take photographs how I see fit but to do it with respect.

Happy snapping

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