Wedding guest photography: pros and cons
There are pros and cons to allowing guest photography for your wedding.
Why Would You Possibly Want an Unplugged Wedding?
I was just recently thinking how that while digital advancement, internet, and social media have brought us together and made the connection too easy, it has also become the bane of our relationship by keeping us apart while connected at the same time.
Confused that what am I talking about? I am talking about the wedding ceremony. If you choose not to prevent your guests from using their phones, you will find many cell phone gladiators and lots of bright screens in the ceremony hall. And one thing which you would like most from them, their attention, will be nowhere to be found. Because most of them would be busy taking pictures and others would be lost in the social media paradise.
Moreover, another disadvantage of not having an unplugged wedding is that it might destroy the “first look”. I have witnessed “first look” inadvertently happening online when a bridesmaid uploaded the bride’s pictures on social media and the groom saw it before the ceremony.
Why you should be concerned about Guest Photography
Frankly speaking, I have no problem with guest photography unless and until they don’t affect my pictures with their bright screens, camera flash, and by jumping in my way! Their enthusiasm for taking pictures and sharing it with the world show their excitement. And I find it really nice when guests take pictures and later share it with the couple. Moreover, I will be happy to see the newlyweds getting some extra photos which I might have missed.
However, what about all the hassle, confusion, obstruction, and intrusion which will result due to guest photographers. Many times guests ruin an otherwise lovely picture of a key moment by instantly getting in front of my lens.
Think about something: would you like to be surrounded by happy faces while walking down the aisle? Or would it be faces hidden behind the cameras and smartphones? I hope you will choose the happy faces. Phones in hands, bright screens, and people making selfies make photos look bad and ruin the beauty of wonderful moments.
Lastly, flash from guest photographer’s camera is almost impossible to fix in post-processing, which can affect such beautiful moments as first dance, or your parent’s speech.
These were a few suggestions about making your wedding experience better along with benefits of unplugged wedding and drawbacks of allowing guest photography. Ultimately, it is your decision to choose the scenario according to your preference.
If you have any questions about how to make sure your wedding photos turn out amazing no matter what (with or without guest photography), let’s chat!
