Wedding Guest Photography

Through the years,
it seems as though wedding guest photography
is becoming more intense…
I know the guests mean no harm, after all,
they most likely haven’t been educated about the effects of guest photography
(especially during the ceremony).

I am now asking my clients to consider having
“no guest photography during the ceremony.”
To accomplish this, the officiant simply has to state this before the ceremony:
“Welcome family and friends! Good evening to everyone.
the bride and groom invite you to be truly present at this special time.
Please turn off your cell phones and put down your cameras.
The photographer will capture how this moment looks–
I encourage you all to capture how it feels with your hearts,
without the distraction of technology.”

Here are a few examples of my own work that were affected by guests.
Of course, most of the time I am focused on quickly finding an angle or solution
that doesn’t include the guests taking photos,
therefore I don’t have too many images of the circumstances I deal with during ceremonies: