Wedding!

This Saturday I will be attending a wedding in what seems like far off New Jersey. No, I won't be the photographer, but I will definitely be photographing (how can I resist?). This wedding has brought up all kinds of thoughts and feelings ("Oh, god, will that relative be there?!"  "Is my dress ok?" - You must understand that I wear a dress maybe ONCE A YEAR. Lol! "Did I spend enough on the gift?" and perhaps most importantly, "Will I be in the way when I shoot?" (Only a photographer would ask that one, but you get the idea. Ah, the dilemma. This last question has made me remember what it was like when I professionally shot my first wedding. Weddings aren't my main thing, as you can see, but I happily obliged a friend's request (from high school). Wow, what a job! I had a new found respect for wedding photographers after that, and it wasn't the sore muscles that did it (ok, the muscles definitely added to the respect. Ouch!) It was what I encountered as a result of the times, and a pushy mother-in-law-to-be. Mother-in-law aside (which my friend totally warned me about, and was totally right about), it's a pretty difficult task shooting a wedding in this modern era with pretty much everyone and their pet guinea pig owning some sort of camera. While guests naturally want their share of memories and are eager to snap away, this behavior can actually have some fairly serious consequences for the couple and their professional photographer such as: flash issues (too many going off at once creating a completely blown out image), poor composition (people getting in the way, literally, of the shot, creating an unusable image, frustration on the part of the photographer (yes, even professionals have feelings), and ultimately, loss of a priceless day, since you can't exactly go back and re-shoot. 
I've found a few of these photos of gentle directions floating around on Facebook and thought I'd share. I think it gets the point across nicely!
So next time you're at a wedding, you might want to consider asking for permission before shooting, or even leaving your camera at home! You'd be surprised how much more you can see and experience when not looking through a view finder. Leave it to the pro ;^)

Warmly,
Susan

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