Church Restrictions

This is more real than you might imagine.

I had a talk with my pastor recently about the restrictions that some churchs, pastors and priests place on wedding photography and we came to the conclusion that often in regards to professional wedding photographers, it is unnecessary.

When "professional" wedding photographers are hired to photograph the wedding, they usually know how to do their job without being in the way. But unfortunately, there are so many new photographers who do not realize how to do this and are often found running around all over the place and making a nuisance of themselves in order to "get the shot." This behavior can ruin it for other photographers who come to work at that church for future weddings.

I have seen photographers who literally climb on the church pews just to get a shot. And, I've seen photographers who will stand right up in front of the alter and take a flash photo which of course blinds not only the bride and groom but literally everyone else at the church as well.

So over the course of years of dealing with this type of photographer, officiants have come to make "restrictions" on what can be done or not done during the ceremony regarding photography. This is unfortunate for the wedding couple and also for the photographer. The couple won't be able to get the shots of their wedding that they had hoped for and the photographer is often left with a less than perfect photo to offer their clients.

Most professional wedding photographers know to approach the officiant on the day of the wedding to go over any restrictions that he/she might have regarding photography. Most officiants will request "no flash photography" during the ceremony. This is often not a big deal (at least for me) as many professional photographers use very fast lenses and camera which can capture images in low light. But sometimes, photographers are requested to stay in the back of the church throughout the ceremony and that means all the photos will be taken from only one vantage point.

With the long telephoto lenses I often use for weddings, this is not a problem for me. But make sure that there are opportunities where you are turned towards your guests so that they (and your photographer) can see your faces! "Recreations" of events are often done after the wedding is over to get some key photos, but I'm not a fan of this. First, everyone knows it's not the real thing because it just looks "faked" because the guests are no longer in the pews and the church looks empty after the ceremony. Second, you'll know it's faked everytime you look at the picture because you'll remember the photo was taken after the ceremony.

So it is best to get the shot during the ceremony itself. Most professionals know how to do this with the equipment that they bring for covering a wedding. I often shoot with three cameras and a variety of lenses during the ceremony. And even if I am banished to the back of the church, I can often still get the shot.

It's too bad that the actions of some less experienced photographers have made some wedding officiants weary about photographers to the point of where restrictions must be placed on all photographers. But the professional wedding photographer often knows how to deal with these situations and can still get the photos you need for a fantastic wedding album.

Cheers!