I see more & more digital cameras at weddings these days - every bastard has one. I'm thinking of making up a sign to leave at the entrance to the ceremony - what do you think?

Hi Paul

You could also try banging your head on the wall. It would have the same result except you will end up with a headache!!

We have just one Church in Perth where the cunning priest (a lady too) has some strict rules for weddings.

No photography or video is permitted by guests! Only the official photographer and videographer can take shots....No flash from the photographer is permitted...Photog and Video is not permitted closer than the front row of seats and finally when the bride is in the aisle the photog and videographer is not allowed in the aisle (entry and exit)

She has been known also to halt a wedding ceremony and actually eject the photog from the Church!!

You always get clear shots and never any problems as she is the boss! I really cannot see any guests paying the slightest bit of attention to signs. Just for interest I set up my GoPro on a light stand first at a ceremony..8' up in the air so no-one gets in the way of that!! Works a treat

Chris

Then what do you do when there's 4 hired professional photographers, and 3 videographers all trying to get the same scene? I'm not kidding.

I think you ask those questions as far in advance as you can Warren (:

Commiserations Paul. A while ago here someone posted the reasons he uses a proper videocam, the summary of which was,
he didn't want to be grouped with the guests toting DSLRs.

Every bastard has one of those and they outnumber him every time.

Cheers.

That second image made me laugh :D I have done a Turkish wedding last year and that was horrible, there where 2 weddings celebrated at the same time and when both couples entered the venue I was following them walking backwards with the steadicam and there was like 50 people leaning on me following my footsteps and EVERY person had a camera taking pictures or filming. I even see guests with 5DII camera's these days.

I helped a friend shoot stills at a wedding last year. I actually caught one of the guests taking pictures (with a 5D of course) of the couples' dining table during the reception.

My friend, a professional wedding photographer, shoots with Canon 5DMiis. He recently shot a couple from China. During the shoot, the groom calmly asks my friend if he wouldn't mind shooting some candids with his camera own camera. "Sure, no problem!" my friend says. The groom then pulls out a Leica S2-P and hands it to my friend. My friend almost fainted from embarrassment.

For those who don't know what an S2-P is....
Leica S2-P SLR Digital Camera (Body Only) 10802 B&H Photo Video

the groom should be embarrassed for hiring a photog that uses a simple 5dII, what was he thinking?

Well I think you and the photog should each strap on a pair of .45s with an ammo belt around your neck then greet all the guests as they enter with "Hi, we're the only two people who are going to have any cameras here..... you got a problem with that?" :-)

Hi Chip

You forgot to add the word "punk" at the end of the sentence!!

Now here is a real opportunity to build an "anti-photog" rig...should have a vest on your body with a platform over your head and a little control box and joystick in front of you. Just wander around the Church and control pan and zoom and recklessly bump into/stand in front of photogs ...you don't care, you are getting perfect shots just 7' off the floor so it doesn't matter who you block.

I saw similar post last year here we also had some neat suggestions like a simple label on your lens hood (that you point out to the photogs) about your proximity triggered taser unit on the camera that will zap anyone that is closer than 10' away or is in your field of vision.

Chris

Hahaha love the second image.

Or the newly improved and updated blowgun/monopod 3.0 with integrated taser for the ones that don't drop the first time...

Bop 'em, tranq blast 'em or zap 'em... he he he

Last wedding i done, myself the priest and the Groom discussed exactly this phenomenon, I pointed out that lots of flashes going off can impact on the overall effect of the ceremony itself and that a better solution would be to allow a specific time when the congregation can shoot away to their hearts content, It was agreed then that this period would be right after the marriage cert signing, so, prior to the ceremony the Groom stood at the lectern and implored the gathered congregation what had been decided he even went to the bother of pointing us out as the hired help.

But it was to no avail, as soon as the Bride entered the church I could see the first camera being raised, good I thought he just capturing a bit of video as she makes her way up aisle, so no flashes - no chance, it was like one of those western movies 'wait til ya see the white of their eyes' one after another smart phones, tablets, compacts, bridge cameras, handy cams and DSLRs the whole church was awash with garish white light exploding off the walls and guests and indeed the Bride, I'd say she had spots in her eyes for a while after that.

I've since put in my contract that the behaviour of guests taking flash photography and standing in the line of sight of my cameras comes under the list of things defined as outside my control.

As an aside i attended a wedding a short while ago, i didn't bring a camera or phone or anything, i felt quiet inadequate as i've noticed almost everyone had some sort of imaging device, except me!

I think people cant help themselves when faced with this situation when they have the opportunity to capture the scene....
:-)

I see more & more digital cameras at weddings these days - every bastard has one. I'm thinking of making up a sign to leave at the entrance to the ceremony - what do you think?

Thank you very for your post, it's happen to me most asian wedding. Oh. I did copy your pics and post in my website.

I've had DJ's announce to the party that there are Professional video & photo ppl here, and to please be mindful. One was right before the cake cutting & yes ppl stayed away. That always seems to work well, just get in good with them.

Many years back you rarely saw anyone other than the professional hired photog or videographer with a camera. Today, my phone takes better pics, quality wise, than some of the 35mm cameras I used back in the day. Since everyone has a phone it's easy for them to get in our way, be a PITA, have no respect for us doing the job we are being paid for. Nothing we can really do about it. There are more of them than there are of us. I think all we can do is the best we can under the circumstances.
I do have a clause in my service agreement that covers that and many officiants in my area make an announcement before the ceremony that since the B&G spent a lot of money to hire professionals there is no need for them (the guests) to be taking pictures or video. Sometimes it works sometimes not but in any case there really is very we can do about it so we either have to roll with it or have a former defensive lineman (someone that's say 6'4" and goes about 325) as a "2nd shooter" to prevent this from happening. ;-)

What I usually do is to include shots of all the other guys taking pictures even if there are in my way. Lets put it this way,as an event videographer you suppose to take shots of what is actually happening, not what is the ideal way to happen. This way the couple cane see how really their wedding was.

stelios

Hi Stelios

Me too..if they are inconsiderate and block my camera after I tell them not to, then I leave a tiny piece of the footage in, intentionally, before cutting to my high up camera ..that gives them a visual prompt so they see was at fault.... I do also when they do it over and over, let things rip and the last wedding I did, I never saw the photog again ...she kept far away from me!!

Chris