I am not sure if this really belongs in the "workflow" category since it's a question about shooting style, not post processing, but I wasn't sure where else to put it.

As someone newer to weddings, I am not sure what the bounds are when photographing ceremonies. I am sure it varies by wedding, but I'm curious what your shooting styles are during the actual ceremony. Do you typically stake out one spot and stay there? If you move around, are you *in* the aisle at certain parts?

Our first (and so far only) wedding was at a tiny historical church - much like a one room school house. There were no side aisles or balcony. I crouched down in the front aisle and got the processional shots and then stayed off to the side in the front row during the ceremony. I would have literally had to crawl over people to move from where I was, and I actually got boxed in by guests in wheelchairs. Plus I was in the very front, so I couldn't move without drawing attention from the wedding party. It was an insanely tight location to be shooting in.

Andy stayed at the back of the church and was also similarly stuck because it was standing room only. The bride and groom were well aware of the logistics their location presented and were happy with what we got, so it wasn't really an issue.

However, I'm just wondering what the etiquette of these things is. How obtrusive are you during the ceremony? I feel like the last thing the bride wants to see walking down the aisle is some photographer blocking her view of her groom.

How do you strike the balance between getting the best viewpoint and not being a distraction to the couple and the guests or ticking off the officiant?

I would be interested to hear where you usually place yourself or what techniques you use during the ceremony.

We booked our second wedding today, outside at a gazebo. It will be fantastic to have a little more elbow room to work with!

Uuuuuuuuuuummmmm...play it by ear?

I tend to get a feel for the rules of the church and of the officiant ('cuz sometimes they are different...like when it's a guest officiant)...then I adjust accordingly.

• I very rarely use the center aisle (unless I absolutely have to...such as presentation of flowers to the mothers).
• I tend to move only during transitions in the ceremony (and I try to make sure my 2nd shooter is planted when I do move).
• I use posts and columns to my advantage.
• I never use flash during the ceremony (only the processional and recessional).
• I use long, fast lenses a lot.
• Oh...and I do try to go to all of the rehearsals esp. if it's at a venue where I've never shot before (which isn't too often anymore!)

Other questions?

Thanks Dan, I appreciate the input! We did go to the rehearsal for the wedding I mentioned above, so we knew what we were getting into. I think the only thing I would have changed if I was to do it again would be to insist that the aunt get her freaking video camera tripod OUT of the center aisle. We didn't feel right saying anything at the time, but that stupid thing was totally in our way.

We should have two weddings in August and both are a bit over an hour's drive away. I don't know if we'll make it to the rehearsals, but I think we will make a point to visit beforehand and get an idea of what we are dealing with.

Your methods are reinforcing my gut feeling on the subject.

I move around a lot... unless it's a restrictive church. I normally stay in the back and grab shots of the processional, then move around to the side. Then to the other side. If it's an outside wedding, I move around even more... usually favoring the bride's side. I try to get a wide shot from behind the ceremony and from the front.

I move around to the back to get the final shots of the ceremony and the kiss.

weapons of choice... 70-200 2.8 vr. 17-35 2.8. My holga (outside only), and my twin lens.

I rarely shoot with any other lenses during the ceremony.

I have heard people complain about my presence when I go near the front... usually from planners I don't know. I've NEVER had a bride complain.

Good advice so far.

Unfortunately, you'll hear some of the "big guns" of wedding photography talk about "ask forgiveness" later and say that they do whatever it takes to get the shot.

When it comes to church weddings, that you are there not only as a documentarian, but also as a guest of the bride and groom. Always find out what the rules of the church are, and follow them. Stepping a few feet past a line is probably alright if it gets the microphone out from in front of the reader -- but laying down on the alter steps during the ring exchange is unforgivable.

A great rule that I follow -- garnered from my days as a news photographer -- is this question: Is my action or position changing the focus of the guests away from the events of the wedding and onto me? If so, then I've gone too far. The guests should always be interested and involved in the wedding story, and hardly, if ever notice the photographer.

If I creep up the side aisle at a church, and Uncle Harry and Aunt Betty notice me, I'm still OK. If the entire row turns to look at me, or the brides mother can see me, then I'm becoming part of the story. That's not why I'm there.

+1 I really like this. I want to document the story, not be part of it.

Brilliant advice. I too do not want to be noticed or become a distraction. Regardless of the rules of the Church or Synagogue or whatever, I want to stay out of the way and not be noticed. I never cross in front of the altar - always behind the last row of guests. I am only at the front of the center aisle for the processional - and otherwise try to stay in the back or at least at the last row of guests if I am in the center aisle. My main position is usually on the groom's side near the front - since then the bride is facing me and I can capture her reactions.

Long before I was shooting weddings, I was a bridesmaid at my cousin's wedding. Sitting in the front pew at the Church, I could not see my cousin during the ceremony - the photographer blocked the view of everyone. My family still talks about how awful he was and how rude that we had too look at his fat butt the whole time. He pretty much planted himself in the middle of the center aisle between the first pew and the altar. Seriously, why do you need to be that close EVER? He might have gotten the shot, but I guarantee that he will never get any business from anyone who attended that wedding.

I was extremely pleased on Saturday when the priest thanked me for my stealthiness (as he mentioned, it is not always the case).

It depends on the venue and the officiant. I have been at weddings where we were told to stay put and not move until the recessional, and I have been at weddings were the officiant simply said, "use your better judgment".

But at most weddings ceremonies I only use flash during processional and recessional and avoid flash even if allowed. I use fast glass, f2.8 or faster, and I use my 17-50 and my 50-150 a lot. When allowed, I do move around but I move rather slowly so I won't be attracting attention and I never get near the stairs or the altar. On one wedding I did last year the priest allowed us (phtogs and videogs) to shoot from behind the altar, but only because there were rooms on both sides and there was a long corridor that lead to those rooms so the guests couldn't see people walking "on the side isles". In that case I stayed in the middle of the room with the lights off and used the 70-200 for some nice shots of the B&G, but the guests couldn't see us. So it all depends. I always make it a point to ask the officiant for the rules of the place and assure them that I will abide by them. Not doing so might allow me to get a great shot, but I will also screw it up for the photog shooting the next wedding there.

Thanks for the replies! I am glad to hear the general consensus leans towards my style of shooting. I was a bit concerned that maybe I was being too timid with my approach, but I feel better now.

Do you all generally make a point to locate the officiant beforehand and get the rules hammered out? The church we shot at was actually classified as a historical building and moved to a public park....they stripped all the religious iconography from it, and the groom's mother, who is a reverend married the couple. I think she knew less about the place than we did.

PS: You are hereby deputized to apply atomic wedgies to any photographer you find that lays down on the alter steps and shoots up at the B&G during the ceremony.

<-------- The closest I could find to a wedgie smiley

Yeah, I'm definitely the stealth type. I try to remain unobtrusive. I've shot with Shane and we talked about this. Although we don't see eye-to-eye on this, you have to realize that it's to each his own. I thought he was too close, but the bride was pleased and his images were rockin....so approach it how you like. That why there are so many types of photographers-- to fit all the types of brides.

And I gotta say it even though it's old news.... who ever it was that went and told Shane that I was bad-mouthin' him, you got your story a bit screwed up. We (Shane and I) had talked about this between us already so I wasn't sharing anything with the group that I hadn't already said to Shane. Can't fathom why you'd want to go stirring the s**t, but hope you don't in the future.. Thank goodness Shane called me and asked me about it. I would've been sad to loose his friendship.

K. I feel better now.

I used to shoot the processional from the front, but have for the last handful of weddings shot the processional from the back. My wife usually shoots from right side front so she can get the brides face and I shoot from behind the guests, center asile. Somtimes I move left or right side, but always behind the guests. We almost never use flash, except processional or recessional. The lighting is never great, but makes great black and whites (we explain this to the brides). It is a religious ceremony, and should remain such even though I love getting great shots of the ceremony. There are plenty of photo ops available throughout the day without being a disturbance.

Good topic!

I am at the front for the processional, then I'll head back down the aisle after the bride comes down to get a few wide shots. I usually try to go to one or both sides to get good face shots of the bride and groom, but it really depends on the venue. Then I head back to the center (via the back of the church) for kiss and recessional.

I struggled with this a lot when I first started photographing weddings and as time has gone by and I've done more and more weddings, I've found that people really don't notice you around unless you are *really* going crazy, wearing some crazy bright colored clothing, or look pissed off.

Me personally I don't want to take photos of a bride and grooms back the whole time, so I'll try and find a way to get around the front of them... if the location, official, and planners allow.

I always talk to the official before the wedding to know where they stand on photography and try my hardest to comply with that. Usually if you are good for them a couple of times they will let you move around more and more when you work with them again in the future. But I make sure to always inform my couple of the restrictions being placed on me so that they aren't disappointed with their photos later.

This last wedding I photographed last weekend I jumped a fence and was hiding in a tree in front of the bride and groom for most of the wedding. When I do this I try and find a spot that I can see the bride and groom's faces but the guests can't really see me.

When my brides and grooms get their photos back they are usually really surprised at how close I was standing and they never even noticed me at all.

So I guess I'm a bit on the fence for this issue. I want to be respectful to a wedding, but I am also there to capture the emotion of the wedding, so I'm going to stand wherever I need to, to be able to capture that emotion.

Sometimes, depending on the venue I'll just plop myself down indian style in the middle of the isle once the wedding has started, because really... no one is looking there, they are all looking at the bride and groom.

I was really concerned about one wedding where the officiant didn't really want me moving and the bride and groom begged him to let me move around. Well he agreed, and after the wedding I asked if I did ok, and he said that he never even noticed I was there... and I was sitting in the middle of the isle most of the time.

I'm definitely not one of those people who are going to lay under the bride and groom while they are exchanging their rings, or stand up in the very front, but I will get close, and I honestly haven't has a complaint yet. Like I said most people are surprised to learn how close I really was to them the whole time.

You just have to feel out your bride and groom, and the venue. Usually people will forget you being close if you hand them amazing photos afterwards...

But that's my .02 cents.

Not sure if it made sense, I'm watching CSI and trying to type at the same time...

ewwww try shooting an english wedding. the brits are meanies.

sometimes you get really nice officiants and sometimes you get nasty ones. and sometimes they banish you to the balcony...... with wierd angles and small windows!

i have had, on several occasions, weddings where even though i discussed it thoroughly with the bride first, i find a different story waiting for me on arrival. the one in particular i am referring, the B&G told me they wanted a lot of coverage of the ceremony itsself - they cleared it before hand with the VENUE, (not the officiant) and made sure i had room to go on both sides and up front. so while i am covering the wedding, the officiant stops the ceremony and came over to me and asked me to stop of course i obliged, but later the bride was very mad (at the officiant, not me) and assured me she was in no way upset with me, but of course, her being english and all, she never said anything to the officiant.

the officiants over here get away wtih murder. this country is one horrid place to get married in, seriously. they tell you where to get married, you really dont have much choice.

Wow! Did you break out the camouflage for that one?

Tami - I think I would have died if the officiant stopped the ceremony. You've got my respect.




Shane - I meant to respond to this yesterday when you mentioned the holga. Do you get some odd looks taking it out? I have a rather extensive collection of toy cameras and I've been thinking it would be really fun to bust out the holga or maybe one of my old hawkeyes. I'm kind of afraid I will freak out the guests and couple with them though.

Oh, I would've died. But then I would've resurrected myself so I could take the jerk officiant down with me.

I've had two weddings where I was told I couldn't move once the ceremony started. The first one, I was a second shooter and knew in advance. The second one was last year, my first solo season, and the officiant waited until it started, then she looked at me and mouthed "stay there!" I just looked at her like I didn't get it so I could play innocent. I stayed in the corner spot for most of the time, but then moved to the center aisle for the rings/kiss.

it was horribly embarrassing but afterwards, many people came up to me and patted me on the back adn said, your doing a great job, never mind her!

the officiant was heard talking to the events coordinator asking her for 'backup' if the bride and groom complained.....