Wedding Day Etiquette
July 9, 2025
Below is my advice to make this day less stressful for your Photographer/Videographer.
The Wedding day can be a stressful day for the photographer as much as the wedding party.
First, The obvious: Be On Time!
As a photographer, we are working on a tight schedule, we have to go from the bride ready room, to the church to the ceremony. If you or your party is late to any of the scheduled session it will add extra stress and get the schedule that much tighter.
Second, Look at the Camera!
How many times I have taken a photo of the wedding party just to find out later that everybody involved was looking on a different direction. As long as the photographer is taking photos, always look at his camera to avoid having your pictures look weird.
Third, Don’t worry of what photographer is doing
If you don’t see the photographer, don’t worry, that means he is doing a good job. As a photographer, it is our job to be our of the way, almost invisible, like a ninja. You need to trust in your photographer to capture and document your special day without supervision.
Fourth, Don’t get in the way
There is nothing that irritates me as a photographer more than having a guest of the event stand right in front of me with his/her cellphone taking a photo and preventing me from doing the my job. It is disconcerting when we miss the shot because somebody thought their cellphone camera was more important than the photo the bride and groom are paying for.
Fifth, Mind your expectations
We photographers are not magicians, we can only do so much in photoshop, don’t expect us to remove the hat from your grandpa or fix the crooked teeth of your aunt or completely delete your ex from the family photo. Photoshop can only do so much. Make sure you talk these things with your photographer ahead of time.
Sixth, Keep your hands out of the way
Don’t cover your mouth when you smile or move your hand across your abdomen to cover any extra pounds. In a photograph, hands draw attention to themselves, moving your hand to your face to cover your smile causes people to look at your mouth instead of away from it, same with covering your stomach, people will automatically draw attention to themselves by doing that. Keep your hands down, in a natural position, it regardless of your smile or you with, it will look better fi your hand is not in the way.. Trust me on this one..
There are many more ways to make your wedding day less stressful for you and your photographer but these ones are (my opinion) the more common issues I encounter while shooting weddings.
Communication is key, make sure you and your photographer have a open line of communication and that he is always available to answer your questions before and after the wedding.
It is true that recent advancements in AI technology are quite impressive and interesting, but I am not worry of AI taking over my job any time soon. Services like “Photo AI” allows you to upload several of your photos to the service, then give a command to create your portrait in an exotic location, and the program will create a very realistic and beautiful portrait in a beautiful location you have never been to… So, here comes the question, will that replace me as a photographer? I don’t think so, and here is why… In order for AI to create a realistic image of you, the AI needs to see as many photos of you as possible, imagine that you want photos of your wedding, it will not be feasible to provide the AI with hundreds of photos of all of your guest to create your wedding pictures, AI can’t create the expression on the groom’s face when he sees the bride for first time or the tears of happiness from the bride’s mom. On a corporate or business event, you can’t recreate all the moments and reactions from the guests using AI. You can fake your vacation photos using AI, but who are those photos for? Instagram, Facebook? I can't imagine those photos making it into your family vacation photos, what is the point? A scenario where a photo generated by AI could be useful is in corporate headshots or formal portraits, in this case, I believe that the type of person that will be content with an AI generated portrait, is the type of person that would not pay for a photographer, in this case, we will mot really be losing any business.
I recently had the pleasure of photographing a Gala Dinner for the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce. These events had over 200 guests, limited lighting and high profile guests. When shooting an event like this I have to stay out of everybody's way, make sure I'm not blocking the view and that I am not intruding when guest are eating or speaking. A good photographer is like a Ninja, not to be seen but capturing every moment of the event.
The light on this room was very dimm and the dark color theme was getting the White Balance on my camera all over the place, that is why it is important to know your camera settings like the palm of your hand. I was able to achieve good results despite the lighting conditions. Candid photos are my favorite on these type of events, there is certain charm on a photo that is not posed. Don't get me wrong, posing is a big part of what I do, but there are occasions when a candid shot tells the story of the evening in a way that posed photos can't. I did not wanted to use a Flash for this event so I would not draw too much attention to my self. In a wedding, it is expected to have a photographer walking around with a flash to light up the moment but on a gala event, people are not expecting burst of light to illuminate the room every few seconds and disrupt the mood. We as photographers need to choose the correct tools and attitude for each occasion and know what to expect from each event. Weddings are faster paced but gala events are more dynamic and engaging. Whatever the event is, wedding, birthday, gala or a corporate event, you can be sure I will do my best to give excellent service and deliver the best results photography has to offer, all while having fun and giving you peace of mind knowing that your memories are in good hands.
You hire a photographer to photograph your wedding, the photographer has to go to the location to check for light and to know the layout of the venue and also go to the rehearsal to see where the "important" people will be seated and from where the bride and groom will make the grand entrance. The day of the wedding involves preparation photos of the bride and groom and this is hours before the ceremony even starts, then photos at the altar, photos at the reception, both candid and posed. The ceremony could be just one hour, but the photographer has to be there way before it starts and stay after is over to take photos of the bride and groom exiting the church and fly out to the location of the reception to capture the moment they arrive. A few hours and thousands of photos later is actually when the photographers hard work actually begins. For the happy married couple, the wedding day is over but for the photographer, the wedding work has just begun. The photographer will spend days on the computer sorting through thousand of images to make sure the very best representation of the wedding is presented to the client. The average photographer will spend 40+ hours working on a wedding from start to finish. From meeting with the couple, driving to locations, more meetings, wedding day, image editing and post production... that is without mentioning the initial investment on camera equipment. When i arrive at a wedding, i usually carry thousands of dollars in camera equipment inside my bag. I will shoot with two cameras, two lenses and a couple of lights, extra batteries, memory cards, power cords... you name it. These are things people usually don't think about when hiring a photographer. The best way to price the Wedding Photographer's work is to break it down, Think about the 40+ hours the photographer will work on your wedding,
Add the thousands and thousands of dollars in Camera equipment
Add the photographer's training and experience, marketing, computer equipment, photo software, etc... If you think about it that way, the price of a wedding photographer may make a bit more sense. Off-course, not all photographers are created equal, some are more expensive than others but if you do your research and plan ahead you can find a good local photographer that will give you a reasonable price for your special event. Remember that a more experience photographer will be more expensive but you will get a higher quality work from them.
Your portrait is a digital version of your reflection, it is the first thing that people see in your profile. Wether is your work profile in Outlook, your Linked in or Instagram, the importance of a good portrait cannot be underestimated. It takes more than just a camera to get a good profile picture of yourself. A photographer will make sure you have the most flattering pose, a position that will complement your garment and personality, will correct any blemishes and lighting issues before turning in the job. It is very convenient to just take your picture with the next available phone but the wide angle lens of your phone camera not always provide an accurate image of yourself, regardless of how good your camera phone is. Newer phones have a "Portrait Mode" that will "mimc" the results you will get from a professional camera, but photographer will bring the necessary equipment to ensure your image is exposed correctly with flashes, lights and the correct lens.
A while ago I asked a co-worker: "Why do you still have that same old picture as your profile photo, it is like 10 years old?"
She said: "Because I look good in that photo" That is actually the case for many people. A Photographer will make sure you "look good" on a new photo, not a 10 year old one. Hiring a professional photographer to take your portrait is not expensive and today with the google and the internet, it is easier than ever to find a good photographer in your area. Shop around, find a photographer that can provide you with a good quote. check their website and make sure you like their work. Once you replace you old profile photo with a current professional taken portrait, you will give a new life to your digital presence.