Professional courtesy
As a vicar and photographer, thank you for your feature on weddings. It was very helpful to see photographers encouraged to exercise discretion, courtesy and professionalism in how to be part of an event where there are many players, each with their own job to do.
Being a photographer means I can appreciate both sides of the issue: the need to get the picture for the happy couple, but also to not ‘get in the way’ at the most important times. A colleague of mine was mid-ceremony when the photographer was crawling down the aisle to get one picture, leading to ridicule and a disaster for those wed.
The majority of photographers are entirely respectful and aware of the necessary boundaries. Common-sense, discretion, working with people and their permissions, and being respectful of everyone involved is all it needs to make sure we all work well together and end up with the best outcome.
Crawling down the aisle? Not something we’d recommend. While capturing the event is important, it’s better to miss one or two shots than to spoil the day for everyone, including the couple, with that sort of antic.