{exclusivity} a little wedding chat

Granger_RK_0315, originally uploaded by briemarie.

One of the clauses in our contract states that we will be the exclusive photographer. What does that mean, you say? Well, we don't want you to go hiring another photographer to shoot the day, too. We'd be getting in each others way and probably getting pretty frustrated.

I wanted to talk about guests at weddings, particularly guests with cameras. Pretty much everyone has a camera these days. It's a fact of life that when you're heading out to something special, like a wedding, that you're gonna grab your camera, throw it in your purse (unless you're a guy and don't have a purse) and take some shots of your friends and family because, really, how often is everyone you love in the same place at the same time.

So, yeah, we're the exclusive photographer, but we don't want your friends and family to feel like we won't let them shoot. They want to remember the day, too. We get that. Of course, there's been a time or two that we have to be firm, but hey, let us get our formals shot first and then we'll move out of the way and let you take a couple.

Rob and I, we're pretty laid back. When we are shooting, we work on staying in the background. Sometimes you won't notice us, those are my favorite shots. Sometimes we'll move you around, but we won't obstruct your guests while they are shooting. It's not our style. As photographers, our goal is to capture your wedding day or your portraits as unobtrusively as possible. We want the focus to be on you and what makes you happy.

Why am I writing this, you ask? Well, one of our assistants was attending a wedding as a guest a couple weeks back. She had brought her camera to she could take some shots of her friend the bride. Nothing fancy, just some shots to remember the day. She didn't drag the bride and groom away from the dance floor or anything crazy like that, she was just shooting them as they naturally were. Whenever she would go to take a shot, the hired professional or his assistant, would step in front of her, ruining her shots.

When we talked about her day, she told us how frustrating the whole situation made her feel. She just wanted some shots to remember her friend's wonderful wedding, but all she left with was a bit of anger at the professional photographer.

I feel the same way. As a photographer, my duty is not to restrict others, but to capture the moments the best that I can. I will not get in your way, at least not purposefully. I want you and your guests to enjoy the day and leave with the feeling of newfound love.

On that note which was much longer than I had anticipated, enjoy your weekend!