The Importance of an Unplugged Wedding | Houston Photographer

The only photobomb I acknowledge during weddings are huge iPads and tons of phones blocking the camera’s view as you walk down the aisle. Oh, and guess what…if I can’t see you coming down clearly, chances are neither can your future spouse. Yikes!

Seriously though, nothing ruins a great photo more than cell phones, tablets, and the plethora of electronic devices hanging in the aisle. I mean we all know you can’t truly stop guests from using their devices during your wedding, but asking them nicely doesn’t hurt either. If you’re uncertain of the importance of an unplugged wedding, read on.

The importance of an unplugged wedding

#1 – Flashes and flashing.  

There have been cases where when guests use their own cameras, it actually negatively affects what you’ve actually paid for. The most common time this happens is during indoor venues with not so great lighting.

Many times, this can result in “blown out” images that are pretty much white-washed and unsalvageable. In other cases, sometimes you’ll end up having weird shadows or lighting throughout your images.

With that being said, you may want to ask your guests to unplug or turn off their camera flashes at the wedding. 

#2 Red dot, Green Dot 

Have you ever taken photos with your camera and seen a red or green dot? That’s because when cameras are trying to focus in awkward lighting situations, they illuminate a red or green dot. 

How it affects you: These will show up in our images. Most often, you’ll see this accompanied by flash, but that’s not always the case. 

The fix: There’s really not a way to stop this other than to ask guests to unplug. 

#3 Click, click, shutter. 

I love my grandmama, I really do. However, she’s not really the most technically savvy individual. For you, it could be a parent, cousin, friend, aunt or uncle –or it could be all of them haha. 

There have been several cases where the noise from guests’ phones and cameras go off during the ceremony and speeches. This can definitely distract you and other guests if you’re exchanging vows. 

Save both you and the guest(s) the embarrassment and ask them to unplug, silence, and place their phones on Do Not Disturb. 

 #4 While we’re on the topic of distractions…. 

Let’s talk about iPads and other tablets used to take photos. They are HUMONGOUS and are very, very distracting. If I’m taking a wide-angle shot  of your ceremony (which pretty much means I’m getting the entire ceremony in  the shot), your eyes will go straight to the tablet. You’ll ignore the vow exchange in most cases and just focus on the tablet. This also tends to happen in shots where you or your future spouse are walking down the aisle. 

#5 I’m not the photographer, they are 

I’ve been to a few weddings where guests will legit get in the aisle or stand in front of the professional photographers, blocking their shot. Sometimes,  we don’t get the shot in time because it’s too late for us to be able to get them to move. I definitely don’t want to be the person that upsets your guests by making them move to get the shot, but I have been there before.

#6 Formals with friends 

During formals, some guests will stand around to get shots of their own. A couple things happen during this case: 1) you and your wedding party and family have no clue where to look so your images show several of you looking in different directions. With wandering eyes, it’s difficult for us to get a good photo with everyone looking at the camera when there are multiple people taking photos around you. Second, whenever they use their flashes, it creates harsh, unflattering lighting for you and other subjects in the photos. 

#7 Are they really enjoying it? 

Last but certainly not least, you should ask yourself and guests, are they really able to fully enjoy the moment if they’re too busy taking photos. As a guest at my loved ones weddings, I almost always decline to photograph the wedding. Why? Because I want to enjoy it. It’s nearly impossible to enjoy your wedding if you’re absent-minded and distracted by picture taking and posting to social media. Where will they find the time to truly enjoy and witness love? 

Summary: The importance of an unplugged wedding

Whether you choose to have an unplugged wedding or not, it’s important to do what’s best for you and your guests. This could mean setting expectations upfront so not to cause confusion. If you do decide not to have your guests unplugged, please understand that there may be some missed shots and unflattering lighting as a result of your guests.

Finally, as a Houston wedding photographer, I’d love to chat with you via email about your wedding day. Click here to complete the form and get in touch. 

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