Australian photographer Thomas Stewart has had enough of weddings that make their job a lot harder. In a rant posted on his Facebook page, Stewart said that the bride and groom should insist on an unplugged wedding ceremony to dissuade their guests from ruining their wedding photos.
Stewart cited guests are usually all over the wedding shots as they themselves take photos of the newlyweds using their smartphones, iPads and other digital gadgets.
"They have no idea how to stay out of our way. They often ruin many of our shots. They will make our photos worse. You're paying a photographer quite a bit of money; that means you want great photos. We cannot do our best work with people getting in our way," Stewart wrote on Facebook.
Stewart also pointed out how many guests are more focused on their gadgets instead of what is actually happening at the wedding.
"Imagine you're in the middle of your wedding ceremony. You're elated. You decide to take a quick glance towards your guests as you're sure they're sharing these happy moments with you, possibly even shedding a tear of their own. What do you see? NO FACES AT ALL AS THEY ARE ALL HIDDEN BEHIND PHONES AND CAMERAS! I highly doubt this is the way you want to remember your wedding ceremony."
Right, I've had enough. I want to talk to you all about guests using mobile phones / cameras at weddings. I want to...
Posted by Thomas Stewart Photography on Thursday, November 5, 2015
His rant has sparked a debate online, especially with those planning their weddings. While many agreed with the photographer's sentiments, which has reached nearly 110,000 likes and 75,000 shares on the social media site, others have a different viewpoint.
"This is really weird and controlling. You can't take your guests' property away from them as a ticket to entry for your ceremony and/or force them to leave it in the car," said one member on The Knot, a wedding community.
"Unless it's a venue restriction, I can't get over the 'zilla aspect of telling guests that you're banning them. I'm not a fan of taking photos during the ceremony myself but don't underestimate how great the candids are that you'll see from guests," said another.
Back in 2013, a photographer from the United States shared a similar sentiment in a blog post. "In the past 6 years of being a professional wedding photographer, it's also been sad to watch the progression from seeing smiling, encouraging and happy faces as the bride is escorted up the aisle to faces hidden behind the backs of cameras and cell phones that line the aisle. These are all reasons why I am elated when I hear of couples opting for an Unplugged Wedding - or at the very least an Unplugged Ceremony," wrote Corey Ann via Corey Ann Photography.
"Bottom line: my priority [on] the day of the wedding is on my clients. They have paid me their hard-earned money to make sure I document their wedding and when an overzealous guest gets in the way, it makes me sad," she concluded.
Despite the increase in smartphone use at weddings, some newlyweds have indeed adopted an unplugged wedding ceremony in recent times. Below are some ideas brides and grooms can follow in order to let guests know they're not allowing gadgets at their wedding:
