On (Wedding) Photography: A Clergy View

My parents at their wedding in 1952; one of only two
photos from inside the church itself.

Earlier this summer, a wedding photographer posted a complaint on Facebook about a church where he photographed a wedding.

The minister, he wrote, “tells me I'm not allowed to move around even though I assured him I'm discreet, unobtrusive and understand the ‘sacredness’ of the liturgy.”

At “secular” weddings, he went on to say, the officiants “usually come greet me and assure me I'm free to roam around and ‘will get out of your way during the kiss so you can get the couple nice shots.”

Ministers “need to be educated on the role of art & media in communicating the ‘sacred,’” he added.

As someone who has done some wedding photography, I was interested in his thoughts. But I also wondered: What would my clergy friends think?

But first, a bit of history. 

Wedding photography dates back to the 19^th century. Due to the bulky nature of cameras, couples had to go to studios for posed pictures.

Fast forward to the 1940s and 50s, when cameras were more portable. Wedding photography became was more common, but it was still mostly posed shots.  

My own parent’s wedding from 1952 is a good example. 

There are many posed shots, but only two images from the wedding: One of the bride and her father coming in, the other of the couple coming out, both taken from the balcony. There are none from the ceremony itself.  

By the 1960s and 70s, that had changed. Wedding photography became wedding photojournalism, recording the whole event for posterity. And that is where we are today.

So what do clergy think of the state of wedding photography? 

“Individual rabbis may have differing levels of tolerance for photographers at the wedding ceremony, most likely depending on their past experiences of interference or distraction,” says Alan Green, senior Rabbi at Shaarey Zedek.  

I know of no formal prohibition of photography at Jewish weddings,” he adds.

For Green, there is “no conflict between the holiness of the occasion and capturing it on camera. In fact, I think digitally preserving those very special moments only emphasizes their sacred character, as they may then be re-encountered and relived for many years (and generations) into the future.”

James Toews, pastor at Neighbourhood Community Church in Nanaimo, B.C., feels a bit differently. He is, he says, “always polite to photographers, but my inner voice thinks of them like flies that buzz around,” he says half-jokingly.

“Making a big fuss about them makes things worse, but they can be annoying.”

For Marvin Dyck, pastor at Crossroads Mennonite Brethren Church in Winnipeg, wedding photographers “are doing it right” when he doesn’t notice them.

Dyck tells photographers to “please be discreet. This is a worship service. Try to stay out of the sight lines between the congregation and the couple.”

If the photographer forgets, “I deal with it the same way that I deal with all the other unforeseen glitches in a wedding ceremony. Namely, they become part of the memory about which we smile afterward.”

When Jeff Loach, pastor at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Nobleton, Ont., started in ministry 25 years ago, he had very tight rules about where and when photos could be taken.

He has “loosened up a bit today," he says. "No flash between the end of the processional and the beginning of the recessional, videography must be stationary and not in sight of the congregation as it looks forward.”

For him, the photographer must not take the focus off of God. “Do what you want without flash, and remain invisible.”

“I am forever trying to remind people that this is a service of worship first and foremost,” he adds, noting that the focus "is not on the bride and groom, but on the Lord who is uniting them.”

If the professional photographer is “truly professional, it’s not distracting,” he says, adding that in 99% of the weddings he’s done he hasn’t had any problems.

As a former wedding photographer, I understand how important it is to respect the sacredness of the moment. But I also knew how important it was to the couple. 

In the end, it’s all a matter of mutual respect, between both clergy and photographers.

From the Aug. 26, 2017 Winnipeg Free Press. The title is a play on the title of Susan Sontag's seminal book on the topic, On Photography.