One wedding photography company, sick of guests snapping away at the events they’re covering, has produced a short viral video intended to educate snap-happy wedding guests. It attempts to distill the red hot rage wedding photogs are filled with when they have to contend with guests interrupting the magical day with constant picture taking.

Produced by Oregon-based photographers SLF Weddings and entitled ‘Unplugged’, the video shows the increasing frustrations of an officiant trying to conduct a ceremony, while everyone in attendance attempts to take pictures, despite there being a hired professional photographer present. It pokes fun at various stereotypes of “bad” photographers; the guy with expensive gear and no actual knowledge, the happy snapping DSLR owner, and the most dreaded of all: the iPad shooter.

The video’s message is to encourage people attending events to put away their devices and actually live within the moment. Yes there is even a hashtag, #UnplugTheWedding.

/SLF /Vimeo

We’ve spoken before on how live events are being somewhat tainted by the ever-present hordes of people taking photographs and recording video without consideration of the group around them. A whole room of zombified participants, holding up their phones in unison, has become an irksome modern cliche. It can kill the mood stone dead, disrupt eyelines and, is just overwhelmingly annoying. Besides, if the photographer is a pro, there will be more than enough image coverage.

Playing devil’s advocate though, we do also have to remember that everyone does have a right to capture an event their way, and yes that includes that grandma blinding everyone with flash every five seconds.

Regardless of this debate on etiquette, we think that any pro photographer who has seethed while having to manage with a fidgety audience will get a chuckle out of this.

2016-10-26 03:00