Every single church and priest have their own policy and in Great Britain most especially. Or let's say that the Church of England has a very versatile and strong position regarding Photography compare to what we can encounter elsewhere. There are some good and bad sides as always.
The first advice I would give the photographer and the couple to be is to ask beforehand what the policy is. Each policy is very peculiar to the Father, or Priest in charge. There is no common rule across the whole institution. Each priest applies his/her own view on the matter. And each person has a personal experience and will let the photographer move and flash according to the space allocated or permitted, according to the couple's personality or according his/her ethics.
The first two pictures are from the same wedding. The first one depicts the father of the groom who happens to be also the groom's witness and he is signing. As usual I did ask the Father to introduce me to his policy and he clearly said that photographs of the signings had to be posed. The trouble here is that most of the time the witnesses cannot be captured because of that policy.
I therefore agreed before the service started and got closer to the table where the parents and couple were gathering as they were signing one after the other. The trick is that you can pretend to photograph the other people has the priest is focused on his duty with the witness. But in fact you can steal quickly one or two shot while he is busy working. After pressing the shutter release I turn my lens in the other direction to pretend that I paying attention to the other scene. That trick is actually quite easy to achieve especially if you are working with digital. With film it becomes a bit more tricky as you really need to have decent light in the church in order to photograph without flash otherwise the priest would be definitely aware of what is going on.
The second photograph is the formal one the priest asked for. But most of my customers don't really like it to be frank. But as long as you know both the score, there is no one to blame and you play the game.
The third photograph is the sort of setting which is perfect for some sort of compromise between reportage and formal style. The space you are in is flexible enough to try different angles and to have some distance. It is a classic shot, but a honest and direct one. A bit of flash with the real actual signing in process.
Sometimes the atmosphere is very friendly and the priest is very open to any sort of pictures as long as it doesn't take too long. So if you place yourself ideally between the couple and the parents you can not only capture the signing properly but you can also catch a wide range of portraits and emotions between the two sides. Here the groom as he sits down.
Then he kisses his bride. Not posed, they really wanted to kiss. Do not forget that most of the time a piece of music is being played while we are signing. If the music has stopped for quite a while and you are still taking pictures, you are in danger zone. And the priest will let you know. Learn to be as efficient as possible is those mini moments and macro spaces, and work in order. Formal and important ones first, more creative and subtle in between or at the end.
The photograph above was a hard one. The couple did ask the priest what was his policy and we knew that pictures were quite restricted but we were not really ready for such a harsh line. He basically said no pictures at all during the whole service. Except a couple of formals with the couple signing. So, no walking in, no walking out, no long lens, nothing...I therefore kept my patience and tried to gather few shots before the bride arrived. I then sat at the back of the church to see how the priest behaved. As we approached the signing I walked towards the registrar and made sure my flash was not on and waited for the priest to be busy doing something else. I shot...and he heard the click of my film camera, and said quite loud " No pictures I told you, behave yourself or I will have you out !" The best is those situations is to play stupid. Do not try to make a point or to be right. This is a religious site for someone's wedding. We do not care if you are right or wrong. I just excused myself and said I misunderstood what he meant before the ceremony started. I then took the formal ones as planned. We got a bit of tension, but I got the picture the couple wanted.
In some cases the priest will try to intervene in your job. As an illustration I just show the hands of this priest while I am photographing the actual signing. But in some cases the priest is standing in front of me in purpose. In fact, the whole trouble comes from one's interpretation. When the couple ask if I can take pictures, the priest will always say yes. When I turn up at the church it is a slight different story. The priest indicates me where I have to stand and not move. Tells me what I should photograph and when. Sometimes the whole situation is a bit strange. Give a big smile, be nice and patient and make most of it.
Flash is always recommended as you do the formal pictures of the couple signing. It is important to use it to get the sharpest image possible but also to show off. Meaning that the parents always expect from the official photographer to have some professional equipment to be displayed and the pro flash is a good tool to make that statement. But also take as many atmospheric ones without it especially if you are working with digital. Try not to forget the witnesses too.
To conclude I would say that most of this sort of picture is very precious to the parents such as the formal group ones. You cannot afford to miss it. They are not really creative but they have to be dead right, perfectly composed and lighten up, and with good expressions. And you HAVE TO DO IT VERY QUICKLY as you have to get ready for the walking out now. No rest for the pro! Maybe 5 minutes in 3 hours time...if you are lucky.
