Hilarious Short Film Makes a Strong Case for Unplugged Weddings

We're all aware of the problems that come from wedding guests with DSLRs or an addiction to selfies, but perhaps never before has the issue been captured so succinctly and hilariously. "Unplugged" simultaneously shows the frustration of the modern wedding photographer and makes a strong case for guests to sit down, put their cameras and phones away, and simply enjoy the ceremony, all while giving us a good chuckle in the process.

If you've ever photographed a wedding, you've no doubt dealt with the flurry of Uncle Bobs and guests vying to be the first to post a cell phone shot on Facebook. Views on how (or if) to handle these situations are mixed, but there's no arguing that it makes the hired photographer's job more difficult and frustrating. Luckily, the folks at SLF Weddings have a lighthearted take on it that serves as a great commentary on not only the issue specific to those of us that work in the industry, but perhaps on how we experience important events as a whole. Give it a watch, and maybe send it to prospective clients to encourage them to go unplugged!

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Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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17 Comments

A lot of this problem comes from guests believing that the photographer is going to try to sell them prints, so they figure that they can take it themselves for free.

I do offer prints for sale through my website. Usually the older folks just buy them instead of hassling with download and printing themselves.

True!

great video...but sadly it's true....

Hmmm. Sorry it really isn't hilarious. It needs a much tighter script and some strong direction/acting.

Horrible acting

Some of the reactions are not in keeping with the dialogue. Very poor.

Yeah the officiant seemed extremely hesitant every time he wanted to talk. I could barely follow it! Good concept...poor execution.

I guess that all "actors" are actually working wedding photographers.

And what ISO was the videographer using? Was it a C300? 'Cause I thought I saw some noise at 3:19.

This is one of those videos where its saying as much about some kinds of wedding photographers as it does about some of the problems discussed.

lol, the guy with the telephoto lens and all the gear hanging around his neck is exactly the kind of person that would annoy me..

I've had a guy looking like this asking me if i'd set my own exposure triangle... He actually asked me as i was shooting so i was kinda flabbergasted and told him i didn't know what he was talking about.. Than he laughed and said you don't know what that means? All i was thinking is.. i was shooting with a 3 light setup combined with natural light.. And he's asking me this?
It's okay that these people love photography and want to practice it as much as possible but when someone is working, let them do their work, ask your questions when we're done or when we're not busy..

I'm personally not into wedding photography so i very rarely encounter these situations. When i attend a friends wedding i don't take my camera with me, i don't even use my phone to take pictures.. I've been asked to shoot a friends wedding and i turned it down.. because i'd miss all the emotion and interaction with my fellow guests.. The experience is totally different when behind a camera, and you can't drink beer.. and i love beer...

When this happens to me, in a very professional manor let them know they're in my shot and I'm pretty sure the bride and groom would like a few open aisle pics. Or I make a joke and say hey want to have a contest to see which one of us get a better shot? :)~

The worst and I mean the absolute worst is when you are up high, like on a chair setting up a huge group shot of like 30 people, and someone starts saying, "oh give him my phone, oh yea take one with mine"... I have had people stack up a half dozen phones under me as I am directing people where to stand. Its the immediacy of our time that is the problem, timeliness is more valuable than quality/fidelity or even art.

Keeping guests from crowding the isle or standing with their cell phones is my assistants first job during the ceremony and first dance.

Check out Yondr for the solution to the issue of phones at weddings, bar mitzvahs and other special events... https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/yondr-unplugged-san-francisco/b46b7772f1...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhochman/2016/10/25/inviting-guests-to-a...

I've been an Uncle Bob in the past and given the attitude of the photographers that made this video, I really don't care ;)