How to take better wedding pictures (as a guest)

The compulsion to take our "proper" camera along to a wedding is a strong one, yet turning up with tripod in hand and fully-charged flashgun isn't the way to go about it. If you're heading to a celebration this summer, here's how you can have fun on the big day, take some great shots, and end the evening with everyone still smiling.

Photographer at work

The first rule of taking pictures as a guest is: never, EVER obstruct, distract or annoy the official photographer. They're at work, and it's their job to capture this once-in-a-lifetime event: if you pop up in front of them and block their view of the precise moment when the happy couple kiss for the first time, they will NOT be pleased. Believe us when we say that Hell hath no fury like a photographer scorned. Stay polite, respectful and give them the space they need, and you might even be able to draw them into a chat about lenses over a drink once they've clocked off for the day.

Pros in the know

Although you shouldn't bother the pro, it certainly doesn't mean you shouldn't watch what they're doing. Observing a true professional at work is fascinating, and a real opportunity to learn some tips for your own photography. Try thinking about why they're capturing the shots they seem to be taking, or what settings they might be using - consider the creative approaches offered by the venue, or where you might position the couple for that all important first portrait. Just make sure you stop short of telling the photographer how to do their job…

Focus your mind (and your camera)

As the official pro's turning their attention to covering the main event, you could try thinking up a project which would make a beautiful record of the day but which the professional might not have considered. Why not set yourself the challenge of shooting every pair of shoes at the wedding? Take down each person's name as well, and a photobook of the collection would make a beautiful gift. Or, turn your lens on the wedding rings of the other guests and create something truly touching. Whatever you decide to focus on, be polite & respectful at all times: it's the couple's big day, not yours.

Be original

Just because you've seen the photographer line up a shot doesn't mean you have to take it as well: equally, if the whole congregation is invited to take pictures, there are plenty more photographic opportunities to be found away from the pack. Why not get behind the happy couple, and take a picture of all the cameras pointed at them? (Make sure you're not in shot as well or you might have a host of grumpy guests to deal with!)

Go the distance

Chances are that the official photographer will head home at some point in the evening - so this is when you're free to capture the magic. Have some fun with long exposures or first/rear-curtain flash, to create atmospheric portraits as your friends carve up the dancefloor. Get a GoPro up high to shoot time lapses of the evening's entertainment, or strap a fish-eye lens to the front of your camera to capture a unique perspective on events.

If you've shot some stunning images of a wedding celebration where you weren't the official pro, we'd love to see them: tag in Jessops on Twitter and Instagram or upload them to our Facebook…