How I Accidentally Became a Wedding Photographer (50 Years Ago)

[Tark]

A little story from half a century ago, back when I was trying to break into wedding photography.

I didn’t have a portfolio, and nobody was going to hire a bloke with nothing to show, so I did what any desperate, hungry, slightly reckless young photographer might do: I ‘eye‑dropped’ in on public‑garden weddings. I’d stand well back — fifty metres or more — with a 400mm lens and quietly shoot the ceremony from the sidelines.

After a few of these covert exercises, I had enough material to start shaping a portfolio. In one memorable case, the hired photographer was so hopeless that the couple ended up buying most of my shots instead. That was the moment I realised I might actually have something to offer.

After a handful more of these long‑range practice runs — church steps, parks, anywhere public — I finally felt ready to hang out my shingle. And it worked. It turned into a very successful business.

Was it ethical? By today’s standards, probably not. Even back then it was a bit cheeky. But it was fifty years ago, and it was the only way I could see to get started. And in the end, the couples got better photos, and I got a career. Sometimes the path in is… unconventional

 

[mmerig]

About 60 years ago, I was an "innocent bystander" to my father's experience in wedding photography. One of his friends was a professional photographer (newspaper freelancer I think) and he helped my dad get started. He stuck with it for a while, but it was a side hustle so not a big financial incentive, and he moved on to other fun stuff. I have a dim memory of him going to a Beach Boy's thing.

None of that rubbed-off on me. It is very difficult for me to take a picture of a person or people. But two friends wanted me to take their wedding picture -- just one, on a 4 by 5. That was fun for all of us minimalists.

A local back-hoe operator around here got his start by just saying "I can run a back-hoe". He'd work a job for a while, very slowly and clumsily, but eventually, after being fired a few times, became good enough to hold onto a job as long as anyone else. On the job training at its purest.

 

[Tark]

Well your dad running off to a beach boys thing (Southern California in the 60's?) to laze in the sun and chase girls must have been more fun than shooting weddings! I'm glad to hear that none of it rubbed off on you - shooting people is no cake walk either!

 

[koraks]

Was it ethical? By today’s standards, probably not.

Yeah, I was going to say that. Perhaps legally speaking it would have been OK if the weddings took place in public space, although even that is doubtful in today's legal climate. Ethically speaking, I'd consider this really, really iffy and I think if this was attempted today, the odds of getting punched in the face would be pretty big.

Sometimes the path in is… unconventional

There's that, too. I'm happy for you that you were successful and I hope your work has been to your and your clients' satisfaction. Thanks for sharing your story!

 

[Don_ih]

Was it ethical?

If you were offering the photos you took to the wedding party for sale (or even for free), it was not ethical in a professional sense. You were being a leech. But in terms of a broader view, you weren't doing anything particularly immoral. That the people in the wedding may not like you taking photos doesn't make it immoral. The backhoe operator, on the other hand, was, since he was endangering other people by being incompetent while pretending he was fully trained.

 

[Tark]

Yeah, I was going to say that. Perhaps legally speaking it would have been OK if the weddings took place in public space, although even that is doubtful in today's legal climate. Ethically speaking, I'd consider this really, really iffy and I think if this was attempted today, the odds of getting punched in the face would be pretty big.


There's that, too. I'm happy for you that you were successful and I hope your work has been to your and your clients' satisfaction. Thanks for sharing your story!

Thanks, Korak – fair call.

If someone tried this today, they’d probably be wearing a 400mm-shaped bruise before they got the lens cap off. Differentera, different expectations, ad I wouldn’t dream of doing it now.

Back then it was more a caseof a young bloke trying to find a way in without any real roadmap. No malice, no interference, just standing well back and learning the craft the only way I could at the time.

I appreciate you taking it in the spirit intended – a little slice of history, not a how-to-do guide for the present day.

 

[Tark]

If you were offering the photos you took to the wedding party for sale (or even for free), it was not ethical in a professional sense. You were being a leech. But in terms of a broader view, you weren't doing anything particularly immoral. That the people in the wedding may not like you taking photos doesn't make it immoral. The backhoe operator, on the other hand, was, since he was endangering other people by being incompetent while pretending he was fully trained.

Don, I hear you.

From a professional-standards point of view, it was definitely outside the lines – no argument there. I wasn’t trying to undercut anyone or pretend to be part of the hired crew; I was just a kid with a long lens, standing well back, trying to build enough of a portfolio to get legitimate work.

And you’re right: the backhoe example is a different beast entirely. Nobody was at risk from me quietly taking a few frames from fifty metres away. At worst, someone wondered who the bloke with the telephoto was.

It was a different time, and I’ve always looked back on it as a slightly cheeky stepping stone rather than a model of professional conduct.

 

[koraks]

Yeah, no worries; I think what you emphasize and what I understand is that this should be understood within the context of the time (and place) in which you did this. And of course there's always the personal aspect to it, in that all of us will have a different set of motivations and considerations upon which we base the ultimate call we make.

 

[Alex Benjamin]

Was it ethical?

I usually take the hard line as far as ethics are concerned, so, to my great surprise, I'm going to say you're in the clear, as long as you stuck to public places and if you did the photos in order to build a portfolio and not with the intent of selling them.

A wedding is an interesting example because, in many ways, once the actual, private, ceremony is done, it becomes a very public event. I can't see how you can have any expectation of privacy if you're going to drive out in a white luxury Limousine with flowers on its top, "Love Forever" banners on its side and tin cans attached to its rear, with a following motorcade that doesn't stop honking for the next 15 miles.

By today’s standards, probably not.

I don't think it's today's standards as much as today's technology. Fifty years ago, a portfolio was exactly what the word said it was: a folio you carried, an actual object you'd only show to prospective clients.

Today, your portfolio is on your website and on Instagram, for the world to see, including the bride, groom and wedding party, as well as the photographer who was actually paid to do the work (wait to see the comments he or she will leave on your Insta posts !). If this were the case, I would have a bit more problems giving you the thumbs up, ethics-wise.

 

[foc]

Back in 1984 I assisted at my first wedding with a local professional. He knew that I would branch out later on my own, as I told him and besides it was common at the time.

However if any one tried to duplicate his shot , he would go berserk. Such outbursts didn't do him any favours with the bridal couple. At that time the professional photographer called all the shots and the bridal couple did it his way only. Personally I thought it was too strict a set up and didn't allow for any spontaneity.

When it came to my time to set myself up, I had a chat with the bride and she recommended me to a few of her friends. I was lucky and quickly built up a portfolio.

In the 35 years since I always encouraged guests to take photos along side me. It became a unique selling point and great word of mouth credibility.

 

[MattKing]

If there was any ethical breach - which I doubt - it was probably in respect of the photographers hired, not the participants themselves.
There are a few places around this area that are frequently used to photograph wedding parties - Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver being a prime example - and the tourists and other people around often snap photos of the wedding parties, in all their finery.
I have a ~50 year experience of my own that may be the polar opposite of yours. I think I've shared this previously here.
My father and I were at Queen Elizabeth park on a busy spring Saturday. I can't remember why we were there - it is a great place to walk anyways - but I had my then relatively new Mamiya C330 with me in case any photographic opportunities presented themselves. By that time I had been photographing for many years, but had just recently started photographing weddings part time, while attending UBC as a student in the Physics department.
A young couple wearing what appeared to be formal wear and worried expressions approached us and asked if we were wedding photographers. My dad said that I photographed weddings and I guess my camera gave at least the impression he might be right .
Anyways, the couple had just completed the ceremony in their very small wedding, and had come to the park because the arrangement they had made was for a professional photographer to meet them there and take a few wedding photos for them. Apparently, they had been stood up by the photographer, and they needed photographic help.
I had film with me, and was happy to help.
We exchanged contact details, and as I thought it was good karma, I did the photography, had the negatives developed and proofs prepared at my very good pro lab and gave them to them at essentially my cost.
I figured it was good karma, and given the disappointment they had already experienced, they deserved a break.
I don't know whether I ever got any referral business from them later, but I hope they are still enjoying the photos.

 

[Tark]

Matt, that’s a terrific story – the polar opposite of my early antics, as you say.

Good on you for stepping in and giving that couple a break; being stood up on your wedding day is rough enough without losing the photos as well.

Different eras, and different ways of finding our feet in the trade. Thanks for sharing it – it rounds out the thread beautifully.

 

[Tark]

Back in 1984 I assisted at my first wedding with a local professional. He knew that I would branch out later on my own, as I told him and besides it was common at the time.

However if any one tried to duplicate his shot , he would go berserk. Such outbursts didn't do him any favours with the bridal couple. At that time the professional photographer called all the shots and the bridal couple did it his way only. Personally I thought it was too strict a set up and didn't allow for any spontaneity.

When it came to my time to set myself up, I had a chat with the bride and she recommended me to a few of her friends. I was lucky and quickly built up a portfolio.

In the 35 years since I always encouraged guests to take photos along side me. It became a unique selling point and great word of mouth credibility.

Thanks foc – that gave me a smile. Funny how many of us ended up doing weddings by accident rather than design. Looking back, half the charm of those early jobs was that we didn’t know enough to be nervous. Wedding photography is like carrying a basket of eggs on your head; one bad slip and it’s all over your face – that’s what made it the most dangerous and exciting branch of photography. Appreciate you adding your bit to the story.

 

[MattKing]

There is a fair number of people here who have had a lot of involvement in photography - both the personal side, and the business.
In my case, I essentially was born into the world. By the time of that story my father had been working for Canadian Kodak/Kodak Canada for ~30 years, and more than half of the part-time and summer work I'd done were related to the photography world.
I joke some times that I had Kodachrome running through my veins in my youth, because my dad was Customer Service manager at the Kodak Kodachrome and Ektachrome processing lab in North Vancouver, BC.
Essentially, I evolved into wedding photography work, and enjoyed it thoroughly, on a part-time basis, until I made the decision to pursue an entirely unrelated career, knowing that I would be more happy and satisfied if I reserved photography for the joy of it, rather than as a source of income.

 

[Tark]

I usually take the hard line as far as ethics are concerned, so, to my great surprise, I'm going to say you're in the clear, as long as you stuck to public places and if you did the photos in order to build a portfolio and not with the intent of selling them.

A wedding is an interesting example because, in many ways, once the actual, private, ceremony is done, it becomes a very public event. I can't see how you can have any expectation of privacy if you're going to drive out in a white luxury Limousine with flowers on its top, "Love Forever" banners on its side and tin cans attached to its rear, with a following motorcade that doesn't stop honking for the next 15 miles.



I don't think it's today's standards as much as today's technology. Fifty years ago, a portfolio was exactly what the word said it was: a folio you carried, an actual object you'd only show to prospective clients.

Today, your portfolio is on your website and on Instagram, for the world to see, including the bride, groom and wedding party, as well as the photographer who was actually paid to do the work (wait to see the comments he or she will leave on your Insta posts !). If this were the case, I would have a bit more problems giving you the thumbs up, ethics-wise.

You’re right: the technology of the time made a huge difference. A portfolio back then was a leather folio shown to one or two prospective clients, not something broadcast to the world.

And yes, the public-private line around weddings was different too. Once the ceremony was over, the whole thing spilled into parks, church steps, gardens – very public spaces.

My intent was exactly as you describe: to learn the craft and build enough of a portfolio to get legitimate work, not to poach or undercut anyone.

Different era, different tools, different expectations.

Thanks for taking time to lay it out so clearly.

 

[reddesert]

Matt's story reminded me of a slightly different angle. A relative of mine got married without a ceremony, in the NYC borough of Queens at the Queens County Courthouse. Quite a few couples were getting married similarly. Only a few witnesses could go in with the couple, so some of us were waiting outside at a sort of walkway / lawn. So I got to watch an enterprising photographer at work, set up on the lawn. He had a white archway as a prop - he may have also had some balloons or flowers - and could take a series of photos of a couple under his archway with the grassy backdrop. I don't recall if he was using instant film, or digital with the promise of prints later. But the whole setup was both opportunistic and delightful. Many of the couples surely were getting married at the courthouse because their circumstances or finances didn't allow for throwing a big party, but they were dressed up nevertheless, and why shouldn't they also get to have a formal portrait on the occasion?

 

[mmerig]

If you were offering the photos you took to the wedding party for sale (or even for free), it was not ethical in a professional sense. You were being a leech. But in terms of a broader view, you weren't doing anything particularly immoral. That the people in the wedding may not like you taking photos doesn't make it immoral. The backhoe operator, on the other hand, was, since he was endangering other people by being incompetent while pretending he was fully trained.

At the risk of drifting too far into ethics rather than photography, the backhoe story is a little more complicated. Most if not all causes of backhoe accidents are from employers cutting-corners, after a hole is dug competently. Still, an experienced backhoe operator dug a hole for me and made two mistakes: he broke a pipe that I asked him to watch out for, and piled the dirt right next to the hole, which risked a collapse. After that, I rented backhoes and did the work myself (for my own purposes). They are not that hard to figure out, and people naturally stay out of the way at construction sites. The story I mentioned was second-hand, from a friend that works in construction. My impression from the story was that he did not present himself as an expert. It's common for people to start working construction jobs and gradually improve their skills, and the pay goes up accordingly. To quote a phrase, "Eighty percent of success is showing up".

 

[Tark]

Matt's story reminded me of a slightly different angle. A relative of mine got married without a ceremony, in the NYC borough of Queens at the Queens County Courthouse. Quite a few couples were getting married similarly. Only a few witnesses could go in with the couple, so some of us were waiting outside at a sort of walkway / lawn. So I got to watch an enterprising photographer at work, set up on the lawn. He had a white archway as a prop - he may have also had some balloons or flowers - and could take a series of photos of a couple under his archway with the grassy backdrop. I don't recall if he was using instant film, or digital with the promise of prints later. But the whole setup was both opportunistic and delightful. Many of the couples surely were getting married at the courthouse because their circumstances or finances didn't allow for throwing a big party, but they were dressed up nevertheless, and why shouldn't they also get to have a formal portrait on the occasion?

That’s a great image, Red Desert — the archway on the lawn, couples lining up for their moment, and a photographer who clearly knew how to read the room. Big wedding or courthouse quickie, everyone still wants that one photo to mark the day. Lovely memory — thanks for adding it.

 

[Don_ih]

people naturally stay out of the way at construction sites

They really don't. There is a great assumption of competence when it comes to machine operators. I've routinely seen a guy with a shovel standing while a backhoe digs a hole at his feet. It's an everyday sight. It's also normal for guys to be cleaning the bottom of foundation trenches while the machine is moving along the top. I had to do that, actually, long ago. When the concrete's coming, you don't waste time.

Most machine operators learn on the job. But it's known that they're learning. Injuring someone else because you misrepresented your competence (i.e., lied) is immoral. Frankly, the lying itself is immoral. So, it's not that complex.

Incidentally, at least here, you currently won't get work operating any heavy machinery without documentation of several training courses. That on-the-job training now starts in a classroom. You can still rent a small machine for personal use (but not on a commercial construction site).

 

[Alex Benjamin]

the technology of the time made a huge difference. A portfolio back then was a leather folio shown to one or two prospective clients, not something broadcast to the world.

My intent was exactly as you describe: to learn the craft and build enough of a portfolio to get legitimate work, not to poach or undercut anyone.

Indeed, if we're talking portfolio as physical object, only to be viewed by prospective clients, that doesn't mean that there is no ethical conundrum, but it remains between you and your conscience.

Publish it all on your website, Facebook and Instagram, the ethical conundrum is now between you and the world.