There was a bit of a stooshie the other day when the media picked up on a story about a petition signed by more than 900 wedding photographers complaining that some members of the clergy were making it difficult for them to take photos during church weddings. What surprised me most is that it’s taken so long. Photographer Rachel Roberts wrote her open letter to priests and vicars back in 2016 but whatever – it prompted me to write this letter to The Guardian

As I said, my heart goes out to them, because it doesn’t have to be this way.

“In a humanist wedding, the couple are marrying in the presence of their family and friends. There may well be gods present – there have been thousands in human history – but humanist wedding ceremonies focus on the history of the relationship, the couple’s hopes for the future, and the promises they’re making to realise them. We know that long after our words are forgotten, the photographs and videos will serve as a reminder of those promises, and that’s why we do our utmost to ensure that image makers get all the shots they need to capture those special moments.”

As a former producer and director, I know how important those images are, so my ground rule is that I will always do my best to help photographers and videographers, and that’s why I wrote this post which I always ask my wedding couples to share with them well beforehand.