The Dangers of Using Docks for Wedding Photography

Photography Tips  •  Wedding Photography

Many people find it very important that their wedding day go exactly as planned and no mishaps occur. While some things can be entirely out of one’s control, it is the responsibility of the photographer to ensure that no accidents happen during the wedding photo shoot. A photo of the entire wedding party on a dock can be very elegant, as long as the dock can handle the weight of that many people at one time. If it doesn’t, it can be quite hazardous to the wedding party:

There have been several other documented occurrences of this. The dock breaks under pressure, and the entire wedding party falls into a large body of water. With a strong sense of humor, it can be taken lightly. But for some this would be deemed a wedding disaster.

If you or your clients insist on photos being taken on a dock, make sure the dock is very sturdy, that the number of people on the dock is kept to a minimum, and that the ceremony has already taken place, so the wedding doesn’t have to go on with the entire wedding party drenched (Via Resource Mag and Petapixel)

It’s also a good idea to warn your clients ahead of time that such accidents have happened to others, and very well could happen to them.

In this other example, The wedding party fell into Gun Lake in Shelbyville, Michigan after the dock that they were standing on broke while posing for photos:

Any dock that looks like it is rotting should definitely not be used:

Best to keep the wedding party away from old docks so they can stay dry at the wedding reception!