In my earlier days of photographing weddings, I used to get nervous when guests pulled out there cameras. They some times seemed more confident than me, their lens were sometimes actually better than mine and I generally doubted myself.
Years go on, you gain confidence and you buy better lenses. More importantly you understand how to use your equipment. You learn to trust yourself. And most importantly you know why your couples hired you. Your eyes. The way you see things.
At a recent wedding I was talking with one of the guests about taking pictures. He had taken his camera to the wedding, had a nice canon camera with a big expensive lens on. As we talked, he told me how much he loved photography but hadn’t taken his camera out in the last 9 months. I thought right then how lovely it was. That he was enjoying himself, taking pictures of his friends at their wedding.
Guests pictures are no less important than mine, or yours. So how about next time a guests pulls out their camera – even if it better than yours – smile, don’t get nervous – and trust that your couples hired you – for you.