Is it rude to take pictures with a professional camera at a wedding if you aren't the photographer?

I don't think taking a bunch of candids would be rude at all. I think you would be out of place if you brought all your pro gear to do so. You know you won't need any huge lenses; you won't be 100 yards from any good subject matter. More than simple flash might be out of place too. Think for a moment. How would you feel if somebody took over your job as official photog at a job you were hired to do? Take smaller camera and enjoy the wedding and the reception.

I attended my cousin's wedding and took my camera along. They had hired a professional photographer to shoot the wedding. The professional brought his medium format camera and took only 3 or 4 rolls of film. He only shot the traditional formal and family photos. I intern shot the whole wedding and reception. Even if you are not the primary photographer, you as one of the guests are not restricted from using any particular camera to shoot your friends wedding or reception. Unless the wedding couple specifically request that the guests not take any photographs (highly unlikely) there should no reason why you can't bring your camera along. Just remember that there in no photographer that can capture every moment in time. Every photographer has a different idea how a wedding is to be taken. You will probably capture more photos of your friend than the pro because you know the subject better than the hired pro. I hope that puts your mind at ease.

I sometimes bring my "professional" camera and lens to any event where I want pictures as a remembrance. If so, I bring one camera body, one zoom lens (usually a 17-50 f/2.8, and one flash. I leave the brackets, extra bodies and lenses at home. Certainly it would be in poor taste to walk around with a backpack full of gear at a friend's wedding if you are not the official photographer. And you might PO the event photographer as well, even if you don't intend on intruding in his territory. You really don't need the whole bag of gear to make some nice shots. Just bring your favorite lens and do the stuff you enjoy best, but stay out of the paid photog's way. I used to bring an Olympus Stylus Epic to events, and have used a Canon G6 as well. If I had a digi P&S that had good low light performance, I probably would leave the SLR at home every time. The truth is, I don't attend too many formal events where I am not the event photographer.

I did that at my niece's wedding. I took special care to stay out of the hired photogs way. After all, s/he is the one trying to make a living in photography. I cleared it with my niece first and also told the pro. However, I don't see much need for a lot of extra equipment. An extra zoom lens maybe

Certainly NOT. The professional is getting paid for his job. There can be hundred other cameramen, it's none of his business. And you may shoot with a box camera or ultra-modern SLR-digtal - it's your personal affair.

As a professional photographer, I get it plenty of times that a guest wants to take a few pictures as well, and I give them the opportunity, even if it is my job. Even if theirs is bigger than mine. (Fat chance, ha!). To me, that is just good manners. But when they start to take the scene out of my control, or start to interfere with the way I take pix, then I do draw a line and keep them on the other side. More I find that the bride and groom don't like to divide their attention between photographers, after all, they are paying me a lot of money to do the job. Should another photographer become a nuisance, they soon will let that person know. Therefore - what does the bride and groom say? How do their photographer feel? That is important.

Julie...seeing how your friend knows that you are a photographer, she will probably be expecting you to show up with your camera gear :) Give her a quick call and see if she has any objections. If its OK with her, it should be ok with everyone else !! Don't interfere with the wedding photographer.

Julie, if you brought the equipment to impress the crowd, then yes it would be wrong. But if you routinely use this equipment, then why not? That's like leaving your top of the line baseball glove at home, because you're going to be playing in a sandlot game - use the equipment you bought for the reason you bought it. good luck!

if a pro is worried an amateurs images will be better than theirs the pro is crapola go shoot, have a blast -