For Better, or For Worse: Photographing in a Digitally Cluttered Crowd

In recent years, smartphones have been utilized to photograph treasured moments. However, some are unaware they are distracting others in events such as weddings. The distracting smartphone user could potentially obstruct professional wedding photographers and hinder them from capturing priceless shots. The purpose of this thesis is to research the motive behind the addictive nature of smartphones and potentially decrease the number of smartphone pictures taken during the wedding ceremonies. The goal of this study is to bring awareness to the problem and to create a mobile application, which could then reduce the intrusiveness of smartphones during weddings. The researcher will observe wedding ceremonies in the United States, interview several wedding planners and other photographers to see if they have any suggestions for correcting “guest photographers,” and survey the general public to note their experience with cellphones at weddings