Is it wrong to go to (and shoot) a church ceremony if not invited?

I'm looking to get some practice shooting weddings and low light situations. Is it wrong to 'pop-in' and shoot at a church ceremony? No reception, just the ceremony, no lighting, etc..., just shooting from the back of the church. I'm under the assumption that weddings are 'public', is this true? I honestly think people wouldn't even notice me as an uninvited guest, but again, do you need to be invited to attend the ceremony? I'm in a regular-Joe town, there aren't any really fancy or high-class churches, just your average run of the mill churches.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

~Ace

I wouldn't want some stranger at a wedding I was attending/shooting/par​t of. It's called crashing the party.

Yeah going to some random wedding and taking pictures wouldn't be a good idea, good potential to really piss some people off. I'd just find something else with similar lighting conditions to get practice. Could also talk to someone at the church and make arrangements to come take pictures at a more convenient time when your not possibly interrupting or intruding on a ceremony.

Is it illegal? No. Would you get thrown out? Probably not. Is it wrong? Most certainly.

If you want practice in low light, shoot in the church before or after a regular service. Practice at home. Shooting in low light doesn't take much practice other than getting the right settings and holding the camera steady. You don't need someone else's wedding going on in front of you to practice that.

You might want to contact a professional or someone you know who's getting married and practice one of those ways. Crashing a stranger's wedding with your camera just isn't cool. I don't think anyone would care if you just stood back there and watched, but you're talking about making noise and moving around. You're not talking about merely attending.

I wouldn't do it.

I don't think that it is a good idea. I can see someone getting really upset and you or your gear could get hurt.

Never.

You could post a CL ad offering to shoot a free wedding for someone who can't afford photography. Be honest about your lack of experience and donate your photos to them.

Don't do it. How would you feel if some stranger was shooting your wedding? I'd beat their arse if it was mine.

It is not illegal, but that would be wrong on a million different other levels. don't do it.

Ace and Deuce wrote in post #15764243
I'm under the assumption that weddings are 'public', is this true?

The word "public" has a variety of legal connotations, however:
1) Churches are private property in the US, and notwithstanding the fact that they generally invite the public to worship, they have the same authority as any other private property owner, they can ask people to leave, and can file criminal trespass charges against those who refuse to leave.
2) Weddings in churches are religious ceremonies and common decency requires us to respect the religious significance of the event.
3) No matter how discreet you try to be, there's no way to take pictures during a solemn ceremony without being a distraction to someone.

Please don't do it.
How about practice elsewhere and look for wedding assistance/2nd shooter job to be in the location (officially)?

nothing wrong with attending an unknown wedding at a church, as long as you do so appropriately - I see walkins in churches all the time, they usually sit near the back, don't attract any attentions to themselves, etc...
and I've sat in at weddings just to get a look and feel for the church on off days...

but to bring a camera and start walking around taking pics - now that would be wrong...

It's weird. If it was my wedding I'd be really pissed off. You can't use the images anyway, you could get sued, and you could get beaten up for being a pervert weirdo.