Context, and why it’s important

When I shoot weddings, I’m not paying a lot of attention to the minutiae all of the time, but I am paying a lot to context. What’s context? Context is focusing on the subjects and the background. For example, when I shoot the cake cutting, I always stand behind the cake so I can photograph this couple, and the guests. Many photographers shoot couples from the side, and miss the context… in this instance the guests. After all, shooting the couple cake cutting without guests screams a staged shot. The guests make all of the difference.