What is the proper etiquette when posting wedding pictures on Facebook?

Let's say you go to a friend's wedding and you take some pictures with your camera or phone.  Do you post them on Facebook the next day?  Should you?

First, a little history..

As a professional wedding photographer, I see a ton of wedding pictures online.  Every wedding that I shoot will be well documented on Facebook by friends and family long before I ever post an image myself.  As a rule, I don't post any images online until the couple have been to their viewing.  I think that the couple should have the honor of seeing everything in my viewing room before they go out to the world.  I don't want my client to come home from their honeymoon and discover that everyone has seen their wedding images except them.

That doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of pictures on Facebook the day after the wedding because everyone has a camera and everyone posts on Facebook.

The infamous "P" mode on a Canon camera.

A former student of mine wrote me last week about a conversation she had with the photographer at a wedding:

"She said she had no idea how to use settings and they all only use the Program mode, same thing I was told at the rehearsal the day before. So I thought...hum....thought Booray said not to use P mode and I think I even remember a comment about why do they put it on the camera...."

This is clearly an invitation for me to use my vast knowledge and razor sharp wit to wax philosophically about the infamous "P" mode.

( Lately I've been trying to work on my self-control.  I'm using self-control to eat fewer sweets.  I'm using self-control to not honk at people in the pick-up line at my daughter's school.  And, right now, I'm using tremendous self-control to refrain from commenting on the fact that my student met a wedding photographer who doesn't know how to use the settings on her camera...)

First, let's start with the "Auto" mode on a Canon camera.  The "Auto" mode is the one with the little green rectangle on the dial.  When you set your camera in "Auto" mode, you give all control to the camera.  It determines the exposure, pops up your flash if you need it, sets the ISO for you and re-balances the funds in your 401K.

Never use the "Auto" mode.