There's an old philosophy puzzle: how many stones make a pile? Is three stones or four stones a "pile"? Well, maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, but 12 stones definitely is.
Similarly, 12 camera people is definitely too many.
Four is probably too many if you have fewer than ten guests.
Why would you get 12 camera people? Well, here's one way:
- Bride's side employs a standard team for a larger wedding: two photographers and two videographers (body count: 4)
- Groom's side employs a team as well (body count: 8)
- Bride's family wants livestream (body count: 9)
- Bride really loves a particular photographer, and groom is reluctant to forego a deposit already paid (body count: 10)
- Head of a wedding company says, "This is a really big job. I've got to be there to supervise it" (body count: 11)
- He also thinks, "This would be a great opportunity for one of my newer guys to learn on the job" (body count: 12).
There's other ways to reach twelve as well. For instance, maybe one team brings a behind-the-scenes person. Maybe the bride/groom adds a social media content creator to film on their phone. And maybe the decorator or venue or band or even the caterer wants their social media person there as well.
At this point, everyone with a camera is doing the best they can, but it's inevitably sheer freaking chaos. The cameras are all getting in each other's shots or blocking each other. At the photo shoot, there's ten different people shouting instructions at the couple. And, often, no one ends up getting a shot at all.
