Other veteran photographers contend that the newcomers do little more than take action shots, like photojournalists, while shying away from portraits. Portraiture, they claim, requires someone with a real understanding of the subtleties of lighting. But by clicking away, the laws of probability enable novices to wind up with some decent shots.

It also doesn’t help that most people don’t want photo albums anymore. Like alcohol sales for restaurants, albums were a high-margin piece of the package, with photographers charging about three times what it cost to produce them. Now, brides just want the photo disc — and the copyrights to their photos.

Some might reasonably argue that the introduction of new technologies has always resulted in a softening of prices and a lowering of the bars to entry across any number of fields. Wedding photography is no different, and those working in the field find themselves adjusting or leaving.

Daryn Backal, 49, did a little of both. He said he once had a thriving wedding photography business in Victor, N.Y., charging $3,000 to $5,000 a wedding and bringing in about $90,000 a year. But as some new faces joined the field, charging less than $1,000, he said he saw his revenues drop to around $60,000 a year. So he moved his business to Orlando, Fla. By doing that and by working a longer, warmer wedding season, he was able to recoup some of these declines. He also got rid of his studio and cut the amount of time he worked at a wedding in half.

“I’m earning about $230 an hour,” Mr. Backal said. “That’s about what an attorney makes. And all I have to do is burn a disc and give it to the bride and I’m done. You can make money in this industry. You just have to cut your costs.”