A WEDDING photographer in Italy was shot dead after one of the hunting rifles he asked the bride and groom to pose with accidentally went off.

London's The Daily Express said Calogero Scimea, 45, had stepped in at the last minute after the couple's official photographer fell ill.

He was shot in the head as former teenage sweethearts Valentina Anitra, 22, and Ignazio Licodia, 25, were having their photographs taken at the groom's parents' home in Sicily ahead of the wedding.

Following the accident, which occurred over the weekend, the couple called off the wedding ceremony.

"From what we have been able to establish, the photographer asked the parents of the bride and groom if they had any guns to use as props in a picture," Palermo police spokesman Colonel Teo Luzi said.

"One went off, hitting him in the head, killing him. We are trying to establish if the gun went off as it was being handled by the photographer.

"The firearms were legally held but they should all be kept safe and not be handled by people who are not used to them and have no experience."

Police were continuing to investigate the incident today and said the groom’s parents could be prosecuted as the death occurred on their property.

In southern Italy, and especially on the isle of Sicily, it is traditional for guns to be fired at special family events and also festivals.