A little problem with candle lit ceremony

OK so I'm doing this wedding next month and the B/G decided to do a last minute change candle lit ceremony. I've

been to the church already and I have no idea how I'm going to get those shots. I have a D200 and a D80 for backup.

Both sensors are pretty much the same and we all now that ISO past 800 is not their forte. Now, flash is allowed but

that will take away the candle lit "feel" of the ceremony. I tried to drag the shutter down to 1/30 with fill flash but I'm

getting ghosting. I'm also shooting with a 50 1.8 since my 17-55 2.8 was too slow for the conditions. I've never shot a

ceremony like this. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

-Herson

Well, if you don't want to get a D300 and shoot at 3200iso, I would be considering a tripod and really good timing.

 

1/30th is no good hand held with a 50mm at iso 800 in those conditions, but...

 

1/15th with a 17mm @f2.8 and ISO 800, mounted on a tripod, may with good timing get you better shots. BTW, 1600iso on the D80 is not to bad and can easily be used with some minor PP, if the exposure is good

Maybe you could get the B&G and officiant to recreate a couple of poses just after the ceremony. That way you could get the shots and maybe even strategically place a CTO gelled strobe so it boosts the light w/o changing the mood. If they like the candle lit stuff, and they want good pictures they might just be open to something like this.

Rent a wide fast prime.

I'll second the CTO gelled strobe suggestion (although make sure you test it out ahead of time.) Try to bounce and diffuse it as much as possible so the strobe light just looks ambient and not directional.

herson - sounds to me like renting a 35mm 1.4 is in order. it will be a 55 1.4 on your camera, more or less.

Most churches will allow flash for the processional and recessional, so that leaves only the actual ceremony. During ceremonies, people don't move much, so a tripod and timing, as David said above, will work. It worked for many wedding photographers years ago when all they had was ISO 100 film with ISO 400 film being considered very fast. Even so, you will see people breathing at 1/30th, although at viewing distances, it won't look so bad.

 

The re-creation idea is always an option. But here's a thought. Combine Richard's and John's suggestion re the gelled flash, and set up bounced or directional flashes off camera flashes during the actual ceremony just to boost the overall light level, as John said. Then use them judiciously--not every second--during the actual ceremony. This can be very effective if the church interior is light in value.

 

Also, renting fast lenses is also a good idea.

Some discrete use of flash isn't likely to take away from the ceremony that much....you may also have several guests flashing away with their P&S cameras as well anyway.

Use a tripod, fast lens wide open and dial down your flash power so as not to overpower the ambiance.

 

Rick

Thank you all for all the input. I guess I'll start simulating the whole thing here in my house and see what works best.

Thanks once again.

 

-Herson

I would agree with the rest on a nice fast lens with a tripod. With those conditions, both are necessary

Rent a Canon 40D (for high iso/low noise) and a 85mm f/1.2L. Then you will question why you ever went the Nikon route in the first place and you'll have done an excellent job!

"BTW, 1600iso on the D80 is not to bad and can easily be used with some minor PP, if the exposure is good"- If this is a paid wedding I wouldn't even think about. www.LensRentals.com has a Canon body and lens waiting for you. Good luck!

geesh ... this no flash thing is waaaay overdone.

 

Just pump a mimimal amount of flash into the scene and capture moody and nice photos for the family and let's not go crazy when there's no need for it.

 

IMO.

Since the b/g decided on a candle-lit affair, ask them first if they mind a flash. Personally, I think it would ruin the candle-lit "feel."

 

I don't know much about your camera, but with film, you could use 3200 ISO tmz or Ilford's delta 3200 and get very nice results with a f/1.8 lens. Maybe the same "grain" as your dslr. Grainy does not = bad, especially in b+w.

I should clarify my above comment; I'm suggesting you try to bump up your ISO to 3200 and convert to b+w to see if it looks all right.

 

Also, be careful about going below 1/30...sometimes subject movement will cause blurring.

I would rent a d300 for the extra ISO flexibility. IT wont take much time to acclimate yourself... I just got my d300 on Thursday, and shot a wedding saturday with no hiccups. The d300 tends to decrease sharpness a bit to acheive a clean look at higher ISO, but its completely worth it IMO. Sharpness is over-rated, according to Cartier-Bresson ;)