wedding, HELP!

<p>A friend of my wife's is getting married in a couple of weeks. Both she and her guy are, shall we say, older. They are not all googley-eyed about the wedding. In an attempt to save some money, they decided to not hire a photographer. Knowing I might be interested my wife offered my services. They were very happy to have me shoot. (Obviously they have never seen any of my work) At any rate, on Sept. 5, I'll be shooting the wedding - no money, no pressure. So any bits of advice you experienced wedding people can offer would be appreciated. I know there is a specific wedding forum here at p.net but I feel like I know you all better and would rather hear from you right now. I plan to use my Pentax K10D since I have better glass for it. I have the DA 50-135, DA 35 Ltd, Sigma 105, Sigma 17-35 and the 340 flash. I can also borrow my daughter's FA 50mm 1.4. Thanks in advance for your help.</p>

<p>Robert, I don't do weddings, but you know I'm going to tell you the first rule of wedding photography is Don't Do Weddings. Get out of it while you can! Save yourself!</p>

<p>John: HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA</p>

<p>Robert: It's ok to ask here. (the people are much friendlier to 'wedding newbies' and tolerant of Pentax!)<br>

If that 50 - 135 is the DA*, put it on the camera and don't worry about taking it off (until the reception, or if you're taking formals). Most people don't worry about the flash during the ceremony anymore, so put it on too.<br>

Sorry, I'm a bit distracted right now, so I'll come back w/ more in a little bit</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Robert, I'm always impressed when my wife thinks enough of my skills to volunteer me. . .</p>

<p>Maria's advice I would take to heart.</p>

<p>In addition to the 50-135, I would take the FA 50 1.4 to cover any low-light, non-flash shooting situations. Things can appear warmer and more intimate that way. Also the Sigma 17-35 for group shots. I assume fitting lots of people in a frame will be a memory photo. Finally, if you haven't used the flash in a while, spend a few hours between now and the 5th practicing. Not just technical stuff, but timing the recharge rate and longevity of the batteries. Dig up a bracket, reflector, and diffuser if you can, it will help.</p>

<p>ME</p>

<p >I’m very familiar with the “Oh by the way, you Volunteered” method of accepting photo gigs. It happens in my house all the time.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Weddings aren’t a bad way to spend a day photographing...most of the time. As Maria said HAHAHAHAHA.......</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I agree with Maria concerning the 50 - 135 DA* but I also like my 16 - 50 DA* and must admit I tend to use it most followed by the 50 - 135 DA* and then my 12 - 24 F4 ED. But not to confuse you, stick with what you are most comfortable with. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >The little bit of advice I can pass on is: Learn to use the basic functions (bounce, fill etc.) of your flash well. And as Michael notes, a bounce card/reflector and diffuser is a must. I use a number of smaller cards ( 2 - 4 gig) rather than one large one and <em><strong>the most important</strong></em> bit of advice is: Have Fun.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >When Maria comes back, you will have all you need to know, she is a fountain of wedding knowledge.</p>

 

<p>"no money, no pressure" That's <strong><em>not</em> </strong> a proven formula, Robert--ask Mis & Garry. I'm pretty confident you'll do fine but my advice would be to keep their expectations pretty low just in case. If it were me, I'd certainly encourage them to recruit other photographers (&/or do so myself) just as a hedge.</p>

<p>Quite right, Dave!</p>

<p>After shooting my first (and only, so far) wedding, the #1 thing I learnt was: Check the flippin' radio transmitter to make sure the battery isn't dead or otherwise you'll find yourself shooting without flash. I just pretended that I was a purist and <em>Available Light</em> was my style.</p>

<p>Is it an indoor wedding in a church? Then f/2.8 might not be fast enough! Definitely hold on to that FA 50mm f/1.4. If you're going to use flash, then f/2.8 is fine.</p>

<p>Peter Zack has written a couple articles about wedding photography that you might want to check out:</p>

 

<h2 id="post-1474"><a title="Permanent Link: Shooting Weddings Part 1 – Getting Started" rel="bookmark" href="http://enticingthelight.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/shooting-weddings-getting-started-part-1/" title="Permanent Link: Shooting Weddings Part 1 – Getting Started">Shooting Weddings Part 1 – Getting Started</a></h2>

<h2 id="post-1855"><a title="Permanent Link: Shooting Weddings Part 2 – Equipment" rel="bookmark" href="http://enticingthelight.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/shooting-weddings-%e2%80%93-equipment-part-2/" title="Permanent Link: Shooting Weddings Part 2 – Equipment">Shooting Weddings Part 2 – Equipment</a></h2>

<p>Oh, one <strong>very important</strong> point: <em>Take a back-up body.</em> No buts or ifs, you need a back-up body in case your K10D decides to die on that day.</p>

<p>PS: B&W is your friend :-)</p>

<p>I found this site interesting when looking at using a flash, he mainly uses wedding photos as examples which should give some inspiration:<br /> <br /> http://www.planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/ <br /> <br /> His approach is to make flash not look like flash - looks pretty good.<br /> <br /> I would also explain to your wife that as she volunteered your services, you now need to upgrade to a K-7 to able to do the job properly ;-)</p>

<p>rent a backup body and put the 16-50 on it, or borrow your daughter's camera w/ the 50/1.4. Get a backup flash.</p><p>And AAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Buy that K7 now...it'll give you an extra stop of performance which you'll find useful in dark churches :-)</p><p><br></p>

<p>John, thanks for that advice. I can assure you I have no intentions of quitting my day job.<br>

Maria, I know you're busy. How's the little guy doing? I look forward to hear from you, whenever you get a chance.<br>

Michael, yes, I definitely need practice with the flash. I will do that!<br>

Scot, to be fair, my wife did check with me first. And I do hope to have fun. The couple's plan was to purchase disposable cameras (which they already did) and put one at each table for people to take shots with. So clearly they were hoping people would have fun. <br>

Dave, I knew someone would challenge my "no money, no pressure" theory. Of course, you are right. I'm already nervous. But I do plan to make sure they know that not only am I NOT a pro, but I don't have nearly the full range of equipment that a pro would have. <br>

Mis, thanks for the links to Peter's articles. I just read them and they were useful. Now if I only had $20,000 to spend. And yes, I do plan to take the Canon 50D I just purchased. I only have two fairly slow lenses for it so far, so it really will be just a backup. I could use it for some outside shots as the wedding is in the middle of the day.<br>

Scott, thanks for the link to the flash article. I just looked at it. I bookmarked it and will look it over soon.</p>

<p>Note that the planetneil techniques absolutely depend on having a flash with swivel, which the 360 does not have.</p>

<p>Not to worry though, pop up the built in and put it on wireless commander (practice first!!!), and you can point the 360 anywhere you want.</p>

<p>Ask the B&G who they must have pictures of. I did a party once and only took pictures I thought were interesting. Few if any pictures of people at table. Strangely, they didn't ask me the next year.</p>

<p>1. Check SR is on.<br>

2. Check ISO.<br>

3. Check AF setting.<br>

4. Check all cards are empty and okay.<br>

5. Check batteries charged.<br>

8. Take all of your gear, including charger and card reader.<br>

9. The items you left at home will be the ones you need.<br>

10. HAHAHAHAHAHA! And good luck!</p>

<p>I shot a reception recently for a friend, most used lenses were the DA40 and the 50-135, with the DA21 getting a few shots. I forgot point one above until half way through the proceedings. Oh, and stay away from the champagne unless auto everything is on.</p>

<p>Okay, Robert, but proceed with confidence! I've seen your photos; I know you can do it. </p>

<p>Hey, that link over to planet neil is a pretty good one. I recently made a fair amount of use of the backwards bounce flash technique discussed there when photographing some people indoors. </p>

<p>It offered two clear advantages: 1., the photos came out great and 2., (unexpected, but logical) as long as I was in the same room (smaller rooms) and once I figured out the first bounce setting for the exposure, I could pretty much ride that exposure without adjustment for many photos in a row. There were some exceptions, but overall, I saw a great reduction in a need to recalculating flash exposure. Very helpful. </p>

<p>Robert, I did one of these "no money, no pressure" weddings this spring, so here are some thoughts.<br>

1. There will be a certain amount of pressure regardless, so roll with it.<br>

2. Ask the bride/groom if there are any particular shots they have their heart set on. Some wedding shots are fairly standard, there are books and websites dealing with them, but each wedding is unique. What you don't want to hear later is, "I thought we'd get ..."<br>

3. Beyond that, be creative. Some of the truly best shots are spontaneous. Be open to the moment, and when in doubt, shoot. Take LOTS of cards.<br>

4. If at all possible, check out the venue beforehand; it will help you decide on lenses. The wedding I shot was outdoors with a cast of hundreds in the rain. I wound up using a 28-300 a lot, which I never would have chosen going in but the normal suggested lenses wouldn't have done the job. You just haven't lived till you see the bride in full dress riding up to the service on the back of a Harley. ;)<br>

5. Wear comfortable shoes that let you move. Move you will.<br>

I wound up with great photos and some extremely happy people, you can too. But shooting weddings is kind of like running a marathon, so prepare and go with the flow.</p>

<p>If you have some film cameras floating around... say a old fashioned 6x7 medium format - set up a tripod and do some portraits :) Those large negatives totally ROCK! :D<br>

I'm sure everyone has old classic medium format cameras in one corner of the house or other. :) </p>

 

<p>Well, shoot Robert, I didn't think it would take me 10 days to get back! I really want to type w/ 2 hands, you wouldn't believe how long it took to type my 1 thing up there w/ one hand while the little guy decided to eat! (And since that's all he does, I only have 2 hands from 11pm - 4 am) Charlie doing better than good - he's gained over 4lbs in 5 weeks. OUCH! Girls are seriously attempting to love him to death. And it's amazingly easier to work weddings w/o carrying him around inside!!! :D</p>

<p>ok.... <strong>General Stuff</strong><br>

So during a ceremony we use the DA* 16 - 50 because it's the fastest & prettiest glass we have. And I'm crying for the 50 - 135 for during the ceremony while Matt laughs at me (LBA hitting hard over here). During a reception I rarely wish to be closer than the 50 - except for shooting B&G hands only during the first dance. I like to stay wide while people are partying, obviously there's more action within the viewfinder when you're wider.</p>

<p>I'll skip flash - other than to agree w/ everybody the bounce or diffuser is your friend.<br>

Well, one more thing. I'm about to start shooting w the flash in A mode, w/ the camera in M set almost to proper exposure for the situation, using the flash as a touch of fill. It's been working a little more consistently, and looks better than using TTL or P-TTL. We use the 540 flash.</p>

<p>I'd say you should feel comfy walking around during the ceremony - even to the back of the stage so you can get their faces!! (No being shy - reference: "A picture I would have loved to take" thread !! )<br>

I usually sit one or 2 rows right behind the grooms family - it's a good spot for the processional, ring exchange, and kiss, without getting right up front next to the officiant. Then I slide to the back for a few shots during the ceremony, and back up for the kiss & announcement, then sprint to the back for recessional.<br>

It's your choice if you make them stop during the processional so you can get a shot - but most people don't do that anymore.<br>

multiple sets of batteries for that flash! They get a little low, shots get missed bad<br>

Ditto Ian's check list</p>

<p><strong>Portraits</strong><br>

keep everybody standing close together, and don't let anybody stand square to the camera.<br>

People look better w/ their faces off axis to the camera. Slight turn, slight tilt to the head.</p>

<p><strong>Reception</strong><br>

Hyper-focal trick. With the 16 - 50, pull back to 16, set the focus ring just in front of infinity, don't get too close (stay about 3 - 5ft away min), point and shoot. From strange angles. Like standing on a chair, pointing up from the floor and so on. It's a lot of fun. Good luck getting it framed right if you don't look through the VF, but shoot from the hip, and nobody will even realize you're shooting!</p>

<p>I know there's more, but my brain is shutting down, and frankly, i really really want the 4 or 5 hrs sleep I should get if I go to bed right this second. <br>

Please please feel free to ask any specific question - I really really feel like I'm missing something huge I wanted to toss at you</p>