Wedding lens at the church only !!

<p>Correction. Call it twice the reciprical of the lens. There is the crop factor (which is the source of endless debate in which I will not participate) and the fact that you may well want to enlarge the photos considerably which makes camera shake an even bigger problem. </p>

<p>Thank you so much Lee, very helpful advices. Matter of fact, I going to that church this coming Sunday to practice with a friend as a model. The bride and the groom will be wearing practically white both of them so I need to compensate to avoid a bad white balance. You are right about the priest is not my enemy and I should and I will talk to him and try to convince him about letting me get a bit closer so I can take a better shots. </p>

<p>The below rules were given to me today by the organizer of the wedding : <br>

1 - <strong>Absolutely NO flash photography during the Mass or Ceremony Proper.</strong> The Ceremony Proper is defined as the moment the couple enters the Sanctuary. During the Ceremony, only available light photography is allowed.<br>

2 - <strong>No still photography is allowed within the Sanctuary during the Mass or Ceremony.</strong> Photographers are not allowed to move around the church during the Mass or Ceremony. The photographers must stay in the center aisle.<br>

3 - <strong>Photographers must not impede the processional.</strong><br>

4 - <strong>Photographers are not allowed to shoot the processional from the head of the aisle.</strong> Photographers should shoot the processional from a pew at the middle of the aisle, stepping aside as each person approaches.<br>

5 - <strong>Only 20 minutes are allowed after the wedding for photos or videos.</strong><br>

6 - Only formal shots of the wedding party and the immediate family are allowed in the church. No inappropiate shots ( bride on grooms knee, groomsmen kissing bride, bride lying on the altar steps, etc ) are allowed.<br>

7 - If photos are to be taken at the church prior to the wedding, the wedding party must arrive no later than one hour prior to the wedding.</p>

<p>I was dazed after I read those rules. Practically, if I follow them, I will not be able to shoot the crucial moment when the couple are interchanging rings and making votes. Don't know what to do other than talk to the priest to find out if I can convince him to allow me to move to a closer angle and shoot that moment. If it was my daughter's wedding, I would be mad by not letting the photographer to shoot that moment that it is one time in lifetime practically. Unbelievable !!! </p>

<p>If you have 20 min after the wedding ceremony to get your shots then you must have a shooting plan. Given that, consider re-enacting the crucial parts of the wedding that you can't shoot (the altar shots), those can ge knocked out in 5 minutes if you know clearly what you want to do. Talk with the B&G and see if they can get their wedding party their as early as allowed so you can knock out the basic shots (groomsmen, bridesmaids, family shots etc)<br>

If you're limiting your purchase to one lens I'd suggest the 17-55, it's excellently sharp and has a very close focus so if you want a crisp shot of the B&G's hands at the altar you can get within perhaps 1.5 feet (or so) and take the shot.</p>

<p>The <a href="http://nikonglass.blogspot.com/2010/07/samyang-85mm-f14-ae-if-umc-aspherical.html">85mm f/1.4 Samyang</a> is a bargain that definitely will not disappoint! Its manual focus but it seems really easy to get sharp images with this lens.<br>

But your best investment would be to find a second hand <a href="http://www.bythom.com/nikond700review.htm">D700</a>. It will offer you much cleaner shadow detail in low lit churches. You are probably thinking it only offers 1 stop advantage but this is not so. Most people go to 800 with the D300 and most wedding photographers i know will happily go as high as 3200 IS0. But the real advantage is that the shadow noise in the D700 is so much cleaner.</p>

<p>Thanks Michael, your advice is very helpful. I will probably buy the 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR II and rent the 17-55 f/2.8 / D7000 ( as a back-up camera ) to handle this event. I am thinking to use the D7000 for those pictures without flash due to better ISO performance than the D300. I would not like to go to FX since I am not use to and I do believe the D7000 has a better clean ISO up to 3200 as well. Buy I will apply your advice and knock-out some pictures in advance as you suggested. </p>

<p><em>if you want a crisp shot of the B&G's hands at the altar you can get within perhaps 1.5 feet (or so) and take the shot.</em></p>

<p>They will not allow me to get that close. The rules said that I must be seating in the middle of the aisle and from there, be able to shoot the entire ceremony which for me, is ridiculous. So I am planning to use the 70-200 mm f/2.8 from the distance to take those shots. I have not choice I guess. The 17-55 mm will be the lens to use to knock-out group of people after the wedding. </p>