A new, very scared photographer in need of advice and guidance

<p>Hi everyone,<br>

I'm a newbie! I have two wedding's booked this Fall (My first I will be doing alone) and I am absolutely scared beyond belief. <br>

My equipment:<br>

Nikon D5100, SB-910 Flash, Sigma 10-20mm, Nikon 50mm 1.8, Nikon 18-55mm, Tamron 70-300mm, and a Speedlite YN460. </p>

<p>I've been having a lot of trouble with focusing...Not sure what is wrong. Lately, a lot of my images have been coming out blurry. I am worried something is wrong with my camera. To be perfectly honest, I am still learning the technical parts of photography. I never went to school for photography, I just went for general art. I mainly use manual, but even if I'm in auto it still looks funny. Like, the edges are blurry. I cant let this happen at the wedding's. Maybe I should get my camera cleaned? <br>

I was also wondering if I should add the Nikon 16-85mm 3.5f to my list of lenses? Would that be a good wedding lens? I would love to get the 24-70mm 1.8 but I cant afford it. </p>

<p>Thanks everyone for reading!!! </p>

<p>-Jessica Britton</p>

<p>Is the image you attached to your post an example of the trouble you're having? If not, can you attach an example?<br /><br />You really don't want to be booking weddings while you're wrestling with fundamental technique issues. </p>

<p>Jessica, can you post the original out-of-camera image with EXIF intact? What you've posted is 6000x4000 pixels. </p>

<p>Jessica,</p>

<p>You need to work this out methodically. Unless there is something wrong with the focus programming/electronics in your camera, the reason for out of focus issues is not hard to find. <br>

1) Is it out of focus on ALL of your lenses ?</p>

<p>2) Have you tested this in good light and not so good light ? </p>

<p>3) What shutter speeds have you tried ? </p>

<p>4) What apertures ? </p>

<p>5) Have you tested this with a tripod ? </p>

<p>6) Do you have any filters on the lenses all the time that could be dirty ? </p>

<p>You have to rule out a problem with one lens having an issue vs. a camera issue. I need to make sure it's not that your shooting at slower shutter speeds than is best, especially if your are hand holding. A dirty camera sensor will NOT make your shots out of focus. You get dark spots, when you shoot with the smaller apertures where the dust particles are. <br>

Why do you think you need a new lens ? Are there shots you miss when changing lenses ? </p>

<p> </p>

<p>The image I attached on the first post I took with my 50 1.8 and I could have sworn it was perfect, it looked perfect/clear on the camera but when I uploaded the image it just looked blurry. Half of them did. I need to test out everything, but I think something is either wrong with me or wrong with the camera because this has happened with multiple lenses. I will check the filters but they look clean. I have tried all different shutter speeds. I went nuts last night taking pictures of my cat trying to get a clear perfectly crisp image. They came out horrible. </p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>Jessica, I suggest studying the manual and trying out the various focusing modes - AF-A, AF-S, AF-C and Manual Focus, then familiar yourself with focus areas with its 11 sensors (Single Point, Dynamic, 3D-Tracking). It might take a while but it's part of the process of learning your camera. </p>

<p>If you are still encountering problems, this video suggests a batch problem with certain D5100 cameras apparently made in Malaysia. See here:<br>

<a href="

</p>

<p>Jessica. I have taught beginning photography and also have done weddings. There are four things that affect picture sharpness. Focus, depth of field (determined by aperture), shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. I can't tell from your pictures but here is what I did in my weddings. First, I used a shutter speed that fast enough to eliminate camera shake. Currently on my 7D I try to keep that above 1/200th. I also in my weddings tried to keep a reasonable depth of field by using apertures around f 8 unless I wanted a deliberately blurred background. I know that is not great for bokeh but in weddings I wanted enough depth to not blur blur the eyes if I accidentally focused on the nose so to speak. It is not unreasonable for me to shoot events at ISO 800 if I have to. One can use noise reduction in post but you can't fix blur from camera shake. I unabashedly used flash fill at one or two stops below ambient readings to fill shadows and eliminate dark eyes. It saved more than a few weddings for me when not in great light. As a general observation, lots happens in compressed time frames in weddings. Fooling around with various options during the ceremony to my mind is not practical. Go out with your camera now and practice, practice, practice in all forms of light. Get familiar with your on camera flash. By all means get a backup camera. A camera failure, although rare, can be disastrous. Although I used manual focus in weddings with medium format gear I think AF is just fine and allows you to be quicker. Work with it. I think you should shoot a couple thousand pictures practicing before you do your next weddings. Really find out what works for you. This is just my experience so other my have better ideas. Good Luck</p>

<p>Jessica, look at the untouched version, it simply looks completely out of focus. Which 50mm lens do you have, the AF-D 50mm f/1.8, or the newer (and more expensive) AF-S 50mm f/1.8G? The first one will not AF on your camera, and the viewfinder of your camera isn't great for manual focus, to be honest. Plus, at f/2.8 relatively close to the bride, your DoF will not be all that much, so it's kind of easy to loose focus too.<br>

As for understanding what is causing it, work step by step. If all lenses cause it, choose one (the 18-55 probably the most covenient) and start testing changing one setting at a time. Work from a tripod to exclude camera shake as a possible cause. Start with setting the camera to AF-S (single shot AF) with a single AF point active. Use a fixed setting with good light and good contrast and check if the camera can focus correctly. It could be a camera error for sure, but you really need to go step by step.<br>

The camera LCD is not a great screen to check on, it's too small and too low resolution. So, while testing, transfer often to the PC to see in large size whether the focus is right, or not.</p>

<p>Otherwise, I'd love to take your fear away, but to be blunt: wedding photography isn't a playground; it's the big league instead. You get paid to deliver great photos from a one-time event (well, it's the intention to be one time). You cannot be struggling with something fundamental as focussing when you do that work, sorry, and you should not accept such jobs yet if you cannot <em>consistently</em> get technically solid photos. Sorry to be this blunt, but it's not fair towards your customers.<br>

As for lenses, I would look at a Tamron 17-50 or Sigma 17-50, both f/2.8 lenses, plus a second-hand Sigma 50-150 f/2.8. This is the cheapest way to get lenses that are suitable for event work. Getting the proper tools is a business investment you may have to make up front, there is little way around that (as your current lenses except the 50mm are really not great choices for weddings).</p>

<blockquote>Otherwise, I'd love to take your fear away, but to be blunt: wedding photography isn't a playground; it's the big league instead. You get paid to deliver great photos from a one-time event (well, it's the intention to be one time). You cannot be struggling with something fundamental as focussing when you do that work, sorry, and you should not accept such jobs yet if you cannot <em>consistently</em> get technically solid photos. Sorry to be this blunt, but it's not fair towards your customers.</blockquote>

<p>This is the best advice you've had. You simply should not risk ruining someone's big day because you don't yet have the skills to get the job done correctly and confidently. And I'll add two further points.</p>

 

<ul>

<li>First you need back-up equipment, Again its down to risk. You should not risk failing to deliver on the photography because of equipment malfunction or because you drop a lens.</li>

<li>Second, the point's been made that it isn't fair on the people who are (presumably) paying for the services of a skilled ans experienced photographer. But its not fair on yourself either. At least you are demonstrating concern about your position. There's a lot of people in your position that simply don't feel what you're feeling- they just want the job and the money. Thats what's getting you a sympathetic hearing here when a lot of others would simply get criticised for putting someone's wedding pics at risk. But ask yourself whether what you're feeling right now is worth it? Is there not a logic behind continuing to assist or taking jobs that can at least be done again if they don't turn out right (maybe portraits or pets) rather than one chance occasions- until you gain full confidence in your photographic technique- or even doing some street photography to get used to fast , on the hoof decision making without asking a paying customer to take a risk. </li>

</ul>

<p>Jessica. I agree that you should gracefully back out of those weddings. However, I built a successful wedding and events business after doing a wedding at the last minute because the photographer failed to show. That wedding got referrals and turned into a business. However, when I did that wedding I understood the fundamentals of the craft, had good equipment and had good light for the outdoor wedding. I discussed some fundamentals above. If you don't understand them it is very difficult to consistently produce good pictures. Take some time to take some courses and to buy the needed back up equipment before you accept a wedding commitment. Make sure you have something like Lightroom to process your pictures and you know how to use it. Above all use your gear to take a lot of pictures and learn enough to know enough to improve your techniques on your own. Use of your gear needs to become second nature. Shoot a lot of pictures so you can find out what does not work. You need now to find out what you did to blur the picture you showed. The answer lies in one of the basics that every photographer who does weddings should learn. I am and was just an average wedding photographer. I still make mistakes but I cover myself by leaving margins for error in things like shutter speed, DOF, use of flash when in doubt, etc. Again good luck. It would be best if you took the pressure off yourself with those weddings. As said above, get a mentor and be backup at a few weddings but you need to use your own initiative to learn fundamentals and processing. As I was told early on "fill the frame and shoot a lot of pictures". My best to you. </p>

<p>I had the D5100. At first I was having the problems you were. I used ViewNX, which came with your camera, to view which focus points were being used when I shot(click Image->Show Focus Point in the software). I noticed the D5100 did not always focus on what I thought it was. Everything fell into place after that. Also keep in mind that changing the settings on the D5100 is a slow procedure because of it being menu driven. You don't want to be fiddling around with your camera and losing important shots.</p>

<p>Apparently you're a very good sale woman, or your fees are very cheap. If it's the first, then you need to invest in learning your craft for a few months and try to catch it up with your sales acumen.</p>

<p>If it's the later, then why are you doing it? Could you really make a living at the rates you're charging? If you're just doing it for a little spending money, then think about the brides and what you "owe" them. (Since you're scared, you clearly take your responsibilities seriously.)</p>

<p>If you have your fee low because you don't think you're "worth" a market fee, then you need to warn the brides that you may screw up and you really don't know what you're doing. Really.</p>

<p>The good news is that you can gain technical expertise pretty quickly, if you'll dedicate yourself to understand photography and put in some concentrated hard work. There's good advice in this thread, but it's all over the place. Decide for yourself how you're going to get the training you need (books, online, night course, pay a pro) and get it done, pronto.</p>

<p>You are getting very good advice here. It is too soon for you to be doing a wedding. Perhaps you could associate with an experienced photographer and do these two weddings.</p>

<p>The shot you made is fine except for your focus issues.</p>

<p>The first thing to do is put an autofocus lens on your camera and try with that. With the shot you posted you took every opportunity to mess it up. You shot at a large aperture, you shot in manual mode, you manually focused. <br>

My guess is that probably some forum you read said that professionals always shoot in manual mode. This is decidedly not true. Secondly you used a lens that won't autofocus on your camera. This increases your margin of error. There is not a thing wrong with autofocus and I only override it rarely. You chose spot metering. Your white balance was set to flash but from the EXIF data it appears that you did not use flash. At your low ISO and relatively fast shutter speed what was your light source? </p>

<p>As for focus. It looks like your focus point was on the bride's nose. That would throw the train carriers out of focus for sure at F2.8. Probably her arms as well. Did you severely crop this shot or is what you sent un-cropped? Did you have to adjust the brightness much if at all? In other words, I wonder how out of focus this shot is. It might not be out of focus at all.</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>I'm a newbie! I have two wedding's booked this Fall (My first I will be doing alone) and I am absolutely scared beyond belief.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Jessica, sounds like you have three or four months to learn what many of us have taken decades to perfect. Your fear is deserved. I can think of nothing more stressful than shooting a wedding alone. You have received excellent advice so far. Mine is to invest in, or rent, duplicates or triplicates of all the equipment you will be using. I always have three bodies, three or four flashes, LOTS of batteries for both, extra sync cords, light stands, umbrellas, a tripod with quick releases, filters, extra memory cards and, of course, lenses to cover all the focal lengths I will need. I believe in Murphy's Law... If something can go wrong, it will. Your short career could suffer greatly if you allow yourself to fail. Word of mouth can be a vicious thing.<br>

Some here may feel I'm being overly harsh but this is the training both my own daughters have received. This advice is to protect you and your clients. Wedding shoots are one shot deals. No do-overs. Lawsuits are a reality, too. Protect yourself with a clear contract as to what is expected by both parties. <br>

You said, "My first I will be doing alone". Does this mean of the two you have booked you will be shooting the first wedding alone? Or does it mean you have been working as an assistant until now and that you are about to begin shooting weddings as the primary photographer?<br>

I would suggest you volunteer as a second photographer with a seasoned pro for the rest of this summer and work hard to learn all you can from her/him. The fear you are experiencing today will slowly turn into confidence and you will put yourself on the road to success.<br>

I don't have experience with the D5100, so nothing to offer you there other than I think a used D700 would be a better choice for a professional start.</p>

 

<p>Gup brings up a good point. Let me give you an example.</p>

<p>I shot a very small wedding this weekend. The ceremony was outside and the reception inside. Total time about 5 hours. I took a second shooter. She was not very experienced but we spent a good part of the day before going over our plan and our equipment. Just to give you an example, here is a partial equipment list:</p>

<p>1-D4<br>

1-D7100<br>

1-D300s<br>

1-D2X (extra spare)<br>

1 SB-900<br>

2-SB-800</p>

<p>1-70-200 F/2.8 AFS VR<br>

1-16-50 F/2.8<br>

1 28-70 AFS F/2.8<br>

1 50mm F/1.4 AFS<br>

1-12-24 AFS<br>

1-50 F/1.8<br>

1 quadrillion cards (actually about 30) The D4, D7100 and D300s with the second card set to backup.<br>

Light modifiers assorted.<br>

Prepared shot list for each of us<br>

Some will say this is overkill and to some extent I agree. Sometimes I bring stuff because I can and it gives me peace of mind. The point of mentioning this equipment list is to allow you to consider why each piece of this equipment was chosen. I did not use the last two lenses listed but they were there just in case. </p>

<p>I think you can do your weddings but you need to spend the summer in a cram course on wedding photography. We all have to begin somewhere. It is your experience that will be the most important thing you can bring. You do not need to be afraid. You need to be prepared. </p>

 

<p>I dont think I explained myself properly. I have done weddings before. Many. But, I always was the assistant. I do have a mentor... if you want to call him that. He has been in the business for over 20 years but always seems to be in competition with me instead of teaching me. <br>

I am not a "sales person" and yes my prices are low. You can see them on my website at BirdiPhotography.com. The only reason I am doing these weddings is because I was contacted through craigslist. I out an ad up asking if someone would like to hire me as an "Assistant" photograher for a wedding, not a main photographer. I got people asking to shoot their weddings. They clearly know my experience and I told them I never shot a wedding alone. <br>

They still wanted to hire me. Not because I am cheap (I hope) but because of my so called "style" of editing. <br>

I do take photography classes through meet-up.com. I plan on taking some more classes through Cardinal Camera. I just spoke to a great guy their who gave me awesome advice. I purchase a soft box and will be purchasing a 16-85mm. I do plan on having a second camera at the weddings. A nikon D90. <br>

My biggest issue is not remembering everything my camera does, technically. I need to learn more about shutter speed in fast environments, lighting, and how to use my SB-910. I think a lot of my images come out blurry because my shutter is completely off. I move from inside to outside and forget to change settings. I forget to change the WB, etc. <br>

I appreciate everyone taking the time out to help me and guide me. I really need it and I thank you all. </p>

<p>You may consider reading a wonderful book, Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. This is a must read for anyone trying to understand the relation between shutter, exposure and ISO.</p>

<p>Jessica,</p>

<p>The second version of the picture you posted showed a shutter speed of 1/250 I think. That is fast enough for hand held shots, with a lens at 50mm, so I don't think the shutter speed alone is your stumbling block. How far away from the bride ? With a 50mm lens at f2.8 you can have a fairly shallow Depth of Field. If you were 10 feet away, it would about about half a foot in front and half a foot behind the subject. That could be enough. </p>

<p>Now, here is one question that might be helpful to know the answer to. Has this just started happening and everything worked well before, or has it been an ongoing issue ? Sudden changes make me wonder if something got damaged. Did you drop or bang the camera between it working and not working ? Do you wear glasses and maybe your prescription changed ? As some one above mentioned, the D5100 needs your help to focus any AF lens that is not an AF-S lens. I know some folks have gotten their focus points messed up and the camera focuses on the wrong spot. However the photo you posted looks all soft , not with the wrong stuff in focus. </p>

<p>Your photo data shows manual focus, so that means you either turned off the AF modes or you are using a lens it can not focus itself. Make sure your focus setting is how you want it, and not how it may have been bumped to accidentally. </p>

 

<p>John,<br>

I was pretty close to the bride, just a few feet probably. This just recently started happening thats why I am kind of upset and worried. I am nearsighted but I dont wear glasses/contacts. I mainly have trouble seeing letters clearly at a distance. <br>

I think I need to stop using manual and use shutter priority? A lot of my photos come out super soft looking. I dont understand why. I thought it was because I am not focusing or the camera is not focusing but maybe I am doing something wrong? I have a class on sunday so I will ask around about why my photos are looking like that. It just doesnt make sense. </p>

<p>Jessica, yes, you need to move to either aperture priority or shutter priority. I prefer to emphasize DOF by using aperture priority, but shutter works. Which ever you chose, you need to watch the other parameter in the viewfinder.</p>

<p>Also, you need to understand how your meter is working. Generally, Evaluative Metering is the best of overall scenes, however you'll be dealing with white dresses and black tuxes, which will test the dynamic range of your camera. If there not already on, turn on the highlight warnings in your preview screen and be especially careful to not blow out the details in the bride's dress. Err to the side of getting the dress right and let the groom's tux fall where it may. (Eventually you'll want to add lighting, where possible, to control the situation).</p>

<p>Understanding how your AF is working is also key. My Canon has several options ranging from having 61 AF points active to one single spot. I can move the spot around and can select areas of the 61 points. If you allow the camera to chose from 61 possibilities, more often than not it'll select something other than the bride's eyes. You can control that and need to learn how to do it.</p>

<p>Get your manual out and spend one day practicing controlling the AF programs and moving the points. Spend the next day shooting high dynamic range subjects and looking at the preview results and moving the EV up and down to avoid blowing highlights (don't underexpose either, but highlights are more important to get right). Next day, practice by taking test shots of high DR subjects and see how the various metering programs change the results. This small effort will allow you to MASTER three important elements and give you much more confidence.</p>

<p>Next steps are doing some portraits of your friends and family, indoors and outdoors. Really concentrate on being aware of all the parameters in the camera, even if shooting Av or Tv modes. Try shooting manual again, but pay attention to the EV in the bottom of the viewfinder and react to it when it starts getting outside of a bound of + or - 1EV. You should KNOW which AF point is guiding the lens and have it or them on the body parts you want crystal clear (eyes most times). Play with the DOF by taking the same image wide open, at f/8, at f/11 and f/16. Do this close up and do it 20-feet away and really notice the differences in post processing.</p>

<p>By the end of next week you should be able to have put in the work and accomplish these goals. Please try and report back. I think your confidence level will be sky high. Don't roll around in all the things that you don't know. (It'll seem like too much). Decide to MASTER three important elements and you'll gain huge strides. There's still plenty of nuance to learn after that, and it'll take years, but you'll be functional and confident in time for your commitments. (You really do need a second shooter/assistant if you're really going to fully cover a big wedding).</p>

<p>I don't do weddings, but I'd suggest using primes. I probably could do a wedding with fast stop like f1.8 and 35 or 85mm lens. The rest I can do with legs. Some situations require wider lens (like altar proximity from many rows behind) and also a tele. Anyway, do yourself a favor and test the lens/es. Make sure the diopter in the camera is not off....or even tape it, if necessary. Make sure that each lens has its own shade...and any filters (like UV) will compromise your image. Hmmm, it might be something relatively simple. Good luck.</p>

<p>Les</p>

<p>Hi, I'll advise on the problem you asked about, including the sample.</p>

<p>Anyone who looks closely should be able to find an area in your sample shot which is in good focus. It is near the bottom, just left of center, where there is a slight fold in the dress.</p>

<p>So in this photo, the problem is clearly that you are focussed too close. By the amount of blur in the bride's face, etc, I'd estimate the actual focus point is about 1 to 1 1/2 ft closer than the face. In this shooting situation, 50mm lens at f/2.8, and distance to face ~ 8 ft., you would want to be within about a half foot on focus.</p>

<p>I don't know how much knowledge you have about this sort of thing, but it COULD BE things like: with A-F (auto-focus), the wrong focus point was selected, or you used A-F and locked focus (via half press on the trip button), then either you or the bride leaned away from each other. If you're using manual focus, perhaps the eyepiece diopter is not properly adjusted for your eye. Or perhaps something is wrong inside of the camera.</p>

<p>I can also explain how I, personally, would check this out. First, I'd adjust the eyepiece diopter (almost for sure your camera can do this). While looking into the eyepiece at a blank area (light-colored wall or the sky, etc.) pay attention to gridlines or whatever you can see on the focusing screen. With your eye relaxed, adjust the diopter back and forth until the gridlines appear sharp. It is now properly adjusted for your eye. (Verify that it's still ok in dim light.)</p>

<p>Next, shoot a few test targets. Something that might work well is to set a few boxes, with text on them, on your kitchen table. The text helps you evaluate how good the focus is. Cereal boxes, or perhaps cake mixes or pasta boxes should be fine. Arrange them at different distances, perhaps a foot or so apart (put them closer together to be more critical.) From about 6 or 8 feet away, focus on one box, take a shot, and examine the image to make sure the camera actually focussed where you wanted it to. Do this with both manual and auto-focus (in auto, you should set a single focus point so that you can control the focus point).</p>

<p>The test is more sensitive with larger (like f/2.8) apertures. You might want to use some sort of camera stand, like a tripod, to eliminate motion blur. If everything is ok at these fairly close distances, almost for sure it'll be ok farther away.</p>

<p>Re: the screen on the back of your camera. Almost for sure, there is a "zoom" function that will let you zoom into a small part of the image to check for critical focus (check the manual; I'm pretty sure it'll let you zoom in, then scroll around on the image). You can compare this vs your computer screen to get a sense of how comparable they are.</p>

<p>Hope this helps with the focus issue.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I was pretty close to the bride, just a few feet probably. This just recently started happening thats why I am kind of upset and worried. I am nearsighted but I dont wear glasses/contacts. I mainly have trouble seeing letters clearly at a distance. <br /> I think I need to stop using manual and use shutter priority? A lot of my photos come out super soft looking. I dont understand why. I thought it was because I am not focusing or the camera is not focusing but maybe I am doing something wrong? I have a class on sunday so I will ask around about why my photos are looking like that. It just doesnt make sense.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I was just rereading your post and had a thought. If someone else mentioned this forgive me. You were shooting with the 50mm lens. It is a 50mm F/1.8d if I recall. So you had to manual focus this lens on your D5100. Is it possible that you have bumped your diopter adjustment on the viewfinder and are adjusting the lens to be in focus when actually it is not? </p>

<p>I am probably crazy. My wife says I am and she has a BFA so is therefor omniscient. So does this happen with your autofocus lenses when you use them on autofocus? Try resetting your diopter for your eyes and see what that does. Just a thought.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I was just rereading your post and had a thought. If someone else mentioned this forgive me.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Maybe you got the idea from the previous post, perhaps even subliminally. Now I'm starting to wonder if you're a bit crazy, if someone else has mentioned this forgive me (is there a "sarcasm" icon I can use?)</p>

<p>ps., could even be that the groundglass screen has popped loose; this would cause close focusing as Jessica's example showed.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for all the responses! <br>

I checked my diopter and it is fine. Maybe it was not in focus that day? I dont really know. I just know that Ive been screwing up a lot lately and Im getting really frustrated with myself. I think its pretty much all me that is making the blur. I think I will just start using aperture priority and see how that goes. I have this one crazy client that wont leave me alone about her pictures. I took portraits for her a week ago. I just gave her the edited images today. She wants a refund because she says I didnt take a good enough shot of the Jacket she made for her son... I had no idea she wanted a full shot of this ugly jacket. Ive never had to deal with this before. She is driving me crazy, calling me names. Very mean stuff. I told her I would do a reshoot but she said no. she wants to keep the photos but get her money back... I mean for 80 bucks, she got 350 photos, 85 edited/retouched photos. I would think that was cheap? </p>