Candle lit wedding

<p>Hi,<br>

Are there any photographers on here who have night time, summer, candle/torch lit weddings in their portfolios that I could look at? I just started talking to a couple that a friend recommended and they are having an August, evening, candle/torch lit wedding. I've only just begun to talk to the bride to be, so as of now, that is the only details I have on it. I will post when I sit down and talk to her again.<br>

I would like to see what others do for these types of weddings and what type of lighting they use.</p>

<p>Thanks,<br>

Hannah</p>

<p>There is a lot of candle light photos, right here on photo.net.<br />Since you need to preserve the candle light wedding mood in your pictures, you should not use any flash lighting.<br />You will need high ISO good quality camera and a fast lens or two, and master/practice color balance and high noise processing of photos.<br />From Nikon stable, start with renting D3S, D3, D700, and stope here. From Canon or others... I am sure there are capable cameras out there, do you research<br />Since you have time for August, by then you should have your own candle light like porfolio. Looking at other people portfolio does not guarantee that you can do it, you must try it. Wedding is an important event where you cannot afford to fail. Believe me, I have been there, and one only partially failed wedding haunts me for years. You do not want this experience.</p>

<p>Good Luck.</p>

<p>I have been doing searches on here for candle lit photos, maybe I'm not using correct search words, but I can't find them.<br>

I shoot Canon.</p>

<p>I browse alot of photos, and accasionally find them.<br>

Search on the Internet, by <em>"candle light photographs"</em> brings many solution and examples.<br>

e.g.:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.digital-photography-school.com/14-tips-for-great-candlelight-photography">http://www.digital-photography-school.com/14-tips-for-great-candlelight-photography</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.dphotojournal.com/candlelight-photography-tips/">http://www.dphotojournal.com/candlelight-photography-tips/</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4447751_photograph-by-candlelight.html">http://www.ehow.com/how_4447751_photograph-by-candlelight.html</a></p>

<p>etc.</p>

<p>I have only shot one candlelight service (so no gallery). If you think controlling the contrast is difficult in some churches, wait until you have a candlelit service! And we aren't so much taking pictures by candlelight as trying to preserve the mood of the candlelight. By that I mean, that unless the B&G are holding candles to their faces, the B&G simply aren't lit. Too much contrast. Fast lenses are the first line of defense. I used nothing but f/1.4 or f/1.8 primes for my candlelit service. A high ISO capable camera. In the Canon line up probably a 5D series. For times when you can/should use the flash, I would gel the flash with a CTO or maybe 1/2 CTO gel to preserve the "color". The tripod will be your friend. And there where times I would shoot in burst if I was using a particularly slow shutter. Even on a tripod, if I am at 1/20th of a second I can get blur due to subject movement, shooting in burst increases the chances that <em>one</em> of the frames is good. <em>If</em> (and that's a big if) there is any way to get a speedlight near the couple (perhaps they are in a gazebo), then I would gel a strobe or two to get some light (control the contrast) on the B&G.</p>

<p>Edit: I forgot to mention to take a variety of exposures. In some, preserve the candle/torch detail. In others preserve the B&G detail! Chances are that the contrast will be too much to capture in one exposure.</p>

<p>Do searches using 'candelit wedding' or 'candlelit ceremony' or 'candle light wedding', etc. I was able to call up several previous threads.</p>

<p>Another thing to be concerned about is getting the right white balance, since exposure can be affected if you don't. Canon auto white balance is not very good.</p>

<p>I agree to some extent with Frank. You aren't going to be able to tell much by looking at other photos, particularly since candle light in a church is different from candle light outside at night, particularly if there aren't a lot of other lit buildings around. Maybe find out more about the exact circumstances...</p>

<p>Judging by recent posts, you're just getting into wedding photography. I don't wish to scare you, but a candle-lit evening ceremony is one of the most challenging lighting situations to face, dynamics of weddings notwithstanding.</p>

<p>I strongly urge you to prepare a very solid, clear and workable plan to get the practice in between now and August so that you become entirely familiar with the capabilities and limitations of your kit in such lighting scenarios. If you cannot commit to doing so, I would advise you to seriously consider your options on this one, which include walking away.</p>

<p>Equipment-wise, I would aim to use no less than a 5D Mark II (you may have to rent one) and employ the use of some fast primes, both wide angle and perhaps medium telephoto focal length. Much will depend on the size of venue and exact time of ceremony...</p>

<p>i would prefer use of a video light vs flash... flash kills the mood by lighting up everything..at least with video light you can control the light a bit more</p>