New to Wedding Photography, Pointers would be Helpful!

I volunteered to take one of my friends Wedding on March 1st of this year. Now,

I have never done a wedding before, but the bride feels I have enough skill and

will do a fine job. I have a Nikon D80 with a DX 18-70mm and a D series lens 28-

200. I also have an SB-600 flash and the Gary Fong Lightsphere and Origami.

 

Does anyone out there have an pointers or website or even sample pictures to

help me get an idea of what I should shoot for this wedding. The ceremony is

outside in a garden and the reception is inside an old library building that is

now rented out. Any help or pointers would be greatly apprecaited.

 

Mike

By all means have a back-up camera, even if it is a point & shoot. Carry extra batteries,and extra memory cards. Shoot alot of frames.

I'm sure you will be directed to some resources but you should seriously consider telling her to reconsider or actually decline altogether. Wedding photography is a specialized field and the photographs will be the one part of the wedding will last a lifetime unlike food, flowers and music ect. Please tell us that top dollar isn't being spent on all that other stuff while the photography is farmed out to someone who has to(with all due respect to your talents in general and willingness to help) ask others to "get an idea" of what to do.

 

BTW, Is she going to rent or buy you back up equipment which is considered mandatory insurance of sorts for anyone shooting a wedding?

If your friend is just looking for some simple photos and prefers the PJ style wedding photography than what you have will work. Is there better equipment out there? Yes. But stick with what you have for now, maybe borrow or rent another body, just to be safe. Whether the wedding is outside or not the biggest concern is going to be light and making sure the bride and groom is well lit and not in the shadows (sometimes being in the shadows is good though). On camera strobes (like the SB600) are good for this but they can only throw light so far. So you'll need to get a good handle on the ceremony, where will they be, where will you be, how much light can be directed there, should any light be directed there at all. Everyone is different, I try never to use flash during the actual ceremony, it can be distracting. But sometimes you won't have a choice, it use flash or miss the moment. make sure you've cleared this with B&G before the wedding (you might consider renting pro strobes like Normans and the like). Will they wanting some set shots? If so have a list ready and agreed upon. Outside the ceremony and set shots keep your eyes open. Weddings are a great place for random shots, from kids being kids to great great grandma dancing. There are a lot of emotions at a wedding (usually good emotions), try to capture some of it. Its those photos that folks like. Try to capture some of the fun and excitement. Remember that for every hour you spend photographing the wedding you can spend 3 or more in post processing.

Good luck. I'm sending you an email link to my website and my friend's.

Hi Mike - I would check out the 'newbie guide' in the bottom right corner - there are lots of helpful threads. you can learn a huge

mount by practicing, reading, and repeating.

 

learn how to bounce your flash!

 

google "neil flash tutorial"

 

check out www.strobist.com.

 

as for sample pictures - go do some searches for local wedding photographers. if you liek what you see, copy and paste it into a 'clippings' folder (only for your reference, of course), and then when you need inspiration, go to that folder.

 

gear notes - make sure you have a second body and 2nd flash available for the wedding. tripod is a good idea as well...

It is true that experienced wedding professionals (and I'm not one -- I'm an amateur) sometimes have fits when they read that someone who doesn't have wedding experience is planning to be the primary shooter, doesn't describe owning a backup camera and flash, and doesn't have at least one fast lens for an event part of which will be indoors. Some of those writing might be rude, either because they're inherently rude or because they've seen the same question too many times, but you're better off suffering a bit of rudeness here than having your friends decide that they hate you.

 

Follow the advice of the experienced photographers about a backup camera, flash unit, and batteries.

 

Finally, borrow, rent or buy a fast lens. Consider the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 -- it is everyone's choice for a good bargain lens. It could save you indoors when your flash doesn't have enough reach, and it can make good portraits with your D80.

Mike,

 

I am a big fan of Bambi Cantrell's two books and if you are shooting in a photojournalism style I would suggest reading them. She will break down lenses, camera settings, iso etc.

 

GOod luck

Stick to what you know and works for you with equipment, technique, and style. If you have ideas about buying new gear and/or trying new techniques practice with them well ahead of the wedding. The wedding day will be too busy to mess around figuring out new stuff.

To those who think advice often given to newbies not to shoot their friends' weddings is rude, I just made a few thousand dollars doing my best to salvage the wedding photos a couple had their cousin shoot. It would have been cheaper and the photos would look a lot better if they had hired me to shoot the wedding in the first place.

 

Always remember, the meter thinks the world should be middle gray. Groom in black; make him gray! Bride in white; make her gray!

Mike stick to what you know or can learn before hand. Your first wedding isn't a good time

to try new things. Back up equipment is important.

 

I don't think it is rude to warn people that many friendships have been lost over wedding

photography. There is a post or to a month, that go something like. I did my friends

wedding now they won't talk to me, or we are fighting over... .

If you live near the site, go there and mentally plan out the day. Like a race car driver, run through the day in your a few weeks before. Know where the people are going to start in the ceremony, know how they're going to come in, where you will be, how you'll shot it, how they're going to leave, where you're going to be for that - know where you'll do the formals - inside or outside - know the light at that time of day and if they'll be staring into the sun for the formals if they're outside - know the lighting for the reception, and know where you'll be for that. Be friends with the DJ so you know when the cake is cut, the garter, etc... Don't forget some details, like the rings, buquet, etc- and even make a list of the small details you can get anytime - the rush of the day, you can forget the small stuff, lists help. Have the couple give you a list of the formals they want. Make 2 copies. Give that list to a type A friend of the couple and make them in charge of getting together all the people will not know, and bang it out. Plan the day, at the location, ahead of time, in your head - know the flow, know where you're going to be, and shoot a lot, shoot raw. Make sure you have tons of CFs. Memory is cheap! And take a couple of power bars - you think better with a kinda sorta full belly, lol

So far everyone has been really helpful in their posts. I agree that a professional wedding photographer would do a better job, thats only logical. But what this post didn't know is that I am 24 and in college, and so are the bride and groom. Spending a ridiculous amount of money on a photographer doesn't exist because these people don't have that kind of money. I am going to do a better job that what was her first idea...get everyone's pictures who came to the wedding and most would have point and shoots. So I'll do a good job regardless. If you have pointers, my brain is a sponge :)

Let's face it, wedding photography is not brain surgery or rocket science. It is nonetheless an important record of what for many people is one of the most joyous and meaningful days of their lives. As recently as the San Diego fires, I watched yet another evacuee being interviewed, clutching her wedding portrait in her arms.

 

The value of wedding photography, like every other service in our economy is valued by the price people are willing to pay for it, which is often quite a bit.

 

Therefore, shooting a wedding should not be undertaken, IMO, without proper experience or knowledge, anymore than an untrained rookie should extract someone's wisdom teeth, though I'm sure with a good pair of pliers, it could be done.

 

So when someone makes a post saying they've never shot a wedding but they're going to do one, it should naturally set off alarm bells with those who are pros. I don't consider it rude for those pros to point out the obvious risks involved to the bride, the photographer and their relationship, and to advise accordingly.

 

When the poster has a PN portfolio or website link that demonstrates a strong set of photography skills, well done portraits, excellent composition, command of lighting, etc, then there is a better base from which to advise. But as is frequently the case, there are no images to look at, there is gear list that doesn't inspire confidence and reason to suspect that while well motivated, the decision to shoot a wedding may be a mistake.

 

That being said, there are times when the situation makes it impossible to hire a qualified professional photographer and then couples must rely on friends or relatives to capture their day. PN has amassed a large collection of posts to address these situations and posters would do well to search these archives rather than request redundant information. It is simple courtesy.

 

Paul

Your first wedding will be exciting enough without unexpected surprises. You can cut down on the number of surprises that pop up by doing some home work. First off, you have to find out what the bride expects you to shoot, locations and the schedule for the day. Does she want getting ready shots? Formals: who? how many? where? how much times do you have? (it won't be enough). When will you do the B&G shots? Do they want them done somewhere special? Any special people/"situations"? Try to always know what's going on and what's about to happen. Want to get rattled? Be in the middle of changing cards/lenses/batteries/camera/flash settings when a must have shot is about to happen.

 

For every location you have to shoot at try to get there as early as possible so you can scout the area out. If you have to do formals somewhere, find a good place to do them. Keep it simple: nice light, simple, non-distracting backgrounds. For the ceremony find out where you can shoot from (very often you have a lot more freedom of movement outdoors). If you can, and do move around (a good idea, just don't be a distraction) pay attention to what's going on in the service so you're not out of position for a key shot. Pay attention to where the sun will be during the ceremony. If it's an overcast day plan on using a little fill flash.

 

For the reception make sure you're in the right place at the right time to get all the standard shots. (You can also put the 28-200 away for the night.) Taking pictures of people dancing is more interesting than people sitting and talking, but remember that clients like to see pictures of as many guests as possible.

 

Camera gear stuff - I have what you'll be using except for the 28-200, so this will be reasonably specific. #1, shoot RAW. The ambient light exposure of the D80 can be a little dodgy so you want whatever cushion you can get. You get to set the WB after you shoot with RAW and this is real important. AWB will give shot to shot variations depending on what's in the scene, is lousy for tungsten and if you use manual WB you'll probably forget to change it at some point and really step on your crank.

 

Don't worry about how it looks to everyone else; turn on Flashing Highlights in the review mode and chimp critical shots and difficult lighting situations. For portraits and formals also zoom in and check focus. Better to fiddle around for a few seconds than have have bad important shots forever.

 

The AF of the D80 with the 18-70 is slow and every sensor except the center, cross pattern one, will often focus on something in the background rather than the subject. I doubt if the 28-200 is any better. Keep this in mind if during the ceremony you take some tight shots of the B&G (or anyone else) with the 28-200 at the long end to give get some DOF separation.

 

For the outdoor, ceremony shots use the light. Just make sure you use a lens hood and check for ugly flare and exposure. If there's bright sun watch out for ugly shadows. Use lower ISOs if you can, but if you see any sign, or suspect you might have some camera shake, bump up the ISO. The D80 is ok at 800 and useable in a pinch at 1600. A grainy shot looks better than a blurry shot.

 

The SB600 doesn't put out a whole lot of light and can be slow to recycle after a full power pop. The Fong will tend to light a space and require more flash power. A fill card, with the flash head angled up 60 degrees, is more efficient at lighting just a subject. Make sure you have several sets of batteries for the flash.

 

Speaking of batteries, if you don't have at least 3 camera batteries, bring your charger. Reviewing shots and shooting RAW adds to the power draw. You have to have two camera batteries. If you had a third battery, with another camera wrapped around it, that would be even better. If you don't have a backup body, scope out the guests to see who has one you might ask to borrow. (I know a photographer who had an outdoor wedding, there was an electrical storm, all 3 of their cameras died and they borrowed a P&S camera from a guest until someone was able to get a working body to them.)

 

Keep things as simple as you can. Get some technically good (well lit, well composed, in focus), straight forward shots first; then work on the cools stuff. Oh yeah, have fun.

Mike, you were doing fine until you said, "Spending a *ridiculous amount* of money on a photographer..." Right then you ticked a bunch of people off. You should have said something like, "Spending a *lot* of money on a photographer." No one likes others to describe their work or their prices as "ridiculous" -- even if they are. Most people understand financial constraints, but they don't like to be poked at.

 

Just trying to give you some helpful advice, Mike -- not trying to tick you off. :)

 

Looking through the articles in Photo.net's Learning > Weddings pages is a great place to start your education. I would also start looking at a whole lot of wedding photographers websites to get ideas.

Mike,

 

I think planetneil.com is the single most useful site. It will save your bacon with the flash. Be sure to make a donation. Also check out top tog's site such as Jeff Ascough, The Boutwells, Steve and Jen Bebb, etc.

 

Paul

Agree with Jim. Unfortunately many of the new shooters underestimate the real value of pro photography and the hard work, training, and experience needed to achieve pro results.

Like I said in a previous thread--Mike asked for information about what to shoot. So far, only a few, notably Bruce (with excellent infor), has actually answered Mike's question. I would advise getting a good book on wedding photography, such as the one by Glen Johnson or one called "Mastering Digital Wedding Photography", or Steve Sint's book. These all have lists of what to shoot, and give pointers about where to be, when, and for what. Also qustions to ask the bride. Go to Amazon and get one or two. The planetneil site is great for flash information. There is also information by Al Jacobs, which is online, as well as the articles right here on photo.net.

Go for it! If you listened to all these negative comments you would never make a start. Of course I agree that if the couple could afford to spend "loads" of money then they would be better off hiring a professional. But, as so many people so often don't understand, many couples have very little if not NO money to spend on a photographer. As long as they understand you abilities, experience, and the fact that there is a possibility it could results in poor shots (risk) - make this very clear - then do it. Set the level of expectation. Maybe even do an engagement shoot for some pracice and it will also allow them to see what you're capable of. If they suddenly get cold feet and rich grandad suddenly writes a fat cheque then accept they might hire a pro. I don't see a problem.

 

Many people made good very suggestions. This forum is brilliant for learning all sorts of things, so spend lots of time on here.

What most people don't realize is that most weddings are shot by friends and family members. I think I read somewhere that of the total number of weddings in any given year only around 10% of the couples have enough money to hire professional photographers. There was a time when wedding photography was the couple going to a studio and having a picture taken of themselves in their wedding attire. That one picture would then be on display for as long as the couple was married. I don't see any problem trying to help someone out so they can at least get something comparable to that one shot. If they can come up with a collection of nice shots from the day, so much the better.

http://www.photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=4012822

I have posted several pictures that I took at a Halloween Party last year. I'd say I'm not great, but I have potential to do a great job.

<p><em>you were doing fine until you said, "Spending a *ridiculous amount* of money on

a photographer..." </em></p>

 

<p>I know where you're coming from, Jim, but don't forget that the perception of money is

relative. Through the eyes of a student on a low income, the idea of spending hundreds or

thousands of dollars on wedding photography probably *is* ridiculous - both unattainable

and unrealistic. I suspect that's all Mike means. No reason for anyone to get annoyed by it

:-).</p>

Looking at your Halloween shots, I'd say you might want to study dragging the shutter (the planetneil article).

Mike,

 

My original post was not directed at you but in response to the person who IMO unfairly labeled some pros as "rude." I see now that that post has been removed from this thread.

 

My first wedding was shot under similar circumstances as yours and with nearly identical gear. I was very lucky and got away with it. In retrospect it was a foolish and risky thing to do.

 

As Nadine said and I suggested above, check out planetneil.com to learn flash techniques that will raise you to the next level.

 

Best of luck.

 

Paul

Nadine, can you please provide me the link to that webicte?

 

Thank You,

 

Mike Sudol