what do I need to shoot a wedding

[ginger_haddock]

Hi...I have been asked to take pictures for a friends wedding and

have tried to get out of it, as it makes me very nervous. But to no

avail...I normally take pictures of wildlife, landscapes.... I have a

Canon 10D and a 17-35 (2.8-4) and a 70-200 (2.8). Do I need a

different lens to cover the in between? What kind of tripod would you

recommend, or would it be possible to handhold? It is a very big

camera, but both lenses have hypersonic motors. The wedding and

reception will both be outside, from the morning through the

afternoon. I have a polarizer and a uv filter. Will I need another

filter? What would you recommend in case of rain? What about a

flash. Can I do without? I am not familiar with flash photography in

the slightest. Any tips would be greatly appreciated, including ISO

and everything. Can I manipulate pics in adobe photoshop to add soft

focus?

[gary_woodard]

Ginger, I'd try again to get off the hook, wedding photography is hard work, to

say the least, with no flash backgound, using fill-flash to remove harsh

shadows in the sunlight shots is gonna hurt you. Most of your shots will have

to be hand held as tripods usually just get in the way and slow you down, I

really would suggest you tell your friends you dont feel comfortable as head

photographer for the wedding, your lens would certainly cover you but you

lack of experience of the wedding crunch is not a pretty thing, respectfully

decline, and show up as a guest and enjoy yourself, take some snapshots.

[conraderb]

Hi Ginger,

 

You are probably going to get a few energetic responses to this question.

Some people will say just go for it and hope for the best, and others will tell you that you need to study for 5 years with another. I'm not going to comment either way about that.

 

My two cents is that you need to search around photo.net - especially in the newcomers to wedding photography forum - and read read read READ. Experiment experiment experiment EXPERIMENT until you have it down. Unlike when some photo.netters were learning photography, you have the advantage of just shooting and figuring out what works b/c of the instant feedback of digital format (ie. is it possible to handhold? take a few friends and give it a run through and see how the handheld photos come out. how do you do fill flash? try something, adjust a setting upward and downward, and compare all three. repeat until you have some consistent results, and then fine tune it. if you need to know what the max shutter speed is that the 10D sync at, go into a dark room and shoot until you start seeing dark lines...you get the idea).

 

There should be lots of resources around here to help you, including checklists and articles that will help you determine what you are getting yourself into, and whether or not you want to proceed with this. I won't tell you that you definitely should or shouldn't do the wedding, but I will say that you should read as much as possible, experiment as much as possible and then keep reading as much as possible before shooting the wedding.

 

How much is enough? I think that you have started to read enough when YOU can flip open a book on basic photographic technique and you start to say "Yup. I already know that" as you flip from page to page.

Or you can start to answer technical questions here on photo.net about your equipment - ie. flash questions: the 10D TTL system v. manual exposure or ISO questions - how high can you push the ISO before it becomes unacceptably grainy for you? I would say that you should make it a goal to get up to the level of familiarity with your equipment that you can start offering responses (in your head, at least) to the questions in this forum.

 

whatever you do - best of luck.

 

conrad

[rich_taylor____mequon__wi]

From the questions you have asked, you are so clearly not ready to undertake this assignment. This is not a criticism, but you do have a lot to learn. Don't do anyone (including yourself) the disservice of ruining someone's wedding photos. Be honest, but above all, get out of it.

[erol_a.]

I think you were right to try and get out of it. Weddings are hard work. As far as your equipment goes... normally I'd say never shoot a wedding w/o a backup. But as this is a favor for a friend and not a commercial venture, save your money unless they're buying you a new camera. The 17-35 will be handy for reception and large wedding party/family photos. The 70-200... may be nice for some ceremony shots, to pull in tighter on them.

 

If you're looking for an excuse to buy some new gear, here's what I'd indulge in. First, a 50/1.8, or if you're feeling spendy, a 50/1.4. The difference between 35mm and 70mm is notable, and when your 70mm happens to come with a huge and heavy zoom, a nice, sharp, light and fast lens is always welcome. With your 1.6 crop factor, the viewing angle of the 50 will be nice for doing intimates of the couple together and shallow depth of field detail shots of flowers, table settings, etc. As it's going to be all outdoors, a flash seems like $350 you should keep in your pockets. Unless you were going to buy a new flash anyways, the cheaper option would be a reflector - I like white and soft gold myself - silver is a little shockingly bright and regular gold goes a touch overboard for my tastes. Get a 2 sided reflector or one of those kits and enlist someone to hold it for you to help open up shadows on faces in posed portraits if need be.

 

As for your other questions... I wouldn't bother with a tripod for a wedding with a 35mm style camera. Your mobility will be a blessing. In case of rain... make do. Get some umbrella shots. Most importantly though... look at lots of wedding, event, fashion, and portrait photography! Look at how people are posed - how to angle their arms, how to make sure their wrists don't look broken, the importance of showing definition in someone's chin, how to minimize or maximize physical attributes... being comfortable with that stuff will be much, much more important than gear. I know great wedding photographers who work with strictly one lens and are able to do so because they know how to work their subjects.

[Jerry_]

...unless you have a second camera body and two 'flash units,' bail out from the wedding. Send in your camera for a 'check-up' and tell the bride-and-groom they may have to find a photographer who is prepared for their wedding. [Generally, a wedding out-doors in the rain moves inside or under a tent -- like a Boy Scout, go prepared and take your umbrella.]

[eric_pollinger]

Get out of it.

 

This isn't an issue of photography it is one of assertivness - it seems clear from your question that you don't want to do it.

 

With that said I shoot mainly landscape but I do bring my camera to parties and like some of the shots I get. I took on a wedding last year for a friend charging about $500 for supplies - this took care of film and pro developing (the less you know about event photography the more pictures you take) but other supplies (flash Pro-T arm, bouncer) put me about $300 in the hole not to mention all the time (I really wanted to do well). Like many non-pros the thought of taking on a few weddings to pay for equipment is enticing so I gained a great deal fromt he experience, and I may do more in the future, but this was no easy undertaking. I researched, read books (and more importantly this forum), took test shots matching film and flash, spoke with the couple and tailored some of my work to their desires. I spent 10 hours before and about 30 after on the work. Some pros simply turn over the pictures after but I wanted them to be good so I worked with (scanned, photoshoped, printed) every picture they saw.

 

Was it worth it? For me - yes. I got some great experience and they were very happy with the work. If I were doing it again I would ask for at least $600 from a friend and $1000 for someone else and would give them a predefined package of prints, negatives or files, and change them a 20% premium over the cost of additional prints that I arranged for them.

 

If you do it you should think about some upgrades (and get them to pay for them). A frame for your flash (and a high end flash if you don't have one already) is a huge advantage as it gets the flash well above the camera and allows you to flip the flash so that a vertical shot has the flash above the target. Also, you will need to think about bouncing it (white surface) or (better) using something like this (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=32576&is=REG) which takes much of the guesswork out of it. With equipment like this I would worry less about lack of experience - shoot iTTL and check the histogram and you should be OK. As for ASA I wouldn't go beyond 400 indoors and 100 out. If it rains you shoot in the church and reception hall mostly - bring more batteries.

 

Remember, you have an advantage over a pro in that you know them and will not charge by the hour. Be at their house as they get ready (at the beauty parlor as the women get their hair done), get to the reception a little early and get shots of the tables (using a tripod), the cake, etc. Take tons of candids. You will screw up all over the place but they don't need 200 great shots - they should be happy with one good shot of the couple and 20 - 30 assored other pictures of the day, friends, family.

 

Good Luck

-Eric<div></div>

[nstock]

Admitting you are not ready to do this AND trying to get out of it are smart. Your "dear" friends are simply indicating they are happy to "use" you instead of paying for photography.

 

I certainly understand the money thing and not being able to afford a lot (been there and done thaqt.. Hey, wait, I am STILL there! LOL). However, they are affording a professional to cater the event and they are affording a professional to make the wedding dress and a professional to provide the tuxedos and the limo (if they are using these things) why are they asking you to do the pictures for FREE?

 

Excuse me, but uhhh... "free" pictures from an unwilling friend.. can you say the word "used?"

 

Would you let the kid next door rebuild the braking system in your car just because he would do it for FREE???

 

Now, having said that (and maybe getting you mad enough to say NO, tho probably just getting you mad at me) let me tell you about nerves. Do you know, that after doing this a LOT I still have nerves? I still say to myself about two weeks b4 each event, "What am I doing this for?" as I stress!! And then I go and do it.

 

The reason I stress is that I am so worried about making mistakes and wrecking the photos... be they film or digital!

 

My "first" wedding I had been assisting for about 6 months and was NOT ready. However, the photographer had double booked the day and he left me to do the reception. Oh boy... and the DJ (who acts like the MC and actually progresses the party) was a "friend" doing it for free. He had NO clue as to the sequence of events so when I asked him how he was going to proceed he was asking ME! Talk about PRESSURE.

 

THEN, the Groom and his son disappeared for an hour cuz they ran out of beer and he had to get another Keg... (oh boy...)

 

I was shooting film (I still do) with a Nikon FM and 400 Portra NC film and a Metz CL 45 Side Mount flash (I use this as well along with a Fuji S2 and next I AM going to get an F 100).

 

I was told maybe 100 times by the main photographer to "check my settings" and those words saved me BUTT as did the 6 months of training b4 that AND the time spent b4 that listening to him talk and talk and talk about equipment, flash and how it works!!

 

Well, as the evening progressed, the ppl got more and more drunk and eventually did not even hear me when I asked them if there were any more family or friends they wanted pictures of.

 

Finally they did the bouquet, garter and cake cutting (only because I suggested to the DJ we do this.. if I had not I believe I would STILL be there at that party!).

 

When I was done, I was shaking all over as I had never handled a huge drunken mob b4 AND directed the MC AND taken the reception photos... and you know what? The B&G told me as I left I had done a great job! I was STILL worrying over the results...

 

I did OK.. the photos all came out and the B&G were happy in the end.

 

A few weeks later I got to do the same thing again.. finish a wedding at the reception.. and this time the Bride's Father told me he had made a GREAT deal on the DJ services because the DJ let his two kids (age 14 and 16) work the reception and I got to do the WHOLE nightmare over again... (MC and Photos) but this was a better venue and I had some help from the Head Waiter....

 

To this day I still have wedding nerves and I still stress over each event. I am convinced it is Post Traumatic Wedding Shooter Stress disorder from those first weddings... :)

 

This was my introduction (by fire) to shooting weddings and I am still doing it. I was responsible for the job, but since I was working FOR someone else, it was my JOB on the line and not my own NECK (liability).

 

Now, are you sure you cannot say NO to your friends and then just stay friends???

[ben conover]

Hi, I am a beginner in photography, I like to jump in the deep end. I have good friends and I have been to a few weddings.

 

1. Agree a price for your time.

2. Buy a used medium format system capable of a wedding shoot, learn to use it.

3. Shoot the pants off the wedding.

 

Cheers.

[ben conover]

On second thoughts, you already have a good digital camera and very good lenses. Why not stay away from flash if it makes nervous, limit yourself to what you know and let the light do the work for you.

 

Just shoot the wedding.

[ben conover]

You need some confidence in yourself and your friends.

[blakley]

Ginger, look <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic_id=2021&category=Wedding%20Photography%20-%20A%20wedding%20Primer%20for%20Newcomers">here</a> for some very helpful information which has been given in answer to this question in the past.

[mark_jacoby___raleigh__nc]

Getting off the hook is a good idea. But failing that I'd make darn sure your friends know in no uncertain terms that you have never done a wedding and they may be very disappointed in the results.

 

Once that is on the table and they promise to love you forever regardless, then just try to relax, enjoy the day and take shots which you think they might enjoy. Above all make sure you get several good images of the two of them. If that is all you come away with your job is done.

 

Oh since you usally don't shoot people, move in closer than you are acustomed.

 

Good luck and please post some examples!