Shooting friends' wedding-can I pull it off?

[jonathonbeers]

I work for a corporate portrait studio where all my camera settings and lights

are automated. I've only been doing this for a few months but have dabbled in

photography for a long time so I know the basics and have some practice with

compostion. Recently one of my customers asked me if I'd be willing to shoot

her wedding. How daunting an undertaking would this be, and could a total

amateur have a chance of pulling it off without total disaster???

 

What's the bare minimum I would need in terms of equipment? (I own a Minolta

SLR but would prefer to shoot digital so that I could see the results on the

LCD as I shoot and correct any mistakes I might unwittingly make)

[jonathonbeers]

Forgot to ask: will I be able to get the prints made where the professionals do, or are their services usually exclusive to professionals only?

[l_e]

You probably could pull it off if you busted your butt to prepare. However, there is a HUGE difference between studio work with a fully automated system and dynamic fast moving wedding environment with constantly changing lighting.

 

Looking at the LCD means you aren't looking at the wedding or taking photos - something to think about.

 

If I were you I would pass on the opportunity.

[darrenbeattyphotography]

Jonathan, I have tens of thousands of pictures under my belt and I just recently turned down an offer to shoot at a wedding for the very reasons that LE just pointed out. 1. Can you imagine not coming through? Ruining the day for the couple and the family by not pulling through? 2. Do you want your reputation as a photographer in these photos (probably not as big a deal to you, given your job). These are the kinds of questions most of us would ask. Besides the fact, I'm assuming you have 1 or 2 kit lenses, no fast zooms or fast primes for low light. I too would pass; if it were me.

 

Then again, is she asking you to be the official photographer? Perhaps you misunderstood her, and she simply was commenting on your photography, and she simply wanted you to take pictures as well (for free, and as a friend)???

[justin_hall]

Weddings are difficult - you get one shot at it and no second chances. Ideally I would get some experience as a second/assistant photographer before you jump into it with both feet.

 

Saying that, fortune favours the brave and theres nothing like a bit of pressure to bring the best out in you...

[lamont]

Dear Jonathon,

This is exactly how I started off...... and it has been at times a wild ride since.

You need.... at a minimum....

2x bodies.

3x lenses.

1x on camera flash, not a built in one.

1x studio light with reflector, cords and cables, pref with some sort of remote release.

1x light stand to hold above.

1x know how to work above.

1x very positive attitude.

1x hour of preparation and practice every day, til the event.

1x no pay.

Then you need to go over every photo you take so you can learn what to leave out, and what you should have done better.

 

Good Luck.

 

Donald.

[jonj]

Jonathon,

 

It's not only the equipment, but understanding the flow of the wedding. There is alot of mental timing you juggle multiple events taking place at one time. Imagine a chef during the dinner rush.

 

I would do a few for free prior to doing a paid wedding.

[jaimie blue]

Years ago before I ever shot weddings I was a photographer shooting other stuff. My friend asked me to shoot a wedding, I would never do weddings and I would never use flash that you put on a camera with a bracket or otherwise. I had one Nikon Fm all manual camera, 2 lens and no flash. I did her wedding. It turned out beautiful and now years later after about 350 weddings all the pro gear and the stuff I should know and her wedding is still the coolest I ever did. Yes you can pull it off.

[aramat57]

Can your friend afford a pro wedding photographer? Are the images the most important thing to the couple, or do they just want some shots to remember the day? Do you feel you can provide images that are at least basically well exposed and in focus? Talk this over with them in some detail before you decide. If you are reasonably experienced as an amateur and comfortable behind your camera lens, and if they don't expect fine art images from every print, then I'd say try it if you want. You do need a backup camera. If you were thinking of getting a dSLR, maybe now is the time. Be sure you have time to learn it thoroughly before the wedding.

 

Oops, just realized that it is a customer, not a friend? Or a friendly customer? A customer from the portrait studio might have completely different expectations than a friend would have. She probably expects you to be Monte Zucker or somebody. After all, if you're a professional in the studio, you are a professional in shooting whatever, right? This rather changes my thinking about the situation. (I know, I know, a friend should have great wedding photography too, but there IS a difference between a friend needing a break and a customer in a studio wanting to hire the studio photographer.) Everyone has to start somewhere, but this might not be the ideal scenario for your first wedding shoot. If you do it, be sure to manage expectations before hand. What ever you decide, best wishes.

[conraderb]

jonathon - customer or a friend?

 

if you have a few months, and if you want to STUDY and THINK hard, then yes, you can pull it off.

 

you need, at a minimum, two bodies, two flashes and two lenses, and a tripod. lots of film or memory cards. lots of knowledge.

 

this forum is great for learning - read it every day.

[raysgallery]

I would print this page, show it to her. Explain what you have, and what you think you can do. Let her decide. I wouldn't turn down a chance to shoot a wedding, even as a second photograph. I also wouldn't want to rune her wedding pictures.

 

If she can't afford to pay a photograph, then I would do it for free and do the research mentioned above.

 

I just fell that if the B&G can't afford a photograph, then they are better off have someone designated as the person to take pictures and let them get up and move around instead of someone setting.

 

Like I said, I would print this page, show it to her, and it she still says yes, I would jump at it. But read other articles about a getting a contract, you need one. There are a lot of articles on this forum about the reasons for a contract, even when you do shoots for free and for relatives.

[sunnypix]

I agree that you need to get a free wedding/second shooter, under your belt before you start charging. Weddings are "different" and you need to at least see how one is done before you start shooting them yourself.

[picturesque]

Can you pull it off? Only you can answer that. Some people can, but it's rare. Do your study on this forum and elsewhere to see what you're getting into. Then decide.

 

Camera body DSLR if that's what you want, wide to short tele (f2.8 if possible) zoom, maybe a single focal length wide aperture prime, capable flash, at least two camera batteries and loads of AA NiMh batteries for the flash. Back up for the camera body, lens and flash--body can be film but you have to bring enough film to cover the whole thing. Obviously enough memory cards to cover, and possibly an extra. Tripod would be nice but not necessary. That's the bare minimum.

 

You can use MPIX, an off shoot of Miller's and they don't require that you be set up as a pro.

[jonathonbeers]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Some of you said no, a couple said maybe (with fear and trepidation) and a few said yes. I think the best bet would be either to decline outright, or to offer to shoot for free.

 

As for the 'friend or customer?' quesiton, a little of both: she is a customer as well as an aqcuaintance of my wife's. I did explain that I'd be a total newbie and I couldn't guarantee that anything would come out right...she'd have to be willing to take her chances with me)

 

But even if I shoot for free I still don't have any equipment; is there a good national supplier where I could rent?

[sunnypix]

here you go :)

 

http://www.adoramarentals.com/

[memecafe]

I wouldn't do it. You are not prepared, even if you have the equipment rented. Are you going to rent the equipment in advance so you can shoot with it before hand? You say you are used to everything being automated, so I think these are things to consider. Everyone starts somewhere, and I am not saying I am the best photographer...I just think you would benefit from assisting a professional for a while before attempting to shoot as a primary, let alone sole photographer in a wedding.

 

If you do it, I wish you the best! But just be clear about your experience level to the couple before hand. If they can't afford a photographer then this is a good chance to get your feet wet.

 

Also, try to learn the time-line of your wedding. Find out what they will be doing and when. Are they having a unity candle? Are they reading their own vows? How long is the ceremony? When will you have time to get other perspectives without missing the needed close shots?

 

 

And another tip...you need to coach the couple. Even in photojournalistic wedding photography a lot is posed (posed photojournalism). Some tips you can give them BEFORE the wedding to help the photos are:

 

Tell them to keep their heads up and walk slowley. When people are nervous they tend to look down and rush! BAD for photos!

 

Have them put the rings on slowley and tell them not to hide the rings. This is not considered obvious to the couple, you need to tell them. Have them put the ring on half way, pause, then the rest of the way. Get in close for the shot.

 

Try to see if they can arrange for no other photography during the ceremony. Otherwise you will have uncle joe standing in the isle with his rebel runing all of your shots. And flashes firing off will ruin your photos. People will usually NOT obey this request, but it takes the burdon off of you if you warn them.

 

Don't over-expose her dress EVER. You will lose all detail she paid a lot for. It is better to under expose the whole scene a tad and deal with it later. Shoot in RAW your first time.

[jonathonbeers]

OK, Thanks again everyone... even though she's looking for a bargain and is OK with the fact that I have no experience, I'm going to pass on this one. I'd feel terrible if I butchered her wedding. But hey, at least I found this site as a result! Looking forward to talking with you all more in the future.

[darrenbeattyphotography]

Jonathon, i feel kind of bad, reading the responses, but I like you, came here for something else and was amazed the the level of knowledge and respect toward one another. Which is why I became a more active member and contributor this month. If you can go, and shoot on your own, you really should!!! I just scheduled my first wedding, its 8/8/8 at 8am. They day they met a few years ago, but they really like 8's. I have what.... 9 months to prepare!!! :-)

 

Just go! Have fun. Shoot all you can. You might take a thousand pictures and only have 50 keepers. But next time you'll have 100 keepers, and then 200..... you get what I'm sayin!

[William Michael]

[Experience] camera settings and lights are automated I've only been doing this for a few months dabbled in photography ( . . . ) I know the basics, have some practice with compostion (. . . ) could a total amateur have a chance of pulling it off without total disaster?

 

 

 

Possible, but improbable without some disaster.

 

I would expect not TOTAL disaster, but perhaps I should not interpret that phrase literally.

 

 

>>> What's the bare minimum I would need in terms of equipment? <<<

 

 

Two bodies; a fast standard to wide prime; a spare similar lens; a fast short telephoto prime; two flash units; A diffuser or reflector (white card and elastic band); 16Gb memory; lots of batteries / power.

 

 

 

>>> prefer to shoot digital so that I could see the results on the LCD as I shoot and correct any mistakes I might unwittingly make <<<

 

 

 

You will NOT see unwitting mistakes in the LCD.

 

 

Opinion: From the details supplied, avoid it, get some better idea of what it is all about, help out first.

 

 

 

WW

[William Michael]

>>> I'm going to pass on this one <<<

 

Obviously I did not read the whole thread.

 

WW

[kiva]

a small article to read:

 

http://www.beaumontcameraclub.com/MiscInfo/My%20Wedding%20Tips.htm

[William Michael]

To William Morgan:

 

 

I was hooked with the line:

 

`This may sound silly, but do you know how to shoot with your camera in Manual Mode?`

 

It is a good read, thanks.

 

WW

[ibdnzgr]

I would say spend a few days POURING over the wedding photography forum and then do whatever it takes to buy a digital SLR and a flash. Take your film camera as a backup with plenty of film just in case. Go shoot anything and everything to practice, but concentrate on dimly-lit interiors. Practice using bounce flash. Look at other photographer's galleries here and notice the shots that stand out to you.. is it their framing, the lighting, cropping, the colors... what looks good about them. Make a list of the sort of photos most of us take for granted... weddings have certain "events" that you need to capture. The kiss, the rings, flower toss, garter, etc. OH... and charge under $500 for your first wedding. That should be a good chunk of the expense of the new camera.

 

Ian ibd-designs.com Tulsa and Oklahoma City area wedding photographer

[jane_markus]

I was lucky to get my feet wet in one of the "free wedding" situations where the B&G couldn't be too mad if I flubbed things - it was my uncle's third marriage! I learned a lot, and I'm still learning with each wedding I shoot. You'd be surprised what people consider "good" photography - a friend recently sent along a kodakgallery album of her friend's wedding. I looked and the photog was so bad he hadn't even edited out the photos where his shadow appeared on the ground. Under the B&G there was this black blob of the photog's head and camera shape!! My friend told me she thought the photos were OK - she liked that "he was unobtrusive" during the wedding. Basically, I'd ask what this bride is looking for. If she's really just looking to save some money and OK with some possibly mediocre photography, you could be her new best friend! Of course, honesty is by far the best policy. Know what she wants before you make a decision.