What equipment should I take with me to family wedding?

[lesroll]

A question for the masses: I am attending a family wedding the first weekend

in May on Amelia Island, in Florida. I will photograph the wedding (and

accompanying events), about 60% fun for me and 40% obligation. I wanted to

hear from others about what I might take with me and what I might need that I

don't have. (Caveat: I understand the pro rationale for having backup gear.

I don't have a second body, and can't afford one right now, so I'll be working

on the 'pray nothing goes wrong with my body' method.)

There will be a mix of outdoor and indoor activities. The ceremony will be

outdoors, late morning. I expect to shoot the ceremony, event style at the

dinners, etc, and possibly some posed portrait stuff.

 

I am flying down, but my parents are driving and will take most of my kit with

them so I don't have to worry about taking it aboard a plane.

 

I currently have a Rebel xti and the following lenses (all Canon): 50 1.8, 17-

55 IS 2.8 w/ hood, 100mm 2.8 macro, and the 75-300 IS 3.5-5.6. I also have the

420EX flash, and a Bogen tripod & ball head.

 

Would folks recommend polarizer filters or other filters? A reflector of some

sort? A different lens than listed? I can't do a 2nd body, but will at the

least buy a second battery. I have plenty of CF cards.

I may leave some of the lenses at home, or I may just say 'screw it' and take

them all. I'm tempted to leave the 75-300 at home, but presuming clear skies

and good light outdoors, I might actually get to use it for something.

 

What do folks think?

[surfidaho]

Howdy!

 

Take everything you have. For outdoors, your lens setup is fine. You probably don't need the nifty-fifty or the 100mm, but they're good backups in case one of your zooms craps out, or you want to shoot some low light stuff at dinner.

 

I do admire your choices in lenses. Too often people purchase expensive camera bodies and cheap lenses. The 17-55mm in particular is a great lens. It has served me well.

 

You could use something to fill in the face shadows if it's sunny outside. A folding reflector can work wonders for one or two people, but it's no good for large groups. If you can't afford a second body, you certainly can't afford a multiple flash setup, so I would get a folding reflector for individual portraits, and if you have to shoot a group, shoot in the shade with your 420EX. (I'm assuming that there's somebody there who wouldn't mind holding your reflector for you).

 

I would also seriously rethink the second camera body question. Do you have a friend that would loan you his camera? (Canon of course).

 

Later,

 

Paulsky

[steve_abrams2]

If you know were equipment and how to use well, you should be okay with what you have. I would have a diffuser for your flash. It is a good idea to have a UV filter on your lenses to protect the glass. What you should be more concerned about at this point is what is the bride's expectations of what you are going to provide. Sit down and talk to her about what she expects from you and the photographs you plan take. Make sure she understands you are not a professional, and you are not guaranteeing anything. This will prevent any misunderstandings between you and her and could save your reputation in the family. That way if your equipment fails, and you fail to capture the moments, you have your bases covered.

 

What is your experience level? Have you studied how to shoot a wedding properly? Do you know how to pose people? Do you know what shots to take at the wedding? Do you plan to do any post processing of the images? Do you know how to use your camera in manual mode? Most pros shoot on manual when shooting a wedding.

 

Have fun yes. It will give you alot of experience. Just be sure you and the bride are on the same page or if she and the family doesn't like the photos you take, will you still be on speaking terms after the wedding? That is what you risk if you don't sit down and talk to her before hand and be very honest about what you can and can not do. Good luck.

[garrett_cotham]

I'd leave the macro lens behind. Chances of using it at a wedding are slim to none. Bring the rest. You'll probably end up using the 17-55 for most of the event, but you'll also probably find use for the 75-300, especially during the ceremony. I find it good to stand back, not be in the way of the guests and still get tight shots. Also definitely bring the tripod and flash.

 

Generally I wouldn't use a polarizer. You lose a lot of light. You should at least think about renting a 2nd camera body. Then you could have a lens attached to each all the time, saving time and the possibility of missing shots when changing lenses. A large reflector would be a good thing to have also if there isn't a spot with even light to do the posed shots. Get someone else there to act as your assistant.

 

I know the feeling. I'm being roped into shooting two family events this year. And both are on days when I would have otherwise had paying jobs. Fortunately my family knows that professional photography is just a racket and we are all making gobs and gobs of money and throwing back our heads and laughing as the cash rolls in.

 

Sorry about that tangent. Good luck with your event.

[russ_konrad]

<b>"I'd leave the macro lens behind..."</b>

<p>

I disagree. You can get some awesome closeup shots of the rings, the flowers, and other details.

<p>

<b>"...Generally I wouldn't use a polarizer. You lose a lot of light..."</b>

<p>

For outdoor weddings - a polarizer or a neutral density filter is essential if you want to maintain the wide open aperture settings of any f/2.8 lens. Without the filter on a bright day you will be forced to close down the aperture to f/5.6 or even smaller because your shutter speed will exceed what your camera can do at the larger opening.

<p>

You lose the ability to get a nice out-of-focus bokeh in the background with the smaller apertures. We use polarizer filters for nearly every outdoor wedding that we shoot.

[lesroll]

Everyone -

Thanks for your responses. Steve - I am certainly am being cautious about what the bride's wishes and expectations are about my pictures. I'm waiting to hear from her about specifically what her expectations are regarding which events and which specific shots.

 

Garrett - I'm considering a fold up reflector of some sort. I do have a diffuser on my flash.

 

Russ,

 

Would you explain the use of the polarizer for the smaller apertures? I'm not sure I get it.

 

Thanks - Les

[jp_and_ap_the_glass_eye]

Hello

 

The idea of talking this over with the bride (and groom) prior is a GREAT idea. It's important that she and the families (weddings are really for the families, aren't they?) understand what they are getting. Ask her for someone to help organize the group photos.

 

Make yourself a shot list so you can be mentally prepared in terms of planning, people, equipment and objectives. Weddings are really for the families, aren't they?

 

A second body and a second shooter for backup would be a great idea. One of the nieces or nephews with a second XTI set on portrait mode and 200 or 400ISO outdoors and 1600ISO indoors and the 50mm lens will take a lot of the pressure off you. Ask them to try to get at least two good shots of each person. And have them shoot from the choir loft during the ceremony.

 

Try to keep the technical side of it simple and bulletproof. Don't be afraid to speak up and try to have fun.

[russ_konrad]

<b>"Would you explain the use of the polarizer for the smaller apertures? I'm not sure I get it."</b>

<p>

Because of the bright lighting conditions - when you have your aperture set at f/2.8 (for example) the required shutter speed might be 1/8000 of a second or higher. I am not sure how fast of a shutter speed your camera can do - but if the required shutter speed is faster than is possible with your camera - your image will be overexposed. (You probably will see "HI" in your viewfinder in this instance.)

<p>

The only way to deal with this (without a filter) is to make your aperture smaller. By making the opening in your lens smaller, the shutter speed can be slower and your camera can properly expose the image.

<p>

A polarizer or neutral density filter blocks some light at a factor of 1.5 to 2 stops (or even more). This allows you to use your f/2.8 aperture setting for that great bokeh effect even in bright light since your shutter speed can be within the range that your camera can operate. 2 stops will change a 1/8000 second shutter speed to 1/2000 second. Most digital cameras can operate at that shutter speed.

[picturesque]

I'd take everything (all your gear is fine) since you don't have to get on a plane. I also would leave out the polarizer and/or ND filter unless you are shooting in the blinding sunlight and/or on a beach in the blinding sunlight AND have no shade anywhere. The polarizer is sometimes used for the same reason as an ND filter (besides it's regular purpose)--to allow you to use wider apertures (which is usually more desirable for portraits, to fuzz out the background) in bright sun, where normally, when using flash for fill, you will be forced to stay at the maximum sync speed your camera allows, which again forces you to use small apertures for the correct exposure. Your flash allows high speed sync, which overcomes this somewhat, but in HSS mode, the 'power' or reach of your flash diminishes, so you have a no-win situation, especially for group shots, where you need to stand back of the group with a wider focal length (which again diminishes your flash power). When photographing the actual ceremony, if it is in bright sun, I wouldn't even worry about it, since background fuzz out is not a concern for ceremony candids. When doing the portraits and group shots, better and simpler would be to find some even shade, or do the shots inside than to fiddle with ND filters or polarizers. For the close-ups of the couple, HSS will be OK, though. If you know how to use a reflector and want to bring it for the couples shots, that would be OK, but generally, a reflector is slow to use at a wedding. You can probably rope a newphew into holding it for you, though. At least bring a point and shoot as a backup if you aren't going to borrow a back up body.

[surfidaho]

I agree with Nadine. I would skip the filters.

 

If you get any kind of filter in the future, you need to spend some cash for a good one, or it will give you more trouble than it's worth. Green reflections off the inside of cheap filters are extremely common. I never use filters, and rely exclusively on the lens hoods to protect my lenses. But I also don't go into environments where there is blowing sand. If you do, consider a UV cut protective filter, but don't get a cheap one. Get something that won't compromise image quality.

 

If you set your camera somewhere around f11, 1/200th sec, ISO 100, it will probably do a great job on a brightly lit day, unless you're shooting into the sun. 1/200th second is also the upper limit of your flash sync speed. If you set your 430EX to manual and crank it up, you might barely have enough power to properly expose individuals and still expose the background properly, but I guarantee it will be too weak for groups. Best to take groups indoors, or in the shade if possible. They will also be more comfortable that way.

 

Reflectors are indeed cumbersome, but they are easier to use for novices, because you can see exactly what you are going to get before you shoot. Myself, I never use them. I rely entirely on fill flash, sometimes multiple Canon flash units, sometimes studio lighting if there is AC power nearby. But since you sound like you don't have a lot of flash experience, I think a reflector might be easier for you.

 

On the subject of "leave it in, leave it out": If it's in the car and you don't need it, fine. If it's hundreds of miles away and you need it, you're outta luck.

 

One more thing: If the background is stunning, perhaps you don't want to blur it out.

 

Later,

 

Paulsky

[lesroll]

Thanks everybody! Paulsky and Russ, thanks for checking and posting twice to help me figure this stuff out.

 

I can't tell people how much I value the advice Pnet members give.

[matthew_newton]

Why would 1/8000 be required? f/2.8@ISO100 in full daylight on a non-hazy day should be about 1/4000s and I think the rebel's maximum shutter speed is 1/4000s. Now if you want fill flash, that is going to be a problem, you are going to need a heavy ND filter to get the exposure correct for a wide open shot to manage the flash synch speed.

 

A good polarizer is not a bad idea as portraits, etc almost always look better with the sky darkened down a little. especially on a very bright slightly hazy day the sky tends to look a little washed out and a polarizer is a good way to fix this.

[markonestudios]

I think you should take a circular polarizing filter for the reasons Matthew's mentioned. I suspect you'll probably use the 17-55 most often, so get the filter that fits that lens (I don't know its filter diameter, sorry :)) In my part of the world, it really does work to great effect when I put a filter on my 17-40 for outdoors wedding shots to get a dramatically darkened sky...

<p>Carry the rest of your kit, too. And definitely discuss expectations with the coouple beforehand...

[surfidaho]

Matthew said:

 

"Now if you want fill flash, that is going to be a problem, you are going to need a heavy ND filter to get the exposure correct for a wide open shot to manage the flash synch speed".

 

Matthew, I know you mean well, and I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but that statement is a common myth. An ND filter will darken both the background AND the foreground, so it's no use whatsoever in balancing the foreground with the background by hitting the foreground with flash. All it lets you do is use a wider aperture overall for the shot.

 

On the other paw, graduated ND filters can be used to balance out sky with terrain for natural landscape photography. However, they're not much use in portrait photography.

 

Later,

 

Paulsky

[russ_konrad]

<b>"...Matthew, I know you mean well, and I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but that statement is a common myth. An ND filter will darken both the background AND the foreground, so it's no use whatsoever in balancing the foreground with the background by hitting the foreground with flash. All it lets you do is use a wider aperture overall for the shot...."</b>

<p>

You miss the entire point of using a filter outside with flash.

<p>

When you try to use fill flash it very bright conditions - your sync speed will over-expose your image. A filter will allow a proper exposure within the sync speed of your camera.

[surfidaho]

Matthew, I missed the phrase "wide open shot". My apologies.

 

Russ, unless I am shooting directly at the sun, I can get a proper exposure in Manual Mode with a small aperture (generally f11) at 1/200th of a second (my flash sync speed) on any of my lenses. I've worked many bright weddings, and I know this to be true.

 

The key is the phrase "wide open shot". Can an ND filter give you the flexibility to open your aperture and reduce your depth of field? Absolutely! But if my customers are going to the trouble of shooting a wedding outdoors in Idaho, they probably want the background to be nice and sharp. Therefore, I do not usually bother with ND filters.

 

Later,

 

Paulsky<div></div>

[russ_konrad]

<b>"...The key is the phrase "wide open shot". Can an ND filter give you the flexibility to open your aperture and reduce your depth of field? Absolutely! But if my customers are going to the trouble of shooting a wedding outdoors in Idaho, they probably want the background to be nice and sharp. Therefore, I do not usually bother with ND filters..."</b>

<p>

Hey,

<p>

If you want to limit your artistic options - don't bring any filters. But if you want the option to do a beautiful shot at a wide open aperture that blurs the background bring a filter to the wedding.

[surfidaho]

Les,

 

If there was a quick release lens attachment for filters, I might use them more often. But I really don't like futzing around with the fine threads when I'm under pressure. Therefore, I have put filters and flash brackets on the list of things that are much more trouble than they are worth.

 

At least for me. Your experience may be different. There are all kinds of ways to do art. No one way is better than the other, even if some on this forum tell you otherwise.

 

Although it is often a pleasing effect, just about anybody can dial in a large aperture, blur out the background, and focus on the face. It's used so often now that it's almost a cliche.

 

Whenever possible, I prefer to integrate the background into my work as part of a composition. That way my subjects can actually tell where they were when they look back at the pictures. And if I want to blur the background later, I can easily do so with Photoshop.

 

Tuppence,

 

Paulsky

[conraderb]

yeah, you definitely want a second batter.

 

take everything.

 

forget the reflectors unless you have someone to hold them.

 

in what sense are you doing this 40% out of obligation? you shouldn't be shooting any wedding unless YOU WANT to shoot it.

[johncrossman]

Do you have a flash bracket? When moving around in a crowd, whether using flash for fill or for primary light, it is extremely helpful to elevate the flash a good bit higher than the normal mount on the camera. And also important, when you rotate the camera 90 degrees for portrait shots, you should be able to flip the flash (or the camera) over so that the flash is, once again, directly over the lens. this greatly reduces unflattering shadows on faces, especially at close range. Stroboframe makes a great bracket for this purpose that flips the camera, not the flash (I have one, but don't recall the model). you'll also need a synch cord to connect your flash when mounted this way. If the weather will be steamy, you might put a flash diffuser over the flash head to reduce reflection from sweat.

 

Also, bring a lot of batteries if you are using disposable batteries. you don't want to be waiting for recycle times while good shots go by!

 

Good luck with the shoot.

[craig harrison]

I agree with taking ALL of your equipment, especially since you don't have to carry it on a plane. I would also say you should take a polarizer assuming the ceremony is going to be on a white sand beach. If you don't use one the sand, water and sky will probably appear very washed out. Since they are going to a location to be married, the scenery will be important to them in the pictures.

 

One other thing to consider is planning the timing for the shots you will be asked for by the bride. If the bride and groom don't want to see each other before the ceremony, consider taking shots of the seperate sides of the family before the ceremony, such as the bride and her parents/family/ wedding party members together. The same for the groom's side. After the ceremony it can be difficult to get everyone to stay put for all of the shots that you will be asked to take. If you limit the after ceremony shots to the whole wedding party, the time everyone stands around waiting for you to get shots will be reduced along with the pressure on you while you are taking the them.

 

You might consider, as mentioned in one of the earlier replys, renting a back-up body. If yours goes down, you don't get a second chance to a wedding. It is a once in a lifetime event (hopefully!).

 

Just a couple of things I learned while shooting a couple of family members' weddings. Hope they help.

[mal_speer]

Nice shot of the Sawtooth Mts., but too busy I would have darkened the background a 1/2 stop.

Mal