Wedding timing???

RCNPhotos

Doing my first wedding tomorrow, stomach moving between fear and excitment. But their looking more for candid stuff rather then stiff usual shots. Annnnnyway....just wondering, if anyone out there has done one or some or whatever, how long did you stay? How long should you stay? Any suggestions?

Fajitas!

From the shots getting ready to the cutting of the cake. Was no dance, otherwise would have stayed until first dance.

Good luck!!!

Morlar

Think its standard to cover the bride getting ready that morning until the first dance. Though obviously it will depend on what the couple want. Here is a good list here might be useful for reference

http://www.1214.biz/1214-Photo-List.pdf

RCNPhotos

Ok cool. Just don't want to over stay my welcome haha

RCNPhotos

They just want me and my helpful assistant (Paul, thank you my friend) at the church to begin with. Their fairly opposed to even "basic", wedding shots, by which I mean bride and her mother etc etc. They just want good candid stuff of their friends and family enjoying themselves. But "proper" shots are important so we'l make sure to get those too. Hope it'l go ok.

thebaz

RCNPhotos wrote:

Their fairly opposed to even "basic", wedding shots, by which I mean bride and her mother etc etc. They just want good candid stuff of their friends and family enjoying themselves. .

Good luck , but it sounds your doing for a pretty forward thinking couple - the standard wedding shots , would bore me to tears -- read an article about some top American wedding photographer , and he refuses to shoot the standard stuff, people pay to get something different -- anyway good luck tomorrow , you'll be fine

RCNPhotos

Yeah he's my manager...forward thinking......he's more a nutter, but I'm looking forward to getting some nice candid stuff. have a website for that photographer Baz?

You going to the Bjorn workshops?

Borderfox

Use a 70-200 with no flash and they wont even know you are there.

Carrigman

thebaz wrote:

Good luck , but it sounds your doing for a pretty forward thinking couple - the standard wedding shots , would bore me to tears

I don't subscribe to the derision that some people pour on standard formal wedding photos. It amuses me that the B&G and wedding party will dress in formal clothes, attend a formal church (or lay) service, purchase a formal wedding cake, etc., and yet think there is something passé about formal photographs of the event.

There are standard B&G and family shots that require a formal approach in my view. Years down the road when the B&G and their children and their children's children look back on the record of the event they will appreciate well taken and well posed formal shots.

Benster

Totally agree with that Carrigman. I'm doing my 1st wedding in a couple of weeks (relative) and she wanted candids without formal shots, until I explained that possibly the mothers might want a decent shot or two to put on their mantlepiece of the B&G or their whole family on the big day. "Oh yeah, spose you're right..."

sineadw

Devil's advocate here: I didn't get one formal shot for my wedding. I can't stand them. There are a few group ones but they were more accidental than anything. Most of the people I know are moving away from the rigid conventions. For me it was all about the celebration (ie - fun!) rather than the posed, awkward stuff you sometimes see. At least to me it would have looked awkward as I HATE having my photo taken. I know its personal preference but I never once regretted that decision. And mother and MIL could go to hell as far as I was concerned

elven

If you can't get them at least in groups for natural but arranged shots, there's a very good chance you'll miss out getting a decent shot of at least one person, unless you're seriously systematic about it. And then you discover the person you didn't get a picture of is their cousin from australia who won't be back for ten years...

Never underestimate the sheer stupid sheep-ness of people on wedding days, and their inability to make your job even that tiny little bit easier by being in the right place with the right people and long enough for you to get a shot of them.

I think there's a compromise to be had, so you get natural pictures of the right people, by getting them together and just letting them get on with it while you shoot away with your 70-200

magicbastarder

you may find the bride's mother will decide at the last moment that she wants firing squad shots. so be flexible. much as people might hate them, i found them the easiest to shoot - it's the situation in which you're in most control, where you get to order people around. during the wedding, you'll get little chance to ask for a repeat if you miss the vows. you'll have that luxury if you have to take small group photos.

magicbastarder

that said, i was at a wedding last year where the photographer put the wedding party into horrifically contrived posed shots. it was painful to watch.

sineadw

magicbastarder wrote:

that said, i was at a wedding last year where the photographer put the wedding party into horrifically contrived posed shots. it was painful to watch.

I think you were at my sister's.. Oh dear god...

Yep - Elven has it - herd them all together (bring a sheep dog maybe?) and then just shoot away. Or that would be my ideal anyway.

thebaz

thankfully were all different , and have different outlooks , -- i just like something unique not packaged


anyway RCN -- photographer is joe buissink , in fairness he brings along an assistant to shoot the standard stuff , and he does the abstract stuff

http://www.joebuissink.com/

and best of luck , my other advice would be enjoy and don't get stressed

RCNPhotos

I'm never stressed

Borderfox

good luck today dont forget to breathe when you are there!!

Fajitas!

RCNPhotos wrote:

I'm never stressed

LOL.

PaulieC

Formal shots will make a comeback. The so-called non-contrived shots are getting more and more contrived looking the more i see them.
I think a mixture of Formal and sniper-type casual shots is best.

Fionn

i'd agree with the formal shots is where the photographer is in charge and can control the scene, candid depend on a degree of luck and remember it's not like taking a shot of a landscape or a building once the moment passes in the wedding its generally gone forever - you cant re-shoot it.
I would always listen to what people want but also point out the pros and cons of the different styles, at least then they can make an informed decision.
Even formal shots don't have to be that stiff and formal you can find different angles etc. I think the important thing here is that they pay you for capturing all the guests at the celebration the formal shots sort of gurantee that you come up with the goods!!
A few words of advice for anyone doing it for the first time:-
check out the location(s)
meet the chief participants
be there early
have a check list
check your equipment
check your equipment again
make out a running list of shots
when taking formals try and arrange for the greatest numbers first and dismiss them accordingly
try and disuade other people from taking photographs when your working (you get people looking in all directions except at your lens)
try and take the same photograph from a few different angles (usually solves blinks and stares etc.)
smile (even if your not in a good mood)

and the remark "I'm never stressed" i don't think applies to wedding photography, I thought i wasn't either until i had to contend with brides and their mothers it can be a very stressful activity at times!

RCNPhotos

I was joking about never being stressed, I'm just the opposite. But I got through it and seemed to go well

TelePaul

RCNPhotos wrote:

I was joking about never being stressed, I'm just the opposite. But I got through it and seemed to go well

I think it went fine man, I'm transferring photos now. That church was a photographers worst nightmare though!

thebaz

RCNPhotos wrote:

I was joking about never being stressed, I'm just the opposite. But I got through it and seemed to go well

good stuff -- i'd like to do a wedding , UNSTRESSED , where i could shoot 50 or so my-style photos and then commit to no more than 10 standards -- i'm sure there would be a trade of -- i.e ess money -- any well done !.
B.