Wedding Musings

Carrigman

I shot my nephew's wedding on Saturday and everything went well. For what it's worth, I pass on the following for anyone who may be interested:

A tripod is essential. You will need one for very low light shots inside the church and the bride's house. Yes, you may be using 1/15sec @ f/2.8. Much nicer effect than flash. It's also necessary for posing family groups and bridal group shots afterwards. And it makes you look "professional".

That said, you do need a good quality flash. Very useful for fill in light on a day like Saturday (bright sunlight). I used a Sigma EF-500 DG Super. It did an excellent job. And in case that failed I had a Speedlite 220EX which I bought for my G5 P&S a few years ago. I figure it would have done a decent enough job if it came to it but I'm glad it didn't.

I was surprised at the number of lenses I used during the day: the Canon 10-22mm for interior shots of the bride's (small) house and the (small) church interior; the 100 f/2.8 Macro for close ups of the bouquet and the rings plus some H&S shots; the 17-40 for general group shots; the Sigma 70-200 F/2.8 for close ups of the B&G inside the church. I'm glad I invested in all that glass.

I used a Canon 20D for all the photography. I had a 400D body as a spare just in case some disaster happened. It was worth it for the peace of mind.

Shoot RAW. It enables you to easily recover any dodgy exposures.

Praise Be for Photoshop! It's very easy in the middle of things to miss the odd detail: a piece of scrap paper on the ground, an imperfection on a wall, etc. Easily solved with the Clone Tool. And of course it's great for adding vignettes to photos - Gaussian Blur is your friend!

Take more than enough shots. Three or more of each group for instance is vital as someone will invariably be looking the other way if you only take one.

A slide show of selected shots goes down a treat. I put about 150 shots with music on a DVD using Photodex's Pro Show Gold. It really looks and sounds well and is ideal for giving to friends and relations.

I'm going to get a photobook printed of the official album using Blurb.com. I'll put about 100 photos in various sizes and combinations into it.

All in all, a very busy day but not particularly nerve wracking. I remember in my film days waiting anxiously for the prints to see if everything worked out OK. With digital you know immediately of course if you've got a shot in the bag or not. It makes things so much easier.

Regards,

John

elven

Thanks for the rundown John Got mine to look forward to in a few weeks, first time being *the* photographer but Al is coming along too so I'd say that cuts the chance of disaster in half...

Interesting what you say about the tripod for the interiorr shots. Do you not get movement in the people at 1/15th, even if the camera is steady?

Carrigman

elven wrote:

Interesting what you say about the tripod for the interiorr shots. Do you not get movement in the people at 1/15th, even if the camera is steady?

You may get some movement but that in itself can be attractive in the right circumstances. Mostly though it won't be as slow as 1/15th but you could be using 1/60th or thereabouts. And in any event, regardless of the speed, the tripod gives you re-assurance.

Good luck with the wedding. Another piece of advice I'd give is to be careful when posing people: don't have them stand straight to camera as if they were facing a firing squad. They should be angled in towards one another. And make sure none of them adopts the genital protective stance with their hands. Again this is where the tripod is very useful: you look critically through the viewfinder and if someone's hands need re-positioning you go over and place them properly and then return to the camera.

Fajitas!

elven wrote:

but Al is coming along too so I'd say that cuts the chance of disaster in half...

Half? Come on now

Hugh_C

elven wrote:

Thanks for the rundown John Got mine to look forward to in a few weeks, first time being *the* photographer but Al is coming along too so I'd say that cuts the chance of disaster in half...

Interesting what you say about the tripod for the interiorr shots. Do you not get movement in the people at 1/15th, even if the camera is steady?

I did one in June with my better half, nerve wracking but with some great results.

Top tip: get a written list of required formals from both sides in advance. Bring the nifty fifty for some candids much later on.

bigeoino

I also did my first wedding as a "2nd Camera" at the weekend and my thoughts/ comments below:-

- A lot - maybe even more that 50% - of the job is down to the personality of the photographer. Most competent photographers should be able to manage a few reasonably good shots, but a lively, joking, smiling photographer will probably get more people smiling and relaxed thus better shots (as well as keeping the wedding party happy for longer which means more chance to get better pictures...)

- Learn everyone's names involved - even the minor players - Groom's dad etc. - and don't be afraid to use them

If you have a few moments take a few still life shots
- brides shoes...
- bouquet
- jewelry
- mixture of above
- flowers in the church
- the order of service with flowers
- the table settings
etc.

And on camera based points.
- Flash - make sure you have one that can handle multiple exposures.
- Camera Settings - if you tweak the settings - i.e. indoor non flash photo - always return them to normal straight after the photo.
- Flash cards - have loads of empty and formatted flash cards and you'll probably never fill them, change them in the gaps rather than when they're full.

Props - if you're looking for relaxed shots try taking props too - e.g. sunglasses for the best men and ushers - the reservoir dog look, a hurley, rugby ball...

Finally, if you can research the area or ask the bride if there are any outdoor locations which can make for a non formal shot of the group - beach, hay field, old pub etc etc.

And, as an addendum, Enjoy it!
It's incredibly tiring but really enjoyable - I did it for nearly 7 hours and time just flew by!
And I now have a lot more respect for the guys on 1st Camera, it's a really tough job!

Benster

This is a very timely thread, thanks folks.

I'm doing my first wedding on Saturday and I'm trying not to see it as that big a challenge, but it's hard not to. It's a relative and a fussy one at that, the church is cavernous and dark, church grounds aren't great (headstones everywhere, but it has great views over a bay), she doesn't want to go to any locations for shots afterwards (even though it's in the far North and very picturesque) and the hotel has only one nice area to use as a fall-back if the weather turns nasty. Phew!

Still, I want to make the very best I can of the opportunity, as there'll be a load there her age and if they see the results, I might get a few recommendations

For the next few nights, I can be found in Ashbourne's church doing practice shots of the missus...

Backup camera is film as well, which I had originally thought to fill with B&W film to do "arty" stuff, but I'll keep colour in it in case I need to use it as primary.

Not bricking it at all...

B.

:eek:

Muineach

this might be a job for a second camera, this was for my nephews first holy communion, the family were posing for a standard shot straight on, but I was sitting in the shade and I caught something like this:





I know the exposure isn't great but you get my meaning, it was in between photo's and never realised that I was taking the picture, I got them as they were "relaxing" for the people taking the photo.

BTW watch out for trees, put them all under the leaves or out in the open, that's why the photo's exposure is all over the place. I realise now in PS I could probably fix it up but hey, they aren't my family

Borderfox

I have one tip, write in big letters on the palm of your hand ISO! and always check it before a shot. Especially when going from inside to outside.

Muineach

oh yea, i got caught a few times with ISO settings and not looking at the preview for clipping as well.

One thing that I didn't see mentioned was batteries, especially for the flash, just in case you end up taking more photo's with the flash than expected, that nearly got me, as the recharge time got slower and slower so did peoples patience

Roen

Did my first one last Friday also. Very short notice, basically had to ask the boss for a few hours off later that day.

It wasn't really a full wedding in the traditional sense, more a registrar affair in a hotel.
I only found out on the day that this type of wedding happens in bulk. There was 6 happening one after the other. Mine being the last, so loads of hangers on and bar flies cluttering up the place.

Utter chaos needless to say.

I arrived and got some great shots of a suited up little kid next to a vintage car, probably one of the better shots of the day, but unfortunately the kid had f**k all to do with the wedding I was shooting. So :mad: on that anyway.

Again I used quite a few lenses, the 70-200 ƒ2.8 IS being by far and away the most used.
The entire ceremony was only about 7 or 8 minutes long so I hadn't got time to swap out lenses, but it wasn't such an issue as I chose to go with the 70-200 on the 5D and the 17-40 on the 20D. I only had the one flash, but changing that is much easier than changing lenses. The 200 end of the zoom got me close enough for the ring shots.

Two bodies is a must I think. And two working bodies, not one and a back-up. And preferably two flashes as well!


When we went for the bride and groom shots it was more relaxed and I changed to the 85 ƒ1.2, the only lens change I made for the day.
Difficult conditions I have to say, very dark and dull in the hotel and very bright and sunny outside.
Trying not to blow detail on the dress and still keep some semblance of correct exposure for the rest of the scene was a real headache.

Made a few school boy errors but they are recoverable. Need to get the new monitor calibrated before I can really tell though.
Good write ups so far guys, learning all the time.

bigeoino

Borderfox wrote:

I have one tip, write in big letters on the palm of your hand ISO! and always check it before a shot. Especially when going from inside to outside.

What "did" for a couple of shots for me was the exposure compensation. I remembered the ISO when going from the church to the carpark and gave myself a pat on the back but still had the exposure compensation set on -1. doh!

Dial up the strength of your LCD as well - quite useful to "see" the pictures and be careful of white dresses and underexposure....

And if you decide to use any less normal settings make sure you remember how to get them! - I spent a few minutes trying to switch my flash to second curtain.

Finally, if you have the time, it's worth reviewing your images if you get a few moments (during the service??) just to see if you've got a good picture of all the important people.

And Enjoy it.

Cabaal

While I'll be far from the main photogragher, I have two weddings coming up in September in the one week so some very useful stuff being mentioned here

Fenster

Roen, you pretty much described a Vegas wedding. At the chapels (specifically one I'm applying for), you have three chapels, with weddings every 30 minutes in each one. The ceremony is typically about ten minutes in length, followed by a studio shoot, and weather permitting, an outdoor shoot.

After all of this you still need to get a fresh memory card and be ready for your next one..

Generally you won't have time to screw about with bodies and lenses. What you need is one lens such as this. Consistent aperture, wide-angle and mild telephoto all in one, especially on a cropped sensor camera.

One thing you should look at would be to get a flash bracket. This will give you the freedom to shoot portrait or landscape while keeping your lighting absolutely consistent. this one is pretty popular with wedding photographers through the city.

Muineach

It might be an idea to sticky this thread for weddings/formal events ?

Fajitas!

Hmmm, would a "Doing a job, need help!" thread work? Not restricting it to weddings/formals....?

Could be a great thread, considering the amount of genres of photography we cover.

Borderfox

Hi Benster,
I shot a wedding in Ashbourne church about a month ago, pm me your email and I will send you the shots from it to have a look. Church is really dark but they do allow flash the time I was there even though I didnt use any.

Keith

Benster wrote:

This is a very timely thread, thanks folks.

I'm doing my first wedding on Saturday and I'm trying not to see it as that big a challenge, but it's hard not to. It's a relative and a fussy one at that, the church is cavernous and dark, church grounds aren't great (headstones everywhere, but it has great views over a bay), she doesn't want to go to any locations for shots afterwards (even though it's in the far North and very picturesque) and the hotel has only one nice area to use as a fall-back if the weather turns nasty. Phew!

Still, I want to make the very best I can of the opportunity, as there'll be a load there her age and if they see the results, I might get a few recommendations

For the next few nights, I can be found in Ashbourne's church doing practice shots of the missus...

Backup camera is film as well, which I had originally thought to fill with B&W film to do "arty" stuff, but I'll keep colour in it in case I need to use it as primary.

Not bricking it at all...

B.

:eek:

Carrigman

Some other suggestions that come to mind:

If it's a church wedding make sure you discuss the use of flash and general freedom to roam around the altar with the priest/vicar beforehand. Some clergy are very touchy on this point and I've come across the odd one who has refused to countenance the use of flash. Better to know the ground rules well before the event.

In a church ceremony the real signing of the register is done before you take the formal posed shot. Make sure you have a decent looking pen for the bride to hold. There's nothing worse than a cheap biro with "Murphys Butchers" or similar written on it. (Photoshop will come to the rescue of course but better avoid it if at all possible).

Usually the B&G stand outside the church doors afterwards and are congratulated by the guests as they exit. Make sure you get as many shots as possible. On the slide show I put together those shots were very popular ("Oh look, that's cousin Paddy", "Look at what Jenny was wearing!", etc).

It's customary to take the B&G + Bridesmaids + Groomsmen away someplace for some posed shots. Some photographers go to extreme lengths to get staged poses - the B&G looking at each other around a tree, that kind of thing. Some B&Gs like that, others don't. Ask. Personally I find some of those shots cringe-inducing and prefer to take some nicely posed full length and H&S shots in an attractive setting. (When I was getting married there was a fashion for "special effects" - the B&G superimposed on a wine glass and similar - they looked cheesy then and they haven't improved with age).

The one effect I do like is a vignette around some photos. Photoshop: make a circular or oval selection, select Inverse and then either darken it using Levels or blur it using Gaussian Blur.

At the hotel get the B&G into the dining room asap after arrival. This is to take the cutting of the cake shot which is done before the actual cutting of the cake later in the evening. You will have the B&G on their own and you can pose them to your requirements which is something you would not be able to do later during the actual cake cutting. I pose the groom to the bride's right, she holds the knife in her right hand, he places his right hand on top of hers and then she places her left hand (showing the ring) on top of his. They don't actually cut the cake of course. And make sure her bouquet is to the front of the cake.

It's also customary at this stage to take a few shots of them toasting each other with champagne (cider/cidona will do if necessary). Avoid the awkward pose of them intertwining their arms as they hold the glasses - go for them just touching the glasses together and looking at each other and looking at you.

At this stage any normal couple will be well cheesed off with photographs. That's fine because your work is now done and unless you have agreed to stick around and take some other shots you have what you need in the bag and can go home.

Borderfox

Good stuff Carraigman. Fenster that looks like something you get in hospital to mend your busted leg...

Muineach

Carrigman wrote:

Some photographers go to extreme lengths to get staged poses - the B&G looking at each other around a tree, that kind of thing.

This was 10 years ago, but for my brothers wedding the photographer asked me to turn my left shoe 1 inch to the right. :rolleyes:

Benster

Carrigman wrote:

The one effect I do like is a vignette around some photos. Photoshop: make a circular or oval selection, select Inverse and then either darken it using Levels or blur it using Gaussian Blur.

This is one of those techniques I've been wondering how to do, looks great on the pro websites.

Thanks.

Fajitas!

I've always found lens blur more effective for the 'vaseline on lens' look. Only example to hand is this though.