Wedding Photographs - November

JG1

Hi,

Just looking for some advice. I am getting married in November and I am currently trying to finalise a photographer. Have sat down with 2 photographers and I am slightly confused.

I am getting married at 3pm and realise that it will be getting dark by the time we get out. Is it possible to get decent internal shots without red eye. The second photographer kept going on about lack of natural light and taking the shots beforehand if the weather was good.

What questions should i be asking in order to get good value for money and be happy i have picked the right photographer.

Thanks

City-Exile

A professional should not have a problem with redeye.
Yes, the light will be poor after a 3pm ceremony & the photographer is concerned that you wont get the pictures you want, thus compromising his reputation.

It might be alright for some shots, but groups will be difficult in that light.
To be honest, there isn't much you can do, unless he brings a lighting rig.
Not the fault of the photographer, it's just the timing of the wedding.
If I were you, I'd let him get as much done beforehand as possible.

Don't expect miracles though.

DotOrg

I am getting married at 3pm and realise that it will be getting dark by the time we get out. Is it possible to get decent internal shots without red eye. The second photographer kept going on about lack of natural light and taking the shots beforehand if the weather was good.

any photographer who knows what they are doing will not get any red eye, if they did, it would be a simple matter to fix afterwards. if any photographer said that it will be a problem, DO NOT hire them

a lack of natural light will limit the amount and quality of the photos but there's no real way around this. Any good professional will get the best possible photos under whatever circumstances are thrown at them so if your photographer sounds very worried about this because they don't know how to shoot in low light, again, DON'T HIRE them. There are plenty of good wedding photographers who can work in any conditions

What questions should i be asking in order to get good value for money and be happy i have picked the right photographer.

1 ) make sure you get on with them as people
2) make sure they sound confident in working in a dark venue in November
3) ask to see examples of indoor photos they've done before
4) ask them what they do when it's windy and raining outside
5) most wedding photographers still have slots open in November as it's not all that popular a month for weddings, so you can still shop around

smelltheglove

I got married last December and every picture turned out fine. A professional may warn you about conditions but will find a way around it. My photographer used direct flash whenever needed. Red eye is very easily fixed in post processing to a good photograph. I could not see it being too dark for you to have photographs outside after considering how late I had photographs in December.

It may have been a personal request for you though to have outdoor family / group shots afterwards but I would not recommend it both personally and photographically. I was freezing, the only photos we had outside were myself and hubbie and the bridesmaids, we spent about 15 mns outside and that was almost 16 mns too long, it was freezing and I can imagine the trouble of trying to get a group of people quiet and happy in that cold never mind the fact that there may be rain.

You should request whichever photographer you use to go see the venue beforehand and figure out where the picture spots will be. If you do this and the photographer finds that there are not many places for you to have photos taken you can then look into an indoor venue that you could go to on the way to have photos taken, maybe a library, old victorian house or somewhere close by that would give good indoor shots.

anthony4335

Time of day should not be a problem, if he is any good he should be able to get great shots no mater what the conditions are, you just might have to compromise on the location. The one thing I would be asking about is the rights to the images, so you can re-print when every you want. Most of them will not give you either the edited jpegs or the raw images, so you can re-print. Ask if you get a cd or dvd of the jpegs, so you can re-print, and post on social networks.

Cameraman

JG1 wrote: »

I am getting married at 3pm and realise that it will be getting dark by the time we get out. Is it possible to get decent internal shots without red eye. The second photographer kept going on about lack of natural light and taking the shots beforehand if the weather was good.

Any professional photographer should be able to manage internal photographs without 'red-eye'.

The issue about natural light and outdoor photos is of particular relevance if you are getting married, or have your reception at a particularly nice location. You may have viewed these in the daylight, and even arranged your wedding there because of the location/views etc. The photographer is probably concerned that you might only have internal photos on the day - which may not be so representative of the location.

I have PM'd you on some questions to consider.

Borderfox

Any photographer scared by lack of natural light isnt worth a mention, I have shot weddings in the dingiest churches without a problem and the pictures have still be great fast glass is essential, my smallest aperture to carry at a wedding is f2.8 and the widest is f1.2 so every eventually covered.

JG1

Thanks for all the replies and advice. It is a possibly the most expensive thing, after the food and I want it to be money well spent!

DotOrg

JG1 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies and advice. It is a possibly the most expensive thing, after the food and I want it to be money well spent!

Photography is the one thing (along with the wedding rings) that last from the wedding days for years and decades to come. They are one of the few things that come from the wedding day itself which future generations will also cherish.

It is an expense that lasts far longer than the flowers or the wine or the dress

eas

hi,

I don't think it's that unusual for a photographer to explore options in any scenario that is not ideal. In this case, I would suggest the possibility meeting the bride and groom 20-30 mins before the ceremony for some outdoor shots. I've been to a few winter ceremonies where that has happened for exactly the same reason.

however I would not mention red-eye as a reason to do this. :rolleyes:

mikeanywhere

eas wrote: »

hi,

I don't think it's that unusual for a photographer to explore options in any scenario that is not ideal. In this case, I would suggest the possibility meeting the bride and groom 20-30 mins before the ceremony for some outdoor shots. I've been to a few winter ceremonies where that has happened for exactly the same reason.

This is a great option. However, most couples are too stuck up in the traditional thing of not seeing each other to do it

eas

mikeanywhere wrote: »

This is a great option. However, most couples are too stuck up in the traditional thing of not seeing each other to do it

Agree, it's a shame when silly traditions get in the way of
photography.

Regardless, it's the photographers responsibility to give the options up-front. After explaining the photography would benefit the BnG may go off and consider it, at least.

Just curious JG1 - did the photographer stress the red-eye problem, or was it just casually mentioned?