Any tips for doing a wedding shoot

mollybird

A friend of mine has asked me to be her wedding photographer as a wedding present when she gets married in the summer. She is having a very small non traditional ceramony. They are getting married in a hotel in dublin.

Would anyone have any tips for doing such a thing? i remember my own proper wedding photogrpaher had to get details of our priest so she could chat to him quickly about when she was allowed to be taking pics etc. Should I be doing something similar?

thanks

Alanstrainor

mollybird wrote: »

A friend of mine has asked me to be her wedding photographer as a wedding present when she gets married in the summer. She is having a very small non traditional ceramony. They are getting married in a hotel in dublin.

Would anyone have any tips for doing such a thing? i remember my own proper wedding photogrpaher had to get details of our priest so she could chat to him quickly about when she was allowed to be taking pics etc. Should I be doing something similar?

thanks

Have you ever shot an event before?

mollybird

No im an amatuer but ive been doing a fair bit of photography for hte past year and have done some good shots.

Alanstrainor

mollybird wrote: »

No im an amatuer but ive been doing a fair bit of photography for hte past year and have done some good shots.

I would be very wary about taking on such an event as an amatuer with no prior experience of any events, never mind a wedding. I can see that you are trying to give them an amazing gift, but it takes a lot of skill and planning to be a good wedding photographer, and if you mess up the couple could end up with substandard/bad photos of their wedding day.

This thread is worth a read, as I just stumbled across it yesterday:

http://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/2xtnwo/ruined_memories_by_accepting_a_wedding_job/

eoglyn

mmm... advice is don't do it. Say no.

Seriously.

pm being sent shortly.

eoglyn

Ha, i thought it would be against the spirit of boards to link to a reddit thread, so was going to pm you the above link, don't have to now.

Basically don't do it, without a bucket more experience and at least two cameras, and having assisted at a wedding or five already. Too much can go wrong and you may end up losing a friend if it does.

Alanstrainor

Even in terms of gear required...appropriate lenses, flash(s), 2+ camera bodies, memory cards, batteries, reflectors, quality tri-pod, it is just far more than most amateur photographers would ever have. And not to forget the skill required on the day, to not be obtrusive and yet still being able to capture the most important moments!

And after all of that, there's post processing, there could be hours and hours of work involved to even get the photos to a basic standard.

Alanstrainor

Apologies for being so blunt....

b318isp

Having gone through this same dilemma last year, I'd suggest a few key points:

1. You MUST talk to the bride/groom. Tell them them frankly that you are not a pro. I pointed out that although I have some good gear, the pros know how to use it better/quicker, get the best out if it in poor light conditions, have better compositional & framing skills and know how to handle groups...

2. You MUST talk to the bride/groom (2). I was explicitly clear that what I may produce would disappoint them. Many couples have an expectation of what they would get. If they are expecting mind blowing shots in the leather bound album their best friend got (and cost €3000), they may not. Don't under-estimate how pissed off people could get if your photos don't meet their perceptions.

3. You MUST talk to the bride/groom (3). I said that I was perfectly happy to take as many impromptu shots as they liked - but I personally did not want to be in a position that they would be unhappy and think bad of me. I wouldn't take that on.

None of this is an attack on you or your ability to take photographs.

Weddings are super sensitive life events, don't go into it without all stakeholders being aligned.

The pros charge good money for a good reason.

Myksyk

Agree with all of above. Either set their expectations at the appropriate level or don't do it. I think there is a huge amount of skill and ability in doing one correctly. From planning, to arranging shots, directing people, taking the actual shots (what gear, are you skilled with flash etc etc), can you process to high standards and so on and so on. If you can't do all of the above easily then avoid this. It won't end well.

If on the other hand, you, and they, are ABSOLUTELY clear that you will take some snaps, some of which may be good and that you won't be setting up group shots and you may not get perfectly exposed indoor shots and they shouldn't expect too much .... then ... maybe.

But really .... I'd say run for the hills!

mollybird

thanks for the replies everyone. My friends are doing their wedding at a seriously low cost price as they frankly do not have a penny so they could never afford to get a professional photographer. I have all ready said that i am not a pro and they would have seen the photo's that i have put up through social media.

I have 2 lens's, a tripod and 3 filters. I agree im going to try and meet up with them and do an engagement shot to see how it goes and say it to them again to clarify what they will expect.

flyingsnail

Personally I would say don't do it, it is a very easy way to ruin a friendship. Google best wedding photography and this is what your friends expectations may be. Having second shot 3 weddings even as a second shooter it is not something that I would approach lightly. Weddings are a very pressured situation for the photographer who can't afford to miss the shot and need both great photographic and people skills.

Now having said that if you do decide to go ahead and shoot the wedding here are a few things to think over. These are not meant as an attack or questioning you ability just things you will need to know for yourself before starting.

Gear, do you have the right gear,
Can you shoot the ceremony without flash? how high can you go with your ISO before the quality is unacceptable? can you compensate with fast lens?
Do you have a flash, how good are you with both on and off camera flash?
Do you have a backup camera, spare batteries, plenty of memory cards?

The pictures
Where will you shoot the bride and grooms pictures, do you know how to pose a couple?
What is plan B if it is raining?
Can you pose groups, family, friends or a mixture?
Will you be there when the bride is getting ready, what about the groom getting ready?
Will you be covering the evening party or will you just be there as a guest at that stage?


The last line I am going to leave you with is "it is a very easy way to ruin a friendship"

Alanstrainor

mollybird wrote: »

thanks for the replies everyone. My friends are doing their wedding at a seriously low cost price as they frankly do not have a penny so they could never afford to get a professional photographer. I have all ready said that i am not a pro and they would have seen the photo's that i have put up through social media.

I have 2 lens's, a tripod and 3 filters. I agree im going to try and meet up with them and do an engagement shot to see how it goes and say it to them again to clarify what they will expect.

I understand where you're coming from. But even not knowing what lenses, I can definitely say you need more equipment. At very least an appropriate flash, and nohow of how to use it in such situations.

And single photos are one thing, but to photograph an entire event is very different... is there anyone you know that could help you on the day even?

eoglyn

flyingsnail wrote: »

Google best wedding photography

I did this.

Google has strange taste.

Tiriel

mollybird wrote: »

thanks for the replies everyone. My friends are doing their wedding at a seriously low cost price as they frankly do not have a penny so they could never afford to get a professional photographer. I have all ready said that i am not a pro and they would have seen the photo's that i have put up through social media.

I have 2 lens's, a tripod and 3 filters. I agree im going to try and meet up with them and do an engagement shot to see how it goes and say it to them again to clarify what they will expect.

If you are intent on doing it and have belief in yourself that you can deliver then I would go to the couple, agree on a list of shots they want and then go and do practice shots in advance, testing the light/space and camera settings required to achieve the shots. Bring a point and shoot as a backup if nothing else, just so you have something other than whats on your DSLR of each of those key shots.

I've never shot a wedding and wouldn't either if asked at the moment as I don't have that experience and would be terrified of letting the couple down. Right now my gear & my knowledge is insufficient and I know it.

TheQuietFella

mollybird wrote: »

thanks for the replies everyone. My friends are doing their wedding at a seriously low cost price as they frankly do not have a penny so they could never afford to get a professional photographer. I have all ready said that i am not a pro and they would have seen the photo's that i have put up through social media.

I have 2 lens's, a tripod and 3 filters. I agree im going to try and meet up with them and do an engagement shot to see how it goes and say it to them again to clarify what they will expect.

Your heart is in the right place but a wedding is not a job for an amateur photographer under any circumstances. I'm not a wedding photographer but a keen hobbyist & it's a minimum of two cameras & spare batteries, memory cards, lighting & whatever else goes along with it!

How fast & wide are your lens & what arrangements will you make should it rain on the day assuming that there will be out door photography & have you sourced a location & received permission & paid for it's use?

TheQuietFella

I had a look through your images on Flickr & to be honest you're only kidding

yourself if you feel you have the ability or know how to shoot a wedding!

CabanSail

I am not so sure you should be so quick to say no. Having said that I am not sure you should say yes either.

When I was young my father did a wedding for some friends. They had little money and wanted something. He had an Nikon SLR and a reasonable flash for the time. He also asked a friend, who also had a Nikon SLR to take some too. He also explained that it was on a "All care but no responsibility" basis. It was that weekend that the Flash Sync on his camera played up. Every shot taken with flash had the left 2/3 of the frame properly exposed and the right 1/3 was ambient light only. Luckily there were rolls from the other camera and the non-flash images and some of the others were OK when cropped, but still a disaster. This has always been on my mind when having been asked to do wedding photography since.

I have done a few. One back in the late 80's on film in a similar circumstance to above. Low budget and the couple liked my images. I had just one body, two lenses and a flash. It was made VERY clear that a gear malfunction could ruin everything. They agreed as it was that or nothing. It turned out OK. I had the film processed and printed for them and gave them that as a wedding present. I did also get images which a pro would not have as I was at the reception until the end.

Another wedding I went as a guest to accompany my sister in law. I was asked to bring my camera even though they had a Photographer. There was no pressure there and gave them some different shots to the official one's. The hired Photographer did have a word as he though they had hired two Tog's. I was shooting my D300 and he was still using a D200 at the time. We had a good chat and I assured him I would not get in his way or take any shots he had set up (rude to do that) It went OK.

Later I did a wedding shoot for a family member. Once again cash was an issue and this time I had spare bodies and flashes etc. Even so I still pointed out that I was not professional and had little experience at shooting weddings. They were thrilled with the results and I ended up doing an album for them.

Back to your situation. Find out what expectations the couple has for the quality of the photo's. Some will be realistic others will be expecting the top end product for free. Show them a portfolio of your work, especially shots taken in social situations or events. Explain very clearly what gear you have and, more importantly, what you don't. That if you body or flash had a failure on the day you may not have a back-up spare. Make it clear what your skills are at post production.

If you do then do the wedding have a look at other people's work and plan to get the important shots. There are lists you can find of the must have shots for a wedding and which group shots you need. Look at the setting and plan in advance how you will be taking the shots without getting in the way of the ceremony. Talking to whoever is officiating is not only polite, they will also advise where previous togs have shot from. Try and avoid using flash during the ceremony if possible. It would also be an advantage to rope in another person as a second shooter.

Good luck either way.

challengemaster

mollybird wrote: »

I have 2 lens's, a tripod and 3 filters. I agree im going to try and meet up with them and do an engagement shot to see how it goes and say it to them again to clarify what they will expect.

I've a little experience with this - last year I ended up doing it for my cousin. Said no initially but got pressured into doing it. I had 3 camera bodies (2 main, 1 backup) and used 3 main lenses, 2 of which were Canon L lenses. All in all, about €7k worth of gear and I'm not a professional.

Before the day I also bought 5 new batteries and another 64gb of memory cards. I still didn't feel like I had enough gear with me to cater for all situations.

It's a serious day and pretty high stress from the get go. There's more than enough times during the day where you'll have 1 chance to get a perfectly timed shot, and if you fúck up there's no do-overs. And after it all you have to sift through a few thousand photos and edit them.

It'll be a long time again before I do a wedding. It's far more work than it's worth. After shooting one I understand WHY good wedding photographers charge the money they do.

TheQuietFella wrote: »

I had a look through your images on Flickr & to be honest you're only kidding yourself if you feel you have the ability or know how to shoot a wedding!

I'd agree with this. Not trying to put you down, but nothing about your past work indicates you're capable of shooting a wedding.

Do you even shoot RAW?

Yanu

There is nothing people can tell you here that'll help on the day. You need experience. I have done about 50/60wedding as a second photographer before photographing my first one. Believe me it is not easy, you'll have to deal with more than just pressing the trigger. You'll need to be able to deal with weather also and do things very fast as many times you are not allowed much time. During the ceremony as well, you need to be able to be at the right place at the right time.

I have shot hundreds of weddings and don't do friend's one…. I'd stay out of it.
Good luck either way

The Black Oil

I've no direct experience to offer. My sister got married before Christmas. There were two photographers.

I've not seen a hard copy of final album as I've not been to her house in a while. However, looking at the email link she sent around, a lot of it is the tone, texture and execution of the images that ultimately reflect a certain skill set - timing, position, etc. There are many subtle moments captured moment. A shot of someone coming down the stairs, through the bannisters (railings blurred) of two family members yapping in the kitchen, a shot of an earring, nice smiles and so on. There are pics of my mother and my grandmother's dresses from they got married, backlit by the sun.

Also, my three year old cousin could hardly sit still at the front of the church on during the ceremony. I don't think any pics of her ended up in the email link - I can't recall, but I was there when the photographer was trying with her, a lot. The final results indicate that a huge amount of work went into the whole day.

Good luck.

secman

My daughter had a civil partnership last October, small event, no photographer. ..
It was assumed that I would take the shots. I would never ever be interested in shooting a wedding. Pure stress, and I was in very few shots. It was a very windy wet day and both brides refused to go outside to attempt any outdoor shots. The whole event was in the hotel, the ceremony, meal obviously and the final event was a fancy dress Halloween party.
They have shots that accurately reflect the day, but a pro would have been much better no doubt. Money was an issue and as it was held on a work day and down the country , I couldn't ask any guys from club to give a hand.

Anyways what they got is better than nought but not nearly as good as they could have been.

mystic86

challengemaster wrote: »

Do you even shoot RAW?

lol, it sounds like photography's equivalent of 'Do you even lift?!' :P

joefoxphoto

mollybird wrote: »

A friend of mine has asked me to be her wedding photographer as a wedding present when she gets married in the summer. She is having a very small non traditional ceramony. They are getting married in a hotel in dublin.

Would anyone have any tips for doing such a thing? i remember my own proper wedding photogrpaher had to get details of our priest so she could chat to him quickly about when she was allowed to be taking pics etc. Should I be doing something similar?

thanks

Im not going to say dont do it, but if you talk to the hotel they might insist you have liability insurance. Even though you are not a pro you will be acting as one and directing people etc.

Talk to the celebrant as well, they may hint you should say no. They wont want anyone who doesnt know what they are doing flashing away during the legal bits of the ceremony. Its been years since I did any weddings but I do seem to recall its may have been an offence to interrupt particular parts of the vows (most will tell you not to take photos during this period).

The camera, lenses, equipment etc will be the least of your worries to be honest.

Zebrano

Just out of curiosity what way would a wedding photographer have their 2 cameras set up and why

challengemaster

Zebrano wrote: »

Just out of curiosity what way would a wedding photographer have their 2 cameras set up and why

Set up in what way? ISO/Aperture/shutter speed are going to depend entirely on the situation and the environment.

Lens wise... every photographer is different. A very basic setup would have a relatively wide zoom lens (24-70, 24-105) on one camera, and something like a 70-200 on the second camera - so you can easily switch between group/documentary style shots and tight portraits. Many pros would also have prime lenses that they'd have on their second camera (50 f/1.2, 85 f/1.2, etc)

eoglyn

I'm with Fer, a 35 and an 85. Boom!!!

flyingsnail

Zebrano wrote: »

Just out of curiosity what way would a wedding photographer have their 2 cameras set up and why

Personally I like to have two bodies with me all the time, On my right hand side I will have a body with a 24-70, the 24-70 will be on that camera for the full day. On my left I have my second body which I tend to change the lens based on what I need at the time, I swap between prime, ultra wide and a 70-200. Both cameras will have a flash on them that I will turn on / off as required.