Film Friend's Wedding

I look forward to seeing the video that the OP produces.

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

I took pictures of the family on the morning of the wedding. I then video'd the couple coming up the isle, some parts of the service and the couple coming down the isle. I then video'd and took pictures of the reception. The couple haven't see anything yet but the family have and they were impressed. It all went very well. I was a bit nervous but was fine when the first isle part was a success.

Thanks for all your help.

Great, any chance of a look at a few sample shots?

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

why do you want to see them?

Probably for technical comment and critique of the photos (not of the people in the photos).

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

mm, might be a bit weird posting pics of my family online... why do you want to see them?

I must be confused ? I thought it was your friends wedding, not your family ?

don't know if it's been mentioned already but if you're filming it the audio will be pure crap if you're using a normal Dslr.
kelby training do a good video course on how to shoot wedding , a google search will find it handy enough. some savage courses on lynda.com too

You shouldn't get them a present on top of this; as people mentioned it's a BIG ask and you can't relax (or drink) until you're done. And you'll probably be shattered by then.

Regarding photographing it- there's a few threads on boards about it and online
This is advice I gave someone a while back (I copied and pasted so all doesn't apply to you)
Talk to the couple, ask them what kind of photos they want (casual, formal, groups of people, what are the most important shots to have, what are the most important group photos).
Get the most important group photos before ye leave the church (or outside it, better light) because later on it can be hard to get all the people together.
Before and after the ceremony is good chance to get casual/candid people photos.
Are ye going somewhere afterwards to get photos of the couple. What if it rains, do you have a backup location?
Agree on a cut off time- after church, before meal etc.

Visit the locations beforehand and take some sample shots to determine how bright/dark it will be. Try to figure out what’s the slowest shutter speed you can work with.
Figure out where you’re going to stand during the ceremony, so you can get shots of the couple, crowd etc. Ask the priest if you can move around during the ceremony, if he says yes they don’t feel shy to move around.
If they have a mass booklet ask them for one beforehand so you know how long the ceremony will be, what’s happening. During a quiet bit go to the back of the church and get some photos up the aisle of the couple etc.
Use continuous burst for people walking up the aisle & the kiss.
Do a google search ‘wedding location & wedding photography’, presuming that there’s photos available from other photographers who have shot there you might get some good ideas. (I copied the photo of bride leaning against church wall in B&W and Aula Mixima sign at an angle from a photographer I know; he didn’t mind).
Don’t forget you’re the photographer so, to some extent, you can control stuff. E.g. after the ceremony you can tell family, bridesmaids etc. to stand at alter for group shots.
Make a list of shots to get- e.g. rings on table, what people, her flowers etc. easy to glance at.
Know who the bridesmaids and best man are- in case you can’t find someone for a photo you can ask them to help.

Equipment:
Have a spare battery. You can buy cheap ones online, doesn’t have to be official Nikon.
I shot without flash and it worked ok. Flash is very helpful for low light but there’s a steep learning curve to a flash, mightn’t be allowed to use it in the church.
Know what’s the highest ISO you can use before the grain gets too bad. If you do have shots a bit grains convert them to B&W, sometimes you can ‘get away with it’.
If you have any friends who own a Nikon borrow it from them. I used two bodies, much better than having to change lenses.
I had a 17-50 f2.8 lens, which was good for in the church and at the reception, a 30mm f1.4 lens which was great for 1 reception where the light was very bad. Also a 100mm f2.8, great for the reception as I could get portraits from a distance. I also have a 70-200 f2.8 (expensive, very big and heavy but good zoom. I didn’t use this much at all).
Wear comfortable clothes, bring a light jacket/windsheeter in case weather is bad.

Bring a bottle of water with you; you’ll probably be nervous and thirsty. Make sure you’ve eaten beforehand cos it’s a long day.

I brought my tablet and backed up the photos when it was quiet & used new memory cards just to be safe.