Wedding - what am I forgetting? - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF-S DX 18-105 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR

01/04/2010 09:10:06 PM · #1

I've been asked to shoot the wedding of two friends. But. They didn't ask because I'm a friend - the man's roommate is also a photographer. They asked me as a photographer. I find that distinction important; I hope I explained it correctly.

So, enlighten me. What have I forgotten about?

And what are good lengths to use? Due to financial reasons, I actually own only an 85mm f/1.8 prime, and I'm smart enough to know that that will not do; I can see the benefits of having something like a 70-200, but I really really like primes.

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

01/04/2010 09:27:37 PM · #2

If you have a little time, and live where it can be done, you may want to see about renting a lens or two. Another thought may be to borrow one from a nearby DPC'er. I would want at least a zoom that goes wide and maybe a fast 35 or 50mm. You need something wide for the group shots.
Whatever you end up doing, try to get the lens or lenses before the day, and get some practice with the new glass.
The two on your profile page look like you may already have it covered, if you can have access to them for the day.

Message edited by author 2010-01-04 21:29:06.

JimiRose

Nikon D90

01/04/2010 09:29:59 PM · #3

Probably more than you think, are you going to be the only 'tog at the wedding? You will certainly need to invest heavily in new equipment if you're going to do a good job for them. I have extremely modest experience in this field, but the job I did I wasn't paid and spent every penny I had upgrading my kit, I definitely made a financial loss on the whole experience. Even then the equipment I had was bare bones and only just got me through - I was fortunate not to have any problems with anything (other than my ancient laptop crashing and deleting the entire wedding - I still have nightmares...).

SO my point here I suppose is if you want to make a financial commitment to photography as a career, and you've got balls of steel enough to be a the only photographer on the most important day of someone's life, here's your chance. However, if this is a favour for a friend and you aren't willing to put the cash into it, don't ruin it for them by bringing the wrong kit, you will regret not pointing them in the direction of a pro!

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

01/04/2010 09:48:47 PM · #4

NVphoto has a rental business, and offers deals for DPC folks. Rates seem reasonable, but I don't rent much. Worth looking into, at any rate.
I myself like primes a lot as well because of their speed and sharpness, but remember that candid wedding events come and go quickly, so running around to get your proper framing isn't always an option.

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

01/04/2010 10:04:36 PM · #5

I am looking into rentals. I will probably NOT be shooting with my XT nearly at all, as I will be borrowing an XSi (not much better than XT, I know) and [mystery camera] belonging to the bride's family. I don't like my wide - I don't use it at all for anything if I can help it. (I've used it once this semester, and that was in a smaaaaaaaaall studio where I needed to do full-length portraits.) I also don't do wides very much - how wide is good for a group photo...? Because the 24-105 f/4L would be a great lens to use, but I'm not sure about the 24 end.

The thing is, they can't afford a pro. They looked into it, and tried to reconcile the price, but they just couldn't.

Now, I am wise enough to NOT do the wedding for the friend who said "oh hey, come shoot my wedding. oh, $500? I thought it would be more like $50." ahaha.

Skip

Canon EOS-1D X

01/04/2010 10:24:16 PM · #6

Originally posted by jessi:

So, enlighten me. What have I forgotten about?

forgotten?!? lol...

ok, you're going to shoot a wedding. i'm guessing you've never shot one, but i could be wrong. the main thing to know is, "what is the bride expecting?"

2, 3, 4, 6, 8 hours of shooting?

200, 300, 1000 images on a dvd, all edited and ready to print?

a coffee table book? or just a simple album of say 24 8x10s?

are you expected to shoot the bride getting ready, the arrival, the ceremony, the formals, the reception, and everything else?

are you supposed to shoot it photojournalistically, shooting every single thing that comes in front of your camera?

are you supposed to employ myriads of photographic techniques in order to produce an incredible collection of artistic images that flow beautifully into both print and video?

what does this bride want?

and, do you have the ability to deliver whatever it is she wants?

are you getting paid, or is this "your gift" to the bride and groom?

are you used to heavy duty post-production...after all, most people don't shoot 1,000+ images in an outing. this is going to involve a lot of time, sorting through, weeding, processing, the whole nine yards. unless the bride's not really expecting that much.

depending on what the bride's expecting, you are going to need wide and medium telephoto zooms, like a 16-35 and a 24-70. preferably L-glass, because that stuff can see in the dark. unless you're going to have a lot of light, you might consider looking into renting a pro body, something that can handle low light. depending on time of day and the shooting situation, you may or may not need to bring your own lights and/or lighting. (you may or may not be allowed to use flash during the ceremony, but before and after you should be able to do whatever you want.)

the main thing is to get on the same page with the bride and get a handle on expectations. once you have an idea as to the conditions you'll be shooting in and what she expects, you can better get a handle on what it's going to take for you to get the job done. hopefully, you'll have enough time to practice shooting what she wants so that when the time comes, you'll be ready.

there are plenty of people who have done this very thing - shoot a wedding for a friend - successfully, with less than professional equipment and with hardly any experience at all. it is possible. it's just a matter of managing expectations. if you're not a professional and the bride isn't expecting professional results, you should be golden with nothing more than a "i'll do the best i can with what i've got to work with." on the other hand, if she expects anything more out of you, then you'd better be ready to let her know what it's going to cost for you to get the equipment you need to capture the images, what it's going to take for you to deliver the goods, and when she can reasonably expect you to be done. otherwise, you could be heading into a pretty stressful situation...

Originally posted by jessi:

Now, I am wise enough to NOT do the wedding for the friend who said "oh hey, come shoot my wedding. oh, $500? I thought it would be more like $50." ahaha

regardless of what the amount of money ya'll are kicking around, shooting a wedding is serious work and very time consuming, both in terms of shooting, post-production, and delivery. if you don't have experience, you could literally invest weeks in the deal...which is fine, if everybody understands that going in. otherwise, everyone - including you - will be pissed off when it seemingly takes forever to get the job done.

Message edited by author 2010-01-04 22:29:26.

Sony DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical ED Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha

01/05/2010 12:55:30 AM · #7

Skip, that was exactly the kind of thing I needed to know...I really appreciate it.

She and I actually communicate really well; we live in the same dorm, so we see a lot of each other, and we've connected anyways, because we're the two female art majors in the dorm, so obviously we have to be friends. She's going to send me links to wedding albums she likes.

It's half and half. I'm getting paid for the ceremony, but I'm doing portraits as a gift. Fee is currently lens rentals + $350.

I am indeed used to heavy post-processing, I had an internship over the summer that produced 3,000 pictures a week...and that was after I had deleted all of the out of focus or otherwise technically irretrievable pictures.

I probably will not be able to get ahold of a pro-level body and still have a profit. I do shoot RAW, and I will try to be there for the rehearsal. Right now I plan to use my 85mm f/1.8 prime for the majority of the ceremony and rent a 24-105mm f/4L lens for the other things. I am also considering getting a wider lens for the group shots?

She understands that I'm not a pro, and that I'm not going to do the same job as a pro...but she's seen and liked my portfolio. I'll make that clear to her when we have our official meeting at the end of the month.

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

01/05/2010 01:22:33 AM · #8

If you have time, you may want to shoot the rehearsal, to see how it goes, figure out where you want to shoot from, and maybe avoid something unforeseen, like a lighting problem, that could cause trouble with shooting the actual ceremony. For the rehearsal, you could use your wide zoom at higher iso to simulate the faster lens that you intend to rent later.

kiwinick

Sony DSLR-A550

01/05/2010 01:28:53 AM · #9

I used to shoot with a 28/105mm and a 70/210. plus fill in flash 90% of the times for weddings the balance was a 24mm w/a got me thru a lot of weddings very successfully I might add. The KISS principle is always agood one to follow. make a list of must do shots with the bride do those then branch out a bit

TCGuru

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

01/05/2010 01:30:12 AM · #10

BE at the rehearsal. It is a must. You will have the chance to take some test shots (church lighting STINKS) and you will find out where everyone will be and when. It is very very important to know all of this so you can position yourself properly without being in the way or being a distraction during the service.

Oh, and have fun with your bride :)

roba

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

01/05/2010 02:07:49 AM · #11

Flash, flash, flash. Don't leave home without it.
I'd STRONGLY suggest renting a Quantum Turbo SC battery pack for your flash as well. There's NOTHING worse than reaching that critical moment only to find yourself waiting for your flash to recharge. Weddings are chock full of moments that you can NOT ask for a "do over". Be ready for all of them.

I would also suggest that if you're going to rent a lens - opt for the 24-70mm f/2.8 instead of the 24-105. The extra light WILL come in handy. It is a wedding workhorse for a reason.

Check out this checklist by Leroy (forever ago) in this tutorial.

Print it out (or a spreadsheet version of it). Go through it with the bride BEFORE the day of the wedding, and find out what she expects to have at the end of the day.

Lastly - bring an assistant! After shooting my first wedding (with a 2nd shooter AND an assistant) I could NOT imagine how someone could shoot a large wedding alone. All 3 of us were completely spent by the end of the day/night.

Also - don't forget to eat. Seriously. There's just SO much going on... and SO much going through your mind throughout the process... you tend to forget about what YOUR body needs.

My 2c.

Oh yeah - and try to HAVE FUN! :)

njsabs

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/05/2010 03:19:44 AM · #12

Originally posted by Jessi:

Now, I am wise enough to NOT do the wedding for the friend who said "oh hey, come shoot my wedding. oh, $500? I thought it would be more like $50." ahaha.

I did my first wedding for $500 and used the 85mm for about 90% of the images. It turned out well. That 85mm can get you out of sticking lighting situations...and low light levels without the flash all the time.

01/05/2010 04:57:06 PM · #13

On a scale of 1 to 10, how dumb of me would it be to use my school's Nikon (D80 with 80-200 f/2.8 and 28-80 f/2.8 and speedlight) when I'm used to Canon? I have about six months to learn how to use it.

OR. Alternately. HEY. My friend has a nikon adapter. Win.

I like that checklist - thanks. I totally will be at the rehearsal - I think I'll make it one of my conditions.

Simms

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/05/2010 05:21:04 PM · #14

Originally posted by Jessi:

If I had to (realistically) pick 3 lenses for a wedding I would opt for

24-70 f2.8
70-200 f2.8
85 1.8

If you can beg/borrow/steal then try to get a 50mm, ideally the 1.4

If you can get along to the venue before the rehersal, and I mean a few weeks before, then do so, nothing beats scouting out a location beforehand. If you can get the B&G to come along as well even better, take the opportunity to call it an `engagement shoot`, it gives you all a chance to get relaxed with one another, scout out great locations for the portraits/formals and even have a look around for those wet weather eventualities. It will take a lot of pressure off you during the day.

PapaBob

01/05/2010 05:27:13 PM · #15

Originally posted by Jessi:

The D80 is a nice body but I would only consider using another camera if you have plenty of time to get used to it, one thing about shooting weddings is you need to be able to react without having to think to much about how to set things up on the camera. The 80-200 will likely be to long for a lot of the shots, the 28-80 would be a good choice.

Message edited by author 2010-01-05 17:28:04.

faidoi

Pentax K10D

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

01/05/2010 08:35:29 PM · #16

Using 2 bodies is a godsend when doing a wedding. Did one last year and it was great not having to change lenses as much. Actually it would've been nicer to have a 3rd body, but 2 is a must have.

Find out how large the bridal party is for the big group shot so you know how wide of a lens you need. Take lots and lots of shots as someone is always looking away, blinking, etc.

Most used lens was the Tamron 28-75 but also had the Tamron 70-200 on the second camera. At the dinner afterwards change to 16-50 and kept the 28-75 on the first camera.

sillygoat

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

01/05/2010 08:47:54 PM · #17

Originally posted by njsabs:

Originally posted by Jessi:

Now, I am wise enough to NOT do the wedding for the friend who said "oh hey, come shoot my wedding. oh, $500? I thought it would be more like $50." ahaha.

I did my first wedding for $500 and used the 85mm for about 90% of the images. It turned out well. That 85mm can get you out of sticking lighting situations...and low light levels without the flash all the time.

Agreed about the 85mm, I shoot weddings with just my 50mm 1.4 and 85 1.8 :) haha.

PapaBob

01/05/2010 09:14:28 PM · #18

Originally posted by faidoi:

Take lots and lots of shots as someone is always looking away, blinking, etc.

Amen to that, I took 4 shots of a bridal party and had someone close their eyes on every shot, thank god for digital processing just ended up cloning open eyes from one photo to the next but if it can be avoided it saves time on the back end.

Tez