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01/07/2004 01:41:41 PM · #26
Originally posted by GoodEnd:

Many people says to you: Don´t go, you are not a pro...
But my question is... Why a Pro get his experience? Doing your first wedding shots!

The only thing you need is an external flash unit, preferable with head lift angle. To take away the motion blur of the exposures under 1/60, that are commom in churches low lights.



Most wedding pros get their experience by working for other pros as assistants/2nd photographers.

Whatever you do, if you use an external flash, do something to get it away from the camera, preferably with a flash bracket.
01/07/2004 02:46:17 PM · #27
Originally posted by Spazmo99:



Most wedding pros get their experience by working for other pros as assistants/2nd photographers.

Whatever you do, if you use an external flash, do something to get it away from the camera, preferably with a flash bracket.


I just got my break into the Pro world. I shot a wedding this weekend as a 2nd shooter. I was quite nervous, and yes it is hard work. It was a twelve hour day including all my travel.
It was less pressure being a 2nd shooter.
Here are some of my shots. There are many more that have not been processed or posted yet.

I don't suggest that you be the "official" photographer at a relatives wedding. My brother was mine, and he did lots of running around instead of enjoying it. He somehow didn't load one roll properly and that roll was ruined(it was my camera). What was I going to do...fire him?
The rest turned out OK and we are still talking :)

Message edited by author 2004-01-07 14:47:22.
01/07/2004 05:10:22 PM · #28
My experience is almost identical to crabappl3's. A friend from work liked my collection of pics from here (DPC) and asked me to shoot at her wedding knowing full well that I had never shot one professionally. I went ahead and said yes with nothing but my trusty S602 and a 1GB microdrive. I didn't even have an external flash and bought one for the occasion. Anyway, it was a LOT of work but I enjoyed it and and planning on starting a business to shoot weddings professionally. If you're interested here is a link to a handfull of the shots. //www.pbase.com/rob_v/nicoles_wedding
01/08/2004 02:44:25 PM · #29
BREAK FREE FROM YOUR MOLD!

I read in the first page that wedding photography is a series of portraits, well yes and no...yes you want to capture everyone, but no it doesn't have to be your average portrait shot. for what I'm referring to you can check out www.charlamoss.com for amazing wedding shots.

Plus, here's an awesome tip, ask the photographer that actually gets hired if he/she wouldnt' mind you also snapping pics at the wedding while not interfering with their work...that's the best way to gain experience. In my experiences wedding photographers generally suck [sorry]and you may be pleasantly surprised to see just how well yours can turn out.

P.S. K-rob your pics were quite good, I love your boldness to not line everyone up and say Cheese!

Message edited by author 2004-01-08 14:46:42.
01/08/2004 03:08:33 PM · #30
Very nice shots! I'll have to be more creative my next outing!

-danny

Originally posted by K-Rob:

My experience is almost identical to crabappl3's. A friend from work liked my collection of pics from here (DPC) and asked me to shoot at her wedding knowing full well that I had never shot one professionally. I went ahead and said yes with nothing but my trusty S602 and a 1GB microdrive. I didn't even have an external flash and bought one for the occasion. Anyway, it was a LOT of work but I enjoyed it and and planning on starting a business to shoot weddings professionally. If you're interested here is a link to a handfull of the shots. //www.pbase.com/rob_v/nicoles_wedding

01/08/2004 03:42:35 PM · #31
Here's mine if anyone wants to see 'em :)

B&Ws
01/08/2004 03:51:48 PM · #32
Here are the ones I took last January, Bride & Groom's choice on their Webshots page. No post processing, 42 of the first 44 shots are mine.
wedding slideshow (Webshots)
01/08/2004 05:12:23 PM · #33
I've only photgraphed a few weddings but until this last one this summer they were small and informal for family and friends and they turned out fine. This last one, however, was fancier and expectations were much higher so I was very reluctant. Here's the situation. My friend was marrying a girl who's twin sister got married two years previously and I videotaped that wedding. Their "professional" photographer screwed up almost all of the prints so my friend and his fiancee were very leary and only wanted me to do their wedding. They would not believe that I might not be successful and simply did not care about my "excuses" however legitimate they were to me. I obliged because it was in a house rather than a large church and I was fairly confident that my swivel style flash would work adequately. I went to the wedding rehearsal and made notes on where I was going to stand for each shot and in what way I wanted to take the shots. Then I took a bunch of test shots to study from that night so on the wedding day I was reasonably confident. I only had my F707 but I brought a 35mm and extra accessories for backup. For a lot of reasons digital was the best choice for me in this situation. I made some small mistakes and almost made one large blunder but because I was doing my own editing I was able to get the most out of each shot. It was a long day but it was very rewarding because, since eveyone was already comfortable with me and I was there for everything I was able to get memorable shots that no outside professional would have gotten. What I lacked in true professional quality I believe I made up for in creativity and intimacy. I edited the best photos and even prepared the wedding album myself using Zookbinders.com. It was a major project but a lot of that time was spent learning, particularily with preparing the album, so it was a very positive experience and the newlyweds are very happy. It was very nerve-wracking and grueling and I would be very reluctant to do for someone I didn't know but as I get better and aquire more professional equipment I may consider it again.

The completed album can be seen here

T

Message edited by author 2004-01-08 17:13:15.
01/08/2004 06:15:45 PM · #34
Beautiful job, Tim. I really like the layouts, and especially the black and white with the color inset of the bouquet.
I will have to visit that site. My wedding album is already yellowing (only 15 years!) - so I need to re-preserve the photos in an acid-free/archive quality book.
I was just in negotiations this week to shoot a wedding for someone I knew back in High School. It is her second marriage, and she was appauled at my price. I didn't think it was that terrible considering she wanted me for 2 days. Anyway, she told me yesterday a family member will be taking some photos for $300. I wished her all the best.
:P
01/09/2004 06:12:10 PM · #35
Thanks Karen. A note regarding how this book was created. Since my images were digital I chose the option called "Flush Album", a borderless album where the entire page is an actual print. This provides a lot of cool options for different looks such as mats and overlays which I incorporated into my album. After each page was designed I uploaded the digital files to EZ Prints (same as DPCPrints) and had 12x12 matt prints ordered. After I received the prints I followed the instruction for page numbering and then shipped them to Zookbinders for assembly and binding. It was very interesting and allowed me to incorporate my style into the book. A couple of other people have expressed interest in having me produce a new wedding album from their previous photos using this process. This was one of the reasons that I photographed the whole album so that I might get some addition business from it.

As I said previously, being able to take unique and personal photos at a freind's or close relative's wedding can potentionally make up for some less-than-professional quality to the photos. As I just described above there are now many more options available to the average photographer for preparing wedding albums that was once only exclusive to a professional.

T
01/09/2004 06:35:24 PM · #36
I think the one thing that most wedding photography lacks is the interaction of bride and groom. This isnt' a critique of lighting, exposure, creativity etc but of the actual love and feeling from a wedding photo. Having bride and groom facing forward for all shots invokes little emotion, just think, the pictures where they're smiling brightly at each other or JUST about to kiss, now that's passion :-)

Message edited by author 2004-01-09 18:36:03.
01/09/2004 08:49:14 PM · #37
Thanks Tim! I'm going to look into that!

Goldberry: Excellent point! Thanks!
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