DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register) 
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> Help! First Wedding Shoot
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 13 of 13, (reverse)
AuthorThread
 06/11/2003 10:44:22 AM · #1
I just got off the phone with a client. I'm shooting my first wedding
SATURDAY!

Help! I need tips on posing, technical camera settings and how to get
good candid shots.

I'll take any advise folks will offer.

Thanks,
Shari

 06/11/2003 10:46:11 AM · #2
Originally posted by shareinnc:
I just got off the phone with a client. I'm shooting my first wedding
SATURDAY!

Help! I need tips on posing, technical camera settings and how to get
good candid shots.

I'll take any advise folks will offer.

Thanks,
Shari


And you were going to give up :) Congratulations!
 06/11/2003 10:46:36 AM · #3
I'd also love some logistical tips...what to put in the camera bag, how to stray unobtrusive, yet get good shots, etc.Thanks in advance
 06/11/2003 10:48:49 AM · #4
Originally posted by uabresch:

And you were going to give up :) Congratulations!

I wasn't giving up photography, just considering giving up the challenges. :)
 06/11/2003 11:07:02 AM · #5
The best advice I can give, having recently been in your shoes, is to go to a local bookstore like B&N or Borders and browse their photography section for a how-to book that seems to best fit your style.

I did, and even though it wasn't a perfect book for me and the kind of wedding I was shooting, it was still invaluable. Definitely worth the money I spent and the time it took to read it.
 06/11/2003 11:27:22 AM · #6
I've taken wedding pictures once. It was before I joined DPChallenge. I knew then I made a bunch of mistakes. Looking back at that experience, and also from a book I bought at the used book store, I'll say the biggest thing is to prepare everything so you know what your doing. Get with the bride and groom. That is imperative.

Find out what kind of shots they require and offer them optional ones too.

Find out where you are shooting for good backdrops, mirrors, gardens and stuff that isn't too distracting but will provide adequate light or no super-reflective surfaces so you can flash if you must. I think you must have a real good idea of how and when you are going to shoot stuff so you can be ready for the shots when the time comes.

The book tells a lot about triangles of interest. Bride looks at ring, groom looks at bride. Or bride and groom both look at ring(s). Stuff like that. Use the mothers and fathers and other relatives a lot. This is stuff I wish I would've known prior to shooting my sis-in-laws wedding. Do the usual wedding party portraits, but make sure you get some good informal ones too.

I can't give too many good "hands on" tips, but I know lots of things NOT to do :)

Good luck!! --Bob
06/11/2003 11:36:01 AM · #7
[quote=inspzil]I've taken wedding pictures once. It was before I joined DPChallenge. I knew then I made a bunch of mistakes.

Thanks, Bob. This is the kind of stuff I need to know. I'm meeting with the family for the rehersal on Friday and I've talked to the bride about what sort of pics she wants.
I'm wondering if I should use a wide angle converter most of the time? Anybody have thoughts on this?

BTW, The bride knows this is my first wedding and I've got a good handle on how my camera functions. I just need tips on stuff like Bob mentioned.

Thanks again everyone.
Shari
 06/11/2003 12:00:10 PM · #8
I shoot for a wedding photographer occasionally and here’s what we do.

Make a list, in that I mean there are pictures you must have. While being creative is great and shooting on the fly is good too, don’t start getting all creative until you have the main shots taken. You would have an upset bride if you didn’t have a cake cutting shot. Believe me, its possible to forget things when you get wrapped up in what your doing.

Also I would bring a back up camera if you don’t have one borrow one. Imagine your camera breaks or falls or something and you don’t have a back-up. Well you personally will be fine but you'll end up ruining the best day of her life because you couldn’t get any photos. Very bad!

Go to Wal-Mart and buy some of the $10 black stools. I have 3- 2 tall and 1 shorter. They are excellent for getting bride groom portraits.

Bring a throw blanket preferably something small. If your at the church and you find a nice spot for them to sit but its dirty you can use the blanket and try to hide it or position it so its not in the shot. But you cant get a bride to sit on a dirty bench with out one.

Bring Extra batteries. (this is important and obviously one of the easier things you can do but with out them you could end up being useless)

If you can have a friend assist you. While I started as an assistant and then became a shooter the assistant is very very important. You wont have time to worry about the little things (where’s my bag, when’s this happening, I left this in the car.) A good assistant can help pose be a runner, hold lights etc. while you concentrate on shooting.

Don’t spend too much time on the reception people shots. While table shots are a must don’t waste too much time getting everyone dancing and talking because they don’t sell. Bride, Groom, Family, kids, these sell and resell but the people dancing usually don’t. Going back to the kids thing. Kids hate suits and being dressed up and most often will fidget with their clothes. Could have a good shot their. Also they never sit still so watch for that.

When the ceremony is going, look for the parent’s reaction to them getting married. If you can, frame mom and or dad in the shot with the couple in the back ground. Same during the cutting of the cake etc and especially the father daughter dance mom always cries. I do mostly the photojournalism and you get some good stuff.

Talk to the DJ. Like you he is getting paid and will usually try to make sure he doesn’t spring anything on you. Example you have to go to the bathroom and he calls for the garter belt toss. Also find out if he has anything special planed.

Don’t be afraid to move in the church and or Reception. After working with a pro-wedding photographer I see other people shoot weddings and they almost seem intimidated to move around. Your there for a reason you have authority to move. Oh ya on that not if they are video taping it a lot of times the video guy will set up his camera in the main isle. Well that’s fine but for some of the shots your going to need a good spot and he my be there. I have seen al ot of stuck up video guys. So don’t take any crap.


Other then that, wear a black outfit, assistant too. And have fun. My first wedding I was a ball of nerves. After that it gets much better.

Hope this helps.
06/11/2003 12:17:46 PM · #9
Originally posted by shareinnc:

I'm wondering if I should use a wide angle converter most of the time? Anybody have thoughts on this?



I would say don't use it if you can help it. I had a zoom teleconverter that I bought for the wedding and really didn't need to use it. If the situation comes up where you need it, great. If I had to choose a couple filters to get for a wedding, I'd get a center-spot with the glass etched around the spot, a star filter, and a diffusion filter to soften things up. (This can be done in photoshop too).

Also, since I sorta ran out of time on the first post, I'd get to know the demeanor of the bride and groom a little if you don't know them. I would try to associate the person with someone who's been photographed a lot. If she's shy, go for the "Princess Di" looks... like the coy smile with her head pointed down but eyes looking straight kind of stuff. If she's more outgoing and confident, maybe go for some "Julia Roberts" kind of look.

See if you can get some shots while the bride is getting ready. There can be some really poignant shots of makeup getting finished and veil getting arranged and stuff like that. You can also get some of the bride with her mom, bridesmaids, nieces. If you have mirrors available without too much stuff around, they make for excellent shots. The focus of pre-wedding stuff should definitely be on the bride, if you choose to use this approach. Remember that it will be busy there most likely, so try to get shots that don't require everyone to stop what they are doing. Some of your best opportunities for poignant, candid and emotive shots will be during this time.

A little advice on lighting (as if I were some kind of expert) - I would recommend getting an external flash. My friend has one for his F707. If you don't flash right into the people's faces you get minimal or no red-eye. Bouncing flash gives the pictures much more depth so they aren't so flat, but guard against underexposing. And don't be afraid to flash outside. You may need some fill flash if you are under a tree or something sort of shady. If all the people are standing back to the sun, their faces may be quite shaded so it can be a useful tool to keep everyone's visage visible. Hopefully you have enough batteries and memory sticks to take pictures for 5 or 6 hours straight, even though you probably won't be doing that.

I'll post more when I think of it. - Bob

06/11/2003 12:22:41 PM · #10
Shar - Diversq sounds like he has a lot more experience than I. Listen to him first :) I'm going from half-experience, half-what-i-read-in-a-book

So take that into consideration when reading this - Bob
06/11/2003 01:16:18 PM · #11
There is already some great advice so I will try not to repeat too much of it. I just photographed a friend's wedding with my F707 and I was real nervous because I only had the Sony external flash, my wide angle adapter, and a soft focus filter (it worked awesome). The wedding was small and intimate in the sister's home. It was a beautiful setting. The best choice I made and I think the only choice I had was to bounce the flash off the ceiling. This takes some practice as you don't want to be too close. You may have to adjust the flash output for different situations. This prevents bad shadows and red eye and gives a nice diffuse look. The other thing I did was I went to the rehearsal the night before and took test shots and planned where I would be for each shot. I also had notes of the people in the group shots so I wouldn't forget anyone when it counted. Make sure you capture the must have shots and then take lots of creative and fun shots that really capture the 'feel' of the event. Except for the formal portrait shots don't pose anyone and just try to capture everyone's enjoyment. Remember the small things too like the colors, dress patterns, flower arrangements, rings, food, all that kind of stuff. I wouldn't use the wide angle lens for everything but for me it saved the day when the whole group posed on the stairway and I was back up against the entryway door. I never could have gotten that shot if I didn't have that lens. Good luck.

T

Message edited by author 2003-06-11 13:18:42.
 06/11/2003 01:50:56 PM · #12
As guys said, use ticksheets. Ticksheet No. 1 - a list of all the equipment you'll need on the shoot, i.e. cameras, lenses, flashguns, batteries, memory cards, tripod, diffuser(!) for the flash. A day before check all this equipment, see if the batteries are charged, the lenses clean, etc. On my first assignment I made two mistakes. I took a tripod with me, but forgot to bring the head for it and had to handhold - some of the indoor pictures came out blurry. When I was shooting outdoors it started drizzling, and I discovered that I left the cleaning cloth behind - and I needed it badly to wipe the lens.

The second ticksheet, as other guys pointed out, is the list of shots you absolutely HAVE to take to create a wedding album (all group arrangements, wedding cake, bride and groom kissing, car shot...) Make sure you take this ticksheet with you.
 06/11/2003 02:21:56 PM · #13
And another thing. When you are taking the all important posed, formal shots, remember that you are in control. It is easy when people are impatient to tend to appease them by rushing things. Don't. Make lite of that and be patient because getting the right shot is way more important than someone who doesn't like to sit in front of the camera for long. It's just the opposite for the candid, informal shots where the situations control you and you are simply trying to capture them as they occur.

T
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 04/23/2024 07:42:25 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/23/2024 07:42:25 PM EDT.