Help with first wedding plz!

[TheVancouverGuy]

I'm no pro. This is just too big for me. 5 or 6 months ago a coworker asked me to be his wedding photographer and I agreed. Him and his fiancée went through my noobish photos on facebook and thought it was good enough. The wedding is in early August and now I'm panicking.

Newb gears I have -

Bodies:

T6S

60D

Lenses:

18-135mm STM

55-250mm STM

i ordered a Sigma 17-50mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8 STM, Yungnuo YN-500EX, and couple of batteries.

Also have access to my dad's Nikon D700 with 24-300mm and 50mm f1.8.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Not having a 70-200mm scares me. I'm not getting paid for this! Already spent a gran just for this wedding.

 

[rmexpress22]

Do you really need a long lens? I like having one for events bit I used to use the Canon 100mm L IS USM as my long lens before I stopped doing events and it was plenty long for everything except shooting from the back of the church.

My advice, rent a Canon 24mm f/1.4 or the new Canon 35mm f/1.4 and the large aperture is going to do you a lot of favors along with the reliability that comes with using Canon glass. I'm not a fan of the variable aperture but renting a Canon 10-22mm might also be good, or the Canon 11-22mm would be even better. Ultra wide angles are very easy to use in smaller spaces if you can bounce the flash.

Also, practice everyday everywhere as many times as it takes for you to get consistent results. Practice a lot. Don't buy gear, practice.

Out of all of those lenses I would maybe use the Sigma 17-50 but I just don't trust third-party glass for events. There's too much riding on this to use something that might or might not focus right. The other lenses are too slow in aperture or AF and there's no room for that at a wedding.

 

[AdriaanMeijer]

I'm no pro. This is just too big for me. 5 or 6 months ago a coworker asked me to be his wedding photographer and I agreed. Him and his fiancée went through my noobish photos on facebook and thought it was good enough. The wedding is in early August and now I'm panicking.
(...)

Any suggestions would be appreciated. (...)

I do understand the panick. I've done my wedding shoots in my days and the thing is you must not just make a few nice photos, no you must guarantee to make excellent photos. They can't redo it.

So make sure your equipment is up to it (nice you have more than one body).

Know your equipment by heart. In different circumstances.

Know what situations you'll run into. The ceremonies, the light in the church, the positions you can use to have an overview and a close up. Know the moments that matter (like the ring, the kiss, father giving away the bride). Know where you must be with what camera. what lens and what settings to shoot what.

Be the best portrait photograph imaginable. These photos will hang on the wall for decades and must indeed show a pretty handsome groom and a beautiful bride. That includes knowing where to shoot, what to shoot and how to direct a couple.

You can do loads of things to prepare and practice. Like attending other marriages and rehearsals and shoot portraits of other couples, reading manuals and the like.

For me the most important thing is this: When I shoot a wedding/couple the most important thing is to have relaxed subjects, in particular the bride. One thing that really really helps me (the photographer) is to have an assistant to the bride for all of the day, who helps with the dress and the flowers, who holds a purse with tissues and repeats she looks great, who corrects the make up after some tears and so on.

 

[Le Kilt]

Now, bear in mind that this is advice coming from a non-pro, but who has been asked to do a few weddings...!!! But who has also done numerous events and group shots. This is more about the group shots.

The first thing to remember is that you're not a pro and you're not getting paid, so you do your best and no-one can blame you if you miss some photos. Don't hesitate to remind the couple that you're not a pro, but happy to do your best - so relax and do your best!

Don't hesitate to be boisterous and use a strong (but polite and friendly, of course) voice to gather people for shots. If you feel up to it, with the larger groups you can joke to get people to relax, I usually say "Ok, have we got all the ugly ones at the back?", but only you can decide if you're able to pull that off. I usually gets loads of smiles and grins from that.

Once a pic is taken, people often start to move away, if you need them to stay for another pic, tell them, eg "Everybody stay where you are for a minute please, we're going to take some more"... etc. They won't do what you're THINKING, they'll do what you TELL them to.

When you've got a nice group shot, don't hesitate to then shout out "hey, give me some real smiles now!!!" with a cheeky grin, and fire a few shots, the results are always great, with people smiling and laughing. Then give them a thumbs up and a "thanks, you all look great", it helps to put people in a happy and smiling feeling.

With the largest group shot, I always shout "hey, everybody give me a nice big wave!" and wave with my left arm to set the example, and don't hesitate to insist with a big grin "come on now, give me a big wave if you're happy to be here!!!". Once they start waving, you get smiles everywhere. You'll also get 1/10 of the people with an arm or hand in front of their face, but everybody will love that shot.

Go there and take pics like you've been doing it for 30 years or more ;-)

 

[RedFox88]

I'm no pro. This is just too big for me. 5 or 6 months ago a coworker asked me to be his wedding photographer and I agreed. Him and his fiancée went through my noobish photos on facebook and thought it was good enough. The wedding is in early August and now I'm panicking.

Newb gears I have -

Bodies:

T6S

60D

Lenses:

18-135mm STM

55-250mm STM

i ordered a Sigma 17-50mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8 STM, Yungnuo YN-500EX, and couple of batteries.

Also have access to my dad's Nikon D700 with 24-300mm and 50mm f1.8.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Not having a 70-200mm scares me. I'm not getting paid for this! Already spent a gran just for this wedding.

That last line tells it all. Just because you have a saw doesn't mean you can build a dinnING room table, and I bet the caterer isn't working for free!

Time to back out?

 

[sgking]

Although for weddings I use full frame bodies (2 x 5D3) I use 2 lenses for the vast majority of the day 35mm and 85mm. Those lenses cover the bases and deliver the key shots of the day.

I may use the 135 for speeches if I am back from the top table but if the venue is small I tend to stick with the 85/35 combo. I also use a 17-40 for groups if they are quite large.

So that is only 4 lenses and two only for special situations, I reckon if I didn't have the ranges of lenses I do have I could get away with just those two.

The more important thing is to know what to do and when, if I were you I would ask to second shoot for someone else on a couple of occasions before hand to get the flow of the day. Photographing a wedding is a big commitment but can be a lot of fun once you get into the flow.

Regards
Simon

 

[wave01]

Hears my advice scout the venue at the time you will be taking your shots see what the light is like. Have a backup plan for bad weather. Send back the 50mm lens don't get bogged down in changing lenses it just adds pressure to you. The 17-50 you have ordered should be fine. Make a list of shots you are going to take and tick them off when done with the group's start big and work down. Good luck

 

[STR54]

Hears my advice scout the venue at the time you will be taking your shots see what the light is like. Have a backup plan for bad weather. Send back the 50mm lens don't get bogged down in changing lenses it just adds pressure to you. The 17-50 you have ordered should be fine. Make a list of shots you are going to take and tick them off when done with the group's start big and work down. Good luck

+1 on the above. You need to sit down with the bride and groom before the wedding and discuss and write down what all they want images of. Your list should include pics before, during and after the ceremony (group shots, single poses etc.) plus the reception action. Make sure the minister is OK or not with the pics to be taken during the actual ceremony. Some are not keen with potential distractions, but which you can possibly restage later. Also ask the couple how they want the images back i.e. separate prints, burned to disk or other digital media, contact prints etc. I personally try to have a trusted helper with me to keep an eye on the equipment and assist with setting up the shots. Try and stay cool.

Mike

 

[happysnapper99]

I regularly work with Wedding photographers and have shot a couple of Weddings myself. Last wedding i did, i used 15-85mm on the 60D and the 70-200 f2.8 II on the 7D2. 430EX II for inside.

A couple of bits of advice.

Rent rent rent the 70-200 f2.8 II. This can be rented for 3 days for as little as £70. You will not be disappointed nor shall your client.

Take someone with you if you can. My Wife helps me out a lot when i'm doing paid work. She carries equipment, talks to people, assist with groupings and even suggest money shots and better compositions.

Get a list together of what needs to be shot. Ever heard of the 5 Ps? Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance? (Its acutally 6Ps but this is a moderated forum). Agree the shots with the client and tick off as you go.

Finally, enjoy yourself. The best wedding photographers i know are happy, relaxed but assertive, interactive and generally enjoy the big day as much as the guests!

 

[RedFox88]

I regularly work with Wedding photographers and have shot a couple of Weddings myself. Last wedding i did, i used 15-85mm on the 60D and the 70-200 f2.8 II on the 7D2. 430EX II for inside.

A couple of bits of advice.

Rent rent rent the 70-200 f2.8 II. This can be rented for 3 days for as little as £70. You will not be disappointed nor shall your client.

Client? Did you read the OP? This guy is doing it fir FREE fir a coworker. ..but somehow spent $1000 already on it! I told this guy to back out and run. I bet he wouldn't even have been invited to the wedding!

Take someone with you if you can. My Wife helps me out a lot when i'm doing paid work. She carries equipment, talks to people, assist with groupings and even suggest money shots and better compositions.

Get a list together of what needs to be shot. Ever heard of the 5 Ps? Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance? (Its acutally 6Ps but this is a moderated forum). Agree the shots with the client and tick off as you go.

Finally, enjoy yourself. The best wedding photographers i know are happy, relaxed but assertive, interactive and generally enjoy the big day as much as the guests!

--
"Just one more Camera, i promise....."

 

[happysnapper99]

I regularly work with Wedding photographers and have shot a couple of Weddings myself. Last wedding i did, i used 15-85mm on the 60D and the 70-200 f2.8 II on the 7D2. 430EX II for inside.

A couple of bits of advice.

Rent rent rent the 70-200 f2.8 II. This can be rented for 3 days for as little as £70. You will not be disappointed nor shall your client.

Client? Did you read the OP? This guy is doing it fir FREE fir a coworker. ..but somehow spent $1000 already on it! I told this guy to back out and run. I bet he wouldn't even have been invited to the wedding!

Take someone with you if you can. My Wife helps me out a lot when i'm doing paid work. She carries equipment, talks to people, assist with groupings and even suggest money shots and better compositions.

Get a list together of what needs to be shot. Ever heard of the 5 Ps? Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance? (Its acutally 6Ps but this is a moderated forum). Agree the shots with the client and tick off as you go.

Finally, enjoy yourself. The best wedding photographers i know are happy, relaxed but assertive, interactive and generally enjoy the big day as much as the guests!

 

[stratobill]

I regularly work with Wedding photographers and have shot a couple of Weddings myself. Last wedding i did, i used 15-85mm on the 60D and the 70-200 f2.8 II on the 7D2. 430EX II for inside.

A couple of bits of advice.

Rent rent rent the 70-200 f2.8 II. This can be rented for 3 days for as little as £70. You will not be disappointed nor shall your client.

Client? Did you read the OP? This guy is doing it fir FREE fir a coworker. ..but somehow spent $1000 already on it! I told this guy to back out and run. I bet he wouldn't even have been invited to the wedding!

Take someone with you if you can. My Wife helps me out a lot when i'm doing paid work. She carries equipment, talks to people, assist with groupings and even suggest money shots and better compositions.

Get a list together of what needs to be shot. Ever heard of the 5 Ps? Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance? (Its acutally 6Ps but this is a moderated forum). Agree the shots with the client and tick off as you go.

Finally, enjoy yourself. The best wedding photographers i know are happy, relaxed but assertive, interactive and generally enjoy the big day as much as the guests!

 

[davel33]

Wow I shot my first wedding 45 years ago, scared the hell out me There is a lot of info on the net about what pics are must have, find a few and then talk it over with the bride and groom. Find who they want in the pics, which ones are must have for them. Walk the site and think about your shots.

Ask them to provide a helper for YOU, this can make or break the shoot. The helper can keep your check list for the must have shots but the biggest help is having the people there when you want them, you dont want to be running around looking for them. The helper can also carry your extra equipment. I cant over state the need for a helper.

When things go wrong remember how much your making on this and smile thinking how great a leaning experience this is

 

[TheVancouverGuy]

I thank you for all the replies. Great info and suggestions. I have returned the Sigma 17-50mm and decided that it's best that I buy a used 6D body, a cheap Canon 85mm f1.8, and Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 VC USD.

85mm f1.8 on the T6S and 24-70mm f2.8 on the 6D.