Tips for wedding photography

Hi,

I'm about to get a new D60 camera (this week). I will be taking pictures of my friend's wedding, end of September. Now, since I'm more of an aviation photographer, I would like to hear some good tips and advice from you, the more experienced users.

WOW you will need to provide us with the lenses that you have, flashes that you have and some details of the ceremony. Is it a daytime outside wedding, or inside etc. This is a big responsibility shooting this wedding and not to be taken lightly. So provide us with as much information as possible.

Apuneger said:

Hi,

I'm about to get a new D60 camera (this week). I will be taking
pictures of my friend's wedding, end of September. Now, since I'm
more of an aviation photographer, I would like to hear some good
tips and advice from you, the more experienced users.

Click to expand...

My equipment is the following (remember, I'm an aviation photgrapher):

D60
Sigma HZ Compact 28-200 mm
Canon USM 75-300mm

I also have an external flash (kinda old I think: Sakar 24M or something like that)

I'm aware that I will only use the Sigma lens, and even that one might be on the edge (28mm x 1.6 = 44 mm)... But I think that 44mm should be fine, since I won't be taking pictures of landscapes or such.

Anyway, some info about the wedding day:

The wedding itself will take place in a church and the civil wedding in the local town hall. I already paid a visit to the church, and it seemed quite dark in there. But, there are a couple of spots aimed to the place where the couple will be standing, so this should help.

The evening party will be in open air (or in a tent, should it rain).

And, byt the way, theyare not looking for professional quality photos, they just want some nice pictures. But, of course, since I'm kind of a perfectionist, I want to make some great pictures...

Davidlw said:

Apuneger said:

Hi,

I'm about to get a new D60 camera (this week). I will be taking
pictures of my friend's wedding, end of September. Now, since I'm
more of an aviation photographer, I would like to hear some good
tips and advice from you, the more experienced users.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Would you be able to get any additional equipment for the wedding? I'm not familiar with the Sakar 24M flash, but you might want to get a strong flash that also has a IR AF assist light, like the 550EX, Metz 54MZ-3, or the Sigma Super500.

Will you do any group shots? If so, you might want a wider lens depending on how cramped the space is and how large the group is.

Joo

Apuneger said:

D60
Sigma HZ Compact 28-200 mm
Canon USM 75-300mm

I also have an external flash (kinda old I think: Sakar 24M or
something like that)

I'm aware that I will only use the Sigma lens, and even that one
might be on the edge (28mm x 1.6 = 44 mm)... But I think that 44mm
should be fine, since I won't be taking pictures of landscapes or
such.

Anyway, some info about the wedding day:

The wedding itself will take place in a church and the civil
wedding in the local town hall. I already paid a visit to the
church, and it seemed quite dark in there. But, there are a couple
of spots aimed to the place where the couple will be standing, so
this should help.

The evening party will be in open air (or in a tent, should it rain).

And, byt the way, theyare not looking for professional quality
photos, they just want some nice pictures. But, of course, since
I'm kind of a perfectionist, I want to make some great pictures...

Davidlw said:

Apuneger said:

Hi,

I'm about to get a new D60 camera (this week). I will be taking
pictures of my friend's wedding, end of September. Now, since I'm
more of an aviation photographer, I would like to hear some good
tips and advice from you, the more experienced users.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--

• Canon EOS D-30 & PowerShot S100
• Maybe one day I'll take a decent picture. In the meantime, I'll blame the equipment.

1. You will need fast lenses and shoot at 100 ISO. Even 200 ISO has too much noise. The 85mm 1.2 is great set up in back of the church. Remember, you cannot use flash during the ceremony.

2. Tripod.

3. Use a thyristor flash for the reception not the EX flashes. The EX system is unreliable.

4. Training. Steve Sint's book is a good beginning and has a decent shot list.

If you want to get good pictures in the situations you discuss you might want to rent some equipment.

You will need at least one fast lens and more flash power than you have. I agree with the previous post about shooting above 100 ISO. Too much noise for wedding pictures, IMHO. I am not a wedding photog but if I were I would use a professional flash setup like Norman, Lumidyne or the Quantum Qflash setup with a Norman head. You need lots of light, big battery pack to supply the light and preferably a light source that can be diffused but still supply sufficient light.

I've shot some weddings with less but know better now. With film you could get some 800 ISO Fuji that would look grain free but the D60 at 800 ISO just doesn't do it for me.

Here are some pictures I took at a friends wedding two weeks ago with my D60, a Canon 70-200 2.8, 420 EX with Quantum Battery pack and Stofen diffuser. I was not the official photog, thank God!

Weddings are for some the most important in their lives.

YOu are getting a brand new camera, never shot a wedding....

Weddings are MUCH tougher, and you get one chance to shoot it. Leave it to a pro, and enjoy the wedding instead. It's a lot of work, and you can lose friends over this VERY easily. I shot quite a few weddings, and I will not shoot a friend's wedding. Lesson learned.

Plus you need backup of everything - what if a cable fails, or flash fails or ...

davidclark said:

1. You will need fast lenses and shoot at 100 ISO. Even 200 ISO
has too much noise. The 85mm 1.2 is great set up in back of the
church. Remember, you cannot use flash during the ceremony.

Click to expand...

David, did you actually use a 1.2 lens?

David, I agree with the rest of your post but 1.2 lens? That is like couple inches of DOF. Almost all the wedding photographers I know just use fast film (or ISO 800) and use 1/30 like shutter speeds with f5.6 or so...

I disagree completely that ISO 200 has too much noise. i have blown up iso 800 shots. looks good to me. I use noise reduction algorithms of course. of course, you also need to realize that the alternative is grainy film, so similar results.

Hi,

thanks for all the comments, guys. I really appreciate it. I know, If they'd like the best quality possible, they should go and hire a pro. However, I just think that, according to them, those professional photographers are just too expensive. So that's why they asked me to do it I guess....And I'm pretty confident that they won't get angry at me when I screw up a shot or so...

By the way, I also told them that I'm not a pro, but they just won't listen

And yes I know, I'm never worked with my D60 yet, but as soon as I have it, I'll go to the church with them and practice. I'm sure I'll find a good setting on my camera...Thanks by the way for the ISO100 hint, I'll give it a try during my 'practice session'.

About my flash: I'm not even sure that it'll fit on my D60, but my friend has an EOS-compatible external flash, so I suppose that one IS compatible with my D60...

Oh yeah, one more thing: about the pictures that were posted here: some are pretty nice, don't you think?

So, thanks for all the remarks and comments. As soon as I have my D60, I'll start practicing with it. That's one of the big advantages of digital: it offers a bigger flexibility to experiment I think: choose your settings, shoot, see the result and, if you're not satisfied, tweak the settings and try again...

Of course you need to do the wedding! They are your friends and you may get the best shots possible because you can relate to them. It's your eye that is important - not the equipment. That's why I posted the pictures I did! So you could see that even though I was equipment impaired I was still able to get some keepers and there were many more good shots I did not post!

The images I captured during the ceremony were not good though. Photography is all about light! Not enough light and then there is a lot of frustration!

More light equals more DOF too.

Good luck and enjoy the experience.

settle down, take a few deep breathes.. its going to be alright.

he's not the pro photographer, just a friend taking some pics. you people make me laugh, i can almost picture you hyperventilating

Evrim said:

Weddings are for some the most important in their lives.

YOu are getting a brand new camera, never shot a wedding....

Weddings are MUCH tougher, and you get one chance to shoot it.
Leave it to a pro, and enjoy the wedding instead. It's a lot of
work, and you can lose friends over this VERY easily. I shot quite
a few weddings, and I will not shoot a friend's wedding. Lesson
learned.

Plus you need backup of everything - what if a cable fails, or
flash fails or ...

Click to expand...

--
BecomingX
--
Canon EOS-D30
Canon 50 f1.8
Canon 28-105 f3.5-4.5

david based on the pictures i'm guessing you knew the bride but didn't know the groom as well? It seems like most your pictures were focusing on her and i noticed the groom was kind of just in the picture and not part of it. Man i do that all the time there was a gathering of around 60 people last weekend, i should have shot lots of everyone, but instead shot majority of people i knew. bad habbit to get out of thats for sure, but luckily it was a 2 day thing and the 2nd day i knew what to take since i reviewed my pics from the previous day.

david hickey said:

Of course you need to do the wedding! They are your friends and you
may get the best shots possible because you can relate to them.
It's your eye that is important - not the equipment. That's why I
posted the pictures I did! So you could see that even though I was
equipment impaired I was still able to get some keepers and there
were many more good shots I did not post!

The images I captured during the ceremony were not good though.
Photography is all about light! Not enough light and then there is
a lot of frustration!

More light equals more DOF too.

Good luck and enjoy the experience.

Click to expand...

--
BecomingX
--
Canon EOS-D30
Canon 50 f1.8
Canon 28-105 f3.5-4.5

Apuneger said:

Hi,

I'm about to get a new D60 camera (this week). I will be taking
pictures of my friend's wedding, end of September. Now, since I'm
more of an aviation photographer, I would like to hear some good
tips and advice from you, the more experienced users.

Click to expand...

--

The most important thing to remember about wedding photography is always kiss up to both the bride's and groom's mothers. If they like you, you'll do fine.

Andy Frazer
My website -> http://www.gorillasites.com
Please comment on this one -> http://www.photosig.com/viewphoto.php?id=229781

I took some pictures where the groom is more involved. I just posted the ones more focused on the bride because, after all, it is her day.

becomingx said:

david hickey said:

Of course you need to do the wedding! They are your friends and you
may get the best shots possible because you can relate to them.
It's your eye that is important - not the equipment. That's why I
posted the pictures I did! So you could see that even though I was
equipment impaired I was still able to get some keepers and there
were many more good shots I did not post!

The images I captured during the ceremony were not good though.
Photography is all about light! Not enough light and then there is
a lot of frustration!

More light equals more DOF too.

Good luck and enjoy the experience.

Click to expand...

--
BecomingX
--
Canon EOS-D30
Canon 50 f1.8
Canon 28-105 f3.5-4.5

Click to expand...

Wow,

thanks for your comment! I really appreciate it. You know, I'll probably screw up a couple of photos, but they really want me to do it...I read somewhere 'if you're a good amateur, tell them to get a professional photographer'. But, anyway, if they really want me that bad, how can I refuse? They know aswell that I'm no pro and that I'm only about to receive my new camera.

By the way, I just paid a little visit to http://www.photographytips.com and they have a really great section about wedding photography. For instance, I just realised that I'm going to take my good old Canon AE-1 SLR to the wedding as a backup aswell as another digital camera (I'll borrow one from some friends). you never know what might happen.

I really want to do this, so I think I'll just go for it. I'm really eager to make this work, even if I have to practice for the next 4 weeks or so. I just want them to have some nice pictures of their wedding. If I just practice enough with the light conditions and the places we're going to be, I'm pretty confident I'll take some nice pictures.

david hickey said:

Of course you need to do the wedding! They are your friends and you
may get the best shots possible because you can relate to them.
It's your eye that is important - not the equipment. That's why I
posted the pictures I did! So you could see that even though I was
equipment impaired I was still able to get some keepers and there
were many more good shots I did not post!

The images I captured during the ceremony were not good though.
Photography is all about light! Not enough light and then there is
a lot of frustration!

More light equals more DOF too.

Good luck and enjoy the experience.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice

Oh, and by the way, I'm kind of used to those 'only one chance' shots: arriving or departing aircraft don't just keep hanging in the air, so it's also 'now or never'. And I'll always been able to take some great shots, no matte how nervous I was (for instance when a special aircraft type came in or so), but let's not dwell on this and focus on the wedding photography thing.

And, by the way, I also have a tripod of course.

Andy Frazer said:

Apuneger said:

Hi,

I'm about to get a new D60 camera (this week). I will be taking
pictures of my friend's wedding, end of September. Now, since I'm
more of an aviation photographer, I would like to hear some good
tips and advice from you, the more experienced users.

Click to expand...

--
The most important thing to remember about wedding photography is
always kiss up to both the bride's and groom's mothers. If they
like you, you'll do fine.

Andy Frazer
My website -> http://www.gorillasites.com
Please comment on this one ->
http://www.photosig.com/viewphoto.php?id=229781

Click to expand...

Make sure you sit down with the bride and groom and plan out the shots. Make sure you know what kind of shots they want so that you can plan for them. Plan for some time before or during the wedding/reception to take the 'formal' shots.

I personally find flash to be difficult to work with. I still don't have the hang of it. If you are using an Autothrystor flash, make sure you KNOW the settings to use (both on camera and on flash) for when subjects are close or far away, when you have a wide or tight shot.

Joo

Apuneger said:

Hi,

thanks for all the comments, guys. I really appreciate it. I know,
If they'd like the best quality possible, they should go and hire a
pro. However, I just think that, according to them, those
professional photographers are just too expensive. So that's why
they asked me to do it I guess....And I'm pretty confident that
they won't get angry at me when I screw up a shot or so...

By the way, I also told them that I'm not a pro, but they just
won't listen

And yes I know, I'm never worked with my D60 yet, but as soon as I
have it, I'll go to the church with them and practice. I'm sure
I'll find a good setting on my camera...Thanks by the way for the
ISO100 hint, I'll give it a try during my 'practice session'.

About my flash: I'm not even sure that it'll fit on my D60, but my
friend has an EOS-compatible external flash, so I suppose that one
IS compatible with my D60...

Oh yeah, one more thing: about the pictures that were posted here:
some are pretty nice, don't you think?

So, thanks for all the remarks and comments. As soon as I have my
D60, I'll start practicing with it. That's one of the big
advantages of digital: it offers a bigger flexibility to experiment
I think: choose your settings, shoot, see the result and, if you're
not satisfied, tweak the settings and try again...

Click to expand...

--

• Canon EOS D-30 & PowerShot S100
• Maybe one day I'll take a decent picture. In the meantime, I'll blame the equipment.

Thanks for the tips. Of course, I was already aware of most of this. That's why we'll come together within a week or two to plan everything, to make sure I know what'll be happening when...

Joo said:

I personally find flash to be difficult to work with. I still don't
have the hang of it. If you are using an Autothrystor flash, make
sure you KNOW the settings to use (both on camera and on flash) for
when subjects are close or far away, when you have a wide or tight
shot.

Joo

Apuneger said:

Hi,

thanks for all the comments, guys. I really appreciate it. I know,
If they'd like the best quality possible, they should go and hire a
pro. However, I just think that, according to them, those
professional photographers are just too expensive. So that's why
they asked me to do it I guess....And I'm pretty confident that
they won't get angry at me when I screw up a shot or so...

By the way, I also told them that I'm not a pro, but they just
won't listen

And yes I know, I'm never worked with my D60 yet, but as soon as I
have it, I'll go to the church with them and practice. I'm sure
I'll find a good setting on my camera...Thanks by the way for the
ISO100 hint, I'll give it a try during my 'practice session'.

About my flash: I'm not even sure that it'll fit on my D60, but my
friend has an EOS-compatible external flash, so I suppose that one
IS compatible with my D60...

Oh yeah, one more thing: about the pictures that were posted here:
some are pretty nice, don't you think?

So, thanks for all the remarks and comments. As soon as I have my
D60, I'll start practicing with it. That's one of the big
advantages of digital: it offers a bigger flexibility to experiment
I think: choose your settings, shoot, see the result and, if you're
not satisfied, tweak the settings and try again...

Click to expand...

--

• Canon EOS D-30 & PowerShot S100
• Maybe one day I'll take a decent picture. In the meantime, I'll

blame the equipment.

Click to expand...

I won't lecture you about whether or not you should take the assignment. I'll just reiterate that weddings are much tougher than most people think, and that, despite the couple saying that they don't expect professional-quality images, what they're really saying is that they don't want to pay professional-quality prices. Wedding photographers don't typically live in $500K homes and drive BMWs. Many very talented photographers earn a modest living doing what they enjoy. The prices they charge are often a reflection of the seasonal nature of the business. Really cheap photographers go out of business much more quickly, in my observations. So, just know what you're getting into, that's all.

Ok... equipment. Unless you're just really generous and don't actually mind paying to shoot this wedding, you'll have to make do with what you have. I won't tell you what you need to get or shouldn't use. For every person saying you need a bright lens, there's another proving that you don't. For every person shouting that ETTL doesn't work, there's a pro using it every day. The key is determing what works for YOU.

A warning about your flash: digital SLRs like the Canon and Nikons are quite different from traditional film SLRs. The trigger voltage of these things is far less. You'll need a newer flash that specifically has a trigger voltage of 6V or less. Older flashes are typically MUCH higher. If you deside to go with a good thyristor unit, the Sunpak 544 (a large grip unit) offers lots of power, largely eliminates the need for an assessory frame, has a compatible trigger voltage, and works reliably. It's about $125 at B&H. If you want to go with a Canon unit, you'll have to get an EX unit. The only two practical choices are the 420 and 550. The former is ETTL only and an excellent choice when you'll use only one flash. The 550 is compelling if you want FULL manual capability and/or the ability to control other ETTL units wirelessly. (Both the 420 and 550 can be used as slaves.) Metz and Sigma both offer compatible units, as well. Be aware, however, that the built-in flash is ETTL only, and you CANNOT use it to trigger non-ETTL units.

No matter what lens, body or flash you use, be intimately familiar with it. You'll have little time to think about how to use your equipment. It's got to be second nature, as easy as reading a book.

What you KNOW will be much more mportant that what equipment you use. Be prepared. Know the order of the by memory. Scout for locations prior to shooting. Will there be any posed shots? Do you know about posing? That, to me, is the single most challenging part of the day, since you are dealing with "non-professional models". You've got to know how to make these people look good, rather than criminals in a police lineup. Will there be children? They are usually included in the wedding day without much consideration of whether or not they actually WANT to particpate. And their attitudes will most often show it. You've got to win them over. The flower girls are often shy and the ring bearers hate wearing all that stiff clothing; they don't want to be cute, they'd rather be playing the Playstation.

Whenever you're in doubt, keep it simple. Whether you're being paid or not, a wedding isn't the time to try out new techniques. If you've never used FEL before, don't try it here. Yes, it's very helpful. No, a job is not the first time to try it out.

Shoot, shoot, shoot. You don't have to give the couple EVERY shot. If you stop to think whether or not you should shoot something, you've already missed it. You can always delete. You can't re-shoot.

You're their friend, right? Unfortunately, as the photographer, you can't really participate in the fun. Yes, you can have lots of fun and interact. But your first job is to capture the moments, not create them. Stay focused on your job. Don't put your camera down do help give the groom a wedgie. Don't drink the alcohol.

Since you're inexperienced as a wedding photographer, don't pretend you're a pro. It's ok to be an inexperienced friend. It's not ok to be an incompetent professional. Be lighthearted, solicit ideas, stay calm. You'll NEVER have enough time for the formals, so try and keep them simple. People get impatient when progress on the formals slows down (even when their own lack of attentiveness contributes), and you don't want to miss some shots because you took too much time on the others.

The bride and groom are your first priority. Stay close to them.

Know your own style. You can borrow ideas, but they must be incorporated into your own plan rather than you trying to simply be something you're not.

Many volumes have been written about wedding photography, and all of them combined don't make up for experience. I've only scratched the surface and probaby missed the most important tips simply because there's too many swimming around in head. So I'll end with just wishes of the best of luck.

Have fun!

M

Apuneger said:

Hi,

I'm about to get a new D60 camera (this week). I will be taking
pictures of my friend's wedding, end of September. Now, since I'm
more of an aviation photographer, I would like to hear some good
tips and advice from you, the more experienced users.

Click to expand...

Hello... I have shot about 16 weddings now... but about 2 years ago a friend asked me to shoot theirs and I decided to do it....

I carried my digital and a film backup.... (try putting a higher iso like 400 or 800 in the film camera since it works great for low light shots with no flash) and in my experience the d60 will handle the rest pretty well.... consider buying the 50mm 1.8 (COSTS about 65-85 depending where you buy it) and will help with the low light shots....

carry a list of poses that you plan to do with you in case your brain just stops!! try and plan time before the ceremony for some formal shots... I usually do the groom and his family first and then the bride and her family... then ceremony shots and then the formals of the newly weds and whole group shots... I advise this because its always hectic after the ceremony to get these in and they tend to take longer then people think they will....

The only other advice besides practice with your camera and flash is to shoots tons of pictures.... multiples of important shots and try lots of angles after you have done the more traditional ones.....also people really like shots of everyone getting ready and those little moments that just happen so be ready!

Final note.... have backups of everything... expecially batteries and film.... and carry a few rolls of higher iso in your bag in case no flash or flash dies or your d60 has problems....

Goodluck and you'll do fine I am sure.....
Heather