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Wedding Photos w/ E-M5 (11 photos)

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DLBlack

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My former secretary (I am now retired) got married few weeks ago and talked me into taking the wedding photos. I tried talking the bride into hiring a real professional photographer. It didn't work and I ended up being her wedding photographer with my wife being my second photographer. I started out using my dslr but fairly early on at the event I went to my E-M5 and stayed with it for the rest of the event. I had the FL-600R flash on a flash bracket and cabled to the camera. I had the following lenses; 12/2.0, 25/1.4, 45/1.8, 60/2.8 Macro, and the 75/1.8. My wife had her E-PL2 with the two kit lenses. I really don't want her using my lenses. Her two kit lenses are missing their lens caps (both front and back). :-)

Photo 1

Photo 1



Photo 2

Photo 2



Photo 3

Photo 3



Photo 4

Photo 4



Photo 5

Photo 5




Photo 6

Photo 6



Photo 7

Photo 7

Photo 8

Photo 8



8174044715_a77b79c328_o.jpg


Photo 10

Photo 10

Photo 11

Photo 11

The Olympus gear I used performed great. I do like the lighter weight than my dslr. Also the focus is spot on so I can shot the lenses wide-open or nearly wide-open while with the dslr I usually had to stop down a little to nail the focus. The FL600R flash is a little too low powered, but in this case the ceilings were low and white so with the iso turned up some it was able to handle it ok. The flash recycling time was really quick. The 25/1.2 and the 75/1.8 were my two most used lenses. I love them both. The Macro did come in nice for the ring shots. The 45 was handy when I wanted that focal length. The battery life on the camera was good enough. Luckily I didn't have to change the battery since the flash bracket blocked the battery door. Just maybe I will get the battery grip for those cases. Also I will need to get a more powerful flash.

Photographing this wedding reinforces my opinion that I do not like to photograph weddings. Now my wife who showed up late and left early really, and didn't do anything with the photos afterwards except give me the memory card really enjoys photographing weddings. :-) So just maybe I might be talked into it again. So comments are always welcome so I can get better at wedding photography.

If anyone is interested there are many more photos from the wedding in my Flickr gallery set at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/david_l_black/sets/72157631961853721/with/8167527460/
Any thanks for taking the time to look. Comments are always welcome.

Dave

--
 
very nice, not conventional pics of a wedding event.

Thank you for sharing.
 
Kinda pj style which is how I would have approached it. Wives aren't they beautiful, in late out early no pp and eager to do another, weddings are a pieceodd cake.....;-))

Nice pics DL...they should be very pleased with what you present to them. Your flash issues make me wish I would have held onto my fl50....but I still have my Nikons, just need a couple of pws.

Bill
 
First of all, nice job! I think you captured all the important stuff and for the most part did an excellent job on the exposures. The poses definitely need some refining, but you got good expressions and that is 90% of the game.


In regard to the flash, the FL-600R is plenty powerful enough given the ISO you were shooting at. I use mine regularly for event work at ISO 400 and have plenty of flash power and range. I think you might be thinking that the flash power was not adequate, when in fact you were seeing a lot of flash underexposure caused by the high reflectance of white wedding gown, white table cloths, white walls, etc.

Weddings present a real challenge to Auto-TTL flash exposure. You do a shot of the groom and groomsmen in their black tuxes with a dark background and you get overexposure -- get them all with their jackets off standing behind a reception table with a white tablecloth, and you get underexposure. When I shoot corporate events ( I have pretty much retired from wedding photography) I am always trying to anticipate how a scene might fool the flash metering, and use the on-flash compensation to adjust output up or down ( the secret is remembering to zero the compensation out as soon as you get the shot.

While I wish the FL-600 had a bit more horsepower, it is fully capable of handling 95% of my event shooting -- I always carry an FL-50 in reserve, should I need the flash power.

One thing I think your images point out is that the E-M5 is a totally capable wedding camera for professional use -- regardless of what many on this forum think. The grip is a necessary addition -- especially when using a flash bracket. Also, for the reception candids a zoom such as the 12-50mm is very helpful -- you don't necessarily have to have an f/2 lens to shoot wedding candids. Had you been using the 12-50mm on the bouquet toss, you could have included the flying bouquet in the image.

P.S. Not sure what bracket you are using, but the Opteka FB-30 flip bracket is perfect for the E-M5 with the HLD-6 grip!


Once again, nice job!

God Bless,

Greg

www.imagismphotos.com

www.mccroskery.zenfolio.com

www.pbase.com/daddyo
 
Check with your local Fry's Electronics and get the Vivitar DF-Pro Flash Diffuser. You can also order one on line. Priced around $10 it is worth every penny. It's a miniature soft box that fits perfectly on the FL-600R, and folds flat to fit in your camera bag when not in use.

God Bless,

Greg

www.imagismphotos.com

www.mccroskery.zenfolio.com

www.pbase.com/daddyo
 
I like Photo #2, 3, 7, 8. The pictures of the rings and the book are especially nice.



I do have few questions and suggestions. For Photo #1, 6, couldn't you have gotten away with a slightly slower shutter speed, and thereby lowering the ISO? For #6, maybe even get a shallower DOF so that the car isn't as apparent? (Or if possible, move slightly to the right so that the car isn't in the shot.) And for #1, I would probably have taken one step backwards so that the boy's hand isn't cut off at an awkward angle.



I think Photo #4 is good as you could have made it at that moment, but it's still difficult for me to really like the picture. Some reasons are probably due to 1. the lamp in the background draws the eyes away from the foreground (although it could have been a lot worse if its placement was directly over someone's head), 2. despite the f/2.5, the two bridesmaids with their flowers are still sharp and colorful enough to also draw the eyes away from the foreground, and 3. back of the groom's head seems to be the most in focus.



Photo 5 is great, but I would either have given a little more space to the lady's hair, nose, and chin, or cropped her out altogether so that it's just the baby and her father.



Although compositionally, I know the objects in Photo 10 are supposed to be where they are at, but to me, the whole top right side feels too empty. Personally I would have filled up the whole frame, either by moving slightly left and lower (so not to cut out the leaves at bottom right) or just stepped in closer (though that would cut out the leaves.)



Just my opinion. Hope you had a great time at the wedding!



ps - just saw that you have more pictures on your flickr page. There are many great ones in there, especially if you PP them later on. I'm betting that many of them would look even better in black and white.
 
Bill Wallace said:
Bill Wallace wrote:

Kinda pj style which is how I would have approached it. Wives aren't they beautiful, in late out early no pp and eager to do another, weddings are a pieceodd cake.....;-))

Nice pics DL...they should be very pleased with what you present to them. Your flash issues make me wish I would have held onto my fl50....but I still have my Nikons, just need a couple of pws.

Bill
Click to expand...
 
daddyo said:
daddyo wrote:

First of all, nice job! I think you captured all the important stuff and for the most part did an excellent job on the exposures. The poses definitely need some refining, but you got good expressions and that is 90% of the game.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the comments. I am not really a person photographer. I would rather be photographing flowers, waterfalls and other things in nature. So I really don't know much about posing and if I did more wedding photographer I would have to learn.
daddyo said:
In regard to the flash, the FL-600R is plenty powerful enough given the ISO you were shooting at. I use mine regularly for event work at ISO 400 and have plenty of flash power and range. I think you might be thinking that the flash power was not adequate, when in fact you were seeing a lot of flash underexposure caused by the high reflectance of white wedding gown, white table cloths, white walls, etc.
Click to expand...
True the FL600R did have enough flashpower but for something like a wedding I would rather have more flashpower available for bouncing and/or diffusing. I kept the iso high up to 1200 to get some of the ambient room lighting. Exposure was mostly manual and then let the flash do its ttl exposure and vary the flash exposure with flash compensation dial. Yes, it is difficult to ge the flash expsoure right with white wedding gown and stuff and the groom's black tux. I guess if I did this type of photogrpaher all the time I would learn. Still I would rather be doing nature photography and doing many shots of the same thing until I nail the exposure and DOF. At weddings you should be able to nail these things on the first photo.
daddyo said:
Weddings present a real challenge to Auto-TTL flash exposure. You do a shot of the groom and groomsmen in their black tuxes with a dark background and you get overexposure -- get them all with their jackets off standing behind a reception table with a white tablecloth, and you get underexposure. When I shoot corporate events ( I have pretty much retired from wedding photography) I am always trying to anticipate how a scene might fool the flash metering, and use the on-flash compensation to adjust output up or down ( the secret is remembering to zero the compensation out as soon as you get the shot.
Click to expand...
I do try this a little but I haven't done it enough to nail it the first time. Turning the flash compensation dial back to zero is great advice. I also have problems looking at the iso setting and end up with the wrong iso when I change settings.
daddyo said:
While I wish the FL-600 had a bit more horsepower, it is fully capable of handling 95% of my event shooting -- I always carry an FL-50 in reserve, should I need the flash power.
Click to expand...
True. I just might get the FL50R in the future but I am kind of hoping it will be updated with a new version in the next year and I really don't have the money for more gear until next year.
daddyo said:
One thing I think your images point out is that the E-M5 is a totally capable wedding camera for professional use -- regardless of what many on this forum think. The grip is a necessary addition -- especially when using a flash bracket. Also, for the reception candids a zoom such as the 12-50mm is very helpful -- you don't necessarily have to have an f/2 lens to shoot wedding candids. Had you been using the 12-50mm on the bouquet toss, you could have included the flying bouquet in the image.
Click to expand...
Yes, the E-M5 is very capable camera for event/wedding photography. Yes, a grip would be nice and I have been looking at one at my local camera store. I don't know if I could really change batteries with any of my 3 different flash brackets on the camera even with the grip. I am guessing the vertical part of the grip will get in the way. Still have twice the battery pwer would make changing batteries unlikely or at least at a point where there is dead time during the event. I never evn thought about the 12-50. Yes, a wider lens would have got the flying bouquet in the image. Also, if I had more experience at these things I should have known to step back a few more feet and include more of the ceiling above the bride in case she did have a high arch to the throw. Just need more experience.
daddyo said:
P.S. Not sure what bracket you are using, but the Opteka FB-30 flip bracket is perfect for the E-M5 with the HLD-6 grip!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice on the grip.
daddyo said:
Once again, nice job!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the kind comments and the very helpful comments and hints.

Dave
 
daddyo said:
daddyo wrote:

Check with your local Fry's Electronics and get the Vivitar DF-Pro Flash Diffuser. You can also order one on line. Priced around $10 it is worth every penny. It's a miniature soft box that fits perfectly on the FL-600R, and folds flat to fit in your camera bag when not in use.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice on the Vivitar DF-Pro Flash Diffuser. I will look for it when I am at Fry's.

Dave
 
maoyama said:
maoyama wrote:

I like Photo #2, 3, 7, 8. The pictures of the rings and the book are especially nice.
Click to expand...
Thanks!! These are also some of my favorites.
maoyama said:
I do have few questions and suggestions. For Photo #1, 6, couldn't you have gotten away with a slightly slower shutter speed, and thereby lowering the ISO? For #6, maybe even get a shallower DOF so that the car isn't as apparent? (Or if possible, move slightly to the right so that the car isn't in the shot.) And for #1, I would probably have taken one step backwards so that the boy's hand isn't cut off at an awkward angle.
Click to expand...
Yes, I could have and should have used a lower iso. I do have a problem with not looking in the lower right corner of the viewfinder to check to see what the iso is set at. It should not have been at 1250. It was there because the last time I was using the camera I was taking low light photos of my cats and needed the higher iso. For #1 I did have another photo with the boy's hand not cut off but the boy's expression wasn't as good. For #2 I wanted enough DOF to get all four eyes fairly sharp. I was though going with a narrower DOF would not do this. I should have did a second photo to do some DOF bracketing.
maoyama said:
I think Photo #4 is good as you could have made it at that moment, but it's still difficult for me to really like the picture. Some reasons are probably due to 1. the lamp in the background draws the eyes away from the foreground (although it could have been a lot worse if its placement was directly over someone's head), 2. despite the f/2.5, the two bridesmaids with their flowers are still sharp and colorful enough to also draw the eyes away from the foreground, and 3. back of the groom's head seems to be the most in focus.
Click to expand...
I really didn't like the setting for the wedding. The background has just too many distracting things from the waterfall wall, the lights and the doors. These things just don't add anything good to the photograph, but it is what it is. I am still trying to get my hand on the DOF with mft and what f-stop to use to get what I want in a quick shoting situation like a wedding. I was just a little to afraid to use a f-stop faster than f2.5 because I wanted to be sure the bride was in focus. With you comments I see I should have tried a f2.0 in a few photos. Yes, I most likely miss the focus point and got the groom's head. That is even using the small focus box. I wish the auto face/eye mode didn't have a mind of its own and will pick the bride maid in the background over the bride. Maybe if there was a firmware update where there is a setting where the auto face/eye detect is limited to the focus box that you select.
maoyama said:
Photo 5 is great, but I would either have given a little more space to the lady's hair, nose, and chin, or cropped her out altogether so that it's just the baby and her father.
Click to expand...
Very good advice. With the 75 prime I was pretty much standing up along the wall and couldn't get back more. It was just a quick grab shot of something cute in the crowd while the actual wedding ceremony was going on. So I didn't move and zoom with my feet. A tighter crop would be better.
maoyama said:
Although compositionally, I know the objects in Photo 10 are supposed to be where they are at, but to me, the whole top right side feels too empty. Personally I would have filled up the whole frame, either by moving slightly left and lower (so not to cut out the leaves at bottom right) or just stepped in closer (though that would cut out the leaves.)
Click to expand...
Yes, I do agree. I could have move these things around a litte. Actually the wine and glasses was on the otherside of the table and I moved them over to the candle to make this still life and I should have spread the items out a little more and reduce the space on the right.
maoyama said:
Just my opinion. Hope you had a great time at the wedding!
Click to expand...
I had a good enough time at the wedding. I got to do a little visiting with my former co-workers. I have been retired for 4 plus years now. My wife had a fun time taking photos without a worry. She left the worrying to me. The bride liked the photos. So I did have a good time. I just don't like wedding photography.
maoyama said:
ps - just saw that you have more pictures on your flickr page. There are many great ones in there, especially if you PP them later on. I'm betting that many of them would look even better in black and white.
Click to expand...
Thanks for looking on my Flcikr gallery. Yes, I have a lot more photos from the wedding posted there. Pus if one really care you can do a little comparison between the E-M5 and the E-PL2 that my wife was using. I most likely should do a little bit more post processing on the photos.. Converting to b/w is a good idea.

Many thanks for the kind comments and helpful hints.


Dave
 
Hi Dave, another ex wedding photographer here and you did fine, one minor point when photographing heavier built lassies it is best to avoid side on views of their upper arms as it can make them look heavier { never a good thing }. A wee adjustment of angle is all it takes to change this. I know it sounds petty but believe me the absolute priority is to make the bride look the very best you can. Other than that well done

Jim
 
I really enjoyed the photos and I am sure the bride was pleased with her choice of photographers. I looked at the rest of the pictures and the flash from the K-5 on the foot bridge was much more harsh than those taken with the PL2. That being said, excellent job ex-boss!

Terry
 
jim stirling said:
jim stirling wrote:

Hi Dave, another ex wedding photographer here and you did fine, one minor point when photographing heavier built lassies it is best to avoid side on views of their upper arms as it can make them look heavier { never a good thing }. A wee adjustment of angle is all it takes to change this. I know it sounds petty but believe me the absolute priority is to make the bride look the very best you can. Other than that well done
Click to expand...
Thanks for looking and the helpful hints. Yes, I really need to learn how to pose people. I have read a few helpful hints but it seems like during the event I am too concerned about otherthings that I don't get the pose correct. It will take practice so that it becomes second nature. I am not there yet.



Dave
 
javafool said:
javafool wrote:

I really enjoyed the photos and I am sure the bride was pleased with her choice of photographers. I looked at the rest of the pictures and the flash from the K-5 on the foot bridge was much more harsh than those taken with the PL2. That being said, excellent job ex-boss!

Terry
Click to expand...
Thanks for looking and taking the time to look at the photos, even the large bunch on Flickr. Yes, the flash was a little too harsh with the K-5 for the footbridge shots. I should have added a deiffuser, but it was back at the building and I thought with the working distance that it wouldn't help that much.

The bride seems to be pleased with the photos, but I really wish I would have done a little better.

Dave
 
I sympathize with that feeling, but given the parameters I think you did very well.
 
peter ny said:
peter ny wrote:

I sympathize with that feeling, but given the parameters I think you did very well.
Click to expand...
Many thanks for looking and taking the time to comment!




Dave
 
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