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Landscape Photographer will make feeble attempt at nieces wedding

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Bobo Hodls said:
Bob Tullis wrote
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Bobo Hodls said:
Have you ever worked with the flash much before?
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I tested the one that came with the E-M1 a while back to make sure it worked. :-D
Bobo Hodls said:
If not, I'd suggest sticking with what you do best, ambient lighting.
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I'm inclined to not bite off to much. I have to admit though, that this thread does have me considering a relatively inexpensive prime, which I wouldn't have thought would have happened.
Bobo Hodls said:
Of course, if you want to give it a go, that's up to you. If you limit yourself to the 12-40 and forget about the other zoom, you'll concentrate on that focal length range and not be as distracted with every potential shot near and far that might be possible.
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I guess that tells me what you think of the prime idea. :-P
 
Ron Evers said:
Well Bob, I do not think the OP can go wrong as long as he is using a TTL flash & the camera is set to "Fill In". Otherwise I would agree with you.
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In addition to the lack of familiarity, I am concerned about the bulk of a flash. I need to be able to participate in the party.
 
Ron Evers said:
Well Bob, I do not think the OP can go wrong as long as he is using a TTL flash & the camera is set to "Fill In". Otherwise I would agree with you.
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What TTL flash should I Google to find out what you are talking about?
 
Thanks for all the great advise that continues to come in. Even if I had time I wouldn't respond to every reply because I don't want to fill up the thread. I have a week before I leave so who knows what other useful tips I will get.
 
Find out where the ceremony is being held (I'm not sure whether you mentioned indoors/outdoors, day/late evening). You're getting to the point of over-analysing things, just stick to what you have and go with the flow.

You're there to have a good time, not to work, so you don't really need anything more than you have. If you don't have a flash by now, then getting one is just going make things even more complicated. You certainly don't need additional lenses.

Also, I just did a test with the little flash that comes with the E-M1, using a small OM lens, and it works perfectly as a fill flash. If it clears your 12-400mm, which I assume it will, this is a perfect flash to just leave on the E-M1. Lift it up when you need it and drop it down when you don't.

--
Thoughts, Musings, Ideas and Images from South Gippsland
http://australianimage.com.au/wordpress/
 
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Colin K. Work said:
Colin K. Work said:
Do you want to be known as the person that ruined your son's memories? It could happen, very easily. In addition, you'll have much less fun at a very important time in your son's life. Don't do it!

I started wedding photography that way, friends and family and a few mistakes later, I'm the bad guy. No good deed goes unpunished. Pay for a pro out of your own pocket if you have to.

Just say no.
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Well that's my inclination - and its not that I don't want to pay - but the bride to be is insisting (which is a bit flattering) and doesn't trust anyone else. I'm seeking a good reason not to without upsetting her.

I agree with you ... it's unlikely to work out well for anyone!
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Maybe the event will go a lot more smoothly than any other being you are very quite well known and respect by the parties involved.
 
Your fast lens will be your best friend. Try to catch the shots that the paid photographer does not get...the moments when guests greet the couple, the tables, the mother and father of both bride and groom. Young relatives (the irritating kids who run around) and the elderly relations. Maybe the best friends of the couple. You can fill in all the holes that the Pro leaves. Have a great time. I know that you will get some excellent shots.
 
BTW, try not to use flash. It is disruptive and it causes people to identify you as "the man with the camera" and then shy away. Be stealthy and creative.
 
LMNCT said:
BTW, try not to use flash. It is disruptive and it causes people to identify you as "the man with the camera" and then shy away. Be stealthy and creative.
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If the reception is happening indoors and at night, then World+Dog at the reception will be firing off flashes, be they on a camera or mobile phone.
 
Florida Nature Photographer said:
Florida Nature Photographer said:
Bob Tullis wrote

Have you ever worked with the flash much before?
Click to expand...
I tested the one that came with the E-M1 a while back to make sure it worked. :-D
Florida Nature Photographer said:
If not, I'd suggest sticking with what you do best, ambient lighting.
Click to expand...
I'm inclined to not bite off to much. I have to admit though, that this thread does have me considering a relatively inexpensive prime, which I wouldn't have thought would have happened.
Florida Nature Photographer said:
Of course, if you want to give it a go, that's up to you. If you limit yourself to the 12-40 and forget about the other zoom, you'll concentrate on that focal length range and not be as distracted with every potential shot near and far that might be possible.
Click to expand...
I guess that tells me what you think of the prime idea. :-P
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Not really, I was just working with what you showed you had to work with (and stopped myself from suggesting a fast prime, in part because you've not been a prime guy so far). Still, if I were in your shoes I'd keep it simple and familiar, but this may well be as good a time as any to take on anything new if you're up for it. You don't have much to loose, which is a luxury.

--
Florida
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Glacier / Yellowstone
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...Bob, NYC
.
"Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't." - Chief Dan George, Little Big Man
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobtullis/
http://www.bobtullis.com
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Florida Nature Photographer said:
Ron Evers said:
Well Bob, I do not think the OP can go wrong as long as he is using a TTL flash & the camera is set to "Fill In". Otherwise I would agree with you.
Click to expand...
What TTL flash should I Google to find out what you are talking about?

--
Florida
********
Glacier / Yellowstone
[Highlights Slide Show] *** [Highlights Gallery]
[Story (includes Highlights) Slide Show] *** [Story (includes Highlights) Gallery]
********
My Glacier Yellowstone Photos Feedback Thread
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The Oly flashes. The compact one I mentioned earlier (FL 300R) is a great little flash for most indoor shooting in homes or short distance in halls. Here it is on my E-M5.



FL 300R on E-M5 tilted up @ first click.
FL 300R on E-M5 tilted up @ first click.



Here is a sample shot with this flash in an average living-room.

e9cac8b957e2475987cea02afd920477.jpg



--
The wood is clear between the knots.
 
The most valuable knowledge you have that no "professional" can have is that you KNOW the family: not just the bride.

I haven't read through all the replies, but my official photographer at my low-budget wedding in po-dunk southern Illinois 23 years ago also shot the harness horses at the county fair... You can imagine my wedding "portraits" are not stunning! Given your photography knowledge, don't sweat it if you don't consider yourself a portrait photographer and don't do boring stuff with no people in it just to stay out of the professional's way.

The snapshot of my grandmother dancing with one of my uncles to Glen Miller's "In the Mood" was not captured by my photographer, but a family snap (it is the only time I remember my grandmother dancing).

I remember getting back to our room for our wedding night and feeling like the wedding was such a blur of an instant that I hadn't had a chance to say hello and thanks to everyone properly. Look for the memories away from the main attraction:

•How many times does the solitary tear of the mother of the bride (your sister?) get captured as the bride dances with her father?

•Look for those intimate conversations between relatives that may not have seen each other in person in years.

•Look for the ornery little ones cutting loose in their Sunday best on the playground after the ceremony.

Don't harshly eliminate shots from your post-shoot edits just because they're not technically perfect: you will still be providing your niece with glimpses of things from her wedding day she may not realize occurred!
 
Peter Mathews said:
Jacques Cornell said:
Peter Mathews said:
Jacques Cornell said:
Peter Mathews said:
Personally, I wouldn't do any kind of indoor/existing light work with people in motion with a micro 4/3 camera.
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That's your prerogative.
Member said:
You'll need ISO speeds in the 3200 range and up
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Not if you use flash.
Member said:
and I'm sorry, an M43 sensor just can't handle that
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I disagree. 3200 is fine. 6400 is pushing the limits. That's my assessment based on real-world print sizes and deposited checks from clients.
Member said:
although I'm sure their will be an angry mob with pitch forks out to prove me wrong. I'm not saying it's impossible, it's just not smart.
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That's a rather dismissive attitude, and insulting to photographers who've made the "not smart" choice.
Member said:
I've shot many receptions with fast lenses, handheld and crop sensor is the smallest I would consider for those types of shots.
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My wedding photos are typically printed no larger than an album page. At this size, ISO 3200 with smart processing is no problem. My clients are delighted with my results.

http://www.jacquescornell.photography/dilnoza_and_abdugaffor

http://www.jacquescornell.photography/jabbar_and_nigina

My bread & butter work is covering corporate events, and I do this with MFT, too.

http://www.happening.photos/p246381502

http://www.happening.photos/p375848970

http://www.happening.photos/p300757967

http://www.jacquescornell.photography/p325237376

Lots of other successful event & wedding pros are shooting with MFT these days, too.

Check out my gear list to see what I shot with before switching to MFT.
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Go and have a great time taking pictures and remember, you know which guests are most important to the wedding party, and the official photographer doesn't.

Probably 10 years ago now, a friend asked me to take some pictures at her daughter's wedding. There were hundreds of guests, and a lot of them were related some way or another. I concentrated on getting quality shots (i.e., make sure they're not eating) of everybody I knew was important to her, at the wedding and reception. I only took the bare minimum "bride and groom/wedding party" shots, because I had good sense to know I wasn't going to compete with a professional photographer.

Bottom line, I burned her a DVD of all my shots and made her a nice photostory in Aperture and shot if off for printing. It arrived well before her official album. She still loves that silly book, and it's always on display. It has pictures of many guests who are now departed. So you just never know. Her official album may be beautiful, but in a few years' time, it's likely not going to have the impact a family member's candids will.

I've been married over 40 years. I guess if I looked really hard, I could unearth my wedding album, but I know which shoebox the snapshots are in. ;)
 
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