Suggestions for photographing small wedding in the boonies

skyglider said:

jlt3b said:

Hi everyone,

I'm a hobbyist photographer with no professional experience and no wedding photography experience. My fiancee and I will be getting married this summer out at a wilderness lodge/resort in British Columbia (BC, Canada). It will only be about 9 people, including me and my fiancee (hence very small group) and pretty impromptu - not a big fancy wedding, just a small ceremony on a large deck off a large body of water in the mountains, or perhaps somewhere out in nature. We won't be hiring a photographer, .... snip .....

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Regarding having the guests take pictures of your wedding ceremony using their cell phones, be aware that that will only result in properly exposed pictures if there is no backlighting greater than the lighting on the ceremony participants.

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Not true at all, many modern phones have very good Ai, see examples I posted.

These were all taken in the shade with much stronger back lighting, taken by guest and not one photographer amongst them.

skyglider said:

If the guests will be the photographers, then choose a location and time of day where backlighting will not be an issue and that there will be proper, sufficient lighting on the ceremony participants.

If there will be strong backlighting, then powerful flash is the way to deal with that issue. Do check with the minister if he/she will allow flash during the wedding ceremony.

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skyglider said:

jlt3b said:

Hi everyone,

I'm a hobbyist photographer with no professional experience and no wedding photography experience. My fiancee and I will be getting married this summer out at a wilderness lodge/resort in British Columbia (BC, Canada). It will only be about 9 people, including me and my fiancee (hence very small group) and pretty impromptu - not a big fancy wedding, just a small ceremony on a large deck off a large body of water in the mountains, or perhaps somewhere out in nature. We won't be hiring a photographer, .... snip .....

Click to expand...

Regarding having the guests take pictures of your wedding ceremony using their cell phones, be aware that that will only result in properly exposed pictures if there is no backlighting greater than the lighting on the ceremony participants.

If the guests will be the photographers, then choose a location and time of day where backlighting will not be an issue and that there will be proper, sufficient lighting on the ceremony participants.

If there will be strong backlighting, then "powerful" flash is the way to deal with that issue. Do check with the minister if he/she will allow flash during the wedding ceremony.

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I am glad you stipulated "powerful" flash because it would require GN-200 to even reach 10' in bright sunlight. (1/250s @ f/11)

They used to be common (aka Braun RL-915 & Metz 60CTx), but not very common today.

With more typical 60-80GN strobes, the effective range could be only 6-8' (@ f/11).

Only a "leaf" (or "global") shutter can allow greater higher SS with corresponding opening open f/stops, (aka f/2.8 @ 1/4000s).

I often posed the entire wedding-party/family on the (backlit) steps of a church and shot from 50-80' away.

I also once had a wedding conducted under a "latice" structure that was all shadowed with (diamond) shaped sun-light blobs on the faces. I was able to (fill-flahs) eliminate them with a higher SS @ f/16.

Paulmorgan said:

sybersitizen said:

Paulmorgan said:

PhotoTeach2 said:

a_c_skinner said:

Backlight is difficult, which is why I suggested scouting the location at the appropriate time of day and planning to have the light coming over the photographer's shoulder. This is of course the only way to shoot anything. You'll never get a beginner to use fill in flash well, though my Fujis seem to do it well if you leave it to them and don't interfere!

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But "leaf" shutter cameras make it much easier when you don't have to worry about that 1/200-250s limitation, (enabling wide-open f/stops for greater effective flash-range -- in SUN-light).

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With leaf shutter the max sync speed is about 1/2000 s with most fuji leaf shutters I have.

HSS flash will be better

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HSS will not necessarily be 'better' if the goal is to compete with the sun. The first threshold beyond x-sync reduces effective flash output by around two stops, and every doubling of shutter speed beyond that reduces it by another stop. If x-sync is 1/250s, effective flash output will be reduced by about 5 stops at 1/2000s.

Paulmorgan said:

but whats the point if its being used by a family member with zero experience.

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Many of us agree that flash is probably best avoided entirely n this scenario. Much better to arrange the ceremony in surroundings with good lig

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HSS can be good at close range, yes power is greatly reduced.

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HSS has only "two" uses ..

1.) It enables wide-open f/stop (aka f/2.8) in sunlight for SHALLOW DOF, (@ a shorter range than possible without HSS).

2.) It allows an (action-stopping) faster SS in sunlight, (but again only at short-range fill-flash).

A leaf/global shutter allows (much) greater range in sunlight, and the ability to DARKEN-BACKGROUNDS (in sunlight), with shorter-range subjects.

Paulmorgan said:

You can`t always relie on good light, at the wedding a few weeks ago the lighting was good one minute and very bad he next, the weather was pretty bad.

This is where mobile phones come in, many today have pretty good AI.

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Congrats - only 59-1/2 years here. And did have a professional photographer with enlargements and album. Don't think the album has seen daylight in probably 59 years.

AstigmaticOwl said:

Got married in the county courthouse on company time so I could accompany partner on a business trip to Copenhagen. Co-workers stood up for us and bought us a cake & champagne. I don't think we thought about pictures.

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We also were married in the county courthouse. No pictures.

But a few years ago, my dear wife wanted wedding pictures that she never had. So we renewed our vows in Las Vegas at the Chapel of the Flowers.

• They sent a lemo to pick us and another couple up at our hotel and took us to their chapel location.
• Streamed video so folks back home could watch the ceremony in real-time.
• Took still pictures before, during and after the ceremony.
• Brought us back to our hotel with the lemo.

Was a beautiful experience for my dear wife and she finally got some ceremony pictures to reminisce, that she never had. She's happy.

EDIT: And no, Elvis wasn't there ..... ;-) wink.

PhotoTeach2 said:

AstigmaticOwl said:

InkedMarie said:

AstigmaticOwl said:

We have NO pictures from our wedding. Still, it has lasted 60 years. It is possible.

Hope you do as well.

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How come no pictures? Going on 42yrs for us in November.

Marie

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Got married in the county courthouse on company time so I could accompany partner on a business trip to Copenhagen. Co-workers stood up for us and bought us a cake & champagne. I don't think we thought about pictures.

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Such a romantically beautiful story ...

Well, actually it was "NOT" ... UNTIL .. the part of it lasting 60yrs.

60ys changes the story completely .... and CONGRATULATIONS !!!

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Thank you.

Bob A L said:

Congrats - only 59-1/2 years here. And did have a professional photographer with enlargements and album. Don't think the album has seen daylight in probably 59 years.

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Our album got eaten by a dog.



Marie

Bob A L said:

Congrats - only 59-1/2 years here. And did have a professional photographer with enlargements and album. Don't think the album has seen daylight in probably 59 years.

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I find that rather sad. If you have children/grandchildren have they expressed no interest?

I think documenting family history is one of my main motivations for photography. Yes, I can do flying seagulls, Christmas robins, distant mountains and so on, same as everybody else - but (yawn) - ultimately boring (even mine!). What I like most is being the inconspicuous 'fly one the wall', albeit one with a camera at family events.

Everything I've done and most of what my Dad did has been digitised and the resulting collection gone out to remote branches of the family - not just the UK but the USA, Australia and New Zealand too. Much interest expressed.

Thanks everyone for all of your thoughts and ideas. I just wanted to close the loop and let you know how things went down for the wedding. It turns out, that one of the few family members attending enjoys photography but is a complete amateur. She happily took photos of the wedding for us (using her Nikon camera, kit lens, RAW format). Obviously, they are nowhere near professional wedding photographs, but certainly better than nothing. Now I wish I was good at photo editing. Lol! Now I'm have to work on trying to edit the images that came out reasonably well (not looking forward to the process, since i'm not very good with lightroom/photoshop - hahaha!). The wedding itself was lovely! Thanks to you all for your input and suggestions!

Chris R-UK said:

I attended a wedding in BC about 25 years ago when the wedding invitation said "Dress: bring your rain gear and hiking boots".

I assume that the ceremony is outdoors.

I suggest that you ask all your guests to bring their phones, take lots and lots of images and some videos, and send everything to you afterwards. That should give you lots of informal, fun images in keeping with the location and ceremony. Phones are likely to get just as good images as a beginner with your DSLR. If you want a couple of formal shots, set the DSLR up for those yourself and then give it to your sister - but get others to take shots with their phones as well as insurance.

You don't need strobes if it is outdoors, but you will need one if you are going to have some kind of party indoors later on.

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Even better, get a fuji instant camera and let people pass it around. Everyone will love taking pictures, they are pretty idiot proof, and you get an immediate tangible object. I always take one to weddings and give the B&G a photo book as they walk out the door.

jlt3b said:

Thanks everyone for all of your thoughts and ideas. I just wanted to close the loop and let you know how things went down for the wedding. It turns out, that one of the few family members attending enjoys photography but is a complete amateur. She happily took photos of the wedding for us (using her Nikon camera, kit lens, RAW format). Obviously, they are nowhere near professional wedding photographs, but certainly better than nothing. Now I wish I was good at photo editing. Lol! Now I'm have to work on trying to edit the images that came out reasonably well (not looking forward to the process, since i'm not very good with lightroom/photoshop - hahaha!). The wedding itself was lovely! Thanks to you all for your input and suggestions!

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I’m glad all went well!

Marie

I am a lifelong photo hobbyist and have shot exactly three weddings along with my wife; it’s her that wanted to do it. Most nerve wracking experiences of my life, but that’s another tale. We got married in 1998 and neither of us wanted to spend a ton of money. We had our 12 invitees plus the justice of the peace meet us at noon or so at a lovely lakeside park in Wisconsin, just outside of where we lived at the time. Being very early times for digital photography we asked everyone to just bring their snapshot cameras or a disposable, and trusted that they would send us copies, which they did. We have at least 40 great shots of the ceremony and the wonderful dinner we had at a quaint B&B, which is where we spent our Honeymoon night.
These days everyone has a decent cell phone that is capable of taking photos far better than any cardboard throw away camera from the past and all you need to do is ask your invitees to please consider it their wedding gift to you to snap away and share.

jlt3b said:

Thanks everyone for all of your thoughts and ideas. I just wanted to close the loop and let you know how things went down for the wedding. It turns out, that one of the few family members attending enjoys photography but is a complete amateur. She happily took photos of the wedding for us (using her Nikon camera, kit lens, RAW format). Obviously, they are nowhere near professional wedding photographs, but certainly better than nothing. Now I wish I was good at photo editing. Lol! Now I'm have to work on trying to edit the images that came out reasonably well (not looking forward to the process, since i'm not very good with lightroom/photoshop - hahaha!). The wedding itself was lovely! Thanks to you all for your input and suggestions!

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Congratulations.