First Wedding Tomorrow – Nerves Are Frayed!

[NathanJD]

Tomorrow I’m shooting my first wedding, I’ve gotta admit that I’m excited and nervous at the same time! It’s not a paid gig as I don’t have any testimonials so it’s a freebie (they’ll pay for the prints of course but just the cost of producing them).

It’s starting at 4.00pm so given the time of year it’s gonna be dark outside and probably raining so chances are it’s all going to be inside shooting (using my Nikon D200, D40 and SB-800) as not to get the bride and groom wet. If it’s dry of course then we could get a few great outdoor shots as the venue is all lit with floodlights. And as it’s the Friday after bomb fire night there may be a few fireworks in the air 😉.

I hope i get all the shots in need and that the happy couple are happy with my service 🙁 I’ve been reading up and seeking the advice of pro-togger friends so here goes nothing!!

Wish me luck and any words of wisdom would be much appreciated :angel:

 

[BillBingham2]

Nathan,

Good luck, it will be fine. I pack a second case of extra stuff I might need and keep it handy (not in the car). I put things like batteries, an extra flash, an RF with some fast film, any cables, etc. I've never had to go to it, but it's nice to have. Make a list of standard shots you need to get (e.g. first dance of couple, couple cutting the cake, toasts). Have a longer lens on your second body so that once you get your main shot of an event (e.g. best mans toast) you can get shots of expressions around the room. If you have a 15mm lens for your bessa, bring them! Do not forget a light meter if you have one. Bring lots of empty memory cards. Stay hydrated but do not to excess, eat the food they give you, you need energy, no liquor.

You can do it!

B2 (;->

 

[Adam]

If you decide to shoot film, don't put yourself in a situation where you have to change rolls as the newly married couple are walking toward you down the aisle.

That couple are now divorced. Hmm...

 

[stuken]

Rain shmain, just buy some colourful umbrellas! Have back ups for everything, having a film camera backup on hand is also nice to have. Put in a few rolls, just incase. The 15mm on a bessa would be great for some secondary shots if you have one. That said, I shot a few weddings this summer with a small shoulder bag, my d200 with 28, 50, 85, all manual focus, and a bessa with canon 50 1.8. No flash, no tripod, no zooms, no AF. Lots of fun, and the couples were very happy. Oh, I had my SX-70 as well.

 

[pesphoto]

When using your flash, whenever you can bounce it off the ceiling or a wall to the side or behind you. It'll give a much more natural look to your photos. Also, remember to experiment a little and have fun. Look for emotions of any kind, if you can capture that than you can't go wrong. You can't take too many photos. Good luck!

 

[Nh3]

18-55 is the slowest AF lens on Nikon line-up so don't depend on it to capture moments.

 

[jky]

I've never shot a wedding, but have friends who do so for a living and I've watched them work several times. So a few things that I've learned from them that a person can apply to any type of shooting...
1. If you're tense, your subjects will be also.... it's much easier to get them to relax when you yourself are relaxed.
2. Have an idea on what they plan to do for the evening... is there a program to follow? when is the garter toss? etc... this will help you set up ahead of time if need be...
3. Always be at the ready... as already mentioned, pay attention so you can anticipate a fleeting glance/tear/kiss...
4. Don't be afraid to use what's readily available as props.... one of my friends stopped a group of tourists in a popular locale he was shooting at & got them involved in the photo... another time he used a passerby's vintage Caddy as a prop...

Have a great time!

 

[NathanJD]

My 50mm f1.8 is my moment capturing ace card. When it's coupled to a D40 it's the most intuitive combo I’ve ever had the pleasure of using on an SLR - manual focus, excellent optics, light camera, quiet shutter. My D200 is great, don't get me wrong, but its one bulky old cow! and the focusing rings feel awkward to reach.

Yes, Beth will be front of house tomorrow and I’ve also roped in a family member to help get the crowd together for the formal shots.

 

[Nh3]

use the 50/1.8 with D200. set the focus area to dynamic and set the focus to continuous. use that for capturing moments.

 

[NathanJD]

Hmm interesting, that sure does sound like a super fast setup - I think I'll do that! Priceless - thank you very much Nh3 😀

 

[pesphoto]

Don't drink until youre done shooting 🙂

 

[sepiareverb]

I'm sure there's a bunch of guys here who have been married a few times who will have more advice- I've just been the once and it's gone well for a long while now.

😉
😀

 

[Nh3]

Hmm interesting, that sure does sound like a super fast setup - I think I'll do that! Priceless - thank you very much Nh3 😀

And if you wanna get even more hardcore, you can set the Af-on button for focus and disable focus from the shutter. so that way you won't have to focus every time you press the shutter.

if you're not comfortable with it, don't do it, otherwise it will get you some fantastic spontaneous shots and save your battery power.

 

[sienarot]

From my (limited) experience, my advice is not to get hung up over a missed shot. Lots happen during weddings and you can't possibly be there for every detail. If you keep worrying about that one shot you missed, you're setting yourself up to miss upcoming shots. If you miss something for whatever reason, get over it and move on. The fact that you have an assistant gives you that extra bit of assurance.

A thought to put your mind at ease a little: unless either the bride and/or groom are photographers, they likely won't get too hung up on technical aspects of the photos like we might such as composition, pin-point focus, etc.... If you're happy with your results, I'm sure they'll be even more happier. You have no idea how may photos I've taken that I was ecstatic about that the couples thought were "okay" while my boring shots blew their minds! Hahaha

When doing group shots, be loud and be heard. Take a couple shots for more insurance in the event people close their eyes or aren't smiling. Count down so people know when you're going to take the photo, but before you do that, look at everyone and make sure you see their faces. And let them know if you're going to be taking more than one shot so they'll stay in their place.

Get the bride and groom to come up with the group list ahead of time and try getting someone who knows the family to volunteer on gathering these people when it's their turn to be in the photos.

There's going to be a lot of cameras during the wedding. Let the guests take theirs first before you take yours and let the bridal party know that if you're holding the camera to your eye, they should be looking at you and only you (again, be loud and be heard). Wondering, confused eyes can really ruin a good group shot.

Be sure to give extra attention to the elderly when taking photos. In the unfortunate event any are to pass away after the wedding, your photos could be some of the last ones where they're dressed up and in happy situations. The family will appreciate you even more if this were the case.

Anyways, just a few things to think about. Good luck!

 

[shadowfox]

Not advices, just reminders:

- Shoot in RAW as much as you can afford to, you'll be glad when you are adjusting an important shot later on.

- Bracket important/formal moments.

- Have a checklist on which are "must-have" moments.

- Did you have your friend sign a contract? even though it's a non-paying gig, an agreement need to be made to synchronize expectations before and after.

- Reflectors, softboxes, extra flashes.

- Dress professionally. I've seen a wedding photographer who wore an old photographer's vest, old jeans, and sneakers, he's an eye-sore in what's supposed to be a beautiful wedding.

 

[pesphoto]

Not advices, just reminders:

- Shoot in RAW as much as you can afford to, you'll be glad when you are adjusting an important shot later on.

Great point! buy more cards if you need to, but shoot raw especially for the important stuff.

 

[NathanJD]

already on that one 😉

 

[pesphoto]

...and beside shooting what you have to, remember to shoot the little things, details.
Flowers, the centerpieces, cake, etc. Things they paid for and agonized over deciding about. Shoot the bride and groom from behind as they walk holding hands, Get their reaction during the speeches, the less obvious shots, etc.

oh and get a photo of the bride's shoes and detail of the dress. You'll be her hero.

 

[Warren T.]

good advice so far... I just wanted to add that you should not try anything technically new to you during the shoot. In other words, you need to know your equipment in advance of the session, and you should have already worked out the equipment combinations or settings that you're likely to use during the shoot. You'll have your hands full keeping track of everything else already. Good luck, and have fun!

--Warren

 

[NathanJD]

Thank you all once again for your replies and wise words, it's a good first time wedding actually because the bride and groom are getting ready at the venue and also plan to do the whole thing in one place so all i have to do is turn up with kit and a bit of fore thought and i'm all set. as i was doing the last minute gear check i thought i'd get a shot of it - sorry for the poor quality but with both cameras in the photo all i had to take the photo with was my camera phone. gear junkies enjoy 😛!