Weddings.

[Larky]

Hello.

So, how do you shoot a wedding? I have a wedding to do for a friend, she is fully aware I've not done one before, she is fully aware of my very loose documentary style. She was going to pay me, I've now decided I'll give it to her as her present because a: that means she can't scream as much if I bugger up and b: she can't scream as much when I bugger up.

Gear I'll be taking, as apparently for weddings you need more gear than God:

D200, 50mm prime, 10-20mm, something - 300mm, 28-100mm with 40 gigs of fast cards and three batteries and a 40 gig backup drive.

She wants some film, she is paying for it and all the chemicals. She likes my 'old looking hairs and things' on the scans (I told her it was on purpose😉 )

For film I'll take my Contax G1 with 45mm and 90mm because it's just so damn sexy. I'll probably shoot slide on that because I have 20-ish rolls I need to use up and I found a bag of all sorts of film I forgot I bought for Cuba, I think that has another 20-30 rolls of Velvia in it. I'll take the SP35 Oly as it's a good excuse to use it.

She wants casual, documentary, off the cuff pictures. The first 'official' couple shot will be done on a Polaroid so they can get a shot instantly (I'm so nice aren't I 😀 ) but apart from a couple with parents etc she's left it all up to me.

So, I've decided to follow the bride. I'm not allowed to shoot the ceremony in the registry office as they don't allow it, which is good. I've read everything I can find on it and they all show the same old cliched crappy horrid pictures of the wedding ring making a heart on the bible etc. The couple are not at all religious, really fun, sadly vegetarian.

Help.

🙂

 

[Roger Hicks]

First, the gift idea is great. I've shot a modest number of weddings for friends and (nowadays) children of friends. A wedding shot like this is a £1000+ gift. And it'll cost you at least £200 in film and processing.

Don't carry too much gear. Two, at most three bodies (the third MF if you want it). I no longer shoot any MF. Just two M-series film Leicas, one colour, one mono. XP2 Super is your friend in mono.

On the bodies I have 35 and 75. I change to 21 or 50 only if I HAVE to. All fast primes: 21/2.8, 35/1.4, 50/1.5 or faster, 75/2.

Don't shoot slide. The light is too variable. Use neg, and err on the side of overexposure. Fewer screwed up pics.

Make a shot list and agree it with the couple. They say they want reportage but they'll also expect a few 'standard' shots, including the big wedding group. Start with the bride and groom and add in bunches from there until it's an 'all in' shot.

Shoot insane amounts of film. Reckon on 20-30 rolls of 36-exposure for full coverage (from 'bride dressing' to end of reception). Get it commercially processed and proofed to 10x15cm/4x6 inch. Weed out the complete failures; give 'em the rest, and tell 'em that reprints are their responsibility.

If I get stuck with another one I'll probably shoot the M8.2 too, with 24 Summilux and (probably) 1,5/50 C-Sonnar.

Tashi delek,

R.

 

[Larky]

Sweet, a properly enthusiastic post about shooting a wedding. 🙂

I'll mostly be shooting digital, I think I'll take the Ricoh GX-100 too. My thinking is that if I take the 35SP it will slow me down and I'll get better results. I'll probably shoot some Neopan 1600. I already have about 150 rolls of assorted film so don't need to buy any, just the chemicals.

I'm really looking at it as a possible portfolio builder which right now is my number one priority as I want to bugger off in 6-12 months to crazy arse war where I can get shot out and get great shots. Over the last couple of days I've become obsessed with doing photography as a job, and right now I'll do anything to build my portfolio.

Anyone know any crane drivers that will let me tag along for a few weeks to document them?

I'll be honest, I'm drinking some crazy drink which I think may be nicer smelling petrol.

 

[Kevin]

Gear I'll be taking, as apparently for weddings you need more gear than God

No, you've got that backwards. At a wedding, less is more.

You haven't mentioned lighting equipment yet, for when it gets dark.

I suggest you find a second shooter to help you out, otherwise the stress might prevent you from having a good time at your own friend's wedding.

 

[Larky]

Oh yeah, lighting. Well, that is where I fall down. I have the Contax G1 flash which I can use, and I have a Metz Mecablitz. I have a few local shops so if you can think of anything I need I'll go buy it. I have little money but at this stage in my financial affairs have given up caring. :s

 

[Kevin]

I use off-camera flash at indoor wedding receptions and have already invested in pocket wizards (PWs) radio triggers. Although they are bulky, the Multimax versions allow me to control 4 zones on a number of different channels. That basically means I can turn on and off 4 off-camera flashes individually with the press of a dedicated button. For a wedding I usually need just a tiny splash of light (so as to not nuke out the ambient light) and I therefore normally set each of my 4 CT-4 Metz handle flashes to the W (Winder) setting. This is usually enough light to get moody exposures which balance all light sources.

The PW Multimax units are very reliable yet I have sometimes thought about getting a MicroSync radio set as well so that the sender on my camera's hot shoe can be smaller and lighter. Although its max sync speed is supposed to be only 1/180 that would be fine for an indoor location, where I usually shoot ISO 200 to ISO 400 at 1/125 and anywhere from f/1.2 to f/4.0.

If you shoot digital and use manual off-camera flash you can check the exposures and adjust aperture accordingly. Be aware that changing shutter speeds will only affect the amount of ambient light hitting the sensor/film. This is because a burst of light is faster than your camera's max sync speed. So if your pictures are too bright or too dark, you can only adjust the aperture and/or ISO to compensate for that exposure error.

For outdoor shots I recommend you take the 45mm Planar only (you don't really want to be changing lenses outdoors and that 45mm is stellar). Also, ISO 100 color negative or ISO 100 black&white film should be fine if it's bright enough. Forget slide film if it's a bright sunny day. If it's overcast you could go for it, however. For the indoor shots I would stick with the D200 so that you can check manual flash exposures as you go.

That huge xxx-300mm zoom you can probably leave at home. Bring only the 50mm, 10-20mm and 28-100mm. Remember you are THE photographer so you can get up at any time and approach any place to fire off a few snaps. Basically you have explicit permission to go anywhere at any time.

The 35SP should be your small outdoor backup film camera and you could use the GX-100 with a MicroSync transmitter in the event you D200 fails later during the reception. I think that digicam has a hot shoe as well, right?

Also, have someone take care of organizing group shots but tell that person not to place the group in the sun. Always watch your backgrounds.

Hope that helps!

 

[drewbarb]

I've been shooting weddings now for ten years, and have found I really enjoy it. Actually shooting them is pretty easy and fun; almost everyone looks good and is happy and smiling all day, and very often the settings are beautiful. The follow-up work of processing, printing, running around to the labs, editing, delivering, and building albums is the longest/hardest part. I figure I'm going to spend a solid week working on the average wedding, so I price accordingly. Doing it as a gift is a wonderful idea, but you still don't have much room to bugger it up- and if you do, the bride will still be upset, so be smart about it- but by all means do it; you may love it.

As far as gear goes, I've used every camera I've ever owned on weddings, from doing some portraits with large format view cameras (crazy, but they always look beautiful) to Holgas and pinhole cameras. Roger's point about not taking too much gear is very good advice. Too many choices in gear will really mess you up. Carrying and keeping track of too many bodies, lenses, and accessories is not only heavy and distracting, but it takes up too much of your attention, making it harder to concentrate on the task at hand. You miss great shots worrying about which lens you should be using, or which body has what film in it, etc.

Less is more. A couple of bodies with whatever you find are the essential focal lengths will be quite sufficient. I carry a range of lenses from 15mm to 135mm for the Leicas, but I generally shoot 95% of the day with 35mm, 50mm, and 90mm lenses. I carry a digital body with an all purpose zoom to back up the most important shots and grab the throw-away "gimmie" shots that probably aren't that important. Everything I think anyone will really care about goes on film. Don't forget a flash. I carry two Vivitar 285's which can go on any of the cameras (usually with a bracket off the side) or on lightweight stands; radio slaves to fire them remotely and battery packs are very useful, too, but not really essential unless you are going to use the flash a lot.

Film is cheap; missing important shots is very expensive, so shoot a ton- but exercise discipline. Editing through tons of crap images later is frustrating and wasteful. When I was learning to shoot, a photographer I worked with would often hand me a camera with 33 pictures already shot on the roll loaded, and say something like "take your time, and shoot three "million-dollar" frames- make each one the best image you ever shot". This taught me to think whenever I brought the camera up "is this shot really good? Is it important? How can I make it better?" When in doubt, by all means, shoot it- there's nothing worse than missing important shots at a once-in-a-lifetime shoot; but see how many bad pictures you can edit out before you even shoot. It's really rewarding editing a wedding shoot and finding 80+% of your film to be keeper shots. Err on the side of caution here, especially in the beginning, but keep in the back of your mind the editor always asking "Is this worth shooting? Is it a great shot? How can I make it better?"

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[JohnTF]

You are getting good advise, but experience is a wonderful thing. You might drop in to some weddings of people you do not know, and really take notes on what is happening. A cheat sheet list of basic shots to build on is possibly worthwhile.

Or you could visit a local studio and ask some questions, look at what they have on the wall, or check out the web.

I would also take less rather than more, and you might ask a friend to keep track of spare equipment. I use duplicate backup equipment as well.

A powerful off camera flash is in order if at all possible, IMO, and though your camera may compensate for it, large rooms and high ceilings do not reflect much light back, so adjust accordingly.

Visit the areas you will be shooting in to become familiar. Can't hurt.

And, no, I would never shoot slide film, you need all the forgiveness you can get, and probably really want prints regardless. With color negative film, we commonly overexposed one stop, and one more if the ceiling was high or the distance from the flash more than 15'. Again, it depends on how your camera is set up.

Once you set up your rig, shoot a test roll and take it to the one hour. Better yet, shoot it in the store, they may not charge you at all if you include them in your shots, and give them the prints. See what it takes to screw up the exposures.

If you are not confident in your rig, you are possibly going to be thinking about something other than the right shot, composition, expression, -- you know, the stuff that people notice in the final product. If you carry too much, you are going to drop something.

And, if you drink, do it on your own time, or extreme moderation.

Regards, John

 

[JohnTF]

Almost forgot, fig leaf shots, never shoot people with their hands folded in front of, well, their fig leaf, or at the back, (reverse fig leaf). It may feel and look comfortable in 3D, but it amazes me how stupid important people can look with their hands in that position in 2D. I may send this to the President, and vice president, etc. People formally posing also look better turned a bit, hopefully toward the center of the shot.



J

 

[OurManInTangier]

I would certainly advocate losing the slide film, they'll love prints but never sit through a slide show or squint through a lupe on a lightbox.

I've only done two paid weddings and a few unpaid ones for close friends but the lessons I learned were simple but stark.

1. Take as little kit as possible but enough to cover yourself ( i.e two bodies ) and cover the focal lengths needed ( e.g. 24mm- 210mm.) If you shoot with SLR's then you may be able to go from 18mm through to 210mm in two lenses, one on each body...nice and simple.

2. If you're working on your own then don't over stretch yourself. You can't adequately cover the day in a documentary style if you end up spending too much time doing family group shots, and time is exactly what it takes. One or the other in my personal experience.

You've already had plenty of good advice from people who cover far more weddings than I ever intend to and I'm sure you'll get more. My only real advice would be to rely on your ability rather than masses of kit that you won't have time to use and to remember its their wedding day not a photoshoot for your portfolio. People skills are a key component to good results so no taking the mickey out of the bride's mother's new hat😀

Whilst I'm happy to make my living from other areas of photography I must admit that seeing the couple so happy at the resulting images is very pleasing indeed and worth the hard work.

Hope you enjoy it!

 

[FrankS]

Even if they say before the wedding that they don't want any staged group shots, they really do, and if not, their parents do.

 

[kuvvy]

I'm as confused as you Larky at the choices of all that gear. You're getting good advice here though in keeping it a simple outfit. Don't burden yourself with too much gear, especially as you're gonna be moving around.
I used to do weddings some years back, well before the documentary style began and shooting hundreds of shots began to be the norm. I had three Mamiya C330s, all with just the standard lens, a Metz 45 flash and a Vivitar 283, spare batteries and two lightmeters. Shot only five rolls of film (60 shots) and always print film, processed at a pro lab.
In the car I had soft drinks for the couple and bridal party, for when we got to the park or wherever to shoot the 'lovey-dovey' shots. Amazing how nervous the couple get during the service that they welcome the chance to 'wet their whistles'. With the unpredictable UK weather I always carried large umbrellas too, employing the services of the groomsmen to help keep the couple dry between shots. Plastic sheeting for placing on the ground under the brides dress to help protect it.
My wedding photography would probably be considered too formal nowadays but I used to shoot 40+ weddings per year. I've never shot any wedding in the documentary style or digital for that matter as I don't get to many weddings now.
That said, I have one wedding coming up in July, my daughters, and I'm having to fork out the cost for that, including about a grand for the photographer. I know he will be shooting Nikon gear and probably take hundreds of shots too. Haven't decided what camera I'll be using yet.

 

[drewbarb]

Almost forgot, fig leaf shots, never shoot people with their hands folded in front of, well, their fig leaf, or at the back, (reverse fig leaf). It may feel and look comfortable in 3D, but it amazes me how stupid important people can look with their hands in that position in 2D. I may send this to the President, and vice president, etc. People formally posing also look better turned a bit, hopefully toward the center of the shot.



J

Jeez, this is brilliant- thanks for bringing it up. Guys always go to the "fig leaf" pose, and it's just TERRIBLE. I hope to never, ever photograph someone doing this, and if I'm tyrannical about anything when shooting a wedding, this is it. Just tell them to drop their arms at their sides- it always looks better

 

[kuvvy]

I like the term 'fig leaf' to decribe the shot. Most guys would go for that pose but I think only if you have them standing face on to the camera. This worsens when it's a 'posh do' and the guys are carrying top-hats. They hold it in front of themselves as if pee-ing into it.
I always tried to ensure people were stood slightly sideways to the camera. This meant that the guys would then drop their arms to their sides naturally. It made the group shots easier as it made the group less spread out. Handy in confined spaces too. It was also more flattering in that it had the effect of making people appear slimmer.

 

[FrankS]

Funny, I don't look any slimmer standing sideways. ;(

 

[bobbyrab]

I've photographed probably close to 400 weddings, and I still find it stressful, gift or not they will want you to get a shot of all the main events, so lets say they walk down the aisle in a dark room, so you'll want servo focus, 1600iso, 2.8 at least would be nice, straight out into bright sunlight, so now remember to dial down your iso, reset to single shot, you get the idea, no two are ever quite the same. Having had a look at you flicker photos, I would say yes get a flash, but try and get some faster lenses than you have, something wider than your 50 like a 35/2 would be very useful as I think you would prefer the available light shots more, don't shoot the slide film, and remember you want to make look people look nice, so aim to flatter.

 

[Silva Lining]

I've done a few weddings down the years, mainly for friends and family.

Some really good advice in the posts above. I'd add a few things I've found helpful...

If you can, try and visit the venue for the wedding and reception (if it is in a separate location) beforehand. Look at where there sun is going to be for any shots you are taking outside and look for good places to take group shots.

Think about what you are going to do if it rains, everyone will be looking to you to offer an alternative 😉

Every wedding I have done, the Bride and sometimes the groom have asked for reportage style or candid shots. I've always tried this, but also made sure I got the group shots and nice shots of the Bride etc. These are almost ALWAYS the shots that are most liked when all is said and done.

Depending on how well you know the family and friends of this couple, you may need help in getting people together for shots, the Best Man is good, a Grooms man is even better as he'll often be less nervous (no speech!).

Having a helper, for me, is essential. My missus is great as she not only helps lug the bag around - allowing me to dash off and get shots, but she'll sort out the brides dress/hair/posy etc... She'll also help notice things like crisp packets and distracting backgrounds (Yes, I know as a photog you should see these, but you'll be surprised what you miss when a bit of stress is applied!!)

Other things - Try and find out if one of the couple is a 'blinker' I did a wedding for a couple one and the bride always blinked in anticipation of the flash, which meant a high proportion of family photos with her eyes closed or half closed. Thankfully I knew this and goot round it by shooting the must have shots twice in quick succession.....

Overall, its hard work, you get little or no break for up to 16-18 hours... but its great fun and very rewarding when the couple and family love the shots.

Good luck, have fun and makes sure someone buys you a bloody pint at the end of the day...you'll have earnt it!

 

[sojournerphoto]

I've shot a few, and prefer the ones I do as gifts. Really it's well over £1000 pounds if you get a nice album made. Less really is more - you can shoot a whole wedding with a 5D and 24-105 if you have to, with a flash and ebay trigger for trick stuff🙂

If there was someone else shooting I'd take the 5D and 50 or ZI and 35/50. only.

Mike

Edit - no slide film - you will need the latitude

 

[xayraa33]

I shot weddings for a studio for seven years in the 1980s

two medium format cameras, a main and a backup plus two flash units, I used a Metz ct 60 and a 45 for a backup back then.

a tripod was used most of the time, and remember to double shoot every pose, esp . with group shots with flash.

posing people properly was the main thing.

remember, this is the bride's day

for people who never shot a wedding, my advice is to let a pro do it.

 

[Keith]

I was going to shoot a wedding for a friend a year or so ago ... a month before the event I backed out as I really didn't want to screw up his big day by doing a less than adequate job ... having never done anything like that before.

They understood my performance angst and hired a pro shooter who charged them around $750.00 and presenetd them with a disc. I've beeen through all the images on that disc and now regret not doing the job ... it was pretty average stuff. I guess there's good wedding shooters and not so good wedding shooters ... like everything in life!

If you really care about these people and it sounds like you do, you won't f*** it up ... but it wil be stressful!

Good luck. 🙂