Another thread on WEDDING...

[hiwatt]

the worst crime anyone can possibly commit is to agree on doing a job that one is incompetant of doing. since you have never done a wedding before, i would insist to have a pro. hired. you can take snap shots that you are comfortable of taking as extra documentary.

i believe wedding photography involves more than snap shots that a street photographer can easily accomplish. but i don't do wedding often enough to give much advice. for this very reason, i do not insist on doing wedding for anyone, except a few friends in the past who have seen enough of my stuff and know very well of what they will be getting before i agree. in return of the favor, my condition, as a street shooter, is to be able to get in any room and any corner, at at time throughout the event, and before and after.

i don't take any formal shots for that matter. if they want that to be done, again, there are lots pros out there...

don't get embarrassed to tell them that you are not a wedding photographer but a snap shooter (as you mentioned). same thing that a chemical engineer cannot design a house for someone, though he gets a title as "professional engineer". or a dentist cannot cure a heart disease or cancer.

i think you got too much equipment there...

not to discourage but just my 2 cents...

You're absolutely right about taking a job that you're incompetent of doing: that was the first thing I made clear with my cousin. But since neither him nor the bride could care less for a traditional pro-job, I agreed to "experiment" in some sort of "wedding documentation", nothing more.
As per the equipment I decided to cut it down to two cameras: digitalSLR with a decent zoom (decent meaning bright, not rangewise) and analogue RF with 40/1.4 (mostly because I hate digital noise in low light scenes).
The rest will be solely backup for emergencies.
Ain't going to improvise wedding photog, that's been made clear already... 😉

 

[wtl]

"99% of human failure is caused by miscomminication..." but sounds like you have it covered.

good luck with it and have fun...

 

[ywenz]

Don't forget to get a good flash head and batteries.

 

[clarence]

Brides and in-laws can be monsters

What about the groom?

Clarence

 

[FrankS]

If you really want to WOW them, take along another camera with Kodak B+W infra red film for outdoor shots of the bride and of the couple.

 

[luketrash]

My favorite shots from my wedding were the ones I took myself with my Yashica Electro-35.

I went this same route, because I hate photos of myself, and I hate cheesy, cliche wedding photos. You're not in the USA, but they are horrible here. I hate portraits, senior photos, wedding photos, etc... I would have liked to have had the 'journalistic' style shots at my own wedding.

BUT, all the old people in the family want the posed shots that I hate.

Anyway, I had my friend use his old half-broken Nikon 6006 and 20 rolls of cheap Kodak Gold 400 or 100 film.

They turned out nicer than I had hoped, and it was his gift to me.

You know your cousin better than any of us, so this might be perfectly acceptible. I know I'm not the only one out there bucking convention. It's sickening what crappy photographers get paid to ham it up and take these horrible (in my opinion) shots.

My wedding came and went, and we got a few 8x10s printed for my mom and grandma, and everyone was happy, and life goes on.

Versus making a big deal out of it and taking out a loan for dorky photos of me in a suit.

Good luck! If it was me, I'd get them to agree to film only and I'd load one with color and the other with B&W and make it an artistic experiment 😉

 

[Silva Lining]

I am an amateur photographer and have now 'done' 10 weddings for friends and family. A few things I have learnt, In no particular order....- it is difficult to do 'official' shots AND reportage at the same time - most of the shots that make good candids and reportage are taken when the official photgrapher is occupied elsewhere. My advice - do official shots first and then try for reportage later. (You are better to have official shots and no reportage than the other way round).

You will need to have a good pair of lungs to shout 'look at me!' as a group of other photographers will surround you - if possible tell your group to look at you then pose for others, otherwise you'll have a group of people all looking at different cameras! Get to know the bestman - He will be Essential at getting family members together for shots as people tend to wander off to the bar whilst the photos are being taken - you'll need a runner to fetch people who knows who Auntie Gladys and cousin Steve are... - Ask your couple beforehand if there are any sensitivities between individuals that mean that they shouldn't be photographed together.

Make sure that photos of elderly, infirm or disabled guests are taken first - this will enable them to be looked after and will prevent them having to stand around for too long.

I always take three shots of each group - full length, head to waist, and head and shoulders. Gives you a choice later.

Handy tip on Sunny days - If you find that you troubled by people squinting in the sun, here a handy trick. get the group to look at the floor and look up on your count of 3. As they do this take your shot - this will avoid them squinting (And also makes them smile)

Ignore any one esle who comes up to you on the day to furnish you with their 'superior' photographic knowledge. just concentrate on your ideas. Tell them that you are concetrating but you'd love to chat to them about photogrpahy if they buy you a beer later (they disappear very quickly then!)

Don't be afraid to yell at people, but be friendly, most people hate having their photo taken!

If you can, have a friend or partner with you, ask them to check the brides dress and to key an eye on the general scene. You will be nervous and concentrating on the people and might not notice things that need to be moved such as a piece of litter or a distraction in the background.

If you can check out the venue (church or hotel or whatever) beforehand, do so. Go at the same time of day as the wedding - look at where the sun is coming from - good places to photograph - Somewhere to photograph inside if it is raining - most establishments will allow you to look around if you explain to them what you are doing.


Talk to your couple before hand see if they would like any paticular set ups - better than being asked to improvise on the day - try out any tricky shots, by getting friends to pose for you before hand.

Make sure you are comfortable about using your flash - if you don't use it often.

Sounds obvious, but make sure you remember to take some pictures of just the bride and groom. So often I have seen this pushed to the end of the day - when light is fading or time is short or both... This is their day and a decent pic of them is the most important one.

Take a spare camera. If you have a film camera take it with 2/3 rolls of 200ASA and 5/6 rolls of 400ASA film. One wedding I shot - my tripod and DSLR were kicked over, by accident, and broken - luckily , I was able to switch to my film camera shootting 400ASA with flash - day was saved!!

Finally don't underestimate the amount of time that is required afterwards on dveloping or postproduction of digital images...

This is just my experience - I'm not a professional - just an enthusiast who doesn't know when to say no. I'd say enjoy it, but you won't!!!! not until you have safely downloaded / developed!!!

Cheers

Silva

P.S. I have always used Canon SLRs both film and digital for weddings, although I have been asked to support the official photog at a wedding at the end of May where I will be using just a Leica M3, which should be interesting 😉

 

[bmattock]

You make a good point - I have run into people who have said "Oh, I hate having my photo taken" and try to turn away or ruin a group shot by turning their head at the last second. I keep a smile on my face and say "We're all here for the bride and groom, right? It's their day, right? Well this isn't for you or about you, it's for them. They want a photo of you, so smile and let's get this done, ok?"

I usually reinforce that with a "You look great, thanks so much!" as I finally get the shot. I keep it light and keep smiling, but I assert my imagined authority. If they ask I just say "I'm the photographer, now line up."

Actually, my wife is 100% better at it than I am. She gets these southern gentlemen in line but quick. They won't listen to me, but she cracks the whip and they're all "Yes, ma'am."

I recall one line up of groomsmen, three-quarter turned head shot, four of 'em. One guy wasn't too crazy about standing really close to his buddy in front of him, and it broke the symmetry of the shot. Ann-Marie barked at him - "Wassa matta you? Snuggle up there, make that man in front of you smile." The guy busted up laughing and did what she ordered him to do. We got the shot.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Dougg]

Hope it goes well... and have fun!

 

[dostacos]

Sorry for not making it clear in the first post: I will be the only guy around with a camera (there's no official photog), hence my hesitation and my fears...
I must also add that the couple is not interested in a traditional photo job of the event, they just want me to take some pics.

In a way I'm returning my cousin's gift for my wedding: since he's a plastic surgeon his gift was free plastic surgery for life (for me and the wife)... 😀

What I want to end up with is 40/50 decent shots in a nice book...

heavy on the digital [ so you KNOW you gat the shot] film black and white.

finally take a look at some wedding Photographers website for some Ideas on standard shots that they may not want now but..... [Bride/Groom, + moms & dads and variations on a theme] I am not suggesting copying a style mainly the standard content

 

[ch1]

I'd rely on the dSLR for the "important" shots so that I still have friends after this event! But make sure you are familiar with the manual functions as low-level available light will be problemattic in Auto mode.

Pick either the M6 or Bessa as a "fun" film camera for informal shots at the reception.

Remember, your "job" here is to record an event for your "clients" not turn their wedding into your "most excellent photographic adventure"!

 

[dostacos]

oh and I got an idea why they don't want a traditional Wedding Photographer , I just paid $3500 for my son's wedding Photographer.

I will be shooting available light, black and white only, which the bride has requested.....😀

 

[ch1]

oh and I got an idea why they don't want a traditional Wedding Photographer , I just paid $3500 for my son's wedding Photographer.

I will be shooting available light, black and white only, which the bride has requested.....😀

Heck, they're like a flock of birds singing: "cheap, cheep, cheap!" 😀

 

[hiwatt]

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Thanks Silva for the useful advice!
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Frank, would you use the IR B&W film like normal film or do I need a dark filter?
I'd buy the kodak HIE, how would you rate it speedwise? To be developed in ... rodinal? D76 ....? Thanks!

If you really want to WOW them, take along another camera with Kodak B+W infra red film for outdoor shots of the bride and of the couple.

 

[jamiewakeham]

My snippet of advice, having done a few of these on a 'look, I'm not a pro and might well stuff it all up' basis, is Know Thine Meter. There'll be a whole load of contrast and differences in light levels that can put you out. Specifically, be careful when you meter Bride and Groom shots, where you have a big white dress and a big black suit. If you meter for either of these rather than averaging them (in whatever fashion you choose) you'll hjave totally over- or underexposed the other.

I wouldn't have thought three cameras was too may, as long as you know each camera well enough that you're having to think about how to use it.

A questions I'm interested in myself, as well as (I suspect) it being useful for your own purposes - how far can one reasonably colour-correct scanned negative film? I'm about to do my first colour wedding, having done all the rest B&W only, and I can't decide whether to get some tungsten film for the interior shots, to try colour correction filters or just to fix in photoshop later... will obviously go shoot some test rolls first, buit I'd be grateful for any advice!

Cheers
Jamie

 

[VinceC]

It's worth keeping the third camera body in the bag with the 21mm lens on it. If you never use it, fine. But if you want a quick super-wide lens, there it is. However, use the same film as the other RF body. That way, you can grab the 21mm without even thinking about it to shoot your superwides. I use multiple film bodies (in photojournalism situations, not weddings) to avoid changing lenses. That's why I avoid shooting different types of film at once. With the DSLR and two film bodies, you don't want to have 3 different ISO speeds going at once ... the correct lens will never be on the correct camera body. Besides, the digitial is there for flexibility and fast emulsions.

 

[Michiel]

I love the idea of IR film. Combine that with the polaroids you were planning on taking and some reporter style b&w shots and you have got a real interesting collection. The variety of formats and style might make it really good.

 

[VinceC]

Keeping a third body in the bag is also insurance against camera failure. It does happen, usually at a critical moment ...

 

[FrankS]

Re: IR film
I use the Kodak high speed IR film and get good exposure on sunny summer days by rating it at iso400. Regular meters don't really measure IR but this has worked for me over the years. I develop almost all my film in Ilfosol S. Often I don't use a filter or only a light yellow. It doesn't give the full-blown IR effect, but it's different enough from the regular B+W to be interesting. I usually prefer this more subtle effect.