Weddings.

I think it's really exciting and I'm sure you'll do a great job. I did my first a few months ago (pics here) and have never been so stressed in all my life! That said, afterwards I felt a great deal of satisfaction. Although most photographers yawn or shudder at the notion, I think weddings are a really wonderful event to shoot and challenge you more than anything else. I shot about 80% film and 20% digital at the wedding. I used a Hasselblad 500cm, a Konica S2 and an F100 with a little Canon G9 for digi snaps. I am REALLY glad I did have a reliable, autofocus camera with a P mode in the F100 :) My favorite shots were from the Hassy and S2 but I really did need it as insurance. Your D200 will do the same obviously.

I had most luck with Kodak 400CN and Portra (both 160 and 400NC). I also used the Fuji NPH 800 and a bit of TMAX. I actually didn't shoot anything at 1600 but I think it would be needed in the future if lighting is marginal.

Relax (as much as possible), smile and try to never show your frustration. IMO wedding photographers should be having fun! Have someone to help you and designate best man etc to get people together when required. Make sure you have a good softbox and ensure you have your lighting sorted in case you need it more often than planned.

I can't wait to do another again - assuming I am ever asked of course.
 
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drewbarb said:
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
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It's one of those things that really stand out, almost as bad as not looking at the background and adjusting accordingly. As far as slimming, my only recourse now is to find a lovely lady and stand as much behind her as possible. Wide Angles are not kind to the folks on the end as well.

One of the reasons I stuck with TLR's for a long time was that I would normally see if someone blinked.

Always used a big flash as well, Braun RL 515's, and later the Metz CT 60 series, still have two.

My first boss was a bit of a dictator asking others not to shoot when he was shooting, but so many people have cameras today it is a different situation.

Shot a wedding in Champagne, and members of the bridal party took out cameras during the Church service and shot flash photos. A lot of things happen, I did try to look for candid shots with personality, but 90% is getting the money shots. Shot two weddings in a day several times, really a trip.

A lot was handling people in a pleasant way, and I used to meet with the music, food, and cake people to organize shots at the reception. Different groups, denominations, churches, - nothing like experience. I am a lot slower now, do not think I could switch film in a Rollei between the Bride going down the aisle and her dad giving her away at the end of it anymore.

Good old days were good because I was not so old. ;-)

Figure out what the money shots are and get them first, creative ideas will come and are a bonus.
 
I've got my first wedding shoot coming up in May for two good friends. Lots of good hints&tips in this topic that make me feel a little more confident.

Another mutual friend/shutterbug will be there to help out as well. He will handle the DSLR business, while I take care of the vintage/classic film camera shots (with an R-D1 on standby).

The entire wedding will be in 1940s style, which should add a great feel to the classic photos.
 
Excellent advice on here so far.
First off I have to agree with John. If you do drink, do it in moderation. If they are not hiring a professional, you need to be that professional. It will be stressful, even if their expectations are not high. They've seen your flickr photos? If so, they know you have a good photographic eye. Chances are their expectations are higher than you think.
Write down your list of what you need to bring. Pack up your equipment the night before. I would saying being prepared is key. Every wedding is different. As long as your attentive and focused you will be ready for the unexpected, which is inevitable. Good luck and have fun.
 
Wow, some great advice. It's incredible how the advice differs from forum to forum, I wont mention the other forum I go on (not so much now) but they basically told me to forget it, pack my stuff and run for the hills. They said if I'd never shot a wedding I'll be so bad and the day will be so horrible I'll lose them as friends, my cat will die, the Sun will vanish (although isn't that happening?!) and my balls will explode.

They then said I needed to shell out about £15,000 on lenses and about £3,000 on some flashes. Oh, they said I needed a make up assistant, a portable loo, a portable studio, two dozen Chickens and a sacrificial slaughter slab.

You get the idea.

So yeah, thanks for the advice. I'll try out the Metz now and if that is too confusing (manual is like the Bible) I'll try finding an alternative.

Cheers. :)
 
Larky said:
They said if I'd never shot a wedding I'll be so bad and the day will be so horrible I'll lose them as friends, my cat will die, the Sun will vanish (although isn't that happening?!) and my balls will explode.
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Yeah, well that can happen too ;) Guess, we all thought you knew that!

Certainly things can go wrong, but pre-planning and prep. and a lot of the advice on here can help you deal with most scenarios. You don't need a fortune in lenses to do a good job, knowing your camera/lens set ups and how they work in different situations is much more valuable in trying to get great shots.. IMHO :)
 
Keith said:
I guess there's good wedding shooters and not so good wedding shooters ... like everything in life!
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Certainly since digital came along there have been loads of people setting up as wedding photographers. Some are excellent, some middling and others simply out to make big money for a staggeringly bad job. With some people willing to pay several thousand pounds for wedding photography its an all too easy market for the 'cowboys' to enter.
 
Not much mention has been made of 'man (and woman) management' skills!, these days since the advent of digital everyone is a photographer, and it's amazing how people will hinder you, by getting in the way, calling for attention in a different direction - as you are taking your shot, etc, etc. You need to be 'boss', but in a polite and diplomatic way. My regular paid gigs were years ago, with Yashicamats, Rollie's, Nikon F's, now I avoid the hassle and just shoot the casual type stuff, as a guest with my rangefinders or dslr, - a lot easier on my old nervous system!:)
Cheers, Dave.
 
I only ever did a few friends weddings and only then under duress, I thought they were to most nerve-wracking thing possible; until the Friend’s Daughters Wedding cam along that is.

I heartily agree about dropping the slide film, and if you’re using black and white Roger’s suggestion of xp2 is good (2 more stops before one blows the highlights)

In my limited experience, I would just mention a few things that haven’t come up already, herding cats, blowing THE DRESS, Beta-blockers and throat lozenges.
 
Throat lozenges, good idea. I just had a wander around town, sadly no lighting gear. Off I go to eBay. I have the flash for the G1 but would like one for the D200.
 
Things I would add.

I agree about having a light shooting set up but if possible have some kind of back up even if you keep it in the boot of your car - you'll thank me when someone drops a glass of champagne in your camera bag! It doesn't have to be the ideal wedding camera it just has to let you take pictures if a major disaster strikes. I shoot with two 5d's with a 20d for back up and even then I keep two pentax 67's in my car as another back up for no other reason than it's the only other complete system I have, albeit terrible for a lot of wedding shots.

I would try to get a list of group shots from the bride and groom before the wedding and an amount of time allocated to shoot them, as their parents will want some groups. Getting a list is a good way of finding out if anyone's parents are divorced or dead. The last thing you want to do on the day is to be calling out for the mother of the bride only to find out that she died of cancer six months ago.

Try to visit the venue beforehand if you can to assess light levels and what your primary lens will be. If you can talk to the vicar or registrar and find out what their rules for shooting are often they don't like you shooting when the vows are in progress and some vicars won't allow any photography at all.

Try to pace out you photos so they'll work as an album, use wide shots and close ups and vary your compostions as much as you can. Close ups and details are often a good way to calm the nerves when you first arrive at a venue.

Good Luck
 
Larky said:
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 :D ) 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.

:)
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Hi,

I haven't done any of these recently. For the ones I did in the film age, it matches well to what Roger wrote. Two cameras, one with a modest wide 35-43mm. The Contax G 45 is to long on my books - I have a 43mm Pentax and the 45 Contax, surprisingly this matters. The other camera with an 85mm or 90mm. I don't own a 75mm lens, so no comment on whether this is better. I didn't bother with a standard then and didn't have access to a 21 back then.

I need a flash for each camera and typically ended up with 500 negatives.

Not sure what to advise on doing film and digital in parallel. Though I definitely would not have a need for a something-300, but I know others do.

In the end you have to decide how you approach it.
 
All the mention of being prepared before hand is some of the best advice in this thread. I always have at least one prep meeting with the bride and groom, where I gather as much pertinent information as possible. Write down the names and roles of all the key family members, bridal party, and other key players/important people to make sure you get good shots of them. Work out the timing and schedule of the day, make sure you get directions to locations- and build in travel time (if it's more than one location from where they get ready to where the ceremony is to the reception). Talk with the clients about what kind of shots they want and what you can and can't do. Hopefully a bride and groom select their photographer because they like his or her work and style, but sometimes it's just a case of what's convenient- so do all the pre-planning you can to make them happy with the results you give. Some photogs like a list of must-have shots, and they may work this out with the clients; I hate doing this, and don't like fumbling with a list of what I need on the day of the wedding, but others find this helpful. Try to get a good balance of the standard must have shots and the informal documentary shots and the fancier stuff you might do.

Scout all your locations if at all possible, and note the amount and quality of light at the times you will be there, and think about the sorts of shots you might be able to get. One thing I have noticed is that the bride and groom spend a lot of time talking with and thanking all their guests on the big day, and often they don't get much time to spend together, or time eat or whatever. I often try to grab them and do certain pictures, especially with long lenses, that build in some time for them to just be with each other. This often yields some of the best shots, too.

The point about people skills and wrangling is important, too. Make sure you do enough to get the shots that you need, but not so much that they feel bossed around. This is their wedding day, not your photo shoot, and you want them to remember it that way. My personal goal with every wedding is to deliver the pictures and have the bride exclaim over how wonderful the images are, and to hear her say "Where were you? How did you get this shot? I don't remember you being there!"- there's nothing worse than a bride who remembers how in-your-face the photographer was. You want to disappear among the guests, and be everywhere and no where, getting everything that happens unobtrusively. Think about what you wear, so that you blend in with the crowd, and if you bring an assistant/helper (which I strongly recommend, if you can) make sure they do the same.
 
people managing skills are of the utmost importance.
you are limited in the time you have to do your job.

rushing is a good way to have bad things happen.
have a list in your mind or on paper, of the essential must have shots.
A lot of the time the bride is very nervous when you first meet on the day of the wedding, your job is to reassure and smooth the way, bridesmaids are mostly useless to help make your job easier, so don't count on them.

the at ease feeling comes over everyone once the church/temple or registrar phase is over and done with.
good people skills makes the job easier on every one.

I never found an assistant to be necessary, and 95% of the job can be done with the normal lens of the camera.
learn good fill in flash techniques and use an incident light meter often.
your three most useful f stops are, f5.6, f8 and f11 with the standard lens on a medium format camera.
the Zeiss Softar Filter is one of your best friends on most jobs.
 
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I've shot over 200 + weddings and finally at a point where I just enjoy being a second or third shooter with my leica and capturing images photojournalistic style. No more pressure of check lists, etc. Can relax and walk around documenting the day.

Everyone is nervous on that day, so show a little humor and smile. Everyone is tense for the big day, it seems to relax them.
 
I HATE SHOOTING WEDDINGS. There, I said it!

Xayraa33 explained everything to perfection. The last couple of weddings I shot I was playing second shooter and handled the second light after flat out telling the bride that I was only going to shoot with my 15mm Heliar and I'd be in a significant number of the photos...LOL

With the local following my blog has I wouldn't be surprised if Monkette, my toy monkey, doesn't end up attending a few weddings. http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com
 
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