wedding photography

[nyggirl3]

Hey everyone. Im new here and need help. I love to take photos and was asked to do my friends wedding. They cannot afford to hire a professional they whole time and have asked me to take the before and after the ceremony shots. I dont have to worry about taking all the posed pictures of the bride/groom and party. I am told that it doesnt matter how well they all turn out, they just want it done, but I want them to be great. I only have 3 1/2 weeks until the day (I was just informed today).

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone had any tips for me (i.e. speed film, settings on the camera, etc). The wedding will take place at about 11:00am on a saturday morning. We are in NW Oregon and it will be outside. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated! TIA!!

~Tami~

 

[ScenicBC]

I just read a great Article on this in the latest (June Edition) of Digital Camera World. Although this magazine is a little pricey being a British Magazine, if there was only one magazine in the world I could subscript to it would be this one!

 

[Garbz]

Check the Wedding / Pro Sub-forum. There is a sticky there for you to read.

 

[Rusty_Tripod]

I use a 400ASA and a flash as needed. Personally, I prefer black and white, as do many of the people I shoot for because everyone else shoots color. I have enjoyed using the Kodak C41 Black and White.

Just go. Shoot. Have fun. And be sure that you know who should be included in the shots.

Rusty Tripod

 

[ksmattfish]

Stick to what you know. If there are gaps in your knowledge practice in the weeks before the wedding. Making sure you have a good grasp of flash photography will really help.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

That is exactly how I learned about wedding photography...by shooting the before and after for friends and family. It's great because you don't have the pressure of shooting the really important ceremony and formals but you still have an important job to do.

My advice is to just do what you know and what is comfortable for you. Flash will probably be important because even if the wedding is outdoors, you will probably find yourself indoors for plenty of shots...and I'm guessing that NW Oregon gets a fair bit of rain....so you may be indoors more than you think.

Read as much as you can and look at wedding photos to get some inspiration...maybe get a few really good ideas that you want to shoot. Then when the day comes...be prepared for anything and go with the flow.

Good Luck.

 

[crownlaurel]

I didn't have a professional photographer at all in my wedding (the entire event cost less than $500) so I relied completely on friends and family (not expecting any good shots). My favorite shots were my friends helping me get the dress on (I had all that crazy ruffly stuff on, nothing indecent) and my dad giving me a kiss before the ceremony. I loved the pictures of who was there and how dh and I enteracted with them. And my total fav was of us leaving. They had forgotten to take the lasso back off of us, so we're walking down the aisle tied together by a white rope. There's also one of dh playing the keyboard and me singing (we were the entertainment at our own reception, LOL). I so treasure those pictures even though they weren't "professional."

 

[nyggirl3]

Thank you all so much! It gives me more confidence and to just relax a bit. I'm going to make sure I take tons of pics and read different articles before the date. Thanks again to everyone!!