Wedding Questions

[bbaker]

Hey everyone! Although I am not new to photography, I am new to wedding photography. I've had my share of senior portrait photography and was recently asked to shoot a wedding. This will be my first wedding. Now, I know there is a lot of pressure about getting all of the right shots at the right time. I have a few questions that would make me feel a little more sure of myself if I had some input from you guys!

When do you take the major group photos? (Bridemaids, Groomsmen,etc.)
Any shots that are standard/I should be ready for when the point comes?
**Any other general wedding advice would be awesome!

Im also looking at lenses. I have a Nikon 18-105mm lens and a telephoto Nikon 70-300mm lens. The 18-105mm comes with a lot of distortion and the 70-300mm is a lens I would have to take shots with from a ways away. If I were to buy a new lens, what would you recommend?

Thanks for any input you may provide! I greatly appreciate it!
Brandon

 

[Big Mike]

When do you take the major group photos? (Bridemaids, Groomsmen,etc.)

Usually, it is after the ceremony, before the reception. I make sure that I have some input on the schedule of the day's events, and make them plan for plenty of time in there. Most times, you end up with less time than you planned for, so ask for more time that you will actually need.

If the B&G are OK with seeing each other before the wedding, you can do them before...which can be less rushed, or at least have less family & friends hanging around.

Any shots that are standard/I should be ready for when the point comes?

There are plenty...you should be ready for anything at all times.

**Any other general wedding advice would be awesome!

Backup equipment is very, very important.

Im also looking at lenses. I have a Nikon 18-105mm lens and a telephoto Nikon 70-300mm lens. The 18-105mm comes with a lot of distortion and the 70-300mm is a lens I would have to take shots with from a ways away. If I were to buy a new lens, what would you recommend?

In most cases, it's very advantageous to have 'fast' lenses (large maximum aperture). So neither of your lenses are good choices. Look at the Nikon 17-55mm F2.8 (or something similar from Sigma or Tamron). The 70-200mm F2.8 VR is a very nice lens for shooting weddings as well. Then you might want to mix in an ultra wide lens and maybe a super fast prime lens, 30mm F1.4 or something similar.

What about a flash? There are many situations where a flash (not the built-in POS) will allow you to get the shots you need to get.

Did I mention backup equipment? At least two camera bodies, to lenses that you could shoot all day with, two flashes and plenty of extras like memory cards & batteries.

 

[bbaker]

Thanks so much for the input!

I was actually looking at buying the Nikon 18-55mm. Supposedly it is one of Nikon's best lenses. So I think Im going to go with that.

As far as flashes, what would you suggest? I know there are lots of different flashes out there. Would you happen to have any quick Amazon links or other site links I should take a look at?

 

[bigtwinky]

Thinking that you already checked out the area and know where to go for good shots, your schedule is something like:

- shoot the bride getting ready
- shoot the groom getting ready
- go to ceremony place
- shoot groom waiting, bride arriving
- shoot ceremony
- shoot leaving ceremony, shoot couple in car
- posed shots. Its a good idea to discuss this ahead of time to ensure that you know all the posed shots they want (bride with her friend Jenny, groom with his dog,..). Bring the list with you. I've had one of the bridesmaids help fetch people or keep them corraled in the posed shooting area.
- posed shots of just the couple, shoot more in car going to reception (if needed)
- shoot reception which includes key shots like first dance, father/daughter dance, mother/son dance, cutting the cake, any other tradition, candids, party shots.

Make sure you find time in between if you can to backup those pictures on a laptop or portable storage.

Bring an extra change of clothes, just in case.

Charge those batteries the night before

Scope out the area ahead of time to find nice backdrops and places where the light falls nicely

Have a plan B for everything

Bring backup gear

Wear good shoes and drink lots of water

 

[SpeedTrap]

Thanks so much for the input!

I was actually looking at buying the Nikon 18-55mm. Supposedly it is one of Nikon's best lenses. So I think Im going to go with that.

As far as flashes, what would you suggest? I know there are lots of different flashes out there. Would you happen to have any quick Amazon links or other site links I should take a look at?

As far as the 18-55mm lens it is far from the best nikon lens for this type of work. You need to be looking at the 24-70 F2.8. If this lens is outside of you budget, you should look at renting it. The 18-55 mm is a consumer level lens and is not nearly fast enough for this type of work.

As far as the flash goes you should have at least an SB800 as a main and an SB600 as a backup.

be sure you have at least 2 camera bodies with you. You only get one chance at a wedding and if your camer were to fail or it was broken you would be in real trouble.

 

[Big Mike]

I was actually looking at buying the Nikon 18-55mm.

The 18-55mm is a cheap 'kit' lens. The 17-55mm F2.8 is a much higher quality lens.

 

[bbaker]

What is your guys' opinions on this lense?

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR DI-II LD Aspherical (IF) Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon AF-D

AF016NII700 Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR DI-II LD Aspherical (IF) Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon AF-D, 6 Year USA Warranty

 

[Big Mike]

It's a very good lens. That's actually my primary wedding lens.

It might not be quite as good as the similar top end Canon or Nikon models, but it's half the price and still very good.

 

[bbaker]

What do you think of Sigma? Are they generally better quality than Tamron lenses?

 

[SpeedTrap]

What is your guys' opinions on this lense?

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR DI-II LD Aspherical (IF) Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon AF-D

AF016NII700 Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR DI-II LD Aspherical (IF) Standard Zoom Lens for Nikon AF-D, 6 Year USA Warranty

This would be a mid range lens in my opinion.
The reviews I have read on it are not stellar especially in low light, and that is where you will need the best performance.

I would recommend the Sigma 24-70 F2.8 over this one.

571306 Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical IF EX DG HSM AutoFocus Zoom Lens for Nikon AF & Digital SLR's

It is not as wide, but you pick up a bit on the long end.

 

[jnm]

- shoot the bride getting ready
- shoot the groom getting ready
- go to ceremony place
- shoot groom waiting, bride arriving
- shoot ceremony
- shoot leaving ceremony, shoot couple in car
- posed shots. Its a good idea to discuss this ahead of time to ensure that you know all the posed shots they want (bride with her friend Jenny, groom with his dog,..). Bring the list with you. I've had one of the bridesmaids help fetch people or keep them corraled in the posed shooting area.
- posed shots of just the couple, shoot more in car going to reception (if needed)
- shoot reception which includes key shots like first dance, father/daughter dance, mother/son dance, cutting the cake, any other tradition, candids, party shots.

looking back at the pictures from our wedding i'll add in the ones we like but hadnt thought of ahead of time:

- grooms reaction at first site of the bride. usually priceless to the bride.
- don't forget to capture the moments in the crowd, parents, relatives, friends. dont do it at the expense of the bride/groom, but be mindful of the others in attendance.
- shoot the reception site before the guests arrive. see if you can get the ceremony site too before guests arrive.
- shots of groom with each groomsman individually, same for bride with bridesmaids

 

[In2daBlue]

I agree with all of the advice given so far. But, the poster who said you need an SB800 and a back-up SB600 is wrong... at least in my opinion. I always say this here on the forum but it seems to get lost. The 800 is a superior flash, no doubt, but where it offers better performance is not needed in wedding photography. It's power is much better, so if you're shooting sports at night and need to shoot the flash 40 yards than yes the 800 is the flash you need. But, if you're just doing portraits and general storbist work, two 600s are MORE than adequate. And, for the price difference, it would seem stupid to buy an 800 when you can spend the extra money on lenses, which you certainly need to upgrade on before getting serious about shooting wedding photography.

Two camera bodies is a must at weddings. It's nice to have a back up if something goes wrong (and trust me, something always seems to go wrong at the worst possible moment). But, I think almost more importantly, it's nice to have two cameras because it saves you time. I keep my wide angle on one body and my 70-200 on the other. That way, I don't miss a single moment while shooting. If I need the wide angle, it's ready to go. If, all of sudden, I see a great image that requires a tele, I have that on the other shoulder and can snap it right away. Changing lenses is a waste of time and, in the end, will force you to miss great moments that happen on dime.

 

[DWS]

Two camera bodies is a must at weddings. It's nice to have a back up if something goes wrong (and trust me, something always seems to go wrong at the worst possible moment). But, I think almost more importantly, it's nice to have two cameras because it saves you time. I keep my wide angle on one body and my 70-200 on the other. That way, I don't miss a single moment while shooting. If I need the wide angle, it's ready to go. If, all of sudden, I see a great image that requires a tele, I have that on the other shoulder and can snap it right away. Changing lenses is a waste of time and, in the end, will force you to miss great moments that happen on dime.

:thumbup:
most definitely!

 

[Insp Gadget]

I agree with all of the advice given so far. But, the poster who said you need an SB800 and a back-up SB600 is wrong... at least in my opinion. I always say this here on the forum but it seems to get lost. The 800 is a superior flash, no doubt, but where it offers better performance is not needed in wedding photography. It's power is much better, so if you're shooting sports at night and need to shoot the flash 40 yards than yes the 800 is the flash you need. But, if you're just doing portraits and general storbist work, two 600s are MORE than adequate. And, for the price difference, it would seem stupid to buy an 800 when you can spend the extra money on lenses, which you certainly need to upgrade on before getting serious about shooting wedding photography.

Sorry, but I would disagree with this. I was using an SB600 for weddings but I burned out three of them in one weddnig season. The darn thing has to put out almost full power in a large church or reception area, making the flash overheat and burn out. Haven't killed my 800 so far this year! (I'm just assuming that's why the 600's were dying all the time)

We recently bought an SB900. IMHO, this is a TERRIBLE flash for wedding photography!!! The zoom head is VERY loud in a quiet environment like a church and if you take too many pics in a row, the flash will shut off for several minutes to cool down. Not something you want happening during a wedding that's for sure.

 

[Insp Gadget]

Two camera bodies is a must at weddings. It's nice to have a back up if something goes wrong (and trust me, something always seems to go wrong at the worst possible moment). But, I think almost more importantly, it's nice to have two cameras because it saves you time. I keep my wide angle on one body and my 70-200 on the other. That way, I don't miss a single moment while shooting. If I need the wide angle, it's ready to go. If, all of sudden, I see a great image that requires a tele, I have that on the other shoulder and can snap it right away. Changing lenses is a waste of time and, in the end, will force you to miss great moments that happen on dime.

Totally agree with this! I had a camera die on me while the bride was walking down the isle towards me!! Fortunately I had another body and lens all fired up and ready to go! Don't get caught with your pants down like this guy did!!!

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