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1st Time to Shoot a Wedding

rateeg

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Hi.
My friend's wedding is coming up soon and he asked me to be their photographer.
I have a Nikon D300 and 50mm 1.8, 17-55mm 2.8, 24-80mm 3.5, and 35mm 1.8.

I have a few questions, what lenses should i carry that day?
Im worrying about changing lens if the event is so fast.

Is speedlight necessary on outdoor shoots?

What other preparations should i do?

Sorry for the newbie questions, this is my first time to do a wedding.
And i wanna atleast experience it.

Thanks
 
Read your manuals.... know your camera or you will get in big trouble....these are questions you should not be asking because you are not ready to shoot your friends wedding
 
Ok, I won't be sarcastic or condescending with remarks like "If you have to ask you're not ready."

With your D300 bring your 17-55

Rent a 70-200 or 80-200

(Beg/Borrow/Buy a decent Bridge P&S in case your camera or lens pick that day to stage a strike!)

Buy a flash, a decent Nikon one. You'll use this bounced indoors at the reception and almost every outdoor shot as a fill flash. Then after it's all done and you and your buddy have a good chuckle, you'll have a nice flash for other things and a bit of experience for later.
 
I have to agree with Mully... you don't sound like you are ready to shoot a wedding.

I would carry all your lenses.. minus the 24-80 (leave that one at home!) I would also rent, or borrow a 70-200 2.8, and a second body to put it on (preferably and FX body). (you will need a second body as backup if your first body gets dropped or something)

Speedlight outdoors (if used properly) can act as fill, reducing shadows, and giving the images some "POP". Flash can also be used to control background exposure so it isn't blown out.

Don't forget a contract, insurance and whatever business licenses are needed in your area.

Still want to do it? ;)
 
Maybe you are not ready for your first wedding shoot but you got most of the gear as mentioned from everyone you should defiantly get something like 55-200mm 2.8, a a decent speedlight... Yongnuo YN-568EX that has a High-speed sync or something i-TTl mode to help you with that bounce or fill light if you don't have experience with speedlights... a backup body wouldn't hurt either, as for the rest visit venues before the big day, use contrast and light to your favor, trust your photographer instincts and most of all have fun!
If you never do your first shoot you will never make mistakes and we all know that we learn by our own mistakes, don't be afraid just make sure your friend knows that you never did this and they you will do your best, surf the web google wedding sessions, study them and just do it!
Good Luck! ;)
 
You need to rent a 70-200mm f/2.8. You also need a 2nd body as a backup system. You've got enough lenses. You could technically shot the entire wedding with just the 35mm on a crop-frame body (but don't). That means you're covered in case a key lens fails, but you're not covered in case the body fails. Also make sure you have enough memory card capacity and battery capacity.

Once upon a time, the popular rig was a medium format film camera (Hasselblad, Rollei, etc.) with a single "normal" lens (80mm is the "normal" focal length for those cameras) and about 30 rolls of film (average wedding used about 23 rolls and I think the most we went through was probably about 28 rolls, but we always had 30 rolls on-hand. We would finish a wedding having taken some 250-300 shots. In the age of digital, photographers shoot a LOT MORE.) You can shoot an entire wedding with that and get stunning results... but you do have to know how to get each shot and that means no close-ups of the ceremony "during" the ceremony (lots of photographers re-created key shots after the ceremony was over.)

To get those shots "during" the ceremony, you'll need a long fast lens. That's the 70-200mm f/2.8. No substitute lens will do. It must be f/2.8 (since there's no such thing as a zoom faster than f/2.8). No variable focal ratio zooms. The one time during the day where you'll need a long lens is also the one time of the day where you're probably be inside a church with low light and are not permitted to use the flash (no flash "during" the ceremony... but you can use it any other time including walking up the aisle and back down again.) BTW, you can walk around, but you can't get in the way. That means you're generally shooting from the sides.

You will want a powerful flash. Actually... you'll want two of them. What you really want is two flashes AND time to get experienced when using two flashes (2nd flash is on a monopod being held by an assistant who also knows what he/she is doing.) That might be more than you can manage.

You'll use the flash outdoors to soften the harsh shadows. A camera can make bright light seem dim by reducing aperture or speeding the shutter. So it's not the "bright light" that's the problem. It's the fact that the extra bright full sun is creating extra dark shadows.... there's too much difference between light and shadow. The purpose of the flash is to light up the shadows making the difference from light to shadow small... rather than large. This takes practice. Buying or renting a flash and having it arrive a few days before the wedding is probably not adequate time to prepare.

Though you're not a wedding photographer, you obviously have a camera and some experience using it (possibly even considerable experience.) But there are some things that a wedding photographer probably knows that you don't know ... no matter how long you've owned a camera:

1) They know the repertoire of shots... they have a shot list. Without really thinking about it, there are certain key shots they plan to take before the wedding, during the wedding, and immediately after the wedding. They have a similar list they plan to take at the reception and all the events that happen at receptions. They may also plan to steal the bride & groom away for a 15 minute session sometime during the reception depending on the reception facility - and they'll do a short photo-shoot. They have specific shots for this as well. Keep in mind that sometimes you are in control of setting up the shot and sometimes the events occur as part of the ceremony and you can't control the situation. THAT MEANS YOU need to know where to stand so you're in the best position to get these events as they unfold. So before the wedding, you know, for example, will the couple have their backs to the audience or will they be facing them? Will they be lighting a unity candle? You want to know what key events will occur and have already thought through where you'll need to be and how you'll capture the shot.

2) It isn't just that they have a shot list... it's that when they take each shot, they pretty much know how they plan to shoot each shot. I knew, for example, that when shooting any of the key dance shots that I was going to use my two (manual) flashes, f/16, and I'd frame the shot from the waist up. I'd use zone focus, and I'd nail the shot every time. A wedding photographer knows this without even really thinking about it. The camera is actually pre-set for the shot before the photographer even walks onto the dance floor. When you've taken thousands of dance shots, you know "the" settings that work consistently. Think of the wedding as a "pattern". You apply a specific pattern to each type of shot, but then tailor it to the situation as needed.

3) A wedding photographer is spending their day primarily taking portraits and environmental portraits. Except they don't have a portrait studio with them. They know how to create studio lighting without actually having studio lighting. This means they carry some reflectors and probably some shoot-through umbrellas to use with the flash guns. We never carried studio mono-lights. We DID carry a tripod (always) ... and a light meter... and several other pieces of gear. But as we knew the repertoire it wasn't as if we were scrambling to get the right gear for each shot... we knew what part of the wedding was coming next, what gear would be needed for it, where it would need to be, so while the photographer is shooting one thing, the assistant is setting up the next thing. Everything is nicely orchestrated.

4) For most of the wedding, when you know the shots and the flow, you wont be scrambling. Changing lenses wont be "reactive" it will be "proactive" (you know what's coming so you're ready.) Just occasionally you will get a surprise. Interestingly... each religious belief or sect has a different way of doing weddings. There were certain religions (I wont which say which) that we used to call "90 second specials". The bride & groom would make it to the altar, the "I-DOs" would happen, and they'd be "now pronounced man and wife" and the next thing you know they're headed back out (while you were just getting set up in the choir loft for some nice ceremony shots with a long lens.) SO... you DO want to know what the flow of THEIR specific wedding will be, how long they expect it to take, so you know if you have time to head up to the choir loft or not.

5) Consider this: Little girls fantasize about their wedding day even at very young ages. Little boys ... not so much. This day is something of a fairy tale to HER. She wants the photos to portray that day in a way that meets her fantasy expectations. She wants her wedding to look like it belongs in Brides magazine (hint: pick up a copy of Brides magazine and thumb through it if you've never done this.) It seems every wedding I attend (as a guest), the bride is upset when she ultimately gets her photos. The last two weddings I attended had photographers who neglected to get even a single GOOD shot of the bride wearing a dress (how do you shoot hundreds of photos and not get one great shot of a dress that the bride was wearing the entire day?) She agonized over that dress and you @#$@#$ well better get a stunning shot of it. There's a "psychology" of weddings that experienced wedding photographers know. They know what the bride expects.

I've hopefully given you some things to think about. If you don't have a half-dozen weddings behind you then you can't just "know" how to shoot a wedding. This is why I generally recommend that anyone who wants to learn to shoot weddings should put the camera DOWN and go offer their services to an experienced wedding photographer looking for an assistant. It's amazing what you can learn by just being with someone who is seasoned at shooting weddings.
 
You need to rent a 70-200mm f/2.8. You also need a 2nd body as a backup system. You've got enough lenses. You could technically shot the entire wedding with just the 35mm on a crop-frame body (but don't). That means you're covered in case a key lens fails, but you're not covered in case the body fails. Also make sure you have enough memory card capacity and battery capacity.

Once upon a time, the popular rig was a medium format film camera (Hasselblad, Rollei, etc.) with a single "normal" lens (80mm is the "normal" focal length for those cameras) and about 30 rolls of film (average wedding used about 23 rolls and I think the most we went through was probably about 28 rolls, but we always had 30 rolls on-hand. We would finish a wedding having taken some 250-300 shots. In the age of digital, photographers shoot a LOT MORE.) You can shoot an entire wedding with that and get stunning results... but you do have to know how to get each shot and that means no close-ups of the ceremony "during" the ceremony (lots of photographers re-created key shots after the ceremony was over.)

To get those shots "during" the ceremony, you'll need a long fast lens. That's the 70-200mm f/2.8. No substitute lens will do. It must be f/2.8 (since there's no such thing as a zoom faster than f/2.8). No variable focal ratio zooms. The one time during the day where you'll need a long lens is also the one time of the day where you're probably be inside a church with low light and are not permitted to use the flash (no flash "during" the ceremony... but you can use it any other time including walking up the aisle and back down again.) BTW, you can walk around, but you can't get in the way. That means you're generally shooting from the sides.

You will want a powerful flash. Actually... you'll want two of them. What you really want is two flashes AND time to get experienced when using two flashes (2nd flash is on a monopod being held by an assistant who also knows what he/she is doing.) That might be more than you can manage.

You'll use the flash outdoors to soften the harsh shadows. A camera can make bright light seem dim by reducing aperture or speeding the shutter. So it's not the "bright light" that's the problem. It's the fact that the extra bright full sun is creating extra dark shadows.... there's too much difference between light and shadow. The purpose of the flash is to light up the shadows making the difference from light to shadow small... rather than large. This takes practice. Buying or renting a flash and having it arrive a few days before the wedding is probably not adequate time to prepare.

Though you're not a wedding photographer, you obviously have a camera and some experience using it (possibly even considerable experience.) But there are some things that a wedding photographer probably knows that you don't know ... no matter how long you've owned a camera:

1) They know the repertoire of shots... they have a shot list. Without really thinking about it, there are certain key shots they plan to take before the wedding, during the wedding, and immediately after the wedding. They have a similar list they plan to take at the reception and all the events that happen at receptions. They may also plan to steal the bride & groom away for a 15 minute session sometime during the reception depending on the reception facility - and they'll do a short photo-shoot. They have specific shots for this as well. Keep in mind that sometimes you are in control of setting up the shot and sometimes the events occur as part of the ceremony and you can't control the situation. THAT MEANS YOU need to know where to stand so you're in the best position to get these events as they unfold. So before the wedding, you know, for example, will the couple have their backs to the audience or will they be facing them? Will they be lighting a unity candle? You want to know what key events will occur and have already thought through where you'll need to be and how you'll capture the shot.

2) It isn't just that they have a shot list... it's that when they take each shot, they pretty much know how they plan to shoot each shot. I knew, for example, that when shooting any of the key dance shots that I was going to use my two (manual) flashes, f/16, and I'd frame the shot from the waist up. I'd use zone focus, and I'd nail the shot every time. A wedding photographer knows this without even really thinking about it. The camera is actually pre-set for the shot before the photographer even walks onto the dance floor. When you've taken thousands of dance shots, you know "the" settings that work consistently. Think of the wedding as a "pattern". You apply a specific pattern to each type of shot, but then tailor it to the situation as needed.

3) A wedding photographer is spending their day primarily taking portraits and environmental portraits. Except they don't have a portrait studio with them. They know how to create studio lighting without actually having studio lighting. This means they carry some reflectors and probably some shoot-through umbrellas to use with the flash guns. We never carried studio mono-lights. We DID carry a tripod (always) ... and a light meter... and several other pieces of gear. But as we knew the repertoire it wasn't as if we were scrambling to get the right gear for each shot... we knew what part of the wedding was coming next, what gear would be needed for it, where it would need to be, so while the photographer is shooting one thing, the assistant is setting up the next thing. Everything is nicely orchestrated.

4) For most of the wedding, when you know the shots and the flow, you wont be scrambling. Changing lenses wont be "reactive" it will be "proactive" (you know what's coming so you're ready.) Just occasionally you will get a surprise. Interestingly... each religious belief or sect has a different way of doing weddings. There were certain religions (I wont which say which) that we used to call "90 second specials". The bride & groom would make it to the altar, the "I-DOs" would happen, and they'd be "now pronounced man and wife" and the next thing you know they're headed back out (while you were just getting set up in the choir loft for some nice ceremony shots with a long lens.) SO... you DO want to know what the flow of THEIR specific wedding will be, how long they expect it to take, so you know if you have time to head up to the choir loft or not.

5) Consider this: Little girls fantasize about their wedding day even at very young ages. Little boys ... not so much. This day is something of a fairy tale to HER. She wants the photos to portray that day in a way that meets her fantasy expectations. She wants her wedding to look like it belongs in Brides magazine (hint: pick up a copy of Brides magazine and thumb through it if you've never done this.) It seems every wedding I attend (as a guest), the bride is upset when she ultimately gets her photos. The last two weddings I attended had photographers who neglected to get even a single GOOD shot of the bride wearing a dress (how do you shoot hundreds of photos and not get one great shot of a dress that the bride was wearing the entire day?) She agonized over that dress and you @#$@#$ well better get a stunning shot of it. There's a "psychology" of weddings that experienced wedding photographers know. They know what the bride expects.

I've hopefully given you some things to think about. If you don't have a half-dozen weddings behind you then you can't just "know" how to shoot a wedding. This is why I generally recommend that anyone who wants to learn to shoot weddings should put the camera DOWN and go offer their services to an experienced wedding photographer looking for an assistant. It's amazing what you can learn by just being with someone who is seasoned at shooting weddings.

very solid advice, everything you said is very true even for a noob like me it all makes sense after doing allot of reading as I do, but we all have to learn by our mistakes and we all have to start somewhere as you did back in the days.
 
Don't worry too much about not being ready, so long as your friend knows what he's getting into - that it might all go a bit wrong and he's ok with that - I asked my friend to shoot my wedding and the photos were pretty reasonable, but honestly, i wouldn't have been too worried if they weren't - it's only 1 day.

For some people it's the most importantest thing ever, some will be less bothered.

I've shot a wedding for someone that wasn't too bothered, it was good fun and they loved the photos.

Oh, also, even more importantly, make sure his wife-to-be is on board with this too ;) . My wife felt the same as me - not too bothered...
 
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very solid advice, everything you said is very true even for a noob like me it all makes sense after doing allot of reading as I do, but we all have to learn by our mistakes and we all have to start somewhere as you did back in the days.

Which is why many of us shot for five or ten years before even considering doing a wedding... and even then, would take a position as second shooter or third shooter for a year or two... before trying to do it on our own. And we also made sure we had adequate equipment, instead of doing what is so common today.. shooting with low-end gear, no experience, little knowledge.... and just a big ego (or maybe just ignorance).

There is a way to do it right, even just starting out... and there a lots of ways to do it wrong.
 
I still think there's a world of difference shooting a wedding for a friend that knows the score (esp if the other option for them is no photos at all cause they can't afford it) and passing yourself off as a charging 'pro' 3 months after buying your first DSLR and kit lens.

ABSOLUTELY do prepare, absolutely do be honest with your friend and his Mrs about your level of experience (or lack of), do your best, try to enjoy it :)

One tip i would give you is don't be shy about getting where you need to be to take the shot- you're supposed to be right there in the thick of it somewhat, so don't be too timid and hide at the sidelines too much (obviously, standing between the couple and the vicar is a no-no though ;) use common sense, but remember you don't need to be a fly on the wall
 
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I don't know if my wife did things the "right" way or not when she got in to wedding photography, but she interned with a local wedding photographer that we knew for 5 years before she ever did one on her own. by the time we moved and she started her own business, we had two camera bodies and backups of lenses and flashes. along with the other misc. stuff like stands, backdrops, etc etc. now I second shoot for her from time to time. we found it a great way to learn the business, and build confidence shooting.

the D300 is a great camera, and you should be able to do most of your shooting with the 17-55.
we mostly use a 17-50 f/2.8 and 28-75 f/2.8
 
Don't be afraid to shoot a wedding! Remember, everyone has a first time doing anything! In fact, I shot a wedding for a Niece. Mind you, I was not the paid photographer for the event. However, I took a couple hundred pictures on my own to get experience. I used a D7000 with a 18-200 Nikkor lens and a Tokina Pro 12-24 and a SB-800 Speedlight. Some of the results can be seen on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PhotographyByYervant/photos_stream.

Just be prepared so spend a lot of time in front of a computer in Photoshop. lol. Not only does it take work AND a vision to take a shot at the event, but it also takes that same work and vision to take your shot and turn it into a beautiful creation, a picture. At the time, I knew I didn't have the best primary lens(18mm-200mm F3.5-5.6), however confidence in your ability and knowing your equipment can sometimes balance that out. Would I shoot a wedding professionally with a 18-200 now? No. I would use a 70-200 F2.8. I highly recommend a Speedlight especially outdoors to fill shadows. I also use a Fong Diffuser which is a great device to soften the flash.

So back to my Niece's wedding. My pictures brought tears to her and her family. They said I saved their wedding. Just because someone is called a "pro" and is being paid thousands of dollars doesn't mean they take a great picture.

So go and shoot your first wedding. Stay calm and be confident of your ability. Go to the venue early if you can and take some test shots so your ready. Have fun.
 
If you don't have a reflector to take with u, you can us a white pillow from wherever the bride is getting ready as your reflector and if u have an assistant which I highly recommend have them wear a white blouse or shirt to bounce your flash off during formals and ceremony. I like to only carry what I absolutely need and use what is in my environment as your gear can get heavy all day long. My two cents to add to everyone else.

www.sandraadamson.com
 
IMO, renting a second body is mandatory. I never shoot a wedding without backups of everything, and usually backups for the backups.

Rent whatever FX Nikon body you like, and a 70-200mm f/2.8. Leave the 17-55 on your D300 and the 70-200 on the rented body.

And yes, speedlights are still a great idea even for exterior portraits. If you use them correctly (bounced with a diffuser), they're great for fill flash.

Good luck. You're going to need it. I'd really like to tell you that people asking the questions you're asking definitely should not be shooting weddings, but you'd completely ignore me... :banghead:
 

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