AAAGGHH! I've been asked to.....

[sunbeam]

AGH! I've been asked to shoot my sister in law's wedding! I am not sure how I feel about it. I am told by everyone that I take great photo's and have lots of friends and family request I do their pregnancy/family pics etc. I know my way around a camera, but I am just so nervous about doing a wedding! It's such a HUGE day! I don't wanna 'mess up'.

Does anyone have any suggestions or articles or websites or just personal advice on how to take some amazing wedding style photographs??

Also, what lenses are the best to use (I'm looking to buy a new one.. pentax for now), do I need external flash? (I don't have external flash.. not even sure how to use it properly....) what about posing... etc etc etc.... LOL :blushing: :blushing: They will be married in a church, reception in a hall, end of august. I believe it's an evening wedding. Don't know when they want formals taken (what is the best time... before or after the ceremony???) THANK YOU!!!! Have I said I love this site yet? LOL It's so awesome to be able to come on here and have a ton of people willing to help out and offer suggestions!!! So again, THANKS!

 

[bdavis]

Ever heard of that saying..."When in doubt, don't"?

Well this is one of those times. If you are uneasy and have this many questions about it, then my advice would be to not do it. You dont even know what lenses to use, what flash to use, etc....that's a big red flag.

 

[itznfb]

^^ yep
whenever family/friend asks me to do a wedding i just give them a firm "no".

 

[PhotoXopher]

Easy... Just Say No.

Enjoy the day.

But if this is something you want to do then you have a lot of reading to catch up on, and not just for photography - Managing people is a skill few have and one that is hard to learn under fire.

 

[ANDS!]

Well first things first, youre ALWAYS going to get kudos on your photographs from folks who don't do anything photograph related. I remember these awful shots I took that were fawned over by friend and peer alike.

Secondly, you need to know more than "Hey can you shoot this wedding. . ." Do you know where the wedding is taking place? What the weather conditions generally are like? That'll go a long way to strategizing what you need to come with your A-Game.

As for the lenses: no clue on the PENTAX system, but generally I would take a standard prime (something from 50-80MM) with a fast aperture on it - 1.8 is probably going to be the minimum you want here; a fast zoom (an aperture of 2.8 should suffice) and something wide - 18-40MM or maybe something dedicated (12-24MM for example). Essentially you want a fast prime, a wide angle, and a telephoto. If this isn't going to be a constant thing, you can certainly rent these lenses as was suggested in another thread: more cost effective for you.

As for lighting - sure you can bring external lights. Perhaps on the dance floor, placed around the room (since it would be well into evening by then), etc. that you can get a nice coverage of light. By setting the lights in groups, you are albe to control what goes off - effectively turning "off" the lights you don't need.

Poses and what not - it all depends. I mean you don't want model shots - but you can certainly get "fun" with the moods and reactions of the guests, as well as catching them in more candid moments. A mix is always fun. If you want some real help, check out Photography-On-The.net and their specific forums. There are forum SPECIFIC to wedding shooting, but as an amateur, your buy-in may not be their buy-in.

EDIT: Bah to the "just say no. . ." crowd. If this wedding is well off - theres nothing stopping you from getting practice. Now if its two months out then yea, I would say "Erm. . .maybe this isn't a good idea. . ."

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Tell your family that you would much rather enjoy the day then work it.

 

[PhotoXopher]

AGH! I've been asked to shoot my sister in law's wedding!

That summed up the 'just say no' response for me.

 

[bigtwinky]

I have the same advice...if you are so unsure, and seeing as your first word was AGH, I'd say no.

Lighting is a huge thing during the ceremony and reception. Flashes and such are not just mount and forget, there is alot of practice and knowledge to be had when using them.

You'd probably have no real issues shooting outside, doing some portraits and what not, but I think the technical challenges you will face during a wedding, specially that you need to ask what lenses to use, poses to do and so on, makes me think that the day will not totally turn out as they think it will.

But again, if you really want to do it, how much prep time do you have? Fast glass is key to a wedding. Dealing with the church, knowing if and where you can shoot from, poses groups, dealing with kids, weather conditions, variable lights (outdoors, church, reception,...) are going to be the essential things you will want to read up on.

 

[inTempus]

I have the same advice...if you are so unsure, and seeing as your first word was AGH, I'd say no.

Lighting is a huge thing during the ceremony and reception. Flashes and such are not just mount and forget, there is alot of practice and knowledge to be had when using them.

You'd probably have no real issues shooting outside, doing some portraits and what not, but I think the technical challenges you will face during a wedding, specially that you need to ask what lenses to use, poses to do and so on, makes me think that the day will not totally turn out as they think it will.

But again, if you really want to do it, how much prep time do you have? Fast glass is key to a wedding. Dealing with the church, knowing if and where you can shoot from, poses groups, dealing with kids, weather conditions, variable lights (outdoors, church, reception,...) are going to be the essential things you will want to read up on.

I would tend to agree.

If you don't even know what lenses you'll need to shoot a wedding nor what to bring to shoot a wedding, you're likely getting in WAY over your head.

The most difficult photography outside of being a combat photo journalist is wedding photography. Not only do you have to know your shiznit about exposure, lighting, equipment, etc. you need to be able to get shots FAST. You can't say "stop, say cheese! Oh wait, one more time, say cheese!" while you tinker with camera settings as the bride and groom are walking down the isle.

If you've never dialed in a little exposure compensation to avoid a blown out white dress or a black suit turned gray by your cameras metering system... then I would say you might want to not agree to shoot this wedding.

Even more challenging than the wedding itself will be the reception. You better know how to use a flash, and use it well. Getting a bunch of shots with a pitch black background and white shiney faces won't make the bride real happy when she reviews the pictures. Concepts like dragging the shutter should be understood by you long before you step into the reception hall.

As for advice on what to do - learn about exposure. Then learn about how to use a flash. Then tag along on a few weddings as a second shooter to get an idea of what a wild and crazy endevour shooting a wedding is.

 

[Dagwood56]

My personal opinion is also to "just say no". A wedding is a special event that can not be done over so if your shots don't turn out.....well, you get the picture.

 

[itznfb]

the only downside to saying no is when the photographer they do end up with is terrible and you know you could have done better even with no experience...

 

[bdavis]

Seems like a pretty resounding No is the correct answer here lol.

Besides its your sisters wedding...enjoy it!

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

the only downside to saying no is when the photographer they do end up with is terrible and you know you could have done better even with no experience...

Ahh, but this person doesn't really sound like they KNOW they can do even an adequate job.

As a beginner myself, I would never attempt to shoot such an important event.

 

[AlexColeman]

I would strongly recommend no. This is her day, and while it is her request, you want to give her good results, something that you don't appear confident in your ability to do.

Tell her you can supplement the pro w/ your view, but make sure you are clear about our level of involvement.

 

[musicaleCA]

Indeed, just be honest, but I'd add to the "Just say no" line, "And tell them to get a professional." Costs for pro wedding photography are usually around $1000-3000 for the entire event, depending on how much shooting the photog is doing, how many locations, what additional things they do (like having a second photog on location) etc.

Bow out gracefully ("I'm flattered, but..."), and tell them to get a pro wedding photographer if they really want good pictures.

I'm with Bitter too. I'd never attempt this. Not now anyway, though I'd love to tag along with a pro for a few shoots a little later to see how it's done.