DIY Wedding Photography – Advice Needed for Our Setup (Nikon D3200 + Kit + Guests w/ Phones)

[Deleted member 317575]

Hey everyone!

My partner and I are getting married soon, and we’ve decided to take a DIY approach to our wedding photography. We're both passionate about capturing memories but working on a tight budget, so we’re using the gear we already have and leaning on a few trusted guests for help.

Our Gear:​

• Nikon D3200 DSLR
• Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G – love the bokeh and low-light capability
• Tamron 70–300mm f/4–5.6 – decent reach for ceremonies and candids
• AF-S Nikkor 18–55mm kit lens – all-rounder for group shots & wide frames

Our Plan:​

We’re assigning 1–2 trusted friends to handle the DSLR throughout the day. We’ve also asked guests to freely snap moments on their smartphones, and we’ll collect everything post-wedding (Google Drive, QR code, etc.).

What We’re Looking For:​

• Best ways to use these three lenses together through the day
• Shooting setups/tips to help us get great results (especially ceremony & portraits)
• Must-have shots from people who’ve done solo or team DIYs
• Tips for managing guest content (encouraging vertical/horizontal shooting, lighting, etc.)

We’re keeping it simple, heartfelt, and real. Any suggestions from pros or fellow DIYers would mean the world. Thanks in advance for any creative tips, gear advice, or setup ideas!

Cheers!
(And happy to share results afterward if you’re curious!)

 

[wfooshee]

Perfect recipe for disappointment, or even disaster (i.e. no useful pics!) Sorry, but there it is. You're going to collect a bunch of snapshots, but you're not going to have a wedding album. You also don't mention the venue, what light is available, and what you mean by "trusted guests" for the Nikon. If they were capable of handling your gear, changing lenses, knowing which to use when, they'd have their own gear and wouldn't need to use yours. Is there a reception after? How much time is needed after the ceremony, before the reception, for the wedding party portraits?

There is a very good reason that wedding photography looks expensive when you're shopping around for a photographer. It's hard, professional work, and there are no shortcuts to good results.

 

[480sparky]

+1. That's it in a nutshell. You'll have a bunch of snapshots, but not what you probably envision as a substitute for the work of a pro.

If candids are all you're after, then you're all set. If you are looking for something a pro would place in the window of their studio, you'll end up disappointed.

 

[cgw]

My advice? Start drinking heavily.
Surprised you didn't ask about:
Flower arrangements
Catering
Music
Who not to invite

Have your friends check out Kevin Mullins' wedding portfolio

 

[smoke665]

SEE ABOVE COMMENTS ^^^^^^
You would be far better off to approach a photographer with a maximum budget in mind, and let them tell you what or if they could provide for that amount. You might only get a couple shots, but they would be good shots. If all you want are snap shots, buy some "one use cameras" and give them to trusted friends. You could buy a 4 pack of them for less than $75.

 

[KJ_North]

Yep as stated above, basically you want Photos of a once in a lifetime event completed by unskilled help.

 

[Deleted member 317575]

Thank you all for your time it wasn't my intention to cause any offence. I was looking for some advice on how I could use my kit and setup some easy shots. To be told to start to dinking heavily come on!. I guess I came to the wrong place. Many thanks.

 

[JoeW]

I'm not going to judge. You're going to do what you're going to do. Let me give you some advice.
1. "Trusted friends." These need to be REALLY good friends. Because, to be honest with them, you need to say "you won't be part of the wedding. Oh, you'll be AT the wedding. But you'll be too busy. All of the stuff that typically happens at a wedding with good friends: being in the court, watching the ceremony, making toasts, enjoying the meal or food, dancing, chatting with people--you won't be doing any of that. You'll be too busy looking for important shots." I'm serious about this. You'll want photos of key people (bride and groom, groom and best man, parents with the couple, etc.) and as a wedding photographer you're too busy honchoing people together and then taking the photos to spend time socializing. After the ceremony and before the reception? That's often when photographers are busy shooting the bride and groom.

2. Your work load just increased--alot! You need to think about the events AS A PHOTOGRAPHER and then provide a list to your "trusted friends" of the 150-300 pictures you want them to attempt to get. Shots of the bride getting dressed? Shots of the nervous groom waiting? Preparation of the event? Bride going down the aisle? The vows? The rings? The kiss? The "I now pronounce you" moment? Walking down the aisle hand in hand? Portraits of people who will be at the ceremony but not the reception? The space before it fills up? Any musicians you have playing at the event? What I've just listed includes no portraits of Bride and Groom or with court, or of the reception. The reception has even more demands. Do not set your friends up to fail completely. You need to tell them what shots you want them to get. They need a chance to walk through the space with you and the 2-3-4 of you talk through the obstacles. For instance, taking pictures during the vows typically look bad unless the photographer is willing to get up and move--shoot from the side, move to the front of the space and face the couple. Timing is everything--is there a moment when the bride turns to face the groom to deliver her vows? Don't wait for the rehearsal dinner to do this--epic fail. Was through the space with your friends and them holding the cameras. Since they aren't professional wedding photographers you mimic where they'll stand and where you'll stand. Do it at the time of day of the ceremony to look at the lighting and go "oh, need to change the ISO from 200 to 2,000."

3. Two bodies. When I shoot weddings I always have two bodies. First, sometimes one fails. Or the battery dies. Second, you want a shot of the groom placing the ring on the bride's finger? Unless your photographer runs up the aisle and gets 5 feet away, a 35mm lens won't cut it. You won't even be able to see there are rings from 5 pews away. So one body had a 35 mm lens on it and another has a 75-200mm lens on it.

4. Forget 3 lenses--unless you have 3 bodies. The friends won't have time to swap lens during a ceremony. During the ceremony itself, you'll need the 300mm (closeups of the rings, maybe other details like flowers for the bride) and you'll need a lens that allows more of a portrait (the 85mm). I can give you advice on using the 3 lenses but basically, a lens will go on and STAY ON, until the shooter has a break.

Closing thoughts: I know of couples who didn't use a professional photographer (either paid or as a gift to the couple--I've done that about 5 times). They just gave out disposables. Or asked people to post wedding photos from their phones in leu of a pro. And the attitude you should take with that approach is: expect nothing. That way, any good photos you get will be a pleasant surprise. If you expect a "trust friend" using borrowed equipment with no experience to get specific photos (like bride and groom kissing), than you will be disappointed. You're setting things up for a crap shoot. You may get some good photos, you may not. Don't expect anything and then you'll be happy with the results you do get.

 

[480sparky]

 

[21limited]

He or she was here at 9:30. 6 hours s a very small subset of
never.” What am I missing?

Well in case they do come back.

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Something useful.

 

[480sparky]

He or she was here at 9:30. 6 hours s a very small subset of
never.” What m I missing?

Check the OP's user name.

 

[smoke665]

Thank you all for your time it wasn't my intention to cause any offence. I was looking for some advice on how I could use my kit and setup some easy shots. To be told to start to dinking heavily come on!. I guess I came to the wrong place. Many thanks.

TPF is place where all take photography seriously, the combined knowledge herein is huge, and readily available to anyone who asks. However when you ask for advice on something foolish, don't be surprised if you get flak. You asked "for any creative tips, gear advice, or setup ideas!" . You got advice from some knowledgeable people, along with a little scolding on your naivety, accept it or reject it but save the drama for the wedding which I suspect, as others have mentioned will be plenty if you follow through with your plan.

 

[21limited]

Tough crowd. And as for the flak being justified. That’s a matter of opinion. Anyone who doesn’t have the money for a pro and needs ideas should be treated with respect. My advice would be to be go to any of the sites that post wedding images, and plan out each shot. Ask the forum members how to acheive the images they are interested in. Persoanally, I followed a pro around at a family members wedding and incorporated much of what he did, when I did one for another family member who couldn’t pay me. After all, if what he can afford is nothing, you’d think people would be interested in helping him do the best he can. The name calling and insults are dispicable.

The notion that such behaviour was justified is even worse.

 

[SharonHearn]

I know I've only been here 5 minutes but I have to stick my nose in. I got married many years ago, my uncle took my photos, was he a professional...no but I treasured those photos because they were taken by someone who loved me and who I loved, they were personal not professional and special. If I am lucky enough to marry my partner it will be at our home as he is housebound while living here (we are trying to move), only allowed 2 people at the wedding and the photo's will be on smartphones because that's all my kids have.
It is a gamble, could be terrible but also could mean more because it's personal taken by people who really care about them.

 

[smoke665]

@21limited you need to read all the comments, there was no name calling or insults. There were several advice comments including a lengthy one by an experienced photographer with actual wedding experience and a few explainations why in his particular situation it wasn't a good idea. Chiming in with additional advice is welcome, but disparaging others for their comments is discouraged in the open forum. If you feel the need to do so, then go to PM.