Interested in Weddings

D40 · May 28, 2007

I have been reading a lot of stuff you all have posted about weddings and have some questions.

1. At a wedding (well, anywere for that matter) is the photographer able to move around as he needs to to get shots or does he have to get permission to do so. This goes for weddings, banquets, and anything with an audiance like that? In a wedding in order to get shots of the B&G at the alter durring the cerimony you need to be moving around, is this just expected?

2. Another thing, when you do a wedding and they say no flash what kind of settings are used to get good pictures with out them being blurred? Anytime I turn the flash off the pictures dont turn out as clear? When I turn flash of the shutter speed drops which causes the blurr?

3. As far as settings are concerned, do you use mostly M,A,P,S modes or do you use Portrait mode, Auto and so forth?

4. Do you use several memory card or get a large 4gig card?

Thanks for your help

Big Mike · May 28, 2007

1. At a wedding (well, anywere for that matter) is the photographer able to move around as he needs to to get shots or does he have to get permission to do so. This goes for weddings, banquets, and anything with an audiance like that? In a wedding in order to get shots of the B&G at the alter durring the cerimony you need to be moving around, is this just expected?

Each event/venue is different and it's dependant on the 'house rules'. For a wedding...the photographer should be aware of what the Officiant will allow. Some are very strict and some are very accommodating to the photographer.

2. Another thing, when you do a wedding and they say no flash what kind of settings are used to get good pictures with out them being blurred? Anytime I turn the flash off the pictures dont turn out as clear? When I turn flash of the shutter speed drops which causes the blurr?

If flash is not allowed, then I would use a fast lens (large maximum aperture) and maybe high ISO, which would give me the fastest shutter speeds. It may a good idea to use a tripod or at least a monopod to eliminate camera shake. Lenses with IS or VR etc are also recommended....but a large aperture is still the best option.

3. As far as settings are concerned, do you use mostly M,A,P,S modes or do you use Portrait mode, Auto and so forth?

I use Manual or Av...sometimes Tv. Maybe P on a rare occasion.

The 'picture' or 'name' modes are (IMO) for people who don't know any better. They don't do anything that the other modes can't do...and it's much better to know what you want and set the camera for that...rather than letting the camera make decisions.

4. Do you use several memory card or get a large 4gig card?

I have a total of about 8 or 9 Gigs of memory...The biggest being 2GB. There are two schools of thought here. One: bigger is better and you don't have to change cards as much. Two: you don't want all your eggs in one basket. If a card fails, the fewer images on it...the better.

JIP · May 28, 2007

1. You need to play it by ear each event is different. I do know one thing I have never been to reception that restricted me in any way as a photographer.

2. You need a fast lens. If all you have is a slower lens youneed to use a slower shutter speed and the widest aperture yuo can get.

3.This is always a matter of personal prefrence.

4. I have several 1G cards so if one goes bad or gets dropped or something I am not at risk of losing an entire wedding.

D40 · May 28, 2007

Ok you both say fast lense. My lense says f3.5- f5.6 but set to A mode I can get it as high as f30?? What does this mean, I am a little confused?

John_05 · May 28, 2007

the lower the F stop number, the faster the lens.

for example. an f1.8 would be faster than an f3.5, and an f1.2 would be still faster than the f1.8.

CrazyAva · May 28, 2007

Sounds to me like you need to maybe learn a little more of the technical stuff before considering shooting weddings. All of the questions you are asking are good and will get you on the right track and some of the answers given I think will point you in that direction, but seriously, you need to get more familiar with your equipment and actually practice before you chance it on somebody's wedding.

D40 · Jun 3, 2007

Oh yes, I am just starting what I hope will turn into good photography

I am no were near shooting a wedding believe me

AdamZx3 · Jun 3, 2007

try and go to as many weddings as you can, watch and see what they do...I went to a couple this year and got to talk to some of the photographers there...some aren't so nice because they think you might be competition...however most are more than happy to chat about it. I also talked to a guy at the camera shop who does portraits/ and weddings and he helped me out a bunch. Out of a stroke of luck there was a guy at bestbuy that really knew his stuff and was working with a wedding photographer. One tip I never thought of is they have some gear stashed at different points...like he had his canon with a big 70-200 2.8 stashed up in the alter so he could quickly move over there and start shooting....would work well if you had a lot of gear lol.

NJMAN · Jun 3, 2007

The wedding I went to last April where I did a practice shoot was a wonderful, invaluable experience. Taking the great advice given to me by the people right here in this thread allowed me to be more prepared and to know sort of what to expect. When it came time for me to shoot, I was thrilled to be part of the whole experience. But it also taught me a lot about what I still need for equipment and skills. For example,

1. I would not do a wedding by myself unless I did a few more practice runs first without pay.
2. I would probably want to be a paid assistant first before I took on a wedding of my own.
3. I need to get 1 or 2 faster lenses. Probably a 70-200mm f/2.8 and maybe 85mm f/2.8.
4. I need to step up my post processing skills.

Overall, I think I could do weddings eventually, but I'm not jumping into anything too soon. I am also shooting for practice at another one in July, which I am really excited about. It will be my niece getting married. I am going to feel more confident about what I am doing, but I won't have to worry about the pressure to perform. I know that I have more to learn and that's okay.

Regarding my take on your questions:
1. Agree. It depends on what the B&G and Officiant allow.
2. Agree. Use large aperture and high ISO to get acceptable exposure. Process in RAW.
3. Agree. Use Manual or AV mode and practice looking at your exposure meter quickly while you shoot.
4. I have a 4 GB and 1 GB cards. They suited me just fine, but I was not the primary photographer, so I didnt take as many photos. I ended up with about 500 pictures in RAW from 1:00 PM to 12:00 midnight. Obviously, I was not shooting the whole time. I tried to carefully choose my shots. I will probably get an additional 2 GB card before I shoot in July again.

I wish you the best in your quest for learning more about wedding photography.

NJ