My First Wedding

[birdfish]

My cousin asked me to photograph her wedding, which would be my first, and I am considering it. I know most everyone on here recommends being a second shooter multiople times before attempting one as the main photographer. But I work at a hospital nights and weekends and every Saturday I work a 16 hour shift. So being a second shooter for practice really isn't an option for me.

This is the third wedding I've been asked to do and honestly a little extra money is a big part of why I'm considering it now. If I accept, I will have a second shooter with me. I have a Canon T3i body and I'm thinking I would rent the following lenses (at least):
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L
Canon 50mm f/1.4
Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS

I'm mainly asking for advice from others who have been in similar situations as I am in now. I'm hoping to hear any tips/advice from those who shot their 1st wedding without ever second shooting and any suggestions they may have based on their experiences. Thanks!

 

[DGMPhotography]

Here's some advice, you're probably not going to get a lot of advice that you like. I'm in the same boat as you, but I've come to terms that it's important to make sure you have a strong foundation and experience, and focus on money later, if at all. Under your circumstances, I'd say to turn it down, and to keep turning them down until your schedule permits you to get some practice second shooting. You DO have a choice, and I think that would be the right one. I personally would feel wrong about taking a job I wasn't 100% confident doing. I've told myself that if I'm not 100% confident in my abilities for the job required, that I will turn down the shoot because not only do I want the client to get the best images possible (even if it's by another photographer), but I also want the best results from myself. Good luck in your decision!

 

[Light Guru]

Even if you are an experienced wedding photographer I would not recommend being the photographer for a family member.

If you mess up (yes it can happen to experiences photographers also) then thanksgiving dinner and every other family get together is going to be extremely awkward for the both of you.

Tell your cousin you are flattered they would ask you but you want to enjoy the festivities on the day that your favorite cousin gets married. You can then offer to shoot some engagement shots or pre wedding bridal shots because those can always be done again if needed since you don't have experience.

 

[katerolla]

You have to start some where, I have shot my first wedding for a friend that asked me, not because I was good but because she had no money to hire some, I'm sure this is the case for you.

the equipment you have mentioned is sufficient but I would also rent a flash as well and maybe not the 50 and the 100
i shoot my weddings with two 5d's and mostly two lenses 24-70 and 70-200 and two flashes, I have backup lenses but relay use then, as for a second shooter do you really need one, obviously your cousin is on a tight budget so try and keep the cost minimum

just YouTube how to bounce flash and some wedding poses and as long as you get most of your photos well exposed and in focus you'll be right, it's great experience

 

[pixmedic]

this seems to be a frequent question here. people can give all sorts of great advice, and you can youtube plenty of instructional videos, but in the end, it is only by practicing and experimenting with these techniques that you become proficient as a photographer. A wedding is no place for practicing, as too much happens very quickly and can be easily missed. how much photography experience do you have? one flash is not sufficient for a wedding, you should have at least 2-3 with the ability to use them off camera, as well as two camera bodies.

A second shooter generally takes direction from the main photog, and relies on the main to set the flow for the wedding photography. (staging, posing, when/where pics are taken) If you are unfamiliar with photographing weddings, how will you handle a second shooter relying on you to know what needs to be done when?

Is it possible for this to work out well for you? of course there is. However, we probably see at least one person a week in your same situation, but we never see the results of the wedding or event. If you rent lenses, make sure you are familiar with shooting with them. weddings are not a good place to be using equipment for the first time.
good luck, and if you do the wedding, I would love to see you post a few of your best shots here!

 

[Robin_Usagani]

Always look at the worst scenario. Let's assume at the time of the wedding you know what you are doing with the equipment and you rent those lenses:
1. Your camera breaks.. probably a good idea to have another camera
2. You drop the expensive lens on the ground and shatter it. Are you prepared to fork out $2000 to replace the 70-200?
3. Your photos turn out bad, are you prepared to ruin your relationship with your cousin?
4. Your photos turn out bad, are you prepared to get sued? Can you pay the damage? Remember, the amount of the lawsuit can be higher than the contracted amount. Giving their money back isn't good enough.
5. You are shooting and walk backward at the same time and you ran into this old lady. She fell and broke her hip. Can you cover her medical expenses?

I just want to show you the risks for not having a gear insurance, liability and E&O insurance. It is up to you to decide. To be honest I played with fire on my first wedding. I did have 2 cameras. I did have several lenses. I did not rent any of them so if I break it.. my loss. I did not have insurance though. Thank God everything went smoothly and I had no lawsuit .

 

[kathyt]

Do you have a website or Flickr page? I can probably tell you pretty quick how this will pan out. I would read all of the other 100's of threads on this and then enter at your own risk.

 

[SCraig]

Presumably, since you are working in hospital, you are involved in the medical profession. Whether as a student or resident or other position is moot. Let me ask you three questions and let you answer honestly: If you were going to hire a doctor would you hire one with no training? If someone asked you to perform a medical procedure on them and you had no training would you do so? So why are you even considering taking on this wedding with no training?

This event will most likely be one of the most important days in your cousin's life. Are you really willing to risk ruining a big part of it? OK, that was four questions so sue me.

Maybe you can do an outstanding job and everything will work out without a hitch. The odds are stacked against it though. I shot a bunch of weddings many years ago as a second shooter, and then shot a couple on my own. NEVER again. Never EVER again.

 

[Robin_Usagani]

I dont know if I would go as far as comparing it to a doctor. You cant be an M.D. without a training.


No guts no glory.

 

[cgipson1]

I dont know if I would go as far as comparing it to a doctor. You cant be an M.D. without a training.


No guts no glory.

Yea.. but it is really easy to be a Professional Photographer without any training at all! <<<(Sarcasm Font Comic Sans MS)

 

[Robin_Usagani]

I shot my first wedding without ever done 2nd shooting. It turned out OK. It is not as black and white as you think. It is hard to get a 2nd shooting gig if you are new. I began getting 2nd shooting gigs after I have shot 3 weddings by my self. I guarantee you most famous wedding photographers today shot their first wedding with a fairly big risk.

 

[cgipson1]

I shot my first wedding without ever done 2nd shooting. It turned out OK. It is not as black and white as you think. It is hard to get a 2nd shooting gig if you are new. I began getting 2nd shooting gigs after I have shot 3 weddings by my self. I guarantee you most famous wedding photographers today shot their first wedding with a fairly big risk.

Yea.. I agree... I shot my first wedding with no prior experience in shooting a wedding! (Just had sixteen years of general photography behind me, with lot of flash, and top end equipment.) (and that was in Manual Focus Film days... before AF made it so frickin easy for the new breed of PRO's) <<(No Sarcasm font)!

 

[tirediron]

Okay, your equipment will do; it's not optimal, but it will do. We'll assume that your photographic skills are up to the task... a moderately skilled photographer with decent equipment can do an acceptable job of wedding IF they prepare. The key to a successful wedding shoot is all in the preparation. Knowing the sequence of events at the wedding, knowing where you have to be and when you have to be there, and getting there ahead of time. Knowing the best routes and where to park... knowing when & where the bouquet will be tossed, knowing where & when the cake will be cut and the register signed... there's a LOT of work to this aside from the actual taking of photographs.

 

[birdfish]

DGM
I appreciate the advice and I know exactly what you mean. My schedule isn't going to change anytime soon though because this is my full time job. I work my 40 hours in 3 days, one 8 hour shift and then two 16's Fri and Sat. Like you said, I do have a choice to not do it. But I don't have a choice to practice 2nd shooting without taking 2 days off of work, which I'm not willing to do.

Light Guru
Trust me I keep going back and forth for some of the reasons you mentioned. I haven't had the chance to talk to her in person yet, only through messages online. I've let her know that I'm anxious/nervous about accepting because if things do go badly I don't want her to resent me and make things awkward between us. I would draw up a very detailed contract before accepting though to cover everything I could think of.

 

[birdfish]

katerolla
I don't think they are necessarily on a tight budget. She said she likes the photos I've taken and asked if I would be interested. The second shooter is my wife so no additional cost there. Just thought it would be nice to have multiple angles that obviously one shooter can't get. Also if something happened to me (god forbid) she would still be there to fill in.

pixmedic
I agree that practice is the best way to become proficient. As long as it's spelled out in the contract and they are ok with my inexperience, do you think thats ok? I bought my first DSLR about 3 years ago and really started focusing on learning about 2 years ago. I almost always shoot in RAW, in manual mode, and I'm familiar-not an expert with OCF. Definitely came a long way from when I first got my 50mm 1.8 and thought I was taking all these amazing shots while shooting wide open. But I definitely have a lot to learn still. If I rent lenses, I will definitely rent them one at a time beforehand to familiarize myself with them. And if I do accept, I will definitely post some.