Shooting a wedding.

[Corvphotography]

Hey guys, So a old coworker has a new coworker who needs a photographer for her daughter's wedding. I have only talked to the woman briefly yesterday because I was at work, so I haven't gotten any details yet. She did say it was "a small wedding." which doesnt help much but is there anything i should rent or borrow FOR SURE? like a softbox? I use a canon t1i and i have a canon 430ex flash. I also have a friend of mine who would be willing to help me out if I need it. Any suggestions or advice? Thanks ahead of time.

Ryan

 

[Robin Usagani]

Have you done a shoot that is similar to a wedding? For example:
1. event photos in dark indoor with bounced flash
2. posed family photo


If you are comfortable with those 2, then give it a shot. Bring a 2nd camera. If you dont have one, make sure you have another person covering as well.

 

[Corvphotography]

yes i have done both. IM confident and I feel like for only my 2nd wedding ever(first one was a distant cousin outdoors)this is gonna be fun and the perfect size for me. I have been to 3 weddings this year and have seen so many different photographers w/ different techniques.

 

[Forkie]

 

[misstwinklytoes]

Its hard. I did it. Plan on being disappointed in your work but the experience is a learning one.

 

[DiskoJoe]

What kind of lens do you have to work with? For weddings i would recommend renting a 70-200mm f2.8 (i prefer sigma with APO glass) and possibly a 24-70mm f2.8 or a 17-50mm f2.8. A 50mm or 85mm prime would be handy too for portraits and close ups.

 

[gsgary]

What lenses have you got ?

 

[Tight Knot]

I just shot a Bar Mitzvah 2 weeks ago, and made a really bad mistake. Just make sure not to follow me down the long road of wasted time photoshopping to fix it up.
Make sure to set your whitebalance at the hall, and don't leave it in auto. All of my pictures came out way too yellow, but Thank G-d after a lot and I do mean a lot of time in photoshop, the client was very happy and passed my name on to to a few of their relatives. I've had orders of prints and DVD's of the slideshows from relatives in different countries.
Just as a side note, the family was part Morrocan and part not, so the difference in skin tones between the two was markedly different, and was very visible in photos with both types of skin color in.

 

[Robin Usagani]

I shoot with Auto WB. No problem here. Please tell me you didnt shoot with JPEG.

I just shot a Bar Mitzvah 2 weeks ago, and made a really bad mistake. Just make sure not to follow me down the long road of wasted time photoshopping to fix it up.
Make sure to set your whitebalance at the hall, and don't leave it in auto. All of my pictures came out way too yellow, but Thank G-d after a lot and I do mean a lot of time in photoshop, the client was very happy and passed my name on to to a few of their relatives. I've had orders of prints and DVD's of the slideshows from relatives in different countries.
Just as a side note, the family was part Morrocan and part not, so the difference in skin tones between the two was markedly different, and was very visible in photos with both types of skin color in.

 

[Tight Knot]

Nope of course not, Raw is the way to go. The hall had really yellow curtains all the way around, had red wood floor with yellow tone and yellow lighting. Yuck Where do people come up with these color combos?

EDIT: Sorry, didn't meant to derail thread, just wanted to share my experience with the OP. Please don't reply to my post unless it will help the OP.

 

[RyanSands]

I hope you have business insurance...because screwing up a wedding is grounds for a huge lawsuit. I don't mean to sound harsh or scary but its the truth. Weddings are a once in a lifetime experience (for most of us) and are not to be tampered with if your inexperienced. Here is a list of gear you should 100% have...

1. Two Camera Bodies (100% must have 2 camera bodies!)
2. AGAIN 2 camera bodies! Did I NOT stress this enough?! 2 camera bodies!!! You NEED a backup camera body when your first body fails or breaks on you!
3. f2.8 lenses...a telephoto, wide, standard will get you through the day
4. You only have ONE canon 430ex...rent a canon 580 ex ii...its a MUST to have two flashes

If it were me I would not have you shoot this wedding. The inexperienced should 110% NOT shoot weddings.
Sorry but your just not ready.

 

[CCericola]

If the new coworker can afford a professional I would guide them to hire one with the condition that you will be a second shooter. That way you get the experience without the pressure. Also, they can hire a pro for just the formals and ceremony leaving you a a second shooter and the primary photographer for the reception and pre-wedding photos. They could save even more money that way.

If they can afford one but want to save money by hiring you then run away from the job. These people turn into the biggest pains and are the first to sue you if they don't get what they want.

For lenses I recommend the 70-200 2.8 and the 17-50 2.8 you can rent both for a bargain. I have rented from both borrowlenses.com and Lensgiant.com with no problems. I would also rent a second body for back-up or borrow one from a friend.

 

[loopy]

Nope of course not, Raw is the way to go. The hall had really yellow curtains all the way around, had red wood floor with yellow tone and yellow lighting. Yuck Where do people come up with these color combos?

If you shot in RAW, then you can change the white balance in post.

 

[Corvphotography]

I hope you have business insurance...because screwing up a wedding is grounds for a huge lawsuit. I don't mean to sound harsh or scary but its the truth. Weddings are a once in a lifetime experience (for most of us) and are not to be tampered with if your inexperienced. Here is a list of gear you should 100% have...

1. Two Camera Bodies (100% must have 2 camera bodies!)
2. AGAIN 2 camera bodies! Did I NOT stress this enough?! 2 camera bodies!!! You NEED a backup camera body when your first body fails or breaks on you!
3. f2.8 lenses...a telephoto, wide, standard will get you through the day
4. You only have ONE canon 430ex...rent a canon 580 ex ii...its a MUST to have two flashes

If it were me I would not have you shoot this wedding. The inexperienced should 110% NOT shoot weddings.
Sorry but your just not ready.

I appreciate your honesty. I told my friend, who is a much more experienced photographer, about the wedding. I am thinking I may be the 2nd photographer. I am nervous yet confident but at the same time I understand a family's wedding photos are not a joke. They are to be special and perfect. I have a 70-200 2.8 lens and a 19-35 wide lens.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Just do it yourself if you feel confident. Its not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. Just be considerate of this being a very important day and try to capture as much as possible. not everything will come out perfect. This is true for photography in general. But the more pics you take the better chances that you will get good quality images.

Typically I will take 200-300 pics at a wedding and usually give the client less than 100 of these. The ceremony is the most important part. It is crucial to get good pics of this portion of the event. This is when having a second shooter is handy. One person gets the bride perspective while the other gets the groom perspective.