Shooting my first wedding soon, need some advice!

pixmedic · Dec 30, 2012

I recommend a sacrifice before the wedding.
A bull would be Ideal, but may not be in your budget.
A lamb would suffice, but if you cant get a lamb on short notice, 6 doves would be appropriate as well.

TCampbell · Dec 30, 2012

I've done a LOT of weddings with just a single prime lens (which is the only way it was done 30 years ago). With a full frame, I could shoot the whole wedding with a 50mm "normal" lens and have no problems. Today, I actually WOULD (and have) used the 24-70 f/2.8L.

If all you had was a 24-70 f/2.8L and a 70-200mm f/2.8L then you'd be fine. I use the 70-200mm during the ceremony when you can't use a flash and will be shooting from the sides/wings of the church. For most of the rest of the wedding you'd be using the 24-70. If you want to steal the bride & groom for a 15 minute session and pop on a prime with a great creamy bokeh, grab an 85mm and have at it.

As for the 5D III, the biggest thing you'll need to get used to is the power of the focusing system. It's VASTLY better than previous 5D bodies and not only does it have much more capability, you control it a bit differently as well. There are several major focus "modes" which you toggle by hitting the focus select button followed by the (new) M-Fn button (next to the shutter button). From there you can toggle the modes, but within many of the modes you can control the focus areas (I enable the joystick for doing this -- not enabled by default.)

Watch these videos: Canon EOS 5D Mark III: On-Camera Tutorials - YouTube

Carny · Dec 31, 2012

pixmedic - they were planning to have a dove release but nixed that idea when the pastor said we couldn't bring shotguns.

I'm going to see if I can get in the Church and look around to get a better idea of what I'll need. I'll bring my camera and try to get some test shots.

Aside from the equipment issues, WHERE do you generally shoot from? They are going to have tables set up for the guests to sit at even during the ceremony because the ceremony and reception are at the same place.