Taking wedding photos, tips please

EdelineM · Dec 27, 2009

Hi all..
A girl I know is hiring me as their wedding photographer. Her budget is not much and she asked me to tke their photos

I was wondering what can I learn to be prepare for this? She is not getting married on a church, so its just like a ceremony in a nice Country Club.

The gear that I plan to use are:

- Nikon D90
- tripod
- Nikon SB600 + difuser
- Lenses : Nikon 50mm & 55-200mm (those lenses I can afford right now)
- Remote Control

What do you think I should learn me on taking photos outdoor/indoor?
And also how to get a great quality if I want to print the photos?

Thank you

gsgary · Dec 27, 2009

To be honest if you don't know you shouldn't be doing it

EdelineM · Dec 27, 2009

well, that not the answer i was hoping .. but thank you

if i know what im doing i wont be asking here as a beginner LOL

what I want to know maybe some tips on what setting on the ISO etc

gsgary · Dec 27, 2009

EdelineM said:
well, that not the answer i was hoping .. but thank you
if i know what im doing i wont be asking here as a beginner LOL

what I want to know maybe some tips on what setting on the ISO etc

It is impossible to give you setting unless we know the conditions and the effect you are after, there is not one setting does all, always use the lowest iso possible unless you are using flash and you want more ambient light in the shot

EdelineM · Dec 27, 2009

oh ok, thank you

IgsEMT · Dec 27, 2009

read here

EdelineM · Dec 27, 2009

thanks for posting the thread..
i finally google my self and found infos from other forum.. the other forum has more tutorial for beginners :thumbup:

o hey tyler · Dec 27, 2009

I guess what people are trying to say is, if you aren't confident in what you are doing, there's a high probability that you will not capture moments that can't be captured again. If you are asking for basic camera settings, then you aren't particularly confident in what you are doing. Weddings are a BIG DEAL to a lot of people. And even if you are doing a wedding for a friend, you can very easily lose that very friend if you botch a shot or two. Not to mention, getting sued isn't out of the realm of possibility.

The best thing you can do, is not accept any money for shooting the wedding. That way, you are not (as) liable for ephing up. You do it for free, gain the experience, and hopefully they'll be happy with the shots.

I've never done a wedding before, nor do I intend to in the near future. The next wedding I go to, I am bringing my camera and keeping a keen eye on the hired photographer. Perhaps even chat it up with them. But don't put yourself out there do do something you are unprepared to do.

timfrommass · Dec 27, 2009

The week I got my D90 my best friend got married. I took shots before the wedding, and at the rehearsal, and my Dad took shots during the wedding. They had a photographer and I was just doing it for fun, I still didn't understand much about the camera at all. I had it in apature priority mode using the built in flash at the rehearsal.

Now that the wedding has come and gone I look at the photographer's shots and marvel at how consistent they are in terms of exposure, and think that he did a great job shooting the wedding. However, a lot of people who were there who don't know anything about photography prefer the pictures I took at the reception because I "captured the moments" better. THis is only I think because I KNOW the people there, so it's easier to know how to get them to react and when to catch things they think are funny.

I guess my point is you have a huge edge over a pro photographer in the fact that you know your subject, BUT your pictures will not be as good. If they are "hiring" you because they are on a budget and can't afford a professional that's a great way for them to save money if they fully understand that they will not get the pro look that they have seen from other's weddings. If I were in your shoes though, I would recognize that face, make it clear to them, and not charge them a dime. Have fun with it, but know your capabilities and make the expected outcome clear to them

Good luck

-tim

HonCBRf4i · Dec 27, 2009

I agree with tyler, DO NOT ACCEPT ANY $$ for this shoot, do it for the experience. You MUST let them know that you are not in any means a professional photographer and there might be shots that don't come out right...

If you still plan on doing it, will they be allowing flashes during the ceremony?? If not, I would suggest getting there early and doing a bunch of practice shots to see how the lighting will be. you will have to pump up your ISO, adjust your shutter speed and change your aperture for the darker conditions.

If the flash is allowed, learn to bounce the flash off the ceiling to give your shots better natural light compared to the straight on hard flash, which you will get even with the diffuser on.

If you have time before the wedding happens, spend some $$ and take a photography class. It will teach you more than you think you already know. Plus get out and find similar places to take photos to see how they come out.

I am in no means a professional, but just throwing out some suggestions that might help.

Vicelord John · Dec 27, 2009

In all honesty....

You should know what you are doing before you do the wedding. If you don't know what you are doing, or have to ask, you should be up front with her and not charge her anything.

People have been sued for charging for weddings and saying they know what they are doing and effing things up. I have done dozens and dozens of portrait shoots and never charged because I still haven't perfected the art.

long story short though, if you don't know what you are doing... DON'T DO IT!

AtlPikMan · Dec 27, 2009

Amen! To the Four Very Informative posts above.

EdelineM · Dec 27, 2009

Thank you..
Maybe you are right.. since Im still a beginner, I shouldnt take the money and do this as experience so I wont get sued..

The wedding is going to be held in a country club, so no worries about flash thou.. this couple wanted me to take some photos outside the building.. means in the garden etc, we have seen some wedding photos blog by some very pro photograhper and we wanted to try to do the same..

I'm going to Nikon Class before the wedding so I hope the class will help me to be a better photographer

Thank you all

:thumbup::hugs:

JAFO28 · Dec 27, 2009

Check this one out.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-beginners-forum-photo-gallery/186973-shooting-my-first-wedding-help.html

bigtwinky · Dec 27, 2009

you basically need to aim for the lowest ISO you can get to ensure clean images, based on the widest lens aperture and the light available.

In many places, this often means 1600+ (although outdoors you might hit 200-400 if its a nice day, but then have to deal with shadows and harsh light)

This is where pro photographers have a technology edge over you in that they have a camera capable of high clean ISO and also a variety of lenses that can shoot at 2.8 constant (zooms) or 1.2-1.8 (primes). Without these lenses, you will be fighting to really freeze motion.

Off camera flash (via wire or transmitter) is key.

All this is over and above the knowledge of photograhy in what I consider one of the hardest thing to do, people posing. Composition is critical to ensure that the mood and moment are properly captured.

Ensure the bride and groom know your capabilities and limitations (both in knowledge and equipement) and I totally agree NOT to take money for the event but still shoot for yourself. Maybe bring along someone else who knows what they are doing.