WEDDING photography question

[MelodySoul]

You need back ups of all gear.

This is extremely important. You need 2 camera bodies, multiple lenses, extra batteries etc..because if something fails you don't get another chance. A wedding is a once in a lifetime thing.

 

[Bifurcator]

And what I meant by hints or tips, i meant creative poses, settings as in locations, etc.

This is mostly getting familiar with the location before the event and knowing what will happen where and at what time. See, more organizational skillz and prep-work.

 

[3312easy]

Find it from digitalweddingforum

via search

 

[McQueen278]

Tip: Remember who you are there for! Your responsibility is to the bride and groom. If someone's family is paying (ie: the bride's/groom's parents) that is great and you should make sure to make them happy as much as possible, but never at the expense of making the bride and groom happy.

I did a wedding two weeks ago and yesterday I received two calls from the mother of the groom who berated me for "not taking enough pictures of her" and "not taking enough pictures of her mother". The problem here is that she wasn't paying me, the bride's family was. They told me who they would like pictures taken of and I took those pictures. I also took many pictures of the groom's family including the mother who was calling to complain, but no one from the groom's side ever told me who was who. Not being part of the family, you will have no clue who the Grandparents are. There will be a lot of elderly people there and if they don't show up for the portraits after the wedding, I tend to assume they are not Grandparents. Make sure you ask everyone TWICE if there are any relatives they especially want photographed.

Long story short, this lady who was not the one paying me, never asked me at the wedding to take a specific picture of her and her mother and so it was not taken. She became very angry. At least I received a message this morning apologizing for her behavior from the groom.

 

[Peanuts]

I haven't read through this entire thread but first, what jerry had to say is very applicable.

Secondly, do an engagement shoot with the couple - honestly I find that completely worthwhile. The couple gets to know me, I get to know the couple and their style and what angles work best for them (for instance a couple I shot a little while ago, she is very tiny but when she turns her head to the side she gets these funny unflattering neck wrinkles.. so now I know on her wedding day to avoid that 'pose').

 

[reg]

I have no Idea how you added that you a D50, I thought that feature was only available on the D700 and D3???

Dude, I shoot Olympus and know that it's Custom Function 14.2

 

[SilverGlow]

What else can I do with this?



You've provided no context. All I have to go on is assumptions. In fact, and I'm not trying to be an a**hole, I completely skipped this when you first posted because the question was so vague. Please give more info and be more specific if you want helpful answers. Otherwise I guarantee that folks will think you are a newbie, and start giving you the tired old "newbies shouldn't shoot weddings" speech. Usually you will get the speech from folks who have never shot a wedding themselves.

Here are the settings I use at weddings:

format: APS and 35mm digital
file: raw
exposure mode: M & Av
WB: auto, daylight, or tungsten
drive: 99% single shot
ISO: 100 - 1600
metering: evaluative
picture style/parameter: neutral
focal length: assorted lenses for both formats ranging from 17mm to 200mm

Here are some tips:

Make sure you have plenty of charged batteries: camera, flash, etc...
You need back ups of all gear.
Use off camera flash whenever you can, get a bracket for when you can't.
Bounce the flash.
Dial in + flash comp when pointing at the bride in white. Dial in - flash comp when pointed at the guys in black.
Never format a card without checking the photos on it first.
Meet with the couple and plan out the wedding day. Assume they will be running late no matter how much planning has been done.

In general all the really important tips are about handling people on a very busy day,and that just comes from experience. The camera doesn't care that people are getting married; it's just photographing the world as usual. In general use the same settings you would in a similar lighting situation (which I have no clue about because you didn't mention a thing).

Good luck!

KSMatt listed good points. I just want to add that wedding photog must master his flashing techniques. Learn how to "drag the shutter". For inside shots, place the body in manual, and the flash in full auto. The body exposes for the background, the flash for the people (foreground). Learn this super valuable must-have skill or your flashing pictures will suck. Most of your flashed indoor shots will be with the body in manual mode, and flash in full auto. Most of your outdoor daylight shots will be in Av mode, again with flash in full auto.

Buy an L frame so that your flash is off-camera and to the side, and high up. Buy a diffuser. Learn to bounce the flash as required. Shot raw only.

But all this setting/technical talk won't guarentee fantastic compositions. Composition is the other side of this wedding talk and that perhaps is the hardest to master, and by a factor of a million. Read wedding books, and get your head around posing, candids, the procession, alter shots, see what works.

A third front in this wedding photography conspiracy is the post processing of the images...so you see, knowing the settings and mastering the technical side, the camera workflow is just 1/3 of this conspiracy of what it takes to make great wedding pictures.

Someone mentioned above that wedding photography is just like "any other photography" and you go with what you know...I could not disagree more....wedding photography is something that may look easy but it is one of the hardest, if not the hardest genres you can imagine, and on many different levels. There are millions that know their camera workflow perfectly, that have mastered exposure, lighting and yet most of these will FOBAR a first wedding if they shot one...

And my last advise: NEVER practice on a real wedding...why F up their day? Assist a veteran/pro. Have at least 3-5 weddings where you assisted under your belt. NEVER be the primary shooter if you're not 100% ready....you only get one chance!

 

[cherry30]

To make things light - if I am the bride and you are the photographer, just make me BEAUTIFUL. That's about it. LOL. Sorry if I'm no help.