Wedding shoot noob

[cgipson1]

Im very new to photography. I have noticed how negative some (alot) of people are on here. I dont get why people have to trash other people when they ask a question. Thats how they learn. There are many ways to answer something without being so childish. I sometimes feel like I'm reading high school kids talk! Its also refreshing to find pro's on here that are nice and want to help! I just can't stand the ones that come on here and try to be so mean to make themselves feel better!

Question!

Do you have wedding photos? Do you like them? Are they important to you?

What if the photographer that shot your wedding had screwed up, and all you got was crap? Would you be hurt and angry? Pissed off even?

That is usually what happens when a total amateur shoots a wedding.. would you really wish that one someone else?

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Now it's gonna get interesting!!!

 

[cgipson1]

Now it's gonna get interesting!!!

Why? It is just a simple question!

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

No, Charlie, it's the whole "first post, bitching about people here" thing.

 

[cgipson1]

No, Charlie, it's the whole "first post, bitching about people here" thing.

Yea.. there is that! We have had to deal with a couple of those, haven't we! Hahahah! The "I want to make the world a better place, as long as it is to my specifications" types!

Run for the Hills!

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

It's the cycle. We're due for it. Start bumping all the "How to give CC" threads to get a head start!

 

[jamesbjenkins]

So, if you seem to know everything and don't need any help, why did you post here? To ask about whether you should take your camera to scout?I ALWAYS take my camera. You never know when you might need it. Your attitude seems kinda smug for a complete rookie. Taking a couple of classes on lighting doesn't mean a darn thing about shooting a wedding? Have you ever even been a second shooter?This has disaster written all over it...

 

[Tony S]

Holy crap.... asking if you should take your camera with you??? REALLY??? That alone tells me you should not do the wedding. Anyone who wants to take good pictures of an event and has a chance to visit it would take their camera with them automatically without a second thought. sheesh, you are driving down... it's not like you are going on a long mountain hike and need to worry about carrying too much stuff.

If you do the wedding do us all a favor... have your friend sign a simple piece of paper that she knows you are practicing and that she has no expectation to great images. So many friendships have been lost over things like this.

 

[scorpion_tyr]

The old "I'm so happy you're coming to the wedding....... Are you bringing your camera by any chance?".... this is why I stopped going to most weddings and the ones I do go to as a guest I take my camera, but I don't let the wedding party know that. The only time I would bring it out is if they had hired a photographer and for some reason they never showed up... but luckily that hasn't happened yet. A big part of being a photographer, is knowing when to put the camera down, but always bringing it along

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

OP, you have not said one thing in this thread that has given any sort of confidence to anybody in this thread that you are capable of being the main shooter of a wedding. The only person that has any confidence is you.

You are taking on something larger than you think-- it's not just "practice" for you, it's a wedding. No re-do's. No backsies.

Prove me wrong, post some of your work.

 

[DiskoJoe]

This thread is garbage without some picture examples. So you say you are ready but want advice. You dont seem sure even though you say you are.

Please post some pictures so we can actually see where your skill level is at. With no pics everyone will assume that you are a noob. And what gear do you have?

Post some pics and a gear list and you can get some real help.

 

[bratkinson]

I did my first wedding with a DSLR 2 weeks ago. Fortunately for the bride and my ex-wife, they had professional team there doing the pictures. While I wasn't interested in getting all the 'required' shots for a wedding (ie, pre-ceremony, post-cermony 'couple shots', and most of the guests), I did get what I wanted...as the bride is my ex-stepdaughter. My shots turned out lousy, even by my standards and prior experience. I made many rookie mistakes, even though I was doing mostly what I normally do on inside photography. Poor lighting was my biggest problem.

Thank God they have the professional photographers' results. I've already trashed 2/3 of what I shot, and will probably dump even more. And what I will be sending them will be even fewer than that!

Oh yea...I have over 40 years of SLR and DSLR experience. -Zero- years at weddings. And it shows!

 

[DiskoJoe]

I did my first wedding with a DSLR 2 weeks ago. Fortunately for the bride and my ex-wife, they had professional team there doing the pictures. While I wasn't interested in getting all the 'required' shots for a wedding (ie, pre-ceremony, post-cermony 'couple shots', and most of the guests), I did get what I wanted...as the bride is my ex-stepdaughter. My shots turned out lousy, even by my standards and prior experience. I made many rookie mistakes, even though I was doing mostly what I normally do on inside photography. Poor lighting was my biggest problem.

Thank God they have the professional photographers' results. I've already trashed 2/3 of what I shot, and will probably dump even more. And what I will be sending them will be even fewer than that!

Oh yea...I have over 40 years of SLR and DSLR experience. -Zero- years at weddings. And it shows!

Sucks to be you! j/k

They can be a beast. The first wedding shoot I ever did was horrible. I tagged along as third shooter for a friend and only had a kit lens. Big slap in the face. But I watched what they did and learned about bouncing flash and the usefulness of prime lenses and iso. It was a good learning experience. A few of the shots came out good but most were trash. i did get free dinner and wine out of the gig though. I felt that was adequate compensation for the few pics I contributed.

 

[Brohart]

If your going to do it, Make a plan and do your home work, I would recommend that you don't jump into it lightly here is a good link on a few things you may want to think about.

http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Wedding101-page1.html

Everyone starts somewhere, just make sure it's not at the cost of someone's memories, or your friendship

 

[TenaciousTins]

Whatever you do, don't charge them.

Have them sign a release stating that they know you are not a professional and that the results may not be as good as desired.

Always take your camera if you have a chance to visit the place ahead of the wedding. This has saved my butt in the few weddings I took for friends (and no I am not a professional and refuse to be paid for weddings, and refuse in general to do weddings now).

Read, read read. Just because you're excited and they liked your shots from a different wedding doesn't mean they're going to like the pictures of their wedding. Learning about lighting is GREAT...but it is not everything. Take into account the fact that a white dress against the dark clothes of the wedding team can make things a bear. Take into account how many people will be in the wedding...getting everyone into the shot and having it turn out so that every person is seen sharply can be a task. Angles angles angles...when you are THE photographer you have to be creative, innovative, and on your game. You have to be assertive but friendly and if they don't like the way you're doing something you have to be flexible. You can't have an attitude that tells them that you know everything and they know nothing. While the customer is not always right in photography, they have to feel like they are, so if they ask you to do something specific, you have to be prepared to be as creative as possible in making that particular situation work.

I have shot about 5 weddings now and all of my "customers" were non-paying and WELL informed about my lack of knowledge in that area. They were plenty happy with my pictures which was pretty shocking...but again, I never led them to believe that I was any better than I am. If it's an outdoor wedding it may be easier since some churches indoors are absolute pains. If it's indoors, you need to have an external flash at the very least to get anything close to decent shots. If it's outdoors, you have to work with the exposure, especially if the sun is brightly shining and there are shadows. Speaking of shadows, watch your shadows. You don't want the bride or anyone else there looking bigger than they are...that's for sure.

Have fun and learn lots...it will be tiring so make sure you have plenty to drink, extra camera batteries and batteries for a flash if you need it...backup equipment...and possibly, a backup person who is willing to shoot with you so the bride has more pictures to choose from. and definitely take your camera with you, no matter where you go, but especially since you're going to the wedding site. Take note of the natural shadows happening, the possible lighting issues, the setting in general. Have your friend pose even with a white sheet or white shirt on so you can an idea of what kind of settings you'll be needing to work with. Play with angles too. Good luck.