wedding pictures

[Sarah]

been asked to do a wedding in september

any pointers etc from people

cant wait for the challenge tbh

 

[Ian]

Depends what style you want to go for and more importantly what the couple want tbh. It's worth signing up to a few of the photography forums like Talk Photography and having a look through the sub-forum there.

Also might be worth picking up a few books second hand or from the library to have a flick through, 'Wedding Photography' by Mark Cleghorn is quite good. Do a search for internet articles/youtube videos with popular wedding photographers. Few links to get you started:

http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/
http://www.guycollierphotography.com/
http://www.kerridgeweddings.co.uk/
http://www.savviephotography.co.uk/#home/
http://www.simonrevill.com/index.php?splash=1
(Most of them are on Talk Photography, except Ryan)

The Mark Cleghorn book goes through this, but make sure you get to the venue beforehand and have a look around. Speak to the person in charge and check what is and isn't allowed.

Is it a D40 that you own Sarah?

 

[chris182cup]

How much u charging? I'm going to ask my neighbour she does art photography or something and only a couple of weddings and not sure what to offer her for the job as it's only her hobby she's not a pro

 

[dk]

rather you than me, i couldn't do it from fear of not getting good enough shots.

its a once in a lifetime for them, people assume that just because you have an slr now you are a semipro/pro and are relying on you to document the best day of their life.

no thanks, not unless you really are an expert, have some especially fast lenses and a good portrait lens and have an assistance. oh and you'll need a decent flash too.

wouldn't catch me doing it with a barge pole though.

 

[Omid]

rather you than me, i couldn't do it from fear of not getting good enough shots.

its a once in a lifetime for them, people assume that just because you have an slr now you are a semipro/pro and are relying on you to document the best day of their life.

no thanks, not unless you really are an expert, have some especially fast lenses and a good portrait lens and have an assistance. oh and you'll need a decent flash too.

wouldn't catch me doing it with a barge pole though.

Can't agree more, its pretty scary s**t, it is good to find 3 people that want to get into it, all of you do it together, and that way at least between you all you see who cuts the mustard and get a wide range of shots (maybe even a few good ones )

 

[JonniP]

Can't agree more, its pretty scary s**t, it is good to find 3 people that want to get into it, all of you do it together, and that way at least between you all you see who cuts the mustard and get a wide range of shots (maybe even a few good ones )

agreed! when i had my wedding i have a friend who is a really good photographer (hobby) but he turned me down even though i said ill pay him properly! he said exactly the same thing.

do what omid said and get a few people to help you out.

 

[Sarah]

a friend is helping me with it too

she isnt after really good pics

just something to remember the day by

shes seen all of my pics and this seems to think there good

Shes not paying me anything either so what else can she expect

 

[theduck]

Good luck mate. What kit have you got? As above you'll need fast lenses and a good flash with diffuser.

 

[McBunny]

a friend is helping me with it too

she isnt after really good pics

just something to remember the day by

shes seen all of my pics and this seems to think there good

Shes not paying me anything either so what else can she expect

well if she isnt paying than she cant expect much as a half decent photographer and album can be way over 1k ! ours was about 1700 but we did have 3 photographers !

 

[Sarah]

Good luck mate. What kit have you got? As above you'll need fast lenses and a good flash with diffuser.

18-55mm
200-700mm (i think)
50mm

loads of filters

and going to buy a good flash was on my list for this year anyways

 

[theduck]

18-55mm the kit lens?

Probably want to try and get a fast wide(r) angle for indoor shots later on in the day when you might not want to be using flash gun.

 

[McBunny]

if that is the kit lens non of them are suitable for a wedding really
kit lens is far too slow 200-700 is far too long 50mm isnt bad but its a bit short for a portrait lens

 

[Sarah]

Not gonna spend loads on new lens for it.

if they wanted better pics then should have got professionals

Im sure i can use to current kit ive got for the pics, doing this for them as a favour and ive said that my pics wont be as good as professionals so they fully understanding.

They have a tight budget with the wedding due to having a baby

 

[unofficialPete]

I've always refused weddings and I've probably got good enough kit. Somebody showed me there mates pics, they really regretted it, they were awful, maybe I should have agreed to do it! To much stress and responsibility, mates rates or not.

If you do go ahead, a powerful flash will be essential if your going to stick with the kit lens.

 

[McBunny]

if teh wedding is outside you may do alright with teh kit lens but if its inside even with a flash you may struggle

 

[Ian]

It's a tough one, I wouldn't like to try it with that kit - hell I wouldn't want to try it with my kit without going as a second photographer to a few weddings first; but if it's your mate and they genuinely know what to expect, then I can see that you're doing them a favour. It's risky though, just make sure you get as much practice as you can.

Btw, is it really a 200-700mm? Not a 70-200mm? Do you not use it a lot?

 

[Sarah]

I use it loads but i just dont looks to see what it is, i know what kit i have and what it does if you get what i mean.

and yes its 70-200mm

i am crap with remember stuff like that

Shes seem all the pics ive taken even ones on my point and shoot, so she knows exactly what to expect

 

[Ian]

Lol had me worried for a bit there! The good news is (depending on which model it is), the 70-200mm makes for a good portrait lens, I'd be using a combination of the 70-200mm and the 50mm outdoors and the 50mm indoors (with flash if necessary). The kit lens may come in useful for close-up wide-angles to get some context, but not sure if it's decent.

 

[Omid]

If I was doing a wedding (not that I have done any)

I would want a nice fast prime (50mm 1.4 maybe 85mm)
A wide angle to catch some nice shots inside and outside the church (seen some nice effects using wide angles)
And a nice zoom L glass maybe the 70-200 2.8L
I don't know what kit lens I would use/need :S 24-105mm should be ok?

And I would have to back up the pictures every 5 minutes to hard drive in fear of losing them!

 

[Paul_G]

Aside from all the kit discussion I would recommend you have a decent chat with the couple to understand exactly what they are looking for / expecting, plus it might be good to show them some of your portfolio. This will mean that everyone is going into this with eyes wide open!

Weddings are not for the faint hearted, I have found it to be a pretty stressful experience, although very rewarding at the same time. Some issues to consider:

- tricky lighting situations, bright dresses / dark suits fooling camera meters etc.
- know your camera, I have found shooting manual is necessary to ensure consistent good exposure....
- shoot RAW.
- visit the venue in advance if possible.
- lots of people.
- time pressures.
- batteries, batteries, batteries.
- memory, memory, memory.
- trying to blend into the background....

Here are a few shots from a friend's wedding I shot recently as a favour:

Equipment used......

Canon 40D, 17-55mm f2.8 IS, 70-200mm f4L and 430EX II....

 

[kardiak]

You can make some really good use of the longer lenses, especially outdoors, people look far more natural if you got a bit voyeur and dont let them know your taking the pic.

In that vein I gave my 6 year old my 350D and let her wander about taking shots, people react so differently to kids, it works wonders in the photos.

A few B&W for that classic look and even a bit of playing in photoshop/gimp can work quite well, effects lke this are suprisingly easy to do:

(Yes i know i fluffed it and missed the last inch, doh!)

And buy a bunch of those cheapy disposable camera to leave out for anyone to grab and snap away, works a treat.

 

[Derelict-UK]

I knew one guy who did a business of wedding photography and he onlu used a canon 350D and it's kit lens.

A bloke I know took this picture with a 500D at a wedding I helped photograph (im the photographer in the distance)



This was my first shoot (for a friend) and I only had my wide angle (12-24mm F4) and it wasn't great. Most people out there go for a 17-55mm f2.8. Tokina do a 16-50mm f2.8 for about £400 which is a bit cheaper than the prime lenses for canon/nikon.

 

[McBunny]

I knew one guy who did a business of wedding photography and he onlu used a canon 350D and it's kit lens.

A bloke I know took this picture with a 500D at a wedding I helped photograph (im the photographer in the distance)

yeah and its awful the composition mainly there is a bin and a car wing in it ffs lol

 

[McBunny]

these were ones taken by a friend of ours, i havent got the proper ones till june as can only buy them after 2 years


http://www.flickr.com/photos/27689223@N05/sets/72157605638143468/

 

[Sarah]

thanks boys

Just bumped into them in town and they said that if i couldnt do it, they were going to get her little sister to take pics on her point and shoot

Cheapest they could find was £1100

 

[McBunny]

thanks boys

Just bumped into them in town and they said that if i couldnt do it, they were going to get her little sister to take pics on her point and shoot

Cheapest they could find was £1100

yes photographers are expensive for a reason

 

[The Hoff]

Interesting pic, anymore?

 

[Revels]

these were ones taken by a friend of ours, i havent got the proper ones till june as can only buy them after 2 years


http://www.flickr.com/photos/27689223@N05/sets/72157605638143468/

You can't buy your own wedding pictures until 2 years later?

 

[sn00p]

You can't buy your own wedding pictures until 2 years later?

The photographer will sell them to those who want copies and make a nice tidy profit, when he doesn't think he'll get much more return then they'll usually let the happy couple purchase them to do with what they want.

 

[planetx]

I am scared to do weddings, serious stress!!!

 

[BenWall]

The photographer will sell them to those who want copies and make a nice tidy profit, when he doesn't think he'll get much more return then they'll usually let the happy couple purchase them to do with what they want.

Sounds like a dick, I'd want all the photos on a disk when I get hitched.

I've done a wedding, it's good. As above though, know how to use a camera and get a flash and fast glass.

 

[Derelict-UK]

I have thought about doing it for work maybe in the future when I have my photography business up and running.

If you priced it right you could make a killing, If you don't care about reprints you can price the day including no reproduction fees and do it for £900 including a wedding book and a CD of images.

A few mates have paid more and they just got a wedding book (and not great pictures either).

I am scared to do weddings, serious stress!!!

This is true though, if it went wrong and both your cameras (ie your main and backup) failed, you will have 2 very angry families on your back! your self confidence will be shot!

 

[Rasclart]

well if she isnt paying than she cant expect much as a half decent photographer and album can be way over 1k ! ours was about 1700 but we did have 3 photographers !

Fcuk me £1700 for someone to take pictures of you in a Skirt OUCH!

 

[McBunny]

like i said 3 photographers that did include the album and 2 mini albums aswell

 

[McBunny]

You can't buy your own wedding pictures until 2 years later?

yeah he holds copyright on the images for 2 years after that we can buy them for £200

 

[McBunny]

Sounds like a dick, I'd want all the photos on a disk when I get hitched.

i agree we did want them but its fairly standard practise to be fair they just want to maximise their money from reprints as has been said

 

[Andy.]

^^ Ours was the same. I have no qualms in paying a pro for the photos or agreeing to his T&C's.

He was using a Hassy, took some stunning pictures and gave us an amazing album. Well worth every penning IMHO.

Wedding photography scares the s**t out of me. With most shoots, you can always go back and try again if you are not happy with the results, but a wedding is a one time only deal. I am going to do it for a mate at the end of this year, but he is a cheapskate and just does not want to pay a pro.

 

[Snakey]

Take plenty of shots, don't be afraid to set up 'moments', check out a few camera forums

and back up your shots...

 

[derv]

I've took my camera to one wedding, no pressure on me though as they hired a proffessional photographer too. was quite pleased as they chose to print some of my photos over his, not that many though!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/derv1980/sets/72157620688147795/

 

[Omid]

A think it is about time they started releasing cameras with more than one memory card to be honest. The battery grip with wifi and usb is a good option for backing up your pics but it is expensive! Worth it if you are making money from the work though!