Beach Wedding

[Bulldog_rsa]

Hi all

I have been asked to photograph a wedding on a beach. The sunlight is anticipated to be rather harsh. Are there any tips and tricks I should know for this location?

Cheers
Bulldog

[robertwgross]

You've got about two possibilities.

One, you pray for a cloudy day. That isn't practical.

Or else, you show up with some kind of a white beach canopy. They make some of these that are squarish tents about 10'x10', and the sides are left off. That gives you a white roof. In fact, it would be an excellent center for the ceremony.

If you shoot horizontally, you should be able to leave the canopy out of your shot, yet it has shaded the people standing under it. If you get it too dark, then you add at least one Canon wireless slave flash with a master on the camera. Aim the slave up into the roof of the canopy.

In either case, you will have the bright beach/surf view behind the subjects.

---Bob Gross---

[tim]

Learn how to use high speed sync (aka FP flash), and partial metering will probably work best if the background's quite bright.

[Wilt]

Bring an assistant who will hold a white reflector and bounce light back to your subjects and provide the fill light necessary to lighten up the 'racoon eyes' of your subjects.
Or always make sure your subjects have their faces turned away from the sun when you are shooting their pictures, and use fill flash to provide a bit of light into their faces.

[Mike Panic]

multiple flashes and large white scrim are your best hopes... also, if the wedding is later in the day you'll fair much better then a mid day wedding

ziplock bag everything you have... get a photojourunalist photo vest (i think lowepro makes one) and carry as much as anticipate in there so you dont have to risk putting anything down.

do NOT change lenses unless you absolutuly have to

[S230]

I hate to say this but unfortunately Canon's competitor Nik*n makes a good flash system for this type of photography. This is why when we do weddings, we use two camera systems. They have 1/500 sync for their flash while most canon (consumer ends), struggle at the slower speeds. I wished Canon would had upgraded their technology in this area. :(

[Wilt]

What is so good? The D2H specs show "Electromagnetically controlled vertical-travel Focal-plane shutter
• 30 to 1/8000 sec
• Flash X-Sync: 1/250 sec
• Bulb"

X-sych 1/250 is something to crow about????

My Olympus OM-4 could shoot to 1/100 with the F280 flash, but the F280 had reduced light intensity when in that mode.