Wedding Photos can anyone help with tips and photos please??

[Shekinah]

Hello Everyone, can anyone who has taken wedding photos please tell me first, What is the best lens to use?? Second What are the tips for photographing white?? All help will be appreciated???

[dsze]

Hello Everyone, can anyone who has taken wedding photos please tell me first, What is the best lens to use?? Second What are the tips for photographing white?? All help will be appreciated???

These are very general questions. First, are you the paid professional at this wedding?

If you are only going to use one lens for the entire wedding; I think most would recommend something like the 24-70 or the 28-75...something in that range, and as fast as you can afford. f/2.8 or faster probably. Inside a dark church ceremony, f/2.8 wouldn't cut it though. My 1.8 barely does it.

Tips for photographing white....come as close to spot metering (partial meter) as possible and meter the dress. Separate the focus from the AE lock if you can (use the * to focus).

[Shekinah]

These are very general questions. First, are you the paid professional at this wedding?

If you are only going to use one lens for the entire wedding; I think most would recommend something like the 24-70 or the 28-75...something in that range, and as fast as you can afford. f/2.8 or faster probably. Inside a dark church ceremony, f/2.8 wouldn't cut it though. My 1.8 barely does it.

Tips for photographing white....come as close to spot metering (partial meter) as possible and meter the dress. Separate the focus from the AE lock if you can (use the * to focus).

Thanks for that, I am not being paid for this wedding, I am the main photographer I have offered to do the photos as the young couple cannot afford much at all and now I am scared ***** I want to run away and hide, but I won't I will do my best. The only photos she wants are some in the church and then we will go to a nice park thats it. I only have a 50mm 1.4 and the 200mm 1.8 lens, I would like to try and use the 200mm even though this may seem silly to a lot of real photographers the clarity is superb (for the photos at the park) I realize that the 200mm is limiting because of the distance. The other day I got my daughter to wear my old wedding dress and I tried to take some outside photos, that was the point in which I wanted to tell this lady I am not doing her photos. The photos were terrible, in the sense of lighting, the lighting was horrible with to many shadows all in the wrong place, I need to keep practicing and get lots of sleep as there is so much to think of. I am only an amateur, so I need to go to the library and get lots of books out and study as much as I can before this wedding in December.

[lostdoggy]

I don't think metering off the white dress is a great idea. The metering system is design base on 18% gray. I would take a test meter reading from someone's face and set it in manual mode. Take a few sample shots if possible and check the histogram. That is just my $0.02. I'm not a pro!!!

[robertwgross]

The bride's white gown is only half of the problem for metering. Wait until she stands next to a groom in a black tux. THEN you have a problem.

It gives you a whole new appreciation of exposure bracketing, exposure compensation, flash power adjustment, and white balance.

Instinctively, I would suggest to go with the 50mm 1.4 lens. You could try the 200mm, but then you would be pretty far away for flash.

---Bob Gross---

[Shekinah]

I really think I am in trouble with trying to do a wedding!!!

[RichardtheSane]

OK, if I were in your situation then I would probably shoot with the 50 F1.4 during the ceremony too.

I would consider taking a light meter with me at well. Only experience and practise will get you familiar enough with your camera to know how it will handle the conditions.
You use the lightmeter, checking frequently, then you will have an exposure you can dial in manually.

Also, consider shooting raw too. You may have unusual white balance issues to consider during the ceremony.

I'm not a wedding photographer, and don't ever intend to be. I do however have a pretty good head when it comes to making sure I take precautions so as not to bungle the shoot.

[dsze]

I don't think metering off the white dress is a great idea. The metering system is design base on 18% gray. I would take a test meter reading from someone's face and set it in manual mode. Take a few sample shots if possible and check the histogram. That is just my $0.02. I'm not a pro!!!

True, but if you meter for the face the dress is almost certain to get blown out. If you only meter off something that is 18% gray, what good is it going to do to meter off of skin tones? You should be set on manual all the time, in my opinion, and meter the dress, then compare it to the face and then decide what you're going to do with FEC and take some test shots...And Bob is right; the real problem is not blowing the dress out, BUT keeping the black tux detail. ...and then trying to do all this VERY quickly with other people waiting, bumping into you, trying to take their own photos... weddings are hard. I think most people who've done what you're considering doing would tell you to back out now. These situations rarely work out. The B&G who are paying you nothing will certainly expect SOMETHING at the end and if you aren't able to provide it, the friendship is going to be strained. If you do decide to follow through with this, get a simple contract signed releasing you from all liability and expectations. Make your experience very clear from the start. Good luck!

[lostdoggy]

True, but if you meter for the face the dress is almost certain to get blown out. If you only meter off something that is 18% gray, what good is it going to do to meter off of skin tones? You should be set on manual all the time, in my opinion, and meter the dress, then compare it to the face and then decide what you're going to do with FEC and take some test shots...And Bob is right; the real problem is not blowing the dress out, BUT keeping the black tux detail. ...and then trying to do all this VERY quickly with other people waiting, bumping into you, trying to take their own photos... weddings are hard. I think most people who've done what you're considering doing would tell you to back out now. These situations rarely work out. The B&G who are paying you nothing will certainly expect SOMETHING at the end and if you aren't able to provide it, the friendship is going to be strained. If you do decide to follow through with this, get a simple contract signed releasing you from all liability and expectations. Make your experience very clear from the start. Good luck!

Given the dynamic limitation of the CMOS sensor one must give and take and skin tone seems to be the middle ground unless the bride has dark complession. Then all logic goes out. You will then need a lot of luck. Best case scenario is bracket the shot and fire off as fast as possible and PS it. Shoot RAW to extend the Dynamic range in PS.

[dsze]

Given the dynamic limitation of the CMOS sensor one must give and take and skin tone seems to be the middle ground unless the bride has dark complession. Then all logic goes out. You will then need a lot of luck. Best case scenario is bracket the shot and fire off as fast as possible and PS it. Shoot RAW to extend the Dynamic range in PS.

...possibly, I wouldn't think that metering off the face would give you any sort of accuracy with the dress though. The dress is most certainly going to be more exposed than the face. I meter both and then select the middle-ground manually, tweaking in PS later.... ideally. Of course, during the rush of a wedding, you may only have time to meter one thing. In that case, I'd agree, it should be the face.