Off to my 2nd wedding...

[Photogirl01]

I've loved photography all of my life and I think I have the basics down, but other than one college class, I've never had any other professional training. I started working as a videographer two years ago and last year, an opportunity fell into my lap to become a wedding photographer. Since then, I've devoured every book, article, seminar, etc. on photography, but I still have so much to learn. I have a Canon 20D, a 580EX on-camera flash unit and two umbrella lights. I feel comfortable with my camera and light meter, but I don't have a lot of experience with the umbrellas.

The guy who showed me how to set them up said I should measure the flash from both of them separately, by turning my body toward each light and pointing my meter at the light, not at the camera. He said that I should shoot for an aperture around F11 on both lights. That's what I tried to do at my last (and first) wedding, but it seemed I kept having to adjust my aperture on my camera to get the correct exposure.

I felt the pictures turned out fairly well for my first wedding - in focus, with few shadows -- but I still don't know if I'm doing the lights right. Would it be better to set one light at a higher output than the other, and then measure the output of both lights by pointing my meter at the camera? Wouldn't this give me a correct exposure each time? Any help or resources you could point to on this would be great. I don't think I quite understand lighting ratios and need some explaining on that.

Thanks, seasoned photographers, for your help to this new girl in training...

[tim]

Welcome to POTN, this is a great place to learn :)

I'm relatively new (under a year) but I shoot weddings, and I have a few thoughts.

First, stop listening to salesmen. Next, get this book (http://www.lightingmagic.com/litbook.htm) to learn about lighting and metering.

What kind of lights are they? Constant (hot) lights, or strobes? F11 is pretty small, you don't need to go that narrow with your aperture, but if you have enough light you'll get good, sharp pictures. F8 is fine, or even a little less. If you have a light meter a single test fire, then setting what it says into your camera (on manual), you should have a perfect shot first time, lighting-wise anyway.

To reduce shadows put the lights up high, that way the shadows are behind people and usually out of view. Use a flash bracket for your 580EX, it does the same thing.

Hope that helps :)

[Photogirl01]

Thanks! Especially for the link on the book and the feedback.

I have strobe lights. So, I should be pointing the meter at the camera with one test, rather pointing it at the lights and measuring each individually?

[tim]

The only reason to point the meter at each light individually is to work out ratios between the lights. If you just want to meter to work out what aperture to set your camera to, meter both at the same time, at the position of your subjects, with the dome extended and pointed towards the camera.

I take strobes to all my weddings, just in case, but i've never needed to use them. My speedlites can put out enough light, and the types of weddings I do there's not time to set up all the big strobes. I use natural light a lot of the time, with fill from the speedlite. If you do it i'd recommend using one strobe, directly above the camera, put up high, shooting into an umbrella. One strobe means that all the faces that the camera can see will be lit evenly. if you use multiples strobes, especially at angles, some peoples faces are brighter than others, and some are in deep shadow. Putting the light up high reduces shadows behind the person or people.

[Merle]

Dear photogirl01,
I agree with Tim he has given you good advice. I use one umbrella, high on the light stand and close, directly behind me. Watch out for your shadow,which is unbecoming on the Brides white dress. I set up a portrait room (usually a Sunday School class room) where I set up my studio lights and there of course I use lighting ratios. With the usual time restrictions, I do not try to set up lighting ratios for the formals, groups or family groups. By the way I have found the Eclipse umbrella put out by Photogenic to work best for me, as it gives the widest constant light source of any umbrella I have tried. Because of the unique design of the umbrella the light will meter the same from point of center of my groups out to about 8 feet on each side of point of center, before it starts to fall off.
;) :) :D

Good Shooting To Ya !!
Merle