NEED HELP - Catholic Cathedral Wedding

[jnksherman]

Hi all,

Need some advice if anyone would like to offer some.

I'm shooting a wedding on Oct. 21st at 6:00 pm inside a vaulted ceiling church. The sun is setting at 6:15 that day. I plan on getting started around 4:00 or so to get some outside shots with natural light.

Here's what I'm worried about. It is a very long narrow church. Behind the altar is shiny, dark gray granite that seems like it will cause havoc with my flash during formals after the ceremony. Just want to get some lighting ideas for the group and individual formal shots after the ceremony. There will be 18 people total including the bride and groom (8 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen). I am not allowed to setup any lights or umbrellas in the church. Only hot shoe flashes are allowed. They say that the umbrellas and softboxes create to commercial of a feel for their church.

I am shooting with a 20D and a 420ex. I have considered getting a 580ex and slaving the 420 off to one side.

Please… any ideas or advice would be fantastic!

My lenses include the following:

Canon 50mm 1.4
Tamron 28-75mm
Sigma 70-200mm
Sigma 10-20mm
Canon Kit Lens 18-55mm

I would probably use the Tamron for the portraits? Not sure yet.

Thanks for any help in advance.

[cmM]

one 420EX won't be enough. You might be able to pull it off with 2 flashes.

Let me give you a better idea: why don't you step outside for the formals. Better light (if you'll have any left), better pictures, happier clients, happier photographer: everybody wins!

cmM

[jnksherman]

The sun is setting at 6:15pm that day. The mass starts at 6:00 and is at least an hour. B&G don't want to see each other before the ceremony.

How would you suggest configuring the 2 flashes appropriately?

[tim]

With your scenario I'd probably just use my 580EX on the hotshoe, ISO400/800 and F8. I'd experiment first and if that wasn't enough power I might add my 550EX, but triggering isn't that reliable, so you'd want to test it out well in advance in that same place if you can.

What would I really do? I'd set up my studio lights at the reception venue and do the group shots there. I might take a few with a hotshoe flash at the church, but i'd warn them that the photos won't be great because of the restrictions the church has. Actually you should make the warning either way.

[jnksherman]

Thanks for the tips tim. It just so happens though that the reception venue is in an outdoor courtyard behind the church. The bride is doing much of the planning by herself and it doesn't sound like there will be much lighting back there at all. Especially not for such a large group.

I want to buy some lighting for this event but I'm torn between something like Alien Bees versus the 580ex to run my 420ex.

A photographer friend of mine has experience in this church and told me she had a lot of trouble with the back dark granite wall bouncing the flash back.

I'm just trying to think out loud about some of these problems and see what people can suggest.

Thanks again for the tips.

[akiwi]

Might be worth using your flash and camera on Manual rather than using Ettl which always completely under exposes when ther is any reflection. Just gets a little complicated when mixing close up and distance shots.

[Wilt]

You could 'finesse' the situation by having two assistants available to hold a hotshoe flash at each side on top of a pole, triggered by radio remote. No light stand being set up...just two assistants! You can legitimately say "...but they ARE hot shoe flashes, I didn't know I was forced to use them on the hotshoe of the camera!"

The other alternative is simply to NOT SHOOT orthogonal to the back wall, if you place the camera off center and shoot at a slight angle to the wall, it avoids the reflection and adds more visual interest to the background. If you make yourself shoot from the groom's side of the church, you also solve some of the problem of black tuxes absorbing so much light and bride's gown reflecting so much of it!

[picturecrazy]

Wow... I think I'd consider using the 50 1.4 set to 1.4 @ ISO1600 and not worry about flash reflections, inaccurate ettl, and getting in trouble using slaves.

[RachaelSilvers]

The majority of my church ceremonies entail formals at the altar after the ceremony.

Stairs are your friend, use it to pose the group on different levels.

I shoot my 580ex and I have a plastic cap/diffuser on it and I shoot bounced. Yes bounced even in a church. I'm particularly fond of leaving the ambient background behind the altar and not using a direct flash b/c I don't like the fall off or how it darkens the background.

The tamron open at 28 would be your best bet to fit the group. This will allow you to get a little closer and some of the light from your flash will fall onto the groups and light them nicely.

Have you been inside the church before? I have noticed lately that some churches have begun to add some nice spotlights pointing to the altar that help me in this scenario. If that's the case watch out for shadows of people standing next to each other.

You cannot control sunset or the church's restrictions so can you show up at the rehearsal with a 580 and take a couple test shots, not even of the clients but bring a friend? You can try different film speeds and angles of your flash on the hot shoe.

Or you can do the same test before you line up the 1st group for a formal, just grab a GM and BM and pose them at the altar and fire a few until you get the proper exposure on them and nice ambient.

If the granite is reflecting the sensor on your flash, make sure to position someone within each group so they block and they are the one getting sensored :)