First wedding in two days-any suggestions?

[johnasmodeus]

I'm heading to Tokyo on Friday to shoot my first wedding (for a friend, so unpaid, so not too much pressure, but still). I've got a 20D body, an 85mm prime lens, and the 17-85mm zoom that came with the body, plus an external Speedlite. I have one 1-gig CF card and one 512-Meg one. Anybody got any last-minute tips for me as I step into the abyss? I've started making a list of the shots I want to get but other than that I'm going in blind. Thanks for anything you care to offer!

[tim]

Buy another 8GB of memory and shoot RAW. A shot list can be handy, but don't live by it - let people be themselves and have their day and capture the feelings. Take at least ten mins out to get pics of the two of them, do the classics like a full length of the bride in her dress, then add in the groom, plus take a shot of the faces from slightly above where their faces fill 50% or so of the frame - use F5.6 or so as the DOF is quite small usually.

Of course also read the wedding forum FAQ.

[spphoto]

I would get more memory. It's normal for me to shoot over 12gigs of photos (in RAW on the 20D) at an all day wedding, and that's not going crazy with drive mode or anything. I'm sre more people will pipe in, but that's my two cents.

[spphoto]

Thanks tim :P You're probably just getting up and I'm just going to bed :P

[tim]

Thanks tim :P You're probably just getting up and I'm just going to bed :P

It's 8.30pm here!

[stathunter]

Yes you need LOTS more memory. You will suck through what you have now VERY quickly. Listen to Tim---get at least 8 megs more and RAW ----the only way to shoot a wedding!

[Bailly Photography]

alot more memory and make sure your camera is ready to go, the less chance of camera failure on your only body, the better.

[Robert16]

Batteries! Spare batteries for the camera and spare high capacity ones for the speedlight. Best of luck.

[johnasmodeus]

Excellent! Wonderful tips from everybody. I had a feeling that 1.5 gigs might not be enough. So basically I should just be shooting, shooting, shooting, and just take out the ones I don't like afterwards, right? Which made me think of one more question that I'd like to ask: Should I bracket my shots at one or two thirds, or just shoot normally and hope that the camera gets the light right? I still don't know how to do light metering.

Thanks!

[mizuno]

I suggest you wear this (http://www.pitbullmansion.com/products/mens-rainbow-tyre-tee).

[cdifoto]

Try not to suck.

[johnasmodeus]

I suggest you wear this (http://www.pitbullmansion.com/products/mens-rainbow-tyre-tee).

Oh darn. All sold out!
Thanks anyway.

[sblais]

Excellent! Wonderful tips from everybody. I had a feeling that 1.5 gigs might not be enough. So basically I should just be shooting, shooting, shooting, and just take out the ones I don't like afterwards, right? Which made me think of one more question that I'd like to ask: Should I bracket my shots at one or two thirds, or just shoot normally and hope that the camera gets the light right? I still don't know how to do light metering.

Thanks!

As much as I want to encourage you, if you don't even know how your camera works, then I can only wish you good luck!

[zorz]

Excellent! Wonderful tips from everybody. I had a feeling that 1.5 gigs might not be enough. So basically I should just be shooting, shooting, shooting, and just take out the ones I don't like afterwards, right? Which made me think of one more question that I'd like to ask: Should I bracket my shots at one or two thirds, or just shoot normally and hope that the camera gets the light right? I still don't know how to do light metering.

Thanks!

Shoot in RAW, then. Bracketing will triple the number of your shots and if you are going to "shoot away" (well, better than no strategy), even 12GB may not be enough for a whole day. With a RAW file, you'll be able to adjust the exposure by +/- few stops.

[johnasmodeus]

No, no, I know how the camera works. I just don't know a light meter works. But thanks. The wedding turned out to be just a wedding after party and it went great because there was alot less pressure than a ceremony.

[crackaonrice]

No, no, I know how the camera works. I just don't know a light meter works. But thanks. The wedding turned out to be just a wedding after party and it went great because there was alot less pressure than a ceremony.


...You are aware that the light meter is a VERY important part of the camera right? I mean, unless you have eyes that can tell exactly what shutter speed/aperture/iso/etc you need, this is quite essential..:rolleyes: