17th May - First Wedding - OMG !

[dseered]

What am I doing - lots of reading coming my way I think - gear list in sig, hope to borrow a 'spare' 40d body for the day and make a long awaited purchase of 70-200 2.8 is this enough to cover it ?

Not sure of venue but have a horrible feeling it will be indoors, will know more next week !

I will be reading EVERY wedding thread !

[Exit]

It's a lot easier than you think if you're a competent photographer. Just make a plan, write it down and don't forget your batteries

[flashLM]

Just watch your exposure... especially indoors, all the best...

[knt3424]

well we will have to compare notes and photos afterwards.. because May 17th is my first wedding also! trying not to panic... trying to make sure I have everything ready that I can have ready... gonna get a spare body with the tax return... gonna be fun tho... sure yeah that's it... gonna be fun. :)

[Robert16]

Don't think you'll have time for all the mini portable studio stuff. I'd get a spare flash and spare body. Keep reading - so many informative threads + stickies here. Congratulations on your 1st booking!:lol:

Don't suck:D

[kato1]

Shoot raw if you can. Make sure you have sufficient memory cards to support this. If you don't want to shoot raw watch your white balance and exposure.

[Jonny]

You will get plenty of use out of the 70-200 2.8 f you get it.

When shooting weddings i pretty much leave it on my 30D and then use a 24-70 or a 16-35 on the 1DMK2.

I find that those three lenses give me all i need. I fact i could probably loose the 16-35 and still pull it off.

Good luck and as already posted write down lots of info.....you will forget otherwise i guarantee it

[SuzyView]

Yes, I also recommend you borrow a f2.8 or faster lens for indoor work. I keep my 24-70 on my 5D most of the time and the 85 1.8 on the other camera (new 40D). If I feel like doing candids and don't let people know I'm there, I put the 70-200 2.8 IS on the 40D and snap away.

[AndrewJohn]

Well what can I say, Plan...plan..plan..what we are going to tell you here is that you need a "shot list" I call them the "gotta have's" and "Like to have's". This is a shot list that you go over with your bride and groom many weeks prior to the wedding...it would not be a bad thing if you bring this to their attention today.

Get them brain storming of the shots they would like to have taken. Then, a couple weeks later go back to them, remind them that they have planned 1.5 hrs for "posed photography" then look at how many shots will need to be setup, composed, shot, and reshot. Normally they way overestimate the amount of photos for the time they allocate.

So, hence the "Gotta Have's" and "Like to Have's" You always shoot the "Gotta Have's" first!! Then and only then if you have time do you shoot the "like to have's"

It is much different at the reception, you will have time to work your plan, but you still need to follow your shot list, get your "gotta haves"

Finally a word about planning, if you can at all pull it off...go to the rehearsal! That way you will have a chance to talk with the reverend and know where/what/why/when and especially...how!

Good luck, I have only done 30-40 weddings in the years, I am no professional, they just pay me to do it! I still get scared to this day! Relax, trust your equipment, charge all your batteries, bring the chargers with you!, and do not be afraid to change-out flash batteries at the moment you determine they are slowing...learn to waste flash batteries...you can always use them in you tv remote controls later!

And one last word...HAVE FUN! Your positive energy will be contagious! If you are happy and friendly, people around you will be happy and friendly...in your photographs...in their Wedding Photographs! Remember, you will be the center of attention when the Bride actually relinquishes/loans you the title for a couple of hours! Do not let it go to your head!

There is always the Sheppard's prayer too..."Dear God please don't let me f**$ this up.":D

[carlospoolboy]

You are going to be on such a high when it's all over with,trust me weddings are a rush. You've been given good advice here, lots of batteries and memory storage. You may shoot 500 pics, I have, and as long as you have the means to either carry an Epson P-3000 type device or big cards, you'll be fine.

One book worth reading is Digital Wedding Photography by Glen Johnson. It's a great all in one book that covers just about anything you'll need to be successful with a wedding.

Looking forward to your postings.

David.

[auroraskye]

I got asked to do a wedding in March.. I am super pysched.. I am going to rent a 17-55mm f/2.8, personally, and am talking with another photographer friend about being a second with me.. I am doing it all for free for the experience. I am already rolling along thinking of must take images!

[dseered]

Already have plenty of power battery wise, loads of memory, loads of ideas - just need the talent to go with it, LOL. The B&G are friends and I will be asking them to get a mood board together of the type of shots they require and they will be compliant I am sure - looks like I am the Primary and its them giving me a chance to shoot live, Groom has seen my work and is in video production himself so I guess its a bit of an honour - thanks you for the advice, I will be reading alot !

[SuzyView]

Yes, preparation is the key. There is a sticky somewhere about what to do before a wedding shoot: charge batteries, format CF cards, have extra batteries for the flashes, clean lenses, rocket blower the camera sensor, check the tripod parts, and make a list of the equipment you have and where you put it. I always have problems finding my remote, for instance. Things like diffusers, and lens caps, etc. are always missing if you don't organize them.

[bartekk]

I had my first weeding 3 months ago. I had (at the time) Canon Xt kit lens and 430EX flash. And I did it. I was so frighten.
I will have another one tomorrow and I feel like I felt before first one.
So it's gonna be OK. Don't worry. have some vodka before.:D

[leitch]

I shot my first wedding a few weeks ago using the gear in my sig, and it went much better than expected. I borrowed another 350D body as spare and I (and the couple) was very happy with the results. Your gear list looks fine to me, the 70-200 will be really really helpful. Also, being that the B&G are your friends, they will feel more comfortable in front of you with the camera, and be more easy going and tolerant of any dithering that may/will occur.

I think the biggest things to remember would be:

- Shoot RAW
- Expose "to the right"
- Capture everything. The more photos you take, the more chance you have of getting a sufficient number of good ones to give the couple. Also, someone will cry, there is no two ways about it. Capture that person crying. Some of the best shots I took (and that I have seen from others) are where what you are capturing is just raw emotion, and the subject doesn't know you're photographing them. Everyone puts on a face for a photo, try to capture the emotion and get people when their guard is down.
- Batteries. Take lots of batteries.
- Don't panic! - for me, this was the biggest one. Before the wedding, I was really freaking out. I was scared I was going to ruin it and that the B&G (also friends of mine) were going to hate the results and blame me for stuffing up their wedding etc! Obviously this wouldn't be the case (with friends, anyway), but I was sure I was going to stuff everything up. Really, as long as you stay calm and are a reasonable photographer, you will be fine. You may not come out with anything ground-breaking (I know I certainly didn't), but you won't screw it all up, and it'll be an awesome learning experience.

Also, you've got a couple of months, so you've got plenty of time to read up on posing/exposure/what not to do etc.

Good luck :)

[leninglass]

I think you are good with the gear list. Good Luck