Help 4 Next Time, please.....shadows

[lputtbach]

Hi (http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m268/lputtbach/DSC_0343brideshadow.jpg) everyone......

This was my first wedding and I would appreciated some feedback. The ceremony was at 7pm inside a church........candle-lit. I knew it would be tough to get good shots. What could I have done to avoid the terrible shadows? Then afterwards when the lights were turned on, I still managed to have shadows in the some of the pictures. I did get some decent shots, but I need help for indoor wedding shots in the future....

I was using a Nikon D40X with VR18-200mm lens, external flash
Set ISO to 400 (800 in some)
Shot on Manual or Aperature mode mostly

Thanks!!
~Lisa

[lputtbach]

one more showing shadow right smack in the middle.........otherwise decent shot i think.

[swjim]

If the ceiling is low enough, bouncing the flash should improve photos like these significantly. If not, using off camera flash with an umbrella or softbox would be another way to go.

There is a lot of good info here: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=138907

[Flo]

They are far too flashy....you need extra lighting with indoor shots.

[lputtbach]

They are far too flashy....you need extra lighting with indoor shots.
Yes, more lighting would have been ideal, but they did not want anything intrusive with their ceremony.

Jim, the ceiling was too high to bounce the flash, but thanks for the link about the softboxes.....I will check it out.

Do you people bring extra lights to take pictures in a church?? I do have 2 b800 lights from alien bees, but never considering bringing it.....

[swjim]

If external lighting isn't a good option then you would probably be better off with shooting a fast prime lens instead of the zoom. Increasing the ISO could help keep your shutter speeds up as well but I'm not familiar with the D40X's performance at higher ISO settings.

[boyderic]

Two ideas come to mind. The harsh shadows are a result of harsh light. Difuse it with something. I'm a big fan of a rubbing alcohol bottle with the top and bottom cut off, place over the flash and fired vertically. Secondly, it is understandable for the couple and or minister not to want anything intrusive for the ceremony. It's the age old battle that anyone who shoots weddings fights. With the exception of 3 or four key shots during the ceremony itself, I generally suggest that the couple re-enact the ceremony after it is over and everyone leaves. Gives me a chance to light properly, and maximize my odds for good shots. 9 times out of 10, the couples can't tell which were staged, and which were real-time, with the exception of the lighting.

[Flo]

Yes, more lighting would have been ideal, but they did not want anything intrusive with their ceremony.

Jim, the ceiling was too high to bounce the flash, but thanks for the link about the softboxes.....I will check it out.

Do you people bring extra lights to take pictures in a church?? I do have 2 b800 lights from alien bees, but never considering bringing it.....

This always confuses me, they want someone to document all the events, and expect nothing but professional results, but then stymie the one person that they expect the best from....:confused:

[LeuceDeuce]

The harsh shadows are from direct flash, but I'm assuming you already know that.

I'm going to go ahead and suggest bouncing the flash. If you think that the ceiling is too high to use bounced flash please read this post by Curtis N:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=4893926#post4893926

Don't just guess that the ceiling is too high. Take some test images.

Candle lit and ISO 400 isn't going to work at all. Crank that ISO, get a proper exposure, and deal with the noise in post. The closer you get to a proper exposure the less noise you'll have to deal with even at higher ISO's.

[lputtbach]

No, until this thread I didn't realize what was the #1 cause for the shadows. I had the external flash shooting straight on the subjects because in my mind, it was going to help the fact it was almost dark in there. I realize now that a diffuser would work best.

*wishing i posted a thread BEFORE the wedding.....* But this is all about learning! I have learned a lot and that is why I charged them nearly nothing since it was my first wedding. And I was upfront to them about that!

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have a wedding next month and I will be much more prepared this time.

ps - if i had upped the ISO, I don't have enough knowledge at this time of photoshop elements to clean up the pictures that way.....

[LeuceDeuce]

I have a wedding next month and I will be much more prepared this time.

ps - if i had upped the ISO, I don't have enough knowledge at this time of photoshop elements to clean up the pictures that way.....

You can deal with noise using available plug-ins. The most commonly recommended one is Noiseware, but personally I think that Nik Dfine 2.0 is the best. I find that Dfine retains a lot more of the detail, and doesn't give that blurred look. I admit I have very little experience with Noiseware, but whenever I use it it seems to turn my images into watercolor paintings. I'm sure it's my lack of experience with the tool though, and if I put in any effort with it I'd get better results.

[boyderic]

[quote=lputtbach;5308410]Thanks everyone for your comments. I have a wedding next month and I will be much more prepared this time.quote]

That should give you just enough time to run through Lighting 101 and 102 over at www.strobist.com (http://www.strobist.com) I highly reccomend it.

[Damo77]

You need one of these babies: http://store.garyfonginc.com/licl.html

... or similar ...