3 months to prepare -- questions about flash, equip, more

[Coppatop85]

Hello everyone! I got into photography last May due mostly in part to a very generous graduation check given to me from my Grandmother. Well, she is getting married in December, and wants me to photograph her wedding. I don't have much experience photographing people, i usually do nature, landscapes, and abstracts. She said it's going to be more of an informal thing -- she is not hiring a photographer, but just wants everyone to send her the best pics we take. I want to do a really good job for her though, due to the fact that I would not of picked up this wonderful hobby of mine without her.

I've been doing a lot of reading lately, but I still have some questions. First regarding equipment.

I know that this is probably the least important part of taking good photos, but it is a good place to start. I have 3 lenses, a tamron 17-50 2.8, a canon 50 1.8, and a sigma 70-200 2.8 . The body I use is a rebel Xti, and I have a 430ex with a gary fong clone whale-tail diffuser, and an off camera shoe-cord. From the reading, it looks like my setup is decent -- I basically have the consumer grade version of some of the more popular wedding lenses (70-200 IS, 17-55IS, and a fast prime 35/85 1.2L). I am more concerned about the body. I'm debating getting a 40D or 50D. I have run into some focus issues with the XTi in low-light concert photography, as well as noise issues. I'm assuming I will be shooting in at least iso 800, as it is an in-door wedding at night. Can anyone else speak to this issue with the body? Think I should be ok with my lenses, or should I rent something else?

As for the flash, I just picked one up recently, and am still getting used to using it. Should I bring the whale tail diffuser, and off shoe cord, or just use bounce flash and creative use of flash compensation?

Also, I will be using ETLL mode (obviously) but I found I get very different results if I use the FEL button before I take my shots. This is more prevelant if I use bounced flash, diffusers, or the off shoe cord. Should I use the FEL button a lot, or just let ETTL do it's work? Does anyone have any sort of excersizes or situations I should shoot in with the flash to work on getting proficient with it?

I've done a lot of reading around on these forums, and on planet niel, anyone else have any suggestions for reading?

Thanks for the help.

[KayakPhotos]

It sounds to me like you have a good enough setup for a wedding. I don't think that you will have problems with your lenses. I am no expert on lighting, so I won't try to help there. I would say that you should read up on composition of photos and look at the many wedding photos posted here on the forums for shot ideas. Sounds like you have the lenses and a good enough flash, now you just need to learn how to make great wedding shots.

[KayakPhotos]

I would search on Amazon for wedding books. Start simple because you realistically do not have the time to get into any advanced stuff. I'm sure it will be a learning process, but it sounds like you are putting in a good effort, so I am sure that you will get some great shots.

[Coppatop85]

thanks for the encouragement 40driggs. I've been looking around a lot in here. Can anyone else speak to the lighting stuff, specifically the use of the FEL and whale-tail diffuser?

[brian_jackson]

As far as your 40D/50D debate... snag a 40D, they're selling for like $750. Backups are your friends. As far as lenses... you look good. 17-50 on one, 70-200 on the other. If you're looking for a 2nd flash, might want to take a look at the Sigma EF-500 DG or a Sunpak PZ5000AF, decent 3rd party flashes.

ETTL flash... shoot in manual mode on your camera. Try ISO 800, f/4, 1/20-1/80 as a starting point for reception shots. flash exposure comp: -1/3 to +2/3, depending on what you're going for. Bounce your flash straight up or to the side, or back and to your left or right, just don't point it forward.

For outdoors... ISO 100, 1/250, f/5.6 flash exp comp -2/3 to -1 2/3. Shoot with the sun behind your subjects (acts as a hair light), and use your flash as forward fill.

Here's a slightly different example: http://brianjacksonphoto.com/Weddings/couple_veranda.shtml
ISO 160, 1/250, f/4.0, 17-40 @ 33mm, flash comp: 0, flash bounced off the wall to the left.

While not people: http://brianjacksonphoto.com/Weddings/statue_dancers.shtml
ISO 800, 1/25, f/3.5, 70-200 @ 200, flash comp: +1/3 bounced straight up onto the ceiling.

No experience with a "whale tail"?, I use basic bounce cards or the Demb Flip-It, which work great.

Practice on your cat/family/friends/statues :)

Here are a few quick links regarding bounced flash:
http://weddingphotographyproject.wordpress.com/2007/05/02/
http://planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/
http://www.clivir.com/lessons/show/bounce-your-flash-part-i.html

The do all technical flash site (3 parts there...) http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

BTW, first several weddings I shot...1DmkII w/ 17-40 f/4, 20D w/ 70-200 f/2.8, 550ex flashes on both. 50 f/1.4 w/ kenko tubes for detail shots.

good luck

[Coppatop85]

Why did you use the kenko tubes? I found they only focused at like, 3-5 centimeters away from the subject. I have the tubes, I use them for flowers/bugs and such. Thanks very much for the links, I'll be sure to read them all.

[Coppatop85]

Oh yeah, do you recommend using the FEL button before I take shots? Also, from what I've read if the flash is your main light source, bump up the flash exposure comp, if it is used for fill flash, lower it. This sound right?

[brian_jackson]

Main lite: flash exp comp: 0 to +2/3
Fill lite: flash exp comp: -1/3 to -1 2/3
FEL... never use it. I'd have to dig into my manual on it's exact nature :-D

BTW, the numbers above are just guidelines, play with them to suit your shooting style.

As far as the Kenko tubes... macro detail shots. Fill the frame: I come from the PJ world, so the less work I have to do on the backend, the better. Easier to just get it right in the camera. Use it with your 50mm, practice on things in the house. Try this as well: 2 flashes set at 180 degrees from each other and 90 degrees from the camera. Set your WB to Tungsten and see what happens.

[form]

I like using off camera flash or bounced flash when possible, but a lot of my work is indoors and the low light requires that I generate my own light source. This is good and bad: On the good side, I can adjust off camera flash to come from just about any direction I want, and nearby walls serve as good bounce subjects for directional, soft light on my subjects. On the bad, light falls off as it gets further away from the source. This causes large rooms, distant subjects, and many other situations to provide additional challenges for flash photography.

I use lots of off-camera flash for receptions indoors. Fill flash is useful indoors and outdoors, but obviously it's mostly considered for outdoor work.

70-200 f/2.8 is good for subject isolation and sniping candids, especially at the longer focal length. Use that lens often if possible. Use it on a tripod.

Use your lens at the widest apertures possible unless you actually need the additional depth of field. Out of focus NON-subjects are much less distracting than in-focus NON-subjects. You don't want everything in focus, only the subject(s) of interest that tell the story or convey your eye's distinguishing perception.

If you have plenty of money, yes a backup camera is great. Doing professional wedding work would require a backup camera. Plus, you can have two lenses mounted at once, very useful.

On fong and other diffusers: A waste of flash output if used outdoors, for the most part. If used indoors, if it bounces enough light off nearby surfaces then it may not cause specular highlights and glistening, shiny faces (a good thing to avoid). If you have those shiny faces, that's bad: Take the diffuser or the lid off and bounce the flash directly against nearby walls. I prefer to shoot in RAW and set the flash either in manual or 1+ or more exposure compensation.

What I do in lieu of a fong diffuser 99% of the time is, I mount a flash to a swivel bracket with a bounce or shoot thru umbrella, and use that for my light source in one hand, and the camera in the other. IMO, it gives much softer, better light most of the time.