What do you recreate?

[jschro]

Ok, so I've got a wedding coming up where the pastor does NOT want me anywhere near the bride and groom but he'd be more than happy to recreate scenes after the ceremony. I'm going to be standing way off the side, and maybe straight back in the main isle using my 200 2.8L.

So, I know we should recreate the ring exchange and the kiss, but is there anything else I'm not thinking about?

[viet]

ring, kiss, vow, prayer, blessing...anything the pastor allows you to or just ask the b&g to see what they want.

[MarkAnthonyPhotography]

happens to me alot!! The ring exchange is a must and the kiss. You can get the vows from the distance no big deal. The candel lighting is important to me so i get that usually. Asking the bride and groom is good, but they usually are so fog headed from the whole day they won't know! ;)

[OdiN1701]

I don't recreate anything. It's not the same as when it really happens.

I can get what I need with a long lens.

[AdrianeCale]

Most of the time, just the Unity Candle Ceremony. And that's only if they light it with their backs to the congregation and I'm not allowed on the altar. I warn my couples that I want them to count to 5 slowly during the kiss, that way I can get some good shots, and so can all the guests if they want. So that keeps me from having to recreate that very often.

[S-S]

i'm really against recreating because the ceremony part of the day is photojournalism and the couple get a kick out of seeing themselves at those special moments in the photos. even though no one else will know, THEY will and for a lot of newlyweds it removes a lot of the sentimentality from their pictures

i just use a long lens and get myself into the best position possible

you can always get beautiful posed shots of the hands with their rings & other kisses during the bridals session later on

[NathanJK]

I warn my couples that I want them to count to 5 slowly during the kiss, that way I can get some good shots, and so can all the guests if they want. So that keeps me from having to recreate that very often.

That's a really good technique, I'm going to steal it! I'm getting REALLY tired of my couples doing the quick peck and it's over thing. When my wife and I got married we didn't just kiss once, we went back for seconds and thirds. Where is the passion now? Where is the church tongue?

[ironbelle]

Does not want you near the bride/groom??? Dont' get that one. Recreating sucks. I agree, it's not like the original moment.

[form]

About 75% of the time I recreate the ring and kiss shots because the angle I capture them at is frequently blah; most other shots are on the fly. I might also ask them to dance again if I didn't get great shots of the first dance.

I would prefer to capture an entire wedding without having to pose or redo anything, but there are often shots that are missed, and many of the best ones have some posing behind them, or at least guidance.

[tim]

Nothing. I missed the shot of the bride and her Dad walking down the aisle once when a camera failed, we recreated it but they knew it was fake and didn't use the picture in their album.

[DigitalSpecialist]

Pray your Bride and Groom don't kiss faster than lightning. I had a husband kiss his wife so quickly that noone got the picture!

[tim]

Pray your Bride and Groom don't kiss faster than lightning. I had a husband kiss his wife so quickly that noone got the picture!

That happens occasionally. No-one ever asks about it if I miss the shot, which has happened maybe 5 times out of 75 weddings. I'll have to remember to coach people in things like the kiss, to put the rings on in a way the camera can see, that sort of thing.

[form]

Sometimes that happens for me too; I ask them to kiss again. They've always been very happy to oblige thus far.

[AdrianeCale]

You ask them during the ceremony to kiss again?? You must have testicles of steel! Do you just yell it out??

I wouldn't do that, but I wouldn't be above having a family member or wedding party member say it for me...

mental note: find funniest person in wedding party and have them keep the bride and groom in check during the kiss!

[milorad]

the pastor does NOT want me anywhere near the bride and groom

Um... who cares what the pastor wants? What does the couple want?

[AdrianeCale]

Um... who cares what the pastor wants?

Obviously you've never seen someone get kicked out of a ceremony before! It's never happened to me, but I've seen Catholic priests kick out 2 photographers at my friends wedding because one was using a flash, and the other got on the altar to get a good shot of the unity candle being lit.

You always have to follow the rules of the church. You might be able to sweet talk the minister/priest/what-have-you, but if he says stay away, then you stay away!

[form]

I ask them to kiss again AFTER the ceremony - I don't say anything during.

Most of my full weddings have been at other venues; I've only had one church wedding, and I've never had any issues with the pastors.

[AdrianeCale]

I ask them to kiss again AFTER the ceremony - I don't say anything during.

Ok, that's what I thought. Just wanted to be sure. I would have died if my photographer had yelled "Kiss AGAIN!!" right before the ceremony was over.

[form]

Interesting pricing scheme: I take it you make most of your money on prints? You're actually cheaper than me for wedding coverage - something I didn't know was possible. However I provide a CD/DVD of retouched images and don't sell any prints.

Hey tim, I'd love to charge as much as you; I'd be able to afford to upgrade my equipment immediately if I did. My pricing schema only allows me to buy something every 3-4 weddings because it takes me that many to make enough for one of the lower-priced L lenses like a used 24-70 f/2.8. Am I not charging enough?

[AdrianeCale]

Interesting pricing scheme: I take it you make most of your money on prints? You're actually cheaper than me for wedding coverage - something I didn't know was possible. However I provide a CD/DVD of retouched images and don't sell any prints.

When my husband and I were getting married, we couldn't afford a "real" photographer, because everyone was charging around $3000 for their basic package. So I set my prices at something even the poorest of brides could afford. I know for a fact I could charge more, I just don't see the need. I do 3-4 weddings a month most months, and I make enough money to pay my bills and buy something nice for the studio and for myself. That's all I really care about.

But you also have to take into consideration that I'm in a small town in central Illinois...

And yes, I make most of my money off the prints and I don't really sell those at the "standard" rates, either.

[milorad]

Obviously you've never seen someone get kicked out of a ceremony before!

You're right, I never have, and it might be a cultural difference as well.

I think it's up to the bride to negotiate with the venue, and if she wants flash or a reality-TV style 3-man crew right up in her face as she says her vows, it's up to her to work that out with the church.

I do what I'm told by my customer... but I agree it's of *paramount* importance to talk these things through, having informed yourself of the rules at the venue. However, after that it's no skin off my nose if someone wants to make a scene by throwing me out.

[AdrianeCale]

I think it's up to the bride to negotiate with the venue, and if she wants flash or a reality-TV style 3-man crew right up in her face as she says her vows, it's up to her to work that out with the church.

I agree completely with that! But I've asked brides time and time again to discuss my use of a flash during the ceremony with the officiate, and they'll come back saying it's alright. But when the day comes and the minister sees my flash on top of my camera, I'll usually get pulled aside and have the "no flash photography" discussion. And that's usually when I explain that Aunt Sue is gonna be in the audience with her p&s with the pre-flash going off a million times before the real flash even goes, and that's way worse that my one big flash usually pointed at the ceiling. But I'm not above following the rules.

[jschro]

Just to update a bit... The ceremony was outside, with a pond behind the couple. I ended up having to shoot from the side, about 20 yards away, and once in while I would sneak into the 2nd row of seating to get some different perspectives. So...most of the shots were profile and back of the head type shots, which is why I wanted to recreate a few things. I will say the Kiss was awkward.... it was like they were trying to smash each others faces, in no way did it look genuine. But, then again, I saw the same thing during the ceremony and then again at the reception, so maybe that IS the way they kiss.

[form]

That darned unity candle is a pain too; last wedding their backs were turned to me, and I had to get up amongst them, but my lens wasn't wide enough to get faces and candle pouring, so I got separate shots of each.

[bieber]

Nothing. I missed the shot of the bride and her Dad walking down the aisle once when a camera failed, we recreated it but they knew it was fake and didn't use the picture in their album.

Keep in mind that if you had put it in the album, and it sat in a closet for ten years, they'd probably pull it out again and never know the difference. Memories can fade a lot over time, and people will tend to trust photographs over them.

[tim]

Keep in mind that if you had put it in the album, and it sat in a closet for ten years, they'd probably pull it out again and never know the difference. Memories can fade a lot over time, and people will tend to trust photographs over them.

I did have it in the album, but they asked to take it out.

[Village_Idiot]

Keep in mind that if you had put it in the album, and it sat in a closet for ten years, they'd probably pull it out again and never know the difference. Memories can fade a lot over time, and people will tend to trust photographs over them.

A picture is worth a thousand words, regardless of if they're "lies" or truths.

[silvex]

Try setting up remote cameras (if the pastor allows it) on front of them on the sides. Is this a cristian wedding ? Why is the pastor so rigid? Photographers ARE part of the wedding...:)

[form]

I had to recreate the ring giving again yesterday evening, so it's not the original, but I think the lighting is much better (would've been slightly better still with more light on the ring):

http://xs432.xs.to/xs432/08410/img_4830-1980.jpg