Silly Questions for a Wedding

[confusedxx]

My sister is getting married and it will be a small group (25 people) and informal. It will be more like a party than a church wedding. She will do the wedding in Jamaica and I volunteered to do the pictures because they do not have any other professional photographer :)

Disclaimer: I did set VERY low expectations! She was just asking that someone use a disposable camera for the pics.

I have never shot a wedding and I am really a beginner. So I need some advice for this.

Gear I am thinking to buy : 5D Mark II, Lenses 24-70 f/2.8, 70-200 f/2.8 IS USM.

Questions:
1. Are the 2 lenses sufficient or do I need something else?
2. I have an 350D camera. Is that Ok for a second body? Which lens would you put on the 5D2 and which on the 350D?
3. I know I need a flash but do not want to invest in professional device to position the flash off camera. So which flash unit should I get, which diffuser would be best or should I just bounce the light and not use a diffuser.
4. Which camera should I put the flash on?
5. Wedding will take place on the beach in Jamaica. So are there any required filters (cpl or ND)? Which level of ND would you recommend?
6. Any other gear I might need? I will certainly study a lot of forum threads and study poses to prepare.

Thanks,

[Tommy]

1) Those two lenses should suffice... but you may find you want something wider than 24mm at times.

2) 350D is ok for a second body... at least you have one... put the 70-200 on the 350d, and the 24-70 on the 5D

3) 580exII would be the best flash to get... make sure you have one for each body. I shoot with my flash on camera for the reception, etc... just bounce the flash off of ceilings and walls. I only take the flash off camera for all the "fun" shots between the ceremony and the reception.

4) One on each

5) I generally don't use filters for weddings... but on very bright days for outdoor weddings, I may throw a CPL on my lenses..

6) There's a ton more gear that you might need... but with the purchase of the 5d, the 24-70, 70-200, and a flash, you'd be going in with the bare minimum...

What other gear do you have??

[confusedxx]

No other gear unfortunately. I am not a professional and will probably not be a professional wedding photographer. But I am hoping to do a good job for my sister and to see if I have a talent for weddings :)

on a Full Frame camera like the 5D mk2, what other wider lens would you recommend if 24mm not wide enough?

what other gear would be useful not only for wedding but for portrait, Nude and travel photography?

[Tommy]

on a Full Frame camera like the 5D mk2, what other wider lens would you recommend if 24mm not wide enough?

For weddings, I use nothing slower than f/2.8... so I would recommend the 16-35 f/2.8... but the 17-40 f/4.0 (much cheaper) should suffice also... But you'll still need the 24-70 to fill the gap between 35mm and 70mm.

what other gear would be useful not only for wedding but for portrait, Nude and travel photography?

This is quite a broad question and there are many, many answers... strobes, remote triggers, tripods, light stands, backgrounds, the list goes on and on and on... ;)

[ImagesByInku]

Personally, I think you'd be able to get by with just the 24-70 and a 50D. If you're not planning on becoming a pro, that's a lot of coin to drop on equipment for a hobby. Others might suggest the 50D and 17-55 IS. You already have a backup in the 350D.

You could get the job done very nicely without spending a ton of money, but if you have the money to spend... then go for it!

[stathunter]

My fav wedding location is beach weddings. I won a few contests with some of my beach wedding shots---- I would suggest that you understand how to shoot subjects in sunny conditions-- yes a flash is necessary to bring out people even in sunny locations.
The gear you are describing is right on track-- the difficulty is understanding how to use it all -- that is the tricky part.
If your sister is willing to cover my travel expenses, and I am available on her date, I would certainly be willing to work with you and get some killer shots...........ohhh how I love beach weddings!
Thanks,
Scott

[mmishkin]

Umm, if you're dropping $6000+ for gear, what's a little more for off camera flash?

If you're outside on a sunny day, you won't want a diffuser. It'll just eat a stop of light. Put the flash on the hotshoe or use an off camera cord so you can hand hold the flash for slightly more directional lighting.

When inside you could use a sto-fen or lightsphere and bounce the flash off the walls or ceiling.

[confusedxx]

My fav wedding location is beach weddings. I won a few contests with some of my beach wedding shots---- I would suggest that you understand how to shoot subjects in sunny conditions-- yes a flash is necessary to bring out people even in sunny locations.
The gear you are describing is right on track-- the difficulty is understanding how to use it all -- that is the tricky part.
If your sister is willing to cover my travel expenses, and I am available on her date, I would certainly be willing to work with you and get some killer shots...........ohhh how I love beach weddings!
Thanks,
Scott

thanks Stathunter. I am sure I will struggle to use the gear to the best of its abilities. I have a lot to learn and that is why I am spending the coin on the gear - it is a hobby. But the wedding just happens to be helping me justify the expediture :=0

Do you have any websites, PDFs or books you can recommend to learn about shooting in sunny conditions?

[ImagesByInku]

Do you have any websites, PDFs or books you can recommend to learn about shooting in sunny conditions?

I'm assuming you know how to use your camera so the best thing to do is probably - practice.

[AlexMoPhotography]

You're dropping $6000 on equipment and you're not trying to become pro? Let me know if you're going to resell some of it later.

[form]

5D II is really overkill for someone starting out on this. You can do fine with 5D classic, 40D, etc. Use the extra money to buy a 35L.

[confusedxx]

Well I may try to become pro as the hobby and skills develop, but I doubt as a pro I could earn more than I do with my full time job. But who knows.....maybe I can supplement my income as part time wedding and travel photographer :)

But for the first purchase, I am really considering if the 70-200 is worth it at this point or if I should just go with the 24-70. I can always lay down more cash later.

[tim]

Buying a 5DII and two L lenses is just plan silly. The 350D is enough of a camera for photographing your sisters wedding, especially since the alternative was disposable cameras. Rent whatever lenses and flashes you need. In Jamica I don't think lack of light will be a problem until the evening, but a 580EX II and a 17-55 F2.8 IS will be helpful. Sure rent a 70-200 as well if you want. Rent a fast prime too if you must, somewhere around 30mm works well.

[njwoods]

hello all,
I am sure that anything you can do is better than a disposable camera---so don't sweat it. The lenses you are going to or have bought will be more than sufficient.

I would say just be careful where the sun is for each one, so easy to get glare in bright daylight places like that. Have some fun with it, you'll do well.

[PeaceFire]

I got married in Jamaica using nothing other then an XTi, 28-105mm lens, and family members passing the camera around, a tripod, a remote, and a point and shoot. I love, love, love my pictures and think they came out great. Relax, have fun, and enjoy Jamaica. Seriously, the vibe there is so laid back, the day will move slowly (unlike weddings here, so you don't have to be rushing around trying to capture each moment) and the way they do weddings sometimes in Jamaica the minister stands in front and to the side of the couple, so if you miss anything from the ceremony, just have them go back and re-enact- you don't even need the minister.

Can I ask where you sister is getting married? We're very fond of Jamaica- it's like our second home and I love to hear that people are getting married there. I think it's such a unique thing and the weddings are SO much more enjoyable then US weddings because, like I said, things move way slower and are more relaxed. Schedules are rarely kept there and no one cares.

There not the greatest, but here's my married bio with my pictures: http://jebuellwedding.angelfire.com/wedding.html

ETA: We travel to Jamaica A LOT. When is your sister's wedding? If I'm around at the time and it's in the Negril area I could swing over and help out. Though we aren't planning to be there again until either this winter or next spring. Stupid economy!

[PeaceFire]

Buying a 5DII and two L lenses is just plan silly. The 350D is enough of a camera for photographing your sisters wedding, especially since the alternative was disposable cameras. Rent whatever lenses and flashes you need. In Jamica I don't think lack of light will be a problem until the evening, but a 580EX II and a 17-55 F2.8 IS will be helpful. Sure rent a 70-200 as well if you want. Rent a fast prime too if you must, somewhere around 30mm works well.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that the OP WANTS to buy the equipment and is using this as a good excuse. So, hey, go for it!! I wish I could get a 5DII (I opted for a 5D/40D combo instead... two better then one or so my brain likes to tell me). But if money is an issue, you are seriously good with a 350D, a decent zoom (28-135IS would be a good one with plenty of reach) and a nice fast prime (maybe the 85 1.8 or 100 2.8 Macro).

You're a pretty awesome brother to do this, btw!

[patrick clarke]

hi there i am an amateur photographer and i live in jamaica in the ocho rios area
i would be very happy to help out at your sisters wedding if possible
i have completed the course in professional photography from nyip and have been a second shooter at 3 wedding. let me know what you think
patrick clarke

[Rachel B]

If you are not sure that you want to be a wedding photog, i would say spend the money that you would have spent on gear and get some one with experience to do your sisters wedding, no matter how low expectations are, this is her one special day.

If you are set on doing it try and assist a wedding before doing hers, so you have a starting point for her wedding