Wedding photography advice?

[littlecreamsoda]

I'm looking for advice for shooting your first wedding "professionally". I'm by no means a professional photographer, but a co-worker had some last-minute change of plans and I agreed to do her wedding photography. I only have a month to plan. Any recommended reading or general advice would be great.

Also, my only camera at the moment is simply a digital Rebel. I have a couple friends with 4d's I could potentially borrow for the day, but with which I'm not at all familiar. Do you think it would be best to just work with what I'm used to and forgo better quality? Or would the transition be fairly easy and probably worth it?

[LBaldwin]

Yes my advice is to hire a pro and assist that person. With no training in weddings and no gear how do you expect to cover an event as important as this. Have you considered what could happen to you financially as well as personaly if it gets fouled up?

Please understand that I am not trying to be mean, but weddings are a once in a lifetime (you hope) and a one shot deal. You cannot ask for a do-over if it gets lost destroyed or the computer eats it.

So instead of shooting it yourself, help hire a pro and assist them so you can see what it is all about. Please understand, weddings are just about the toughest form of professional photography there is.

[tim]

The Wedding FAQ (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=255604) may be of interest.

[Mike]

Plenty of reading here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5999915&postcount=2)

You'll get a lot of people trying to dissuade you from shooting this due to your inexperience in the field. If you still decide to go ahead you'll need to make sure you have enough equipment which means getting backups so you will have to borrow/rent more gear. 2 of everything is the key - bodies, lenses, flashes. Loads of memory. What lenses do you have? I'm willing to guess you'll need faster glass than you have.

[rammy]

I'll try and offer advice as I will be going through a first wedding in the summer.

Have you talked to the couple about what is expected by them and of them? Gone through the schedule on the day and discussed what needs to occur when. Discussed when you will be "stepping in" to take control for the formals, B&G shots etc?

Take up the offer of borrowing the camera's. You'll find it easier to transition if you borrow them now and go out and shoot.

I am researching/preparing on a wedding later this year and want to make a good job of it so what I would recommend is:

- Read Tim's wedding FAQ and Michael's link until you know it very well (great help there).
- Read the flash bible in the lighting forum and practice with the flash too
- Buy some books - go to Amazon and search for wedding photography, read the synopsis and reviews and choose what you think will suit you.
- Buy portrait books for posing ideas etc
- Do a practice shoot if you can
- Offer a free portrait shoot to your family, friends and co-workers
- Shoot thousands of inside and outside shots so you know what settings to use in different lighting conditions. In your own house, in a museum, in a public space/building. Basically anywhere and everywhere.
- Borrow loads of extra gear (fast lenses, fast zooms, flashes, memory cards, spare batteries for camera's and flash, another camera)
- Look through loads of wedding sites and see what works

You will be in control of the posing for the photography and will need to be confident in directing and also talking to large groups. So be prepared.

Good luck and more importantly be relaxed and have fun :-)

[dmitrim]

Wedding photography is MUCH harder than any other any other(sport,fashion). Use the best equipment you can afford. Fast lenses are a must. There are so many times I thanked myself for getting 1.2 85mm for example. Some churches are so dark, 2.8 at 1/50 sec would be around iso 6400...

[LostShootingStar]

Wedding photography is MUCH harder than any other any other(sport,fashion). .

I agree. the first time I did it, i couldn't believe how difficult it really was http://www.entertainment-place.info/smile/img/2465/o09a0208gstn/POTNsmile.gif
http://www.entertainment-place.info/smile/img/3200/n08d1214eybr/1by1.gif

[jhcanon]

There is loads of great advice on here, especially the like of Tim's thread on the topic. Read and absorb as much as you can.
Try to borrow some back-up kit for peace of mind if nothing else - hopefully not need it but if it's not the same as yours make sure you know how to use it!
One other important thing on the day, make sure you enlist the help of someone who knows the wedding party - B&G's parents and relatives etc. so they can round people up for the shots the B&G want. Nothing worse than delivering the prints and being asked "where is ??????".
Makke usre you get a list of must have shots at a meeting some time before the day. The B&G will not be able to help on the day.
Good luck and enjoy!

[PhotoMatte]

Apart from borrowing the better gear (and, hopefully, at least one nice flash unit), I would ask your friend to sign a contract with you. Since she's a friend, and she knows it's your first wedding, you could include clauses in the contract that release you from all liability for failure to provide images. That way you're covered if things go wonky (also, she may know you but her family probably doesn't?). Not what you'd put in a normal contract, btw, but I think it's acceptable in your situation. Has she agreed to pay you? If not, the contract is probably overkill, but if she has, it's not a bad idea.