A few pre first wedding questions...

[dital]

Hi people, I'm about to do my first solo wedding in a weeks time and am just trying to clear a few questions that I have in my mind...

I'm shooting with a 5Dm2 and wondered what AF mode people tend to use? I normally stick to one shot, would this be the norm for most?

Both the church and reception are both very dimly lit and with me living in Manchester its likely to be raining all day! If anyone has any nuggets of wisdom that they could share to help me achieve respectable photos of both the confetti throwing and first dance it would be helpful. I've just bought a monopod so that's a start!

I don't normally use on camera flash or flash at all for that matter, I've got a TTL off camera lead that I plan to use when I can with a 580ex2 any tips to achieve correct exposure quickly when under pressure? Also any tips for group shots using this flash setup would be helpful.

Thanks guys,

Devs.

[Mike]

Hi people, I'm about to do my first solo wedding in a weeks time and am just trying to clear a few questions that I have in my mind...

I'm shooting with a 5Dm2 and wondered what AF mode people tend to use? I normally stick to one shot, would this be the norm for most?

Yup. Stick to single shot AF.

Both the church and reception are both very dimly lit and with me living in Manchester its likely to be raining all day! If anyone has any nuggets of wisdom that they could share to help me achieve respectable photos of both the confetti throwing and first dance it would be helpful. I've just bought a monopod so that's a start!

Wide aperture. High ISO. Flash. those are your 3 friends for dim and dark places. You may find the monopod gets in your way a bit. (Or you might get good use out of it - I never have used one, or a tripod but each to their own)

I don't normally use on camera flash or flash at all for that matter, I've got a TTL off camera lead that I plan to use when I can with a 580ex2 any tips to achieve correct exposure quickly when under pressure? Also any tips for group shots using this flash setup would be helpful.

Thanks guys,

Devs.

I'd suggest getting used to flash. Practise bouncing your 580exII from walls and ceilings. It'll really help.

And I'll say it before anyone else does...you'll need backup gear - 1 body/lens/flash won't be enough. What lens(es) do you have?

More reading here: Wedding links & info (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5999915&postcount=2)

[dital]

Excellent Mike many thanks for the info mate - its really appreciated.

Yeah I plan on hammering the flash practice for the next week or so before the big day. I notice a lot of people mentioning to use fill flash to freeze say the couple walking down the isle. It may sound like a basic question but how is this achieved? Does it differ any from normal flash use?

I've currently got the following in my kit bag...

5Dm2
24-70 2.8
70-200 2.8 IS
85mm 1.2
100mm 2.8 macro
50mm f/1.8
Quantum 2x2 (plan to use and expecting delivery before the day)
580EX 2
430EX
2 x PW+2s

My backup camera will be a faithful 30D.

I was strongly considering buying a flip stroboframe but feel that I'll turn out to be a mule if I use the stroboframe, 580ex, battery grip and then a Quantum 2x2 clipped onto me!

[caught14]

Make sure to switch to AI Servo if you are shooting a moving subject. For example, if you are up front shooting the bride walking down the aisle or when the B&G are exiting and running through a line of people throwing rice/blowing bubbles/etc.

I agree with the advice about the monopod -- it will just get in the way. With the high ISOs the 5D MkII is capable of, and a good lineup of lenses, you should be able to get usable shutter speeds.

For the reception, mount your 430ex on a light stand and put your 580ex on your camera. Hook up one PW to your remote 430 and the other to your camera. This will trigger both flashes at the same time. Leave the 580 on TTL to fill your subject (Might have to adjust slightly to fit your needs, I usually am at -1) and set your 430 to manual mode at like 1/64 to light your background. This will give you a more 3-dimensional look to your images by having multiple light sources. In this scenario you can drag the shutter a bit (1/60 +/-) and use a wider aperture (2.8 +/-) since the flash will freeze the action for you. The lower the shutter speed, the more ambient light you'll get.

The off camera flash method works great for first dances. If you line up your remote flash 180 degrees from your subject, you can create a nice rim light around them.

If you want to keep it simple, just use one flash on your camera (580) and learn to bounce it when possible. TTL can work well and is easy, but with manual mode you have more control and can sometimes yield more consistent results from frame-to-frame. Just remember that using a single flash straight on will make your pictures look a little flatter in terms of depth.

Like anything, the best formula for getting shots under pressure is practice and experience. Know your equipment inside and out! Good luck!

[tim]

I use one shot AF all day, I just focus and shoot quickly. I should try servo one day I guess. I don't use monopods or brackets.

[PMCphotography]

that sounds awfully complicated for your first solo wedding.

With the 5d mk2 and a few fast lenses, especially if it's going to be cloudy/raining you probably wouldn't need to use much flash at all!

If it's in a church, more than likely you wouldn't be able to use flash at all.

[SuzyView]

Take the 24-70 and 70-200 for your 5D2, rent another 5D and put the 85 on it. Use flash only if you have to, and I'd suggest a bracket of some kind. It helps for shadows. The Quantum flashes already seem like they are on brackets, so think about that one. Bounced light is preferred also. Don't need to take the whole house with you, just extra CF cards, I take 40GB with me in a wallet, and 8 extra batteries, and 2 extra for the 5D2. Always 2 camera bodies. It saves on the changing thing and makes life so much easier.

[dital]

Perfect guys, plenty of food for thought. I'm going on holiday for a week so am looking forward to having some free time to experiment with the camera. Just off to pack another piece of kit the 430ex cheers caught14 ;)

For the 5Dm2 users reading how far would you personally push the ISO in dim lighting situations? I'd be interested to hear what people are getting out of it?

Thanks again.

[dital]

I use one shot AF all day, I just focus and shoot quickly. I should try servo one day I guess. I don't use monopods or brackets.

Hi Tim, just thinking do you tend to use the multi directional focus points when achieving focus?

[Mike]

Hi Tim, just thinking do you tend to use the multi directional focus points when achieving focus?

I'd only use 1 focus point at any one time. Usually the centre one but sometimes I use different ones if the subject is nearer the edges of the frame or I need to be more precise when working with shallower dof. But only ever 1 at a time.

[tim]

Hi Tim, just thinking do you tend to use the multi directional focus points when achieving focus?

Single center point standard focus 99.5% of the time. Occasionally I use off center focus points if i'm using a fast prime or something else odd.

[caught14]

For me, with the 5D MkII, I go up to 3200 without worrying. I do my best to keep it at 1600 or lower for better quality, but 3200 is okay. I've used 6400 in a pinch and it is acceptable, but not preferred. I wouldn't recommend the H1 and H2 settings if you can at all help it. For in the moment shots, all you may have time for is a high ISO setting in order to get the shot. If you have some decent noise reduction software that will help too.

[sapearl]

Hi Devs - you will definately need flash for the critical shots in the dim venues, if permitted. That 5DII of yours will likely take pictures in almost any light, but the quality of that light may be so poor - hotspots, ugly shadows, lousy tonal range - as to render the images unusable or very unflattering.

Plan on using the flash a lot in those circumstances so you don't have to spend forever in post fixing all the deficiences of the images. For doing groups, candids, etc. in really dark areas, I run the camera on MANUAL, ISO of at least 800, shutter speed 1/30 - 1/60 (dragging to allow some ambient light to come in) and aperture around f/5.6 - 8..... depending upon the fudge factor. Your manual settings allow the desired amount of ambient light to creep into the image. The flash, set to AUTO-ETTL will set the foreground/group exposure of the important elements. How you adjust the aperture and intensity will determine how close/far it compares to the ambient.

There is a similar thread here:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=8605989#post8605989

where I suggest some settings and offer sample images. Hope this helps. - Stu

[sapearl]

Forgot to mention - like Tim I use center point most of the time; fast, easy, obvious.