Accidental wedding photographer

[3ntreri]

I recently was recently invited to attend a destination wedding in Thailand so my wife and I took the opportunity to spend the two weeks beforehand touring around Thailand and Cambodia with all of my photo gear. I just bought my first DSLR ~5 months ago so I'm still a newb, but I'm having a lot of fun with it.

When the big day came, the wedding photographer that the bride & groom had paid for as part of the resort package was nowhere to be found. The stressed out bride saw some of my earlier shots asked if I minded shooting the girls getting ready (my wife was the hairdresser) so I said "sure" and things kind of escalated from there.

The official photographer eventually showed up but by then the bride & groom had lost any confidence in him (huge language barrier) so I ended up being the 2nd shooter for the entire thing.

Here are some of the results!

C&C is most welcome, I plan on making a photobook for them as a thank-you for letting me play with my camera on their big day

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/38/390538.jpg

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/41/390541.jpg

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/31/390531.jpg

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/40/390540.jpg

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/32/390532.jpg

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/33/390533.jpg

[koprivakopriva]

Well, you managed to step in and nab some nice shots. I really like the one with the bridesmaids on the deck. Way to save the day!

[SuzyView]

Very nice. It's how many of us started, in a pinch. Just make sure you get the focus spot on. You did a very good job, so you may end up getting referrals. :)

[KayakPhotos]

Way to step up. I think you did a great job, especially considering the fact that you probably didn't get too do much planning in advance. This should help get some future work if you're interested in this type of work.

[3ntreri]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I had a lot of fun doing it, and Thailand is beautiful - I couldnt' have asked for a better backdrop!

As far as earning money from photography goes, I hadn't really thought about it - but it sure would be a fun way to fund some lens upgrades! I'd just need to find someone who'd take me on as an assistant or something. :D

One thing that is bothering me as I sort through the RAWs is that while I have the exposure pretty close to right almost every time, I seem to miss focus quite often. Any tips on what type of metering I should be using? Should I just try to do it manually?

[3ntreri]

I'm still in the process of sorting and editing but here a few more that I'm happy with so far:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/60/390760.jpg

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/61/390761.jpg

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ufiles/62/390762.jpg

[c2thew]

^ wow her pinky looks so small from that perspective!

nice sunset shots

[3ntreri]

haha, yeah I guess it does! Unfortunately I was shooting from my seat and aiming between two peoples' shoulders so I couldn't get a better angle than that. I didn't notice until you pointed it out though!

[k-style]

way to step it up, you did better than some people that actually get hired for the job.

[dufrenbk]

I agree with all the people above, given the circumstances, you definitely did a heck of a job, and probably would have done a heck of a job under normal circumstances. I'm doing my first wedding this weekend and you have given me hope lol. Of course my wedding will be indoors though, and indoors is generally tougher.

As for the misfocusing, what lenses were you using? What autofocus method were you using? I mostly (99% of the time) use the center focal point on my camera. That autofocus thing where the camera picks the focus point is ummm... crap...

[3ntreri]

Thanks again!! You guys are inspiring me to get more serious with my photography and learn how to do it properly. :)

Good luck on your indoor wedding shoot! I had a heck of a time at the dark reception afterwards. Very tall, dark ceilings so I couldn't really bounce my flash effectively.

My gear list is pretty humble, just a T1i with the 18-55mm kit lens, 55-250mm telephoto and a Speedlite 430EX II. I have a 50mm f/1.8 but in my haste to get to the wedding I forgot it in the hotel room. I was using the regular autofocus thing for the most part, though occasionally choose one of the outside focus points if peoples' faces were off center but it really seemed to have trouble focusing when I was shooting into the sunset.

I've posted more shots from the day on my blog: http://davelearnsphotography.blogspot.com/2009/12/travelblog-day13-wedding.html if anyone is interested.

[MHO]

wow Well done :)

You have done an amazing job to be honest!
Some really cool shots considering the 5 months experience! :p

May be you could bulid up on this ;) you never know!

[smokymtnrain]

Nice fill/ambient light!!!

[dufrenbk]

Try using primarily the center focal point. YOU pick the focus point, then recompose. Also, I'm thinking that some of the misfocused shots could be because of the equipment used. At least from my past experiences, that's what it was. I HATED my kit lens and was sooo glad when I finally got to upgrade. My upgrade path for that lens was 18-55, 17-50 2.8 Tamron, 16-35 2.8L. Once again though, awesome job.

[PJ]

Nice job stepping in! I'm sure the Bride and Groom will be eternally thankful.

[mathogre]

Nice recovery! :D If it had been us, I'd certainly be happy with what you did.

[dynamitetony]

I plan on making a photobook for them as a thank-you for letting me play with my camera on their big day



i would say it is the other way around.

they should be getting something for you as a thank you for saving their day

[3ntreri]

Wow, that didn't take long! After seeing my vacation/wedding photos, a family member asked me to shoot their wedding in August.

While I'd love to oblige them I'm more than a little nervous about it. Is there a polite way to ask them to hire a real photographer and allow me to 2nd shoot? How would I arrange that without stepping on the professional's toes?

Thanks again everyone for boosting my confidence enough to invest in some better glass (17-55mm f/2.8 IS) without feeling too guilty.

[berenguer]

You did a very good job under such a short time. I really like the ones in the deck. I will just fix the horizons on them. Good job.

[kingbob734]

Very well done, im dreading the day i have to do my first wedding, so much depends.... and you certainly delivered!

[Master-9]

The official photographer eventually showed up but by then the bride & groom had lost any confidence in him (huge language barrier) so I ended up being the 2nd shooter for the entire thing.

I wouldn't mind seeing the official photographer's work after seeing the great job you did. Have you seen his work yet?

[theslip]

Very well indeed considering the gears that you had, including the "accident" element surely you didn't prepared for.
boost up my confidence in minimum gear (kit lens+50mm) .
I still get so little takers during events that i thought i was well prepared for, althought i took 400+ shots.->meaning i need more practice, not more gear.

Really great job indeed.

[pixiephoto]

what an inspiration. I really like the last one in both sets. Thank you for sharing.

[LeftSide]

What a great job, these definitely turned out better than my first wedding! Fortunately I was the second shooter. I really like the ring shot. You got both of them in the frame.

[ckfishel2001]

2 and 3 are pretty cool. Nice job

[3ntreri]

Thanks again everyone.

When the couple get back from their honeymoon in Australia I'll be able to give them the photobook and hopefully see what the official photographer ended up with. I'm sure his will be amazing too as he had nicer gear than me (all Nikon stuff but the filter sizes on his lenses had to be 72mm+). I know I got some more candid shots than he did as he seemed to only shoot when they were posing. Between the two of us I hope the couple are happy with the results.

[bigcountry]

looks like you saved the day! good job man!