Help! Got suckered into a wedding!

[agosling]

The try to get out of it comment is a given, you don't have the skills,experience or equipment and theres no way you will get them in the next 90 days, that said you will probably do it anyway.

Normally I would say shoot RAW, but the 300d doesn't do this by default and even if you do put the hacked firmware in to get RAW it is impossibly slow. The only thing I can suggest is that if you must go ahead with this try to hire a 20D at least and just keep the 300 as a backup.

[Tragerman]

Originally Posted by agosling

...Normally I would say shoot RAW, but the 300d doesn't do this by default and even if you do put the hacked firmware in to get RAW it is impossibly slow...

Hmmmm, I have tons of 300d RAW photos on my hard drive that were taken long before I put the hack firmware on so I could do the FEC. Not sure why you think 300d (original Rebel) doesn't do RAW. Yes, there are some modes that don't do RAW, but the same is true of the 20D.

-Mickey

[agosling]

Both 300d's that I have used were bought in Australia and although the documentation said they should have RAW as an option, they didn't. One of them we ran the hacked firmware on and got the RAW option. It was however almost usless as the write time was close to 10 seconds an image.

[liza]

I would politely decline.

[ken lang]

Hi, what a task for a beginner, I did my first wedding under the same circumstances only weeks ago. First speak to the bride and tell her that you doubt your readiness to take on the job, I take it that you will not be charging. If she still wants you to take this on then prepare well. Check out wedding photographers web sites for ideas. Try to go along to another wedding and take some photographs, it is not a simple task, getting the exposure right for a white dress, dark suit and any back light from windows is a daunting task. The experience you will get from going along to another wedding will put you ahead of the game. Observe the official photographer at any weddings you can get along to, review the picture information used by the auto setting, and practice shooting in manual and varying slightly from the auto settings. I found that I had better results in manual than auto, though I have had six months to learn to use an SLR. Try and get an assistant for the big day, someone with an artistic eye, you will need to arrange the flow of the dress on the floor before taking the shots to avoid unsightly bundles of material bunched in front of the group. Speak to the bride and groom and find out exactly what shots they require and make your own list to prompt them. On the day you will need to take command of the guests, stamp some authority and make contact with the best man and let him know that you are relying on him to help to gather the groups for the photographs, you probably won’t know who is with the bride and who is with the groom.Get all of the men only shots out of the way before the men get too attached the beer and the afternoon sport results. Well that’s about all the knowledge that I have. Good luck

[DocFrankenstein]

My advice: tell him to buy the 430EX. The 420 is a bad flash for many reasons.

[therosefairy]

If youre interested in breaking into the photography business than this is a perfect way to get started. My first wedding was that of my friend, and guess what, we're still friends! As long as your friend truly realizes your not a professional, and your shots turn out decent than you should be fine. Weddings are A LOT of work, but you have plenty of time to practice, and there is so much great wedding photography advice out there. (I would personally invest in a flash bracket). Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

[Just Be]

Originally Posted by Big Mike

I wonder if you should win a prize for being the 1,000,000th person to ask this question?

All kidding aside...the usual advice is to decline. A wedding is a once in a lifetime even (or at least a first wedding is)...when it's all said and done...what will they have? Rings, a bunch of silly kitchen appliances and photographs. Do they really want someone with no experience to shoot their wedding?

I wouldn't recommend shooting a wedding with; just one camera, just one flash, only two GB of memory...the list goes on and on.

What might happen to your friendship if you screw it up? How will his new wife feel about it?

I don't mean to tell you that it can't be done...or that this sort of thing doesn't happen everyday...it can and does. So if you must do it...practice, practice, practice.

I agree!
Back out now!
Years ago I did a few weddings with one camera. You couldn't pay me enough to do one, unless it paid for another camera and all the gear I need to do it right.

Too much on the line for anyone without years of experience. IMHO.

[WeCamps Photography]

Originally Posted by jbstudios

Digital does make it easier, but it can also make you think you have a shot when in reality it is blurry and you didnt get it.

I have actually revisited this line of thought a hundred times. I don't believe digital makes it easier. If this is the first DSLR he has owned, I doubt he has any darkroom experience. No, not just processing the images, white balance, exposure correction (RAW), cropping, renaming, archiving, and professional print lab knowledge........ list goes on and on.

Back in the film days, now that (compared to now) was simple. Choose film speed and type, flash batteries loaded, shoot, and send film to lab for processing and prints. Show the lab printed proofs to the couple......

No, if you really look at the digital world most of us have entered, it is not easier. More knowledge and skill sets are required because, we (the photographer pros) are the makers of moments, tinkers in time, the doers of all regarding the digital workflow......


No offense meant, but we need to revisit who we are and what we do and know what it takes to put out "family heirloom images" not just snap shots.

Learn, Practice, Practice, and Practice................ My 2Cents

[nvrl8]

One of my first shoots was a friend's wedding....her 5th wedding hahahahahahaha. I didn't feel the pressure and it was outdoors. I still had a point and shoot hahhaahhaahaha.

You can do this. By the time it's over you will have learned more in 90 days than most people learn in a 2 years. I liked the advice someone gave you about getting a photographer to come and help you for your first time just in case.

I am also shooting my first REAL wedding soon and am planning, preparing, and reading. I am in love with my camera and know it well I believe, but the key to learning is asking questions even in the face of ridicule. Let us know how your learning curve is going!!!

[Jaymz]

Normally I would say back out, but if they (your friend getting married) don't have money for an experienced photographer and either you take the shots or they don't get any. Go for it, snapshots are better than nothing at all.

[ofdphoto]

Don't worry about the elitists who suggest you decline -- some couples don't care about their photos enough to spend big money on them, which means they're not going to care if your results aren't pro-looking. Make the most of the experience!! You have 90 days to practice, which is plenty of time to get to know your camera well and do plenty of reading and experimenting with posing, light, etc.

Definitely make sure you can use flash exposure compensation, otherwise you won't have much control over your flash, and make sure you know how to read a histogram and use it regularly on the day (it is your friend).

See how you go with mastering Av mode in your 90 "training days" ... or, if you're a glutton for punishment, M mode ... but if you can't trust yourself to work effectively with these modes on the day, run with P mode. That way you'll still have ISO control, EC and FEC control at least.

And if you're going to buy a lens, I've heard the Tamron 28-75 is a goodie (nice and fast at f/2.8), but you'll need something wider for group shots (your kit lens should be fine if you stop it down). I'd highly recommend f/2.8 glass for the ceremony, but again you're shooting as a friend not a pro so who cares?

By the way, before anyone eats me for using the word elitist, I do believe that weddings are a big deal and shouldn't be taken lightly when you're expected to deliver great results. But it's about time certain POTN wedding shooters realised that photography isn't a big deal for some couples. Sometimes they'd prefer to spend the money on, say, a jumping castle or something!! Each to their own.

Oh, and to the OP, try to have a backup camera of some description available. Even if it's a point and shoot. Better than being caught cameraless