Help I need advice.

Hi everyone , so my brother in-law wabts me to shoot his wedding up at the eastern high Sierra in Sep. My gear is 18-55mm , 55-250mm lenses and a really nice large flash I forgot the brand. My question is which lens should I use and any pointers would be great. Thank you.

My first bit of advice would be to post in the correct area.
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdis​play.php?f=113

Oh sorry

djr01974 wrote in post #17031099
my brother-- wedding -- really nice large flash--any pointers...

does your brother have someone shooting the wedding and you are a 'back-up' or candid type of guy?

i only ask because once in a 'lifetime' things like weddings can cause family problems if not done correctly. personally if it were me, i wouldnt do it.

but for pointers, go see the location and take some pics at the time of the wedding and see how your gear does in that environment

Yes I was thinking the same thing about not doing it. I was wondering if someone was on that same page. Thanks

if you have to ask those questions you are not ready

Ask your brother in-law who's making the wedding cake. After he answers ask him why that is. Explain that's the same reason he should hire a professional to handle the photography.

Ask your brother in law's bride to be to look over some of your work and ask her if she wants you to shoot her wedding. Explain to her that you do not have but one camera and some kind of flash, also one...and a couple lens. See if she wants to go with that. She just might want to do it. I have seen worse setups.

Well from what I understand the lady up at the camp site is making the cake, its more of a lets go to the courthouse kinda of wedding. Nothing fancy. I will run it by them. Thanks for all the input I will let you know what comes of it.

That's like the cake maker asking which mixing bowl should I use. Come on man, you've shot both these lenses. You know shooting an 18-55mm is a whole different world than shooting an 55-250mm. You'll need to use which ever is appropriate for what you're trying to capture. We've not seen the venue, or know what kind of access you will have to the subject matter, or even how large the subject matter (wedding party) will be. We don't know what the lighting will be like. My best pointer would be to make sure the client absolutely understands that they could end up with nothing usable. If they are OK with that, shoot with confidence. I would use the 55-250 when you need to get in tight and the 18-55 for the rest. Bounce your flash as much as you can. Make sure you use a fast enough shutter speed (at the expense of iso). Sharp and noisy is better than blurry and clean. If possible, educate yourself ahead of time to the proceedings. If not possible anticipate them and position yourself accordingly. Take charge, but don't be overly intrusive.

Well I talked to my brother inlaw today and he said they arent sure what they are gonna do , but still want me to bring my camera to take pictures. They know im not a pro so I feel alot better. I far as all the questions I know what my lenses do and I do shoot mostly now in full manual mode. Just was looking for advice from the pros or seasoned vets that have done it before to give me some pointers. Thanks for everything I will post some pictures in sept. Thanks again for taking the time to reply .

there is nothing wrong with AV and tv modes especially outside

You also may want to look into renting an additional camera and/or lens. Could be an opportunity to try out a new toy to play with and having two cameras setup would not be a bad thing.

get this:
*70-200mm 2.8L
* 24-70mm 2.8L
* 50mm 1.4
* 85mm 1.2L
* Another back up body
* three speedlights
* umbrellas, boxes
* stands
* plenty of memory cards
* light meter
* assistant

Practice every day until the wedding.

good luck.

Ray Marrero wrote in post #17040644
get this:
*70-200mm 2.8L
* 24-70mm 2.8L
* 50mm 1.4
* 85mm 1.2L
* Another back up body
* three speedlights
* umbrellas, boxes
* stands
* plenty of memory cards
* light meter
* assistant

Practice every day until the wedding.

good luck.

looks like the list i bring except i also bring a fisheye and 16-35 2.8