tips for a photo session

my first foray into the weddings forum....

background: a couple that i am good friends with is getting married in a little over a month. they already have photo and video lined up. they want to have a slideshow/video play at the reception, kind of showing their relationship over the years. they asked me to take some pictures of them this weekend, to contribute to the slideshow/video. i dont consider this an e-session, but i do want some "e-session style" shots. they've asked me for candids, whcih i think i can manage, but i also want to do some posed shots.

any tips, in terms of how to compose/position them? i dont want to tell them "joe, grab jane by the waist and look lovingly into her eyes".... not that im knocking wedding photogs (i respect the work), but since ive never done it before, i cant take myself seriously if i say that lol

I would just be more "suggestive" as far as posing them. You might find out that they are naturally good at posing themselves. If not, then check out some photos online and try to pick out a few simple
poses you might want to try out.

Also look for nice lighting and scenery, etc...should be plenty of those in Brooklyn and NYC.

thanks nick... ive read some of your advice while trolling this section, and was hoping you'd chime in

re: lighting... im thinking of taking them to brooklyn bridge park, so there should be plenty of light, but i think we are getting a forecast of scattered thunderstorms, so im expectng overcast skies. in terms of flash, i just have a 430exii... should i use it on-camera (no off-camera cord) for fill light?

I dont like on camera fill flash most of the time, because most of the time it is done poorly. My style is to backlight them with the sun, and fill them in with a reflector sometimes.

You can see some of my engagement sessions on my blog, and plenty more in the sharing section of tons of other photographers.

ill have to wait until i get home to see your pics (and most of the ones posted here) - flikr is blocked at work

ekinnyc wrote in post #13076229
thanks nick... ive read some of your advice while trolling this section, and was hoping you'd chime in

re: lighting... im thinking of taking them to brooklyn bridge park, so there should be plenty of light, but i think we are getting a forecast of scattered thunderstorms, so im expectng overcast skies. in terms of flash, i just have a 430exii... should i use it on-camera (no off-camera cord) for fill light?

If you have overcast skies, you may be able to get away with not using any flash. Granted you might have flat lighting, but it's a lot less challenging IMO...

Sure you can play around with the 430EX II on or off camera. Underexpose the overcast skies to make them look more dramatic, etc...

Keep in mind that the Brooklyn Bridge is under construction so parts of it is covered in white. I'm sure you know this already, so just a reminder to be strategic about that. Of course there's always Manhattan bridge right there too! Also walk around Dumbo. Get some cobblestone shots. There's plenty of interesting stuff around that area!

The sticky at the top of this section has some good advice for e-sessions, which you could no doubt incorporate into your shoot.