Full day coverage.. How much is enough?

hi all.. just wanted to check with you guys and gals how much CF card i should be bringing? i'm shooting a friend's friend's wedding as the primary. they will also have another friend with drebel there to shoot as well plus a videographer.

anyway, i have about 14G of CF card storage, which is about 1400 RAW. i'll be there from 9AM till 11PM (reception ends). will that be enough storage? it's not a paid gig.. more like a freebie just so i can build up my portfolio for wedding photog.

though is a freebie, i want to do the best possible, but at the same time, i think 1400 photos may be enough. but my friend questions if it's enough?

what do you guys think? should i buy more CF cards?

You should be fine. A friend of mine shoots with 11 GB and doesn't run out of space.

Totally depends on your style. I rarely shoot over 800 photos - but my friend in the industry shoots over 2000.

But I think you will be fine.

I have 10GB and don't fill it in 8 hours - I could get by with 6 at a push, 8 ok, 10 is comfortable. You can always review/delete bad ones if you find 2 minutes of downtime, but I wouldn't worry too much about that. If you get down to your last 2GB switch to JPG and be careful with your exposures, esp at high ISO.

I shot 12 in the last one, so I now have 14+ gb + the epson p-2000 and a laptop. Feeling tight on memory is about the worst feeling ever and the simpliest solution

tim wrote in post #2401048
I have 10GB and don't fill it in 8 hours - I could get by with 6 at a push, 8 ok, 10 is comfortable. You can always review/delete bad ones if you find 2 minutes of downtime, but I wouldn't worry too much about that. If you get down to your last 2GB switch to JPG and be careful with your exposures, esp at high ISO.

thanks Tim, the bride will have another shooter there, though i'm the primary, i'd still like to get the best angle possible. i'm just hoping i don't have to resort to JPG. i'm not that good yet. yeah, looks like i'll have some downtime based on the schedule the bride gave me. so that's a good thing.

coreypolis wrote in post #2401054
I shot 12 in the last one, so I now have 14+ gb + the epson p-2000 and a laptop. Feeling tight on memory is about the worst feeling ever and the simpliest solution

corey, when u use the P2000.. do you delete the files on the CF card afterward?

EOS mE wrote in post #2401097
corey, when u use the P2000.. do you delete the files on the CF card afterward?

only if I'm desperate. I've never had an issue, but its easy to foresee something happening.

I never have downtime on a wedding day, there's always something to shoot, even if it's settings, rings, flowers, etc.

ic.. so basically your P2000 is there for backup storage in case. but majority it's still on the flash card, yes?

tim wrote in post #2401144
I never have downtime on a wedding day, there's always something to shoot, even if it's settings, rings, flowers, etc.

well... the B has to change 3 times in to 3 different dress. So during those time, her hair will be madeover. so.. those are the downtime the B is giving me and my wife. i just hope i don't get trigger happy and start rapid firing everything.

btw... do you guys and gals use rapid fire (3 shot) a lot? or mainly single shots?

On your 30D it should be plenty. It might not be enough on my 5D for 14 hours. You can delete something if you know the person blinked or something, just to feel more comfortable. Like Corey said, it's a terrible feeling to worry about running out of space. Good luck! I get exhausted after 5 hours.

Depends on what kind of Tog you are. If you're selective about your shots, you have PLENTY. If you're a spray and pray type, you may fill your cards up. I personally am selective and usually will only end up taking about 400+/- pictures in a full day event. I'd rather wait for the right shot or set it up than to take 10 shots of the same thing and decide later which is the keeper.

EOS mE wrote in post #2401156
btw... do you guys and gals use rapid fire (3 shot) a lot? or mainly single shots?

Always single shot. Wazza shot in rapid fire with me once, it created a bunch of duplicates and a bunch of work later.

My finger's pretty quick where necessary.

both, single shot with flash, 8.5fps for the big event (first kiss, walking back down the aisle, some danceing etc)

thanks guys! i try not to spray and pray. normally i set up the settings first by checking the histogram. if it looks good, then the rest is butter.

yeah.. 14hrs is a stretch. i'm just afraid afterwards, my friend will ask me for the originals on behalf of her friend, B&G. my wife says i should say NO! and just give them 8x10 photos and about 200-300 at most. the rest, if they want they should pay me for it.

should i also make them sign a contract even though it's a freebie.. u know just so i can use the photos in my porfolio? or will verbal agreement be good enough? i don't know them very well.