What do you think about a stationary camera?

I'm doing my first real wedding Sunday (were I'm the photographer). I have a co-photographer, also her 1st non-family wedding.

We have loads of equipment between us (5 bodies, 20 or 30 lenses to choose from, remotes, slaves, soft boxes, umbrellas, etc etc).

It's in a venue's outdoor gazibo - reception indoors (same location). About 60 guests.

We want to find some high ground and tape/nail a tripod and pre-focus a nice prime L (maybe 135L on a 5D) with a remote switch and remote flash in an umbrella placed in the Gazibo - if we can do so discretely.

We expect harsh shadows so I think flash is needed for some key shots - will decide that part on location.

We'll limit the flashes to the key shots, maybe 10 in all. Then other shots without flash. Flash will be fill, probably FEC -1.

Then one of us will have a remoting trigger in hand.

We will do the same during the reception with a 10-17 and over-flash (580EX probably) on a tripod with remote, tripod taped to the stage.

Any thoughts? Anyone tried this?

I tried to do something like this on a wedding last month. I put my old 300d on a tripod in the balcony on a tripod, and planned to use the remote to fire it, but the wireless remote would not reach, so that didn't work for me.

If your intent is to shoot in a wedding PJ style, then I don't think I'd go that route. Concentrate on capturing moments throughout the venue in the traditional manner.

liza wrote in post #2516678
If your intent is to shoot in a wedding PJ style, then I don't think I'd go that route. Concentrate on capturing moments throughout the venue in the traditional manner.

I'll still be scanning the crowd with 70-200 f2.8 L in hand. It's just that I'll be stuck in one spot, albiet a good one (likely high ground and to the side of WP). My co-shooter will be doing the roving PJ stuff with her 28-300L on a 5D. Again, it's outdoor lighting.

It's either with a 10 meter wired remote or Quantum wireless.

This is just a pre-setup to get that one good shot at key moments.

it sounds like you may be complicating thins for your first wedding. It is really tough to keep up if you dont have a lot of experience, and worrying about technical issues will just make it worse!

Enjoy the day and capture the emotions, that is what they are paying you to do! Worry about the camera on your face and shoot the most you possibly can

THESE guys use a remote setup
Go to their site, click creative and unique images. They show you where the camera is and what they captured.

Personally I think most images look really stale and blah, nothing great or album worthy.

litwinphotography wrote in post #2516957
it sounds like you may be complicating thins for your first wedding. It is really tough to keep up if you dont have a lot of experience, and worrying about technical issues will just make it worse!

Enjoy the day and capture the emotions, that is what they are paying you to do! Worry about the camera on your face and shoot the most you possibly can

+1

coreypolis wrote in post #2516978
THESE guys use a remote setup

That's so weird, Corey. I just checked out this guy's site and saw that he did the engagement pics of someone I knew a long time ago. What a trip.

I did a small gazebo wedding once. All I did was hang a slave up in the ceiling area to get rid of weird shadowing. No other remotes or anything. If you make a plan of action, I'm sure you can get all the shots you want yourself, without using a setup that takes 1 hour to set up.

Thanks guys. Maybe you're right.

My co-shooter is much more experienced, but it's her first non-family wedding too. The setup time is no big deal, and she knows what to do, but I'm thinking it's not worth it. Like you say, we'll get plenty of shots just having camera on face.

The remote flash will still be a go if we can get it right and it's not too distracting.

She's already told us she wants us to use flash if that'll make the photos better. If we flash behind her it won't bother them so much.

litwinphotography wrote in post #2516957
it sounds like you may be complicating thins for your first wedding. It is really tough to keep up if you dont have a lot of experience, and worrying about technical issues will just make it worse!

Enjoy the day and capture the emotions, that is what they are paying you to do! Worry about the camera on your face and shoot the most you possibly can

+1

This together with your other thread are leading me to believe that you really need to slow down and concentrate on the job in hand. A wedding is a real complex shoot and you'll be lucky to get everything you should be getting without worrying about photo booths and remote cameras.
Concentrate on capturing the emotions of the day and forget about trying to be every kind of photographer. If you can do one job well on your first attempt you should be congratulated, if you try to do it all and fail? The bride isn't likely to shrug her shoulders and say 'well I realised it was your first time and you really stretched yourself, so it's OK that you came unstuck and messed up some of the important stuff'.

Phil V wrote in post #2517958
This together with your other thread are leading me to believe that you really need to slow down and concentrate on the job in hand. A wedding is a real complex shoot and you'll be lucky to get everything you should be getting without worrying about photo booths and remote cameras.
Concentrate on capturing the emotions of the day and forget about trying to be every kind of photographer. If you can do one job well on your first attempt you should be congratulated, if you try to do it all and fail? The bride isn't likely to shrug her shoulders and say 'well I realised it was your first time and you really stretched yourself, so it's OK that you came unstuck and messed up some of the important stuff'.

Thanks.

I'm glad I posted these two threads. I was feeling more confident because there were two of us.

Upon further reflection; I'm pretty sure we'll just shoot the whole thing normally and, as you said, pay more attention to anticipating and capturing some emotional moments.

If after everything's in the bag we decide to go to the car and unload the portriat booth, it'll be good practice for us and a bonus for them. If we're tired and decide to call it a day, we'll probably just hang out and fill up our final cards, or maybe go try something else that won't matter if we mess it up.

We're not commited to any of these "complications". The Bride's pretty easy.

Cheers. Great advice.

I'd forget the photo booth altogether. The last two weddings I've been a guest at with a photo booth... well.... I think there was a total of 5 couples who used it between the two weddings. And one of the brides was mad because the photographer sat there waiting for people to come to her rather than her going out and finding moments to capture.

picturecrazy wrote in post #2518772
I'd forget the photo booth altogether. The last two weddings I've been a guest at with a photo booth... well.... I think there was a total of 5 couples who used it between the two weddings. And one of the brides was mad because the photographer sat there waiting for people to come to her rather than her going out and finding moments to capture.

So it's not a fresh idea...

I would have to agree it's a spectacularly bad idea if there's just one photographer. In addition; charging big bucks for the booth then more big bucks for the print is also questionable (as a client I'd expect one or the other). But as a service to the guests, in addition to the other guests, isn't it equivilant to an open bar?

Setting my situation aside for a moment (my first full wedding), when I gather more experience so its not such a burden, I'm still considering the possibility. Hearing about these other attempts is great info.

If the bride pays extra for the booth and it's manned separately, she'll obviously not get POed since she's paid for it so must want it.

Also; I am attracted to the pure marketing value of getting a lot of people to visit your site to go retrieve their free print. I'm wondering if that just doesn't pay for itself in the form of good impressions, more print sales, and more people with your info bookmarked.

Coming off like you're trying to scrape more money from, or marketing to, the Brides guests does seem tacky. Charging big dollars for prints after receiving several thousand $$ for the service however is widely accepted. I'm still just trying to reconcile that.


.... really? 5 people? You think if they knew they were free prints more would come? If it's only 5, then it's not even worth discussing.

In other words ... maybe the lack of popularity is because people were feeling resentful about being marketed to rather than being on the receiving end of a wonderful opportunity.

All that said; you guys have the experience and I hear you saying "they want the party documented, not some booth". I hear you.