Reception Photos

I have been away from the forum for a while, but just getting back into reading on here again. After my past few weddings I have been realizing that my reception photos aren't anything spectacular, at least by my standards and I am looking for ways of improving the reception photos to make them more artsy and give them more significance. I was just wondering if anyone would mind posting their most creative or overall best reception photos so i can see what the rest of you are doing at receptions. thanks guys!!

A few thoughts:
- Off camera lighting (#1 tip)
- If you usually shoot with long lenses try using a wide lens and crouching by the head table. And vice versa.
- Remember the overall aim - to capture emotions

There is only so much you can do at receptions, given that there are people and kids running everywhere. I've done off camera lighting for the first dance, but I remove my tripods (that I use as light stands) afterwards to avoid getting sued because some chocolate-cake-fueled-kid/adult-under-the-influence-of-a-one-too-many-glass-of-wine tripped over them and broke their pancreas.

I also try going as high as I can and get different angles.

Try some shutter dragging (while moving/zooming)

Try bouncing your flash in different angles (but don't blind the guests... guide dogs are pretty expensive these days)

I'm finding I like receptions more and more. They used to seem like a necessary evil, but they can be fun. I think there are two things to remember. First, have fun. People will sense you're having a good time and be more open to your presence. Second, never let your guard down. Keep your eye open every second for scenes, settings, and things going on that you're trying to capture. I really like dragging the shutter for dance pictures. Some people probably don't like it, but I think it's a lot better than not conveying any sense of motion. Enough of that...here are a few favorites from a quick look.

http://www.tomnicolpho​tography.com/gallery/3​118741#172474143
http://www.tomnicolpho​tography.com/gallery/3​118741#172483475
http://www.tomnicolpho​tography.com/gallery/3​118741#172481350
http://www.tomnicolpho​tography.com/gallery/2​651331#141290061
http://www.tomnicolpho​tography.com/gallery/2​651331#141288385
http://www.tomnicolpho​tography.com/gallery/2​201378#114525538
http://www.tomnicolpho​tography.com/gallery/2​201378#114563822
http://www.tomnicolpho​tography.com/gallery/2​200266#114477965
http://www.tomnicolpho​tography.com/gallery/2​200266#114480315

thanks for the feedback everybody! i do shoot with 2 cameras during receptions. i usually use the 5D with 135L and 30D with 24-70L. I do like the idea of off camera lighting and I will try that next wedding. I do have a 580 and 2 430 flashes. what is a good set up to use for off camera lighting during dancing? dragging the shutter is something i've tried recently but haven't had much success with it yet. thanks for those photos too! my reception photos are on par with those so that makes me feel a little better about what i'm doing currently. i have been getting more creative with my formals and fun shots with the wedding party and the couple and my reception photos still have been improving with lighting and my focusing has been increasingly more accurate. i'm just searching for creativity with receptions so i continue to grow and get better as i am with the rest of the day.

In addition to dragging the shutter and using off camera lights, i like to get in really close with my 17-40 or 15mm fisheye. Work the low angles and the high ones (I spend half the reception with my camera over my head). Above all else, timing is key. I never sit down during receptions...I'm constantly on the prowl!

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those are some amazing photos. i also have played with the 17-40 in that fashion and have gotten some great results but for some reason i dont use it as much as i should! i'm going to have to make a list of all this stuff so i actually rememeber to do it.

for receptions, I tend to stay away and use the 70-200.

But for the dance (not first dance) I get right in there with all the flying elbows and shoot with the 10-22 almost exclusively.

Maybe I should clarify that for the toasts/first dance/etc, I stand back with a longer lens (and a wider lens - to capture the whole scene). But once the group dancing starts, I love to shoot close in with a really wide lens.

Jamie are you slaving someone else's flash in no.7 above, or did it just happen to go off at the same time? I've often thought about slaving the gun on Ann's camera, but she's usually so busy shooting her own stuff we never get to try it, and I tend to stick a couple of slaves out around the place instead (maybe on a stand, maybe on a table or a shelf).

Rob

It looks like a videographer to me

Great shots, Mr Wexler

RobKirkwood wrote in post #3970925
Jamie are you slaving someone else's flash in no.7 above, or did it just happen to go off at the same time? I've often thought about slaving the gun on Ann's camera, but she's usually so busy shooting her own stuff we never get to try it, and I tend to stick a couple of slaves out around the place instead (maybe on a stand, maybe on a table or a shelf).

Rob

Jon Rouston wrote in post #3970935
It looks like a videographer to me

Great shots, Mr Wexler

Yep, videograper. Incidentally, her big honkin light messed up quite a few photos from the night due to increasing the exposure on just the B&G enough so my flash was not able to freeze their motion. Grrrrrr...my happiest weddings are ones where there is no videographer!

Although, when I had the Nikon D80, I used to put the pop-up flash into commander mode and walk around with the SB800 in my pocket with the little feeties atatached, putting it down wherever there was a willing surface and having the lightest, easiest, 2 flash setup I have ever owned... Dang Canon and their superior sensors and more pleasing color and usable high ISO's - otherwise I'd be posing on Nikonians.org!

Thanks Mr Rouston!

jamiewexler wrote in post #3969718

How was this lit??

Must be an off camera to the right of the photographer. Damn, now I need to save for some pocket wizards.

When doing off camera lighting at receptions, do you use infrared with the speedlites or pocket wizards? i have one pocket wizard that i use right now with my white lightning x800 strobe for formal photos. i have a 580 and 2 430ex flashes that i can use with infra red. if you use pocket wizards for reception, what is the best way to meter the flashes in manual to get a good exposure?