Your Advice On This Will Be Greatly Valued

Hi all,

This is my first post here. I have been asked to shoot a wedding, normally I would decline straight away due to lack of experience and fear of failure! HOWEVER. This is a little different. It is for a work colleague of my brother and they have based their selection of me on the quality of my sports shots (practically all I shoot for local papers) and a few newborn portraits I done and the fact that it's either me or a family member with a point and shoot. It is a pressure free wedding due to the the fact that;

1)both of them have been married before
2)There will only be 8 people and a dog (yes a dog!) at the ceremony (I'm not required for the reception)
3) If i declined they were going to use a point and shoot.
4) I have 8 weeks to prepare and research/ learn as much as I can!

Being a virgin to this I thought I'd ask the advice of experts on here as the quality of work I have witnessed is simply mind boggling.

OK so.... here's the things I have to factor in are;

1) The time will be between 1030am and Midday just before our Australian Summer (mid November) so probably reasonably harsh light
2) Those attending are the B&G, both sets of parents and the brides brother and his girlfriend. The dog is a police trained german shepherd
3) The setting is a rural farm-like reserve with large trees and mountain backdrops. (i havent actually visited it but roughly know the area and plan to go there before the event maybe a few times to get ideas)
4) They own 2 Volkswagon Kombi Vans which they regularly hire out for wedding and would like those incorporated into some shots too.
5)The bride is pregnant but I'm not sure how advanced.

The gear I have that would be suitable for this event is;
1) 2 bodies 400D & 10D
2) 380 EX flash
3) 18-55 kit lens
4) Nifty 50mm f/1.8
5) 70-200 f/2.8L
6) I also have a 70-200 f/4L and 300mmf/4L but not sure theyd be of any use

So my question to anyone willing to give advice are;
1) Is there anything I ahould be looking to purchase before hand? (within a reasonable price ($200-$300)
2) Any tips for using the natural light to my best advantage?
3) Ideas or tips given the above factors?
4) Tips on poses, arrangements and/or anything you can think of!!
5) I'm reasonably proficient on Photoshop CS2 so even post processing ideas advice is welcome

Naturally I will be scouring the forum looking for any little ideas I can get in the coming weeks. Although they aren't expecting anything amazing I'd really like to create something special

Any advice, tips or tricks will be greatly appreciated in my quest to capture the day for them.

Thankyou in advance

Rob

I'd purchase another flash (580 or 430) this way you have a flash for both bodies.
If you have an assistant I'd look into a reflector or scrim to help with the harsh lighting.

Check out the FAQ sticky at the top of the forum. There is a ton of helpful advice and some links to books you may want to purchase.

As for the natural lighting, use fill flash to blast away the shadows. Good Luck!!

Hi there!
I would say go for it. I was in a similar position in march- an old school friend of mine (who was pregnant too!) was getting married and had decided not to have a photographer (quite low-key village wedding), but then chickened out at the last minute (4 weeks before wedding) and asked if I'd do it... I was very unsure whether to or not, but decided to go for it anyway- if they hadn't had me they would have had no photos at all! It was a tricky wedding- they did not want ANY groups! All shot candidly- which is one of my stronger points anyway- but I think it would have been nice for them to have some nice couple shots, and family groups.
Anyway, they were chuffed with the results so happy days all round!
Tom

I think the aussie shooters will be most helpful to you. In general I think you need a more powerful flash to fight the sun, and a decent quality lens so you don't get flare. You could rent a 580EX and a 17-55 or 24-70, expose for the background, and flash the couple preferably with a battery pack else recharge times could be slow.

Thanks guys, I was thinking that with the flash, may have to invest in at least a 430EX, please keep the advice coming! The more the better!

I went out and purchased a second flash for my first wedding.
It's always useful for your second body or as a reserve. Not only that, if you end up shooting indoors at all in darkish conditions you can use it as a slave.
I hope you enjoy the challenge and good luck,

If you can borrow, buy or steal a 580ex do it. Shoot in AV mode and set the flash to HS mode. This will meter for the ambient light and use the flash as just fill.
In our bright Aussie light you should not have too much trouble getting a decent shutter speed outside. It is still advisable to check shutter speed does not drop too low. If it does simply up the ISO.
Good luck with the wedding, you will find it challenging but a very good learning curve.

jtfoto wrote in post #3995742
If you can borrow, buy or steal a 580ex do it. Shoot in AV mode and set the flash to HS mode. This will meter for the ambient light and use the flash as just fill.
In our bright Aussie light you should not have too much trouble getting a decent shutter speed outside. It is still advisable to check shutter speed does not drop too low. If it does simply up the ISO.
Good luck with the wedding, you will find it challenging but a very good learning curve.

Thanks jfoto, I would love to have the 580EX by then, I'll just have to see how i go, I agree that shutter speed shouldn't be a problem. Naturally it's something I'm always conscious of being a sports photographer.

Thanks kato1, it's seems unanimous that I need a second flash. Will have to keep my eye out for one. Doubt that i will be able to afford a 580EX by then but with any luck I will. I also don't think I could use it as a slave with my old 380EX I'm pretty sure they're not compatible for that.

ANY OTHER ADVICE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Wow this sounds exactly like the situation I have gotten myself into!!

Sorry to bring back an old thread but I'm photographing a friend's wedding next weekend and at the moment I'm trying to figure out how best to combat the harsh light for the outdoor ceremony at 11am. I've been experimenting with a 430EX using all sorts of modes... I seem to be getting the best results using manual settings but still getting blown highlights. I'm wondering if it is feasible to use ND filters to cut down the bright light? Any help greatly appreciated! The sooner the better as I have to go buy whatever kit I need pretty soon.

I disagree on renting a short focal length lens. It's really easy to over-crowd a small ceremony. I'd sit back with the 70-200 and pop off some great, sharp shots, maybe try to co-ordinate with some strobes.

In my case, I am getting another guy to help me. Ideally he'll be up the back with my Sigma 100-300/4 to get the audience view while I shoot from the front with (I think I've decided on...) a 24/2.8 and a 50/1.4 or if need be, my 17-35L but I think that is going to flare too much in such harsh light. Or should I use my 100/2.8 to get some tight shots of faces? Oh, decisions, decisions....