Asked to shoot rehearsal dinner? Help please.

My niece is getting married in November and called yesterday to ask if I would shoot the wedding rehearsal. I am one of her bridesmaids and she has hired a professional for her wedding and reception, but said she wants photos taken during the rehearsal. Does anyone have any pointers about this, what I should be looking for, just snapshots or more formal type things? Yes, I'll ask her what she wants but I love all the ideas and information that is shared here.

Thanks!

where is the rehearsal dinner? Make sure you get the lighting set, as far as location, test shots are always good. You do have a fair amount of time so that's nice as well. Rehearsals are usually lots of fun so make sure you capture that.

jgoodstein wrote in post #7479781
where is the rehearsal dinner? Make sure you get the lighting set, as far as location, test shots are always good. You do have a fair amount of time so that's nice as well. Rehearsals are usually lots of fun so make sure you capture that.

Hmm, what does this mean? I didn't consider myself a newbie but I guess I must still be. I don't have any lighting, don't even have a flash at the moment but will be purchasing one within the next few months. I live 8-9 hours away from the location, so test shots are probably going to be darn near impossible.

I wouldn't fret it. Just make sure your neice understand what she's going to get. If you don't have your 580 by then and have time to practice with bouncing, etc., you'll obviously be using your flip-up flash which is fine, but will get you that limited, harsh lighting that comes with small on-camera flash. For pictures taken as a favor by an aunt, she should appreciate having them regardless. However, you might want to show her some samples of your flash photos in similar situations, maybe in a dark restaurant or something, just so she knows what they'll look like.

As far as what to shoot, I've never done a rehearsal dinner myself, so I'm not speaking from experience. I'm surprised she asked someone who's in the party because it might be nice to have shots of the actual rehearsal. Maybe there's someone you can pass your camera to for a little while? Then I think you mostly take candid shots of the dinner as it happens. Maybe a couple of groups shots not unlike a wedding: the couple, the couple with each set of parents, and then the full wedding party. I would keep it simple and not stress out over it.

It'd be horrible for her to miss out on pictures of people eating at the rehearsal!

Just take some snaps, ask what she wants photos of on the day.

I would say just keep it simple....you know your niece better than I do, but I would imagine she is not expecting too much. Just have fun with it.

I'm shooting a rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. I'll arrive a half-hour before anyone else to capture the table settings, wine glasses, decor, flowers, etc. Then, during the event, the mother of the groom (paying me) has made it clear that she wants "The Toasts" captured. So, that is a major focal point. Otherwise, it's candids, laughs, and life. Relax and shoot away.

Typically many high end weddings that I shoot tend to ask me to photograph the rehearsal dinner-- I try to get there early to get everyone comfortable with me and shoot more photojournalist of what is happening. Get the food, surrounding, atmosphere before hand and then the emotion of the event. Then when everyone is comfortable you can get some group shots and more creative fun shots.

They probably just want group shots of people sitting and/or at the table. Make sure you get good photos of children running around, too, if there are any.

Invest in that 580, bounce it strong off a ceiling and you'll see a world of difference. If you don't have the money, you can probably save a little by going down to the older 430.

If you have to use your on-camera flash, I'd at least get a Sto-fen bounce that's made to fit those small, flip-up flashes. That should help, at least a little. I've done quite a few rehearsal dinners and I always treat them as informal occasions. I shoot in the PJ style (Photojournalistic) the entire time, unless specifically requested to shoot a portrait.