I Got Roped Into It

Greetings, folks...

So, yeah. It happened to me -- the story you've heard again and again. A family member saw that you had a nice camera and asked me to shoot their wedding. And I agreed.

It's my sister; she's 42 and this is her second wedding... nothing hugely fancy -- they're getting married on the beach in Key West in a very simple gown and suit, a small affair with friends and family. I sent her a huge email listing all of the reasons why she should hire a professional and listed everything that could go wrong if I shot the wedding. She still wanted me to shoot it... Apparently her wedding coordinator team offers to "take pictures" of the event for an extra $500 (which she's doing, based on my email), but I have no idea what the quality of those will be, nor do I trust it, even to my meager skills.

So, I've been shooting since October (I can hear the groans now). In my defense, I spent three months prior reading (real books, not the Intarwebs) about composition, exposure, lighting, poses... anything technical and artistic I could get my hands on. And, in these past 5 months, I think I've taken some pretty stellar landscapes (http://www.flickr.com …i/sets/72157608​893353531/) and half-decent portraiture.

I've done similar preparation for this event in June -- quite a lot of reading books and advice from professionals, checking out thousands of images on Flickr for ideas and concepts for beach weddings... And that's my biggest fear at this point. By that time, I'll have swapped my XSi in for a 50D. I have a 70-200 f/2.8L, a 50mm f/1.8 and a 10-20mm f/4 which will serve me well, I believe. However, I'm a technical person at heart and I get hung up on the artistic details. Granted, I think my "eye" has improved immensely over the past 5 months... I can go through my photostream and see my captures progress in improvement over that time period, yet still I have a nagging feeling.

So, yes... I know I'm stupid. I have my shot checklist -- I have some creative shots of my own that I want to take, but I guess I'm looking to see if anyone is able to offer up any of the smaller details I might be glancing over. I'll have the equipment. I'll (hopefully) have the talent. I plan on checking all of my gear in with me on the flight. I'll have the itinerary and a plan that (I *pray*) I can execute.

Any thoughts?

It sounds like you have the right camera and lenses. Plus a finger to push the shutter release and an eye to look through the viewfinder. Don't take this personally, but with respect to wedding photography, you have a largely empty brain. The good point is that you know it and you tried really hard to tell your client. By empty brain, I mean to say that you lack the experience of doing a wedding. You lack the experience of knowing what will go wrong -- not what might go wrong -- but what will go wrong and how to make it right. For example, what time of day will you be shooting the beach ceremony? If it's anywhere within four hours of high noon, you will absolutely need supplemental lighting in order to avoid raccoon eyes and other problems with harsh light. What if it rains?

In your equipment list, you do not mention a good quality external flash. This is essential equipment, mounted on a bracket that allows you to swivel it for vertical shots.

If you know any wedding photographers, ask them if they will let you tag along on an assignment, just to get the feel of it.

joedlh wrote in post #7515481
Don't take this personally, but with respect to wedding photography, you have a largely empty brain.

Not taken personally at all -- from everything I've read, I know to be in this mindset which is *reeeaally* hard for me because A) I consider myself to be a very intelligent person and B) I'm a teacher -- I've taught all kinds of people all kinds of things and I have a knack for breaking things down so I can easily understand them and pass that knowledge on to others. I think that gives me an edge, but I'm trying to be as humble as possible with this.

Thankfully (for me) it's going to be a sunset wedding... perfect lighting conditions. I've arranged time with them at dawn and sunset the day before of the wedding to get casual/out of dress/suit pictures as well. Good for if I run out of sunset or if there weather isn't cooperative which leads me to....

Oh crap. Hope my hotel has shower caps -- my 70-200 is "weather resistant" not that I'd want to test that, but yeah... this is a fairly huge concern.

Got a Canon 580EX II Speedlight with a Poverty Wizard that's always in my bag. I wanna get a second light -- maybe a Vivtar 285.... I'm bringing some shoot-throughs and stands as well. I'm looking to pick up some Bee's, but I don't know if I'd wanna transport all that gear down on a plane.

Quality recommendation. Been wanting to do this, but I gotta look around for some -- thanks kindly! I do appreciate this type of feedback.

the 70-200 is water resistent only with a filter on to complete it and a 1D series model body

^^

My thoughts about bringing shoot throughs at a beach.....more likely than not..it's going to be windy at a beach. Just something to think about.

GenuineRolla wrote in post #7515898
My thoughts about bringing shoot throughs at a beach.....more likely than not..it's going to be windy at a beach. Just something to think about.

Always a concern, yeah... I have my sto-fens on the ready. ;p

Sounds like you are over thinking this to me. You explained you are no pro, and you will probably take less than great pictures. She seemed ok with that. If she was really serious about good wedding photography she would have hired a real pro. Show up, have fun, and be creative, it is all that can be expected of you.

My thoughts exactly

Haru wrote in post #7516082
Sounds like you are over thinking this to me. You explained you are no pro, and you will probably take less than great pictures. She seemed ok with that. If she was really serious about good wedding photography she would have hired a real pro. Show up, have fun, and be creative, it is all that can be expected of you.

Haru wrote in post #7516082
Sounds like you are over thinking this to me. You explained you are no pro, and you will probably take less than great pictures. She seemed ok with that. If she was really serious about good wedding photography she would have hired a real pro. Show up, have fun, and be creative, it is all that can be expected of you.

Agreed. It is her second wedding and she was satisified with the "$500 team of anyone" from the coordinator so I think the OP will do fine.

For a nice touch, think about doing a hardcover book from Apple, Blurb, or myPublisher and you can wow her with a better 'album' than she probably had the first time around.

btw, I don't know why the OP linked to his overdone HDR landscapes when he has a nice collection of people that shows far more skill with lighting and posing and getting someone to be natural than you would expect from 5 months experience...

http://www.flickr.com …ctions/72157611​170704028/

TheHoff wrote in post #7516130
btw, I don't know why the OP linked to his overdone HDR landscapes when he has a nice collection of people that shows far more skill with lighting and posing and getting someone to be natural than you would expect from 5 months experience...

Hey! I like overdone HDR. ;p (aside from the processing, I quite enjoy the composition on several of them)

Thanks for the compliment though -- most of those people are friends and family. I got the older of them to laugh and act natural by telling dirty jokes and how I slept with their mother the night before.

Edit: You can see the one's reaction here: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/rhwiii/32788062​89/

A bit old, but I figure I'd update the thread to give it some closure... I flew down to Key West last week to shoot my sister's wedding and, for most of the week, the weather was miserable! I was ready with my rain sleeves, but thankfully, the afternoon and evening of the wedding, it cleared up and the sky was absolutely gorgeous for the wedding!

Since the wedding guests (all 24) were family, and they knew I was the "official" photographer, the posing was simple to accomplish. I had three days before hand to do accent shots, so I know I shouldn't lull myself into a false sense of security in doing weddings, hah! I appreciate the comments and thoughts -- I think I managed an awesome job and created some great captures, but I'll leave that for you guys to decide.

congrats you did a great job!!! be proud of yourself!

I'm sure they will be very happy with these. Nice job!

joedlh wrote in post #7515481
It sounds like you have the right camera and lenses. Plus a finger to push the shutter release and an eye to look through the viewfinder. Don't take this personally, but with respect to wedding photography, you have a largely empty brain. The good point is that you know it and you tried really hard to tell your client. By empty brain, I mean to say that you lack the experience of doing a wedding. You lack the experience of knowing what will go wrong -- not what might go wrong -- but what will go wrong and how to make it right. For example, what time of day will you be shooting the beach ceremony? If it's anywhere within four hours of high noon, you will absolutely need supplemental lighting in order to avoid raccoon eyes and other problems with harsh light. What if it rains?

In your equipment list, you do not mention a good quality external flash. This is essential equipment, mounted on a bracket that allows you to swivel it for vertical shots.

If you know any wedding photographers, ask them if they will let you tag along on an assignment, just to get the feel of it.

Dang! Easy, man

Honestly, weddings are tough, but they aren't always insane, Something doesn't always go wrong. In fact, I'd say lots of times nothing goes wrong

And you don't absolutely need flash within four hours of high noon. I've never once used fill flash... ever. I've shot tons of times at high noon. This isn't the best example, but I think it works just fine...