What else would I need to shoot a wedding?

A friend has asked me to shoot his wedding because they just dont have the money to pay for one.

I told them that I have never done one and that they shouldnt expect spectacular results. and they were fine with that.

but I would like to be able to produce a result as best as possible.

just wondering what other lenses I might need to rent or buy

this is what i have so far:

50D body
sigma 30 f1.4
sigma 10-20 f4
EF 50 f1.8
efs 55-250f3.5-5.6 IS

I will be going to buy a Ex580II because i was planning on getting one anyway

what else would you guys recommend?

While the Sigma 30mm would work nice I'd still recommend a zoom because you have to act fast and having the versatility is important. I would rent a 17-55 f/2.8IS, great wedding lens.

If you don't have one already a verical battery grip is always nice. The weddings I've done I find myself shooting alot in portrait position. Also having 2 batteries in it and you should be good for the day. The 580exII is a good choice, you may want to think about a CP-E4 external battery pack which will give you lots of fire power.

You might want to consider renting a second body, and maybe a 85mm f/1.8 or 70-200 f/2.8 IS to use with that, for closeups and such. But you can probably get away with most of it with a 17-55IS.

And shoot RAW!

Re-read the above post a few times.

Rent a second body (preferably the same type you already have) and a second flash unit. You cannot afford to have a failure of such critical items fail during a wedding shoot.

Make sure you have plenty of extra batteries for the camera(s) and flash unit(s) as well as extra memory cards.

DStanic wrote in post #9618839
While the Sigma 30mm would work nice I'd still recommend a zoom because you have to act fast and having the versatility is important. I would rent a 17-55 f/2.8IS, great wedding lens.

If you don't have one already a verical battery grip is always nice. The weddings I've done I find myself shooting alot in portrait position. Also having 2 batteries in it and you should be good for the day. The 580exII is a good choice, you may want to think about a CP-E4 external battery pack which will give you lots of fire power.

You might want to consider renting a second body, and maybe a 85mm f/1.8 or 70-200 f/2.8 IS to use with that, for closeups and such. But you can probably get away with most of it with a 17-55IS.

And shoot RAW!

I would definately rent another body, a 17-50 f2.8 zoom and another flash (as backup). Nothing will suck more than a body going or the flash dying.

Make sure you have a ton of CF cards and batteries (for the camera and flash) and make sure they are all ready to use ie freshly charged and formatted.

As Dstanic has said RAW is a must. You will fudge exposure or WB on one or more of your shots and RAW gives that bit of leeway you might need.

thank you very much for the advice

360° wrote in post #9616496
A friend has asked me to shoot his wedding because they just dont have the money to pay for one.

I told them that I have never done one and that they shouldnt expect spectacular results. and they were fine with that.

but I would like to be able to produce a result as best as possible.

just wondering what other lenses I might need to rent or buy

this is what i have so far:

50D body
sigma 30 f1.4
sigma 10-20 f4
EF 50 f1.8
efs 55-250f3.5-5.6 IS

I will be going to buy a Ex580II because i was planning on getting one anyway

what else would you guys recommend?

I think if this is just a one time deal for a friend, then that kind of commitment to gear isn't necessary. I would look into renting rather than purchasing. Sure, a backup body would be nice, but again, this is a one time deal right? Are you getting paid or is this pro-bono? I would say if they are paying you, then perhaps it's prudent to have a second body.

That said, I agree with the others. On a cropper like the 50D, I think the EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS is going to be great, and I would also try to rent the 70-200 f2.8 IS. Use 2 bodies so you don't have to swap out these lenses and you are always ready. Buying the 580EXII was a good move as well.

You might also want to supplement the 2 zooms some primes. I would say either use your 50 1.8 or rent the 85 1.8.

The Siggy 10-20 might be a fun lens to have around for those UWA angles.

I would say the 55-250 might be fine for outdoor shots, but I would forget about that lens for anything indoors.

What I would suggest is to keep it simple. 2 zooms. 2 bodies. Have a prime for DOF shots. 580EXII.

Patience, stamina, people skills, talent.... :P

Apart from that, you definitely need a second body. If you can't get hold of a FF (even a 5dc would be awesome) then the 85 might be too long, but in an ideal world you'd get that FF and an 85 to put onto the front of it.

There is something special about pics from a 5d(c & II) that really works for weddings.

having shot a few weddings, i'll leave the camera/ lens to the above.

now what you really need to do is look at all your buddies professional wedding photos, get ideas about poses, ring pictures, backgrounds, etc.
scout out the church/ reception area, look for back drops, check for a gazebo or waterfall or park near by for background group shots. you may have to bring a backdrop with you, remember white/ black is bride and groom, check what colors the bridesmaids are wearing and find a color that will highlight them. i have found that light gray works nice sometimes. avoid mirrors and glass doors.
watch for anything growing out of their heads or distacting backgrounds.

you also need to be a bit of a pain to get the shots, don't be afraid to ask them to pose.
always be looking for the in the moment shots, they happen quickly.
it may be a look, a head resting on a shoulder, a fathers face, a mothers tear... be very observent. and be ready to shot. i leave the auto off set to off, i want the camera ready to go right now all the time.

i won't even go into post processing.