Author Topic: Any tips for shooting a wedding? (Read 40269 times)

Freezingpictures · « **on:** July 07, 2007, 03:54 »

Probably I am going to shoot a wedding this August and tomorrow we will have a test shooting. Since I never have done this I would like to ask if you guys have any suggestions. I will just do the photos where the couple poses without any guests. For the ceremony and the reception they have someone else. The place most likely will be in a park. I will use my 30D and probably the 28-300 Tamron lense. If I do not use the full range especially 200-300mm the quality should be ok. I will try out the flash too.

maunger · « **Reply #1 on:** July 07, 2007, 05:49 »

i just did my first wedding for a good friend. Nerve racking!

Test shooting is the best idea - i did the same - taught me many things about the lighting in the park on that day and time. Mine was at 6pm and it turned out to be overcast... good lighting but a bit dark... most of the time i used my fastest lens F1.8.

I covered my fanny by taking most shots without flash, but i also always tried to remember to use the onboard flash just as a precaution... turns out most of those shots are the ones i'm using as best... they provided the good fill lighting even from further away and gave a little sparkle to their eyes.

i also used my monopod for stability (i think i'm not as steady with the hands as i used to be)... i also think that helped compared to the test shots i did the week before... more of them were in good focus.

also, don't just rely on ISO 100 like we try to do for stock - go to ISO 400 or even 800 if you have to to get good shutter speed for focus... there might be a tiny bit of noise, but in this case focus is more important and the customer won't care... they'd rather just see clear faces.

I think i prefer the candid shots, but if i were you for most of it i'd stay out of that 200-300 range.

Get as close as you need to get good faces - people want to see the faces!

good luck!

steve-oh · « **Reply #2 on:** July 07, 2007, 09:53 »

Are you doing formal portraits or more photojournalistic style?

Here's a link for some inspiration:

Wedding Photojournalist Association
http://www.wpja.com/for_the_photographer/

Make sure you know who the major players are-- family/friends (extended and immediate) and make sure you get them in your shots. I've noticed some wedding photographers tend to fixate on one or two people (for whatever reason) and sometimes those people are no more than a guest of someone they had to invite.

Be creative. Take some details shots of the food, wedding cake, and any other items that catch your eye. Use high ISO and wide aperture with natural light for some shots.

I know it's a little gimmicky, but throw in a couple slow shutterspeed with flash shots. People seem to like those.

Not sure of the venue, but bounce flash might be appropriate too.

As for lenses, you will probably find yourself using wide angle for the reception and more of a mid telephoto for the ceremony.

Sorry for the disconnected thoughts, good luck! Shooting weddings and parties can be so much fun!

Pixart · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2007, 10:48 »

Hey Freezing, my first too - in August also, so unfortunately I likely won't be able to ask you how yours went and beg for last minute tips as I will be in another province for a couple weeks for my neice's wedding.

I probably don't have much to say that you don't know, but I find myself taking more and more outside lately, so this much I know with outdoors experience - with broken/moving clouds the colour and strength of the light changes every few seconds so you have to meter every few seconds. I usually try to search out shade outdoors and fill. Sometimes I stick a Nikon flash on a light stand at 45 which fills nicely if the group isn't too large.

Don't do just shade though, full sun can be nice too if you can get around the squinting. I also read a tip recently to have the group close their eyes for a few seconds and tell them when to open so they don't have that "beady eye" (tiny pupil) look. I've tried this one before - as they aren't squinting as much for a couple seconds.

For smaller groupings (i.e. bride and grooom), someone could hold a bounce reflector for you. Also, I shot 3 kids under blossoming apple trees this spring, I used the scrim inside one of my reflectors like a soft box in front of a flash about 5 feet away and the light was really nice. It took care of most of those stray bits of light that fall through the branches - but still some shots were ruined due to pockets of changing light that "weren't there a second ago".

Tripod or monopod - a must.

For shots without shade and a lot of sun, you may want to bring along a polarizer. If the subjects are blond or bald and there is strong sun overhead, they can be like mirrors and blow out very quickly.

Another neice last summer had a friend do the "wedding" photos, and they asked me to take several other situations... but I didn't want to be in the way when they went to the park so I stayed behind. She loved the ones they took, so that's all that matters, but man - the photos she sent out had a white sky (it was a beautiful day) and the tops of their heads were totally blown out. One of the groomsmen was black and you could barely make out his details! Oh, I wish I was there. A polarizer and fill would have really helped improve.

I took the camera on a hike a couple weeks ago with the family. Sun was overhead, and they look like a family of racoons. They were just snapshots, I didn't use any fill, and everything is nicely lit except for the eye sockets which are full of shadow. Evil, mean looking family! (dumb dumb dumb)

A neighbor had a ton of children in the wedding party and a cute photo was of the bride/groom off to the side kissing with the kids surrounding and covering their eyes. Maybe a little hokey, but I still got a laugh from it!

Another tip is to check background for different tones. Anything lighter than your subjects can be distracting. A fountain can be made part of your photo, but the group of yellow flowers in the distance will pull focus.

Oh, and try a few with the zoom. (Note - just a few) I find the compressed backgrounds can be very interesting.

Also, if you are shooting in a park you may require a permit. The bride should check this.. it would be a real bummer to get kicked out on her wedding day!

I have to take my neices photos at about 11:30. The worst time of day!

Anyone else please add to this post. I could really use the tips too!

wysiwyg_foto · « **Reply #4 on:** July 07, 2007, 13:46 »

Shooting a wedding is the most nerve wracking thing ever. Aside from the suggestions mentioned - simply ask them what they want. I know it sounds funny but I did a wedding in May where the bride insisted she didn't want any posed pictures. I showed her a couple of styles online (either traditional or photojournalist styles) and she like the photojournalist style. Her important thing was that she wanted candids - she wanted to see people in an everyday light.

The second thing I would say is don't listen to everyone. You'll find every friend and relative at the wedding asking you "did you get that?" or "can you get this?". Remember - you're on assignment from the bride and groom - you know what they want...it's all about them not the guests. If you have time for those other "opportunities" that everyone is asking you to get, then fine, but don't neglect your assignment and miss a shot because of them.

Third, have fun - you'll be exhausted at the end of the day!

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #5 on:** July 07, 2007, 16:15 »

Thanks a lot for all the tips! I am doing just the bride and the groom, I am not doing the photos at the ceremony or reception. An idea I have for my shooting I want to share for the others with upcoming weddings. Try to do natural pictures. Very often a forced smile does not look very good. My favorite people shots are those where people do not expected that I took a picture. Like, let them pose and smile take the picture and pretend this pose is done, half a second later take another unexpected shot and probably you will have much less tensed faces. In addition it will surprise them and then they start to laugh, thats the time for you to take the real good pictures

. So goes my theory, and it worked on some people for me. I will try it out tomorrow. Probably you can use it just once or twice then the surprise effect will be away. But I hope it will loosen the tension and gives it all a funny atmosphere.
Oh and then we all do know that word cheese, when the people should smile. Well try this out stick real cheese in your pocket. And then while saying cheese pull the cheese out and hold it up. I did it once on a picknick. It was one of my best people shots. I got them all laughing. But they were a funny crowd anyway, i do not know if it works with everyone. But otherwise I am not a good joke teller we will see how it works out. Well Pixart, at least we can share what we want to do better on our next wedding ;-) All the best for your shooting.

Grizzlybear · « **Reply #6 on:** July 07, 2007, 19:02 »

I believe every photographer owes it to him/herself to photograph a wedding-It is a wonderful experience-so after nearly fify years in the business, here are my tips:

My take on Wedding Photography - Kenneth William Caleno

Essential Equipment

Two camera bodies that share the lenses
Two flashes (strobes) plus cables, etc.,
18mm-55mm zoom
50mm standard lens F1.8 or even better F1.4-for low-light situations
Not essential, but handy for candids and from back of church images- 70mm-300mm zoom lens
large capacity digital storage cards
At least triple batteries as you think you will need
Two white reflectors
Diffusion (soft-focus) filter
85c warming filter for grey days
Tripod for formal photos
Lens hoods to control flare
Planning the wedding shoot

You must have a timetable to work from, or you will fail miserably.

You must always remember:

The Bride is never on time
Cars are sometimes late arriving
Ministers will often talk for longer than expected
Traffic may be chaotic
Something may have been forgotten somewhere

Murphy, being the Patron Saint of Wedding Photographers, will no doubt ensure that if anything can go wrong-it will, and usually at the most inopportune moment. Allow for plenty of time for each section of the shooting script.

Planning Session

Planning is crucial, so make sure that time has been allowed for photography, and travelling to each location.

A: Who is Paying?
Find out who is paying for the photography, because the person footing the bill is the client, and needs to be consulted-If the bride’s parents are paying, and want nice, classic portrait shots of Bride & Groom, and the Bride wants cross-processed, arty, or black & white images-you had better get nice safe photos for Mum and Dad as well!

It is very important to find out and determine EXACTLY what the client wants, and is expecting to get. Quite often people do not know what they want-until you have shot it.
What you don’t want to hear is: “ We didn’t want half of this stuff, we want a refund!!!”

Whoever is paying, make sure you get paid up front. I usually ask for my daily rate photography fee on signing the contract, and the balance seven days before the wedding date. (This saves you wondering if and when you are going to be paid, and saves you chasing clients for payment.) I also only charge for the day’s photography up front-prints are priced separately - I take around 2000 shots per wedding, and shave these down to around 500 and put as proofs on CD’s made to show to my clients-then they can choose what they want for their albums.

B. Working with schedules and timetables
Once you have found out what is wanted and who is paying, start working out your shooting schedule. I usually type these out and give to attendants in the bridal party, to organise everybody for their photo to save time.

I also type my schedule on small cards for my pocket while I am shooting, so I know when the next sequence is due.

Let your clients know that formal photos of the bridal party should take between one to one-and-a-half hours.-Any longer will drag the proceedings, and any less time will limit the number of set-ups wanted.

Subtly point out that the guests should be advised of what is going on.

It is important to let the client know that if they cut your time, you will need to cut the amount of photography to shoot.

Protocol and family Politics

You need to tread very carefully where family politics are concerned, as you set up groups- ex-wives versus new wives, step-children, recently divorced couples. Better to let people sort themselves where they want to be, then just arrange set-ups accordingly.
If everyone, guests included, know exactly what happens, and when, and with whom, it will alleviate, the Bride’s and groom’s stress, your stress, and you will get results that please your clients.

Once PLAN “A” ( Beautiful sunny day, no wind,) is in place, work out alternatives- “B”; “C”; “D”; etc., You need somewhere to photograph if it’s raining, snowing, gale-force winds etc., And a choice of idyllic locations.

A Typical Schedule Plan

a). Groom’s House

Photos at the Groom’s house happen rarely, but if they are wanted, then you must make sure things run on time, in order to get to the Bride’s house on time

b). Bride’s House

Get to the house early, showing you are organised and professional. The Bride may be very nearly ready, and being the early bird may give you a chance to get things in order without rushing. Confidence is the keyword, so compliment the Bride, say she looks nice, and has nothing to worry about (Do not, under any circumstances tell her she is beautiful, because, if she isn’t, she will know, and this could turn her against you.)
If everyone, guests included, know exactly what happens, and when, and with whom, it will alleviate, the Bride’s and groom’s stress, your stress, and you will get results that please your clients.

Once PLAN “A” ( Beautiful sunny day, no wind,) is in place, work out alternatives- “B”; “C”; “D”; etc., You need somewhere to photograph if it’s raining, snowing, gale-force winds etc., And a choice of idyllic locations.

A Typical Schedule Plan

a). Groom’s House

Photos at the Groom’s house happen rarely, but if they are wanted, then you must make sure things run on time, in order to get to the Bride’s house on time

b). Bride’s House

Get to the house early, showing you are organised and professional. The Bride may be very nearly ready, and being the early bird may give you a chance to get things in order without rushing. Confidence is the keyword, so compliment the Bride, say she looks nice, and has nothing to worry about (Do not, under any circumstances tell her she is beautiful, because, if she isn’t, she will know, and this could turn her against you.)
If you can help the bride and her family to be calm at the house, the tone of the whole wedding will reflect on this.
Let the family know what you are going to photograph outside the church, or wedding venue.

c). Church or Wedding Venue

Get to church, or wedding venue as soon as you can to get set up for what follows.
Talk to, and photograph the Groom.
Talk to minister/celebrant, checking all is ok, use/non-use of flash, etc.,
Wait outside for cars to arrive
While the ceremony is taking place, look around for photo opportunities-is the Bride’s Mother crying? her Father, crying or smiling?
Once the vows have been made, register signed, etc., Bride and Groom will walk down the aisle, or things will just finish. This can be an awkward moment-one of two things usually happen:

a) The Bride & Groom will be surrounded by guests, and if there are lots of guests the crowd may take a time to clear.

b) (Usually at churches) when Bride & Groom come out there is no-one at first, then all guests file out slowly and stand around the couple looking at them.

Some guests will want to take photographs at this point, so set up the shot and let them fire away, after you. Work with these people throughout the day, and some of these people could be your next client.

Start the family photos, beginning with the Bride’s side, then the Groom’s, then all the friends and hanger’s-on.

d). The Formal Photos

After all the ceremony kerfuffle, the bridal party will want to relax a bit, maybe have a drink and a smoke for 10 minutes or so, while you are getting ready. But when you are ready, you need to get them back on track to get all required images done on time Bride and Groom, at this point, aren’t usually the problem, it’s generally the best man wants another beer, or the maid of honour who wants another smoke, or someone gets loud. You need to gain control of this.

If there are children in the party, use them first, as they have a very short attention span.
No matter what happens here,-stay calm, even when things go wrong, keep calm you won’t get good photos if you are stressed.
When you think you have finished, better check with Bride and Groom that you have all they wanted, or if you were pressed for time, that you have the set-ups they wanted the most.

Now you have to get back to the reception before the wedding party do.

e). Mock Cake Cutting

This is done when budgets are tight, and you aren’t required to attend the reception, due to funds being tight.

f ). The Reception

Before the bride and Groom arrive at the reception venue, Be ready to catch them arriving.
Things that usually happen at reception are: (in any order): speeches, toasts, food, then the first dance. While there is potential photography, don’t eat, or drink, just in case you miss something worthwhile.
Before leaving be sure that the Bride, Groom and whoever is paying for the photography, have all the shots they need with nothing missed.

g ). After it all

Get the finished prints to the Bride & Groom as soon as possible, that’s good business, You will want them to see the prints while the day will still be fresh in their memory. Do not get caught in the middle of any disputes-The prints are always to be delivered to the Married couple, and not to anyone else. (unless arranged otherwise). If someone other than the Bride & Groom is paying for the photography, it should be explained to them beforehand that the Bride & Groom get the prints.
When sorting out the finished prints, take out the blinks, and the ones that aren’t up to par.
Regards, Grizzlybear

Pixart · « **Reply #7 on:** July 07, 2007, 20:36 »

Mr. Grizzly Bear Caleno. YOU ROCK. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. This is one post I will definitely be printing up and keeping a copy of. I'm sure everyone appreciates the amount of time and thought you put into it!!

GeoPappas · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2007, 06:40 »

Grizzlybear:

I agree. Fantastic...

fleitao · « **Reply #9 on:** July 08, 2007, 17:12 »

Hi,

I agree also... Grizzly's advices are priceless... follow them and you'll be ok.

I just want to share a couple of tips i think haven't been mentioned.

First of all, try not to be nervous, because this will show in your attitude. Like Grissly said, is important to have control and you can't if you're nervous. Think this way, you love to take photos and have done a large bunch. You know what to do with a camera and have a bunch of good work done, so why be nervous ? Be professional, as said, be vigilant about the quality of your work "on the fly" (ahh... the digital wonders) but try not to be nervous.

Try to take a good flash and put it to use ALWAYS... (don't use in camera flashes). Use it mainly as a fill outside, and use it as needed indoor, but be careful and always meter, meter, meter and meter for ambient light, so you won't get those "all flash, no background shots". If you have a cable and someone to hold it for you, do that, so that the light from it isn't in the same plan as the lens. You'll see the difference in results !!

I know this probably won't be possible, but try to take specific purpose lens and not "one size fits all" lenses like that 28-300. Zoom lenses are never really good through all of the range, so it's best not to use them. Try to get really good lenses like the Canon L series. All the other lenses are just substandard and while they can deliver good shots in some situations they won't save you when you really need them, i.e., when the conditions are not that proper. And you have a lot of these in a wedding (indoor lighting is usually poor to give that romantic atmosphere and most romantic places are romantic because they have a subtle and subdued light, with a special aura sometimes. In these situations you need to get the most out of your lens, without creating too much ISO noise or catching motion blur due to slow speeds).

One thing the a 300mm lens is good for, tough is to take spontaneous candids, when you can be far from the subject and he's unaware of your presence... Many times people like those shots because is not very usual for people to have a good portrait of themselves at home, so they tens to buy these if they're good and unexpected. (most times a 3/4 profile does it very nicely but it need to be well lit and you can't rely on the flash due to the distance.

Have fun !! Always !! That will also show in the pics...

litifeta · « **Reply #10 on:** July 08, 2007, 17:42 »

wow thanks steve-oh. never knew there was such a thing as wedding photojournalism but that was what i was thinking of getting into.

thanks for that. so many great shots and ideas on that site.

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #11 on:** July 09, 2007, 08:18 »

Yes great tips! Thanx! I have done the test shooting. I am happy the couple are friends and easy going people. So we worked it out together. They both knew I was doing it the first time and I told them beforehand, that they first should check my images before the decide if they will take me. They like my images and are happy with me so I am doing the wedding. But the test shooting was a really good idea for me. I learned a lot. You really have to take care that the white dress is not blown out, especially when you are in the sun. But actually there where only 5 or so images where this was a problem. It was really cloudy and almost too dark. When we left the park it started to rain.
But apart from darkness it was a good light regarding the shadows. I worked with about up to ISO 800. At the end I made images with ISO 3200, because we wanted to do an image where the couple jumped in the air and the groom was running away carrying the bride in his arms.
What I need to do is to write down a lot of different poses what the couple should do and where to look, which expressions and so on. I am not so experienced that I can just come up with them. They liked it, when I directed them. But often we together had to come up with a new pose. That took time. And I realized I need more variety.

Images against the green background of the park looked quite good while images with sky in it did not looked as good.

I was disappointed that a lot of images where slightly blurry. Probably not too bad, but they would not have been accepted at the major stock agencies in there original size. I think I really have to try out the 50mm lens and should not take the 28 300 lens too often. Or buy the 24 105L lense

GeoPappas · « **Reply #12 on:** July 09, 2007, 14:08 »

Quote from: Freezingpictures on July 09, 2007, 08:18

You really have to take care that the white dress is not blown out, especially when you are in the sun.

One thing that nobody seemed to mention is the importance of shooting in RAW mode (if possible) to make sure that the white balance and exposure level can be adjusted post-processing (just in case).

Also, if you have a gray-card (for white balance), then I would suggest taking it along so that you can adjust white balance periodically.

leaf · « **Reply #13 on:** July 09, 2007, 14:14 »

Quote from: steve-oh on July 07, 2007, 09:53

Here's a link for some inspiration:

Wedding Photojournalist Association
http://www.wpja.com/for_the_photographer/

great link. Those images in the competition were really great and inspiring to look at.

steve-oh · « **Reply #14 on:** July 09, 2007, 15:38 »

A few years ago wedding photojournalism was gaining a decent amount of attention in the media as a new style of wedding photography, and of course it was getting discredited harshly by many traditional wedding photographers as being exploitive and amateurish and hurting the integrity of the industry.

Sound familiar?

maunger · « **Reply #15 on:** July 10, 2007, 06:39 »

Quote from: leaf on July 09, 2007, 14:14

Quote from: steve-oh on July 07, 2007, 09:53

Here's a link for some inspiration:

Wedding Photojournalist Association
http://www.wpja.com/for_the_photographer/

great link. Those images in the competition were really great and inspiring to look at.

Most interesting! And notice that 95% of the winners are candids - very very few posed portraits

leaf · « **Reply #16 on:** July 10, 2007, 07:55 »

Quote from: maunger on July 10, 2007, 06:39

Quote from: leaf on July 09, 2007, 14:14
Quote from: steve-oh on July 07, 2007, 09:53

Here's a link for some inspiration:

Wedding Photojournalist Association
http://www.wpja.com/for_the_photographer/

great link. Those images in the competition were really great and inspiring to look at.

Most interesting! And notice that 95% of the winners are candids - very very few posed portraits

probably because it is the wedding photojournalist Association

keyword being photojournalist which means 'candid' pictures.

litifeta · « **Reply #17 on:** July 10, 2007, 17:01 »

you have some nice wedding shots too Leaf. My fave is the one of the wedding party running through the field

leaf · « **Reply #18 on:** July 10, 2007, 17:07 »

Quote from: litifeta on July 10, 2007, 17:01

you have some nice wedding shots too Leaf. My fave is the one of the wedding party running through the field

thanks. - although i think it is getting time to update my website again

Grizzlybear · « **Reply #19 on:** July 11, 2007, 04:57 »

Quote from: GeoPappas on July 09, 2007, 14:08

Quote from: Freezingpictures on July 09, 2007, 08:18
You really have to take care that the white dress is not blown out, especially when you are in the sun.

One thing that nobody seemed to mention is the importance of shooting in RAW mode (if possible) to make sure that the white balance and exposure level can be adjusted post-processing (just in case).

Also, if you have a gray-card (for white balance), then I would suggest taking it along so that you can adjust white balance periodically.

Why give yourself extra post-processing and taking up so much roo your flashcard? It is just as easy to correct white balance and exposure on jpegs as it is on raw images. It has also been proven, by pro-raw shooters that properly exposed jpegs are just as good as processed raw images,in their finish state-You will find that most wedding photographers will use jpeg-hey we're talking 1500-2000 images per wedding!

leaf · « **Reply #20 on:** July 11, 2007, 06:50 »

on properly exposed images i could believe this, but when things get dark, or a mistake happens, I sure like to be able to have the extra info in the raw.

flash cards are cheap enough that it is not that expensive to have cards enough for 1-2000 images. For a 5D, you would need 20 gigs of cards for 2000 images taken in RAW format. Lately I have been taking 18 gigs to a wedding and have taken around 600-800 shots (I only covered the start of the reception, ceremony and posed portraits)

litifeta · « **Reply #21 on:** July 11, 2007, 21:19 »

Speaking of posed portraits. What do you recommend as a flash kit. (ie) softboxes, watts etc good enough to do some simple portraits for a beginner

leaf · « **Reply #22 on:** July 12, 2007, 01:30 »

you could check out the

ALIENBEES

Are you taking pictures outdoors or indoors?

outdoors you could make due with one light and a softbox or umbrella - perhaps the b800 unit

indoors you should have 3 or so
a main light with softbox, perhaps a fill with an umbrella and a back light - and possibly a fourth light as a hair light. This is just a suggestion and a hundred different combinations could be used... but this one is fairly standard lighting. the front lights could be the 800 units while the back lights are fine being 400 units.

litifeta · « **Reply #23 on:** July 12, 2007, 16:58 »

thanks leaf ...

continuing to get value from this site ...

hatman12 · « **Reply #24 on:** July 12, 2007, 17:30 »

Sadly, the Alienbees aren't available here in Australia Litifeta.

Nearest equivalent are the Elinchrom D-Lites (AUD $1600 for a pair complete with stands, soft boxes etc).

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Author Topic: Any tips for shooting a wedding? (Read 40269 times)

Freezingpictures

maunger

steve-oh

Pixart

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Freezingpictures

Grizzlybear

Pixart

GeoPappas

fleitao

litifeta

Freezingpictures

GeoPappas

leaf

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maunger

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litifeta

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Grizzlybear

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litifeta

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