So first wedding this week-end

alfa147x

Lifer
Jul 14, 2005
29,307
106
106
A friend and I got asked to shoot at a wedding, this is our first wedding ever and this guy has a very low budget and said what ever shots we get will be fine

We made SURE that he KNEW that this is our first wedding and is fine if we f*ck things up

Our equipment:Updated!

Canon 20D
Canon 30D
Canon 18-55 f/3.5 x2
Canon 50mm f/1.8
Quantaray 75-300 f/4.0
Canon Speedlite 430EX

2x SanDisk Extreme III 2gb
1x off brand 2gb

Also I will have my macbook + an external HDD to dump photos onto if we run out of CF space

ANY and ALL tips and tricks will be appreciated

I know i can google for answers but its better when people post their 1st hand experiences and I can ask them questions directly


Thanks a bunch
~Alfa

PS I love Caps Lock
 

troytime

Golden Member
Jan 3, 2006
1,996
1
0
1. that 50mm will be your best friend
2. get a speedlight
3. get more memory and shoot raw (walmart has a great return policy, stock up and return them after you're done - i know, its an asshole tactic, but walmart can blow me)
 

alfa147x

Lifer
Jul 14, 2005
29,307
106
106
Originally posted by: troytime
1. that 50mm will be your best friend

It already is!

Originally posted by: troytime
2. get a speedlight

Way out of budget

Originally posted by: troytime

3. get more memory and shoot raw (walmart has a great return policy, stock up and return them after you're done - i know, its an asshole tactic, but walmart can blow me)

Good idea, even though it is kinda lame, how much more would we need?

Thanks!
 

andylawcc

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
18,183
3
81
ask more friends or local amateurs (from Potn?) to help out?

I mean, I myself would love to get more shooting experience and a wedding is about the best setting to be.
My friend who is an amateur gets invited by his professional friend to weddings as a back up. He gets around $100 a day.

also, spare battery, or at least battery charger so you can charge the 30D when it is out of juice and use the 20D in the mean time.
 

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
Moderator
Aug 23, 2003
25,375
142
116
Before you buy anything, tell us about the venues and times with regards to lighting.
 

Fardringle

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
9,200
765
126
I haven't ever shot a wedding except as an "extra" just taking snapshots so I won't try to give you advice on the photography techniques. However, since you have a laptop I would suggest taking it along and plugging it in somewhere handy not only just to unload your memory cards whenever needed but to preview the really important shots (full length bridal gown, for example) to make sure they look OK on the full screen and so that you can re-take them if necessary.
 

andylawcc

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
18,183
3
81
Originally posted by: Fardringle
to preview the really important shots (full length bridal gown, for example) to make sure they look OK on the full screen and so that you can re-take them if necessary.

Timing would be critical too; be prepared to have your laptop right next to you because I don't think you will have the luxury to leave the bride and groom to where ever your laptop is at to upload pic or preview.
 

Fardringle

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
9,200
765
126
Originally posted by: andylawcc
Originally posted by: Fardringle
to preview the really important shots (full length bridal gown, for example) to make sure they look OK on the full screen and so that you can re-take them if necessary.

Timing would be critical too; be prepared to have your laptop right next to you because I don't think you will have the luxury to leave the bride and groom to where ever your laptop is at to upload pic or preview.

True. I wouldn't do it with a lot of pictures, just a few that will mean the difference between a happy or vengeful bride. ;)
 

tfinch2

Lifer
Feb 3, 2004
22,114
1
0
Why don't you go to the venue and practice a bit? Take some practice snaps and see what exposure settings work best.

You'll probably need a flash. It's not like your lenses are blazing fast (besides the 50mm). Speaking of which, why do you have such craptacular lenses on a 30D? :confused:

 

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
Moderator
Aug 23, 2003
25,375
142
116
Originally posted by: tfinch2
Speaking of which, why do you have such craptacular lenses on a 30D? :confused:
I'll take a guess here; because he's still a high school student?
 

andylawcc

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
18,183
3
81
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Originally posted by: tfinch2
Speaking of which, why do you have such craptacular lenses on a 30D? :confused:
I'll take a guess here; because he's still a high school student?

and he acutally won the AT photo contest a few times?
 

virtuamike

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2000
7,845
13
81
Plan plan plan. If there's a rehearsal, then attend it so you can see where everything is. Figure out your shots in advance. Not all venues allow flash, so check prior to the wedding. If you need to do formals and family pictures and whatnot, then pick out your spots beforehand. Don't wait till the day of to figure things out (the less you have to worry about, the better).

As far as equipment goes, sacrifice ISO for shutter speed. Grainy sharp shots will process better than motion blurred noise free shots. You have multiple bodies so use them - don't bother with switching lenses. You want to be fast.

Oh, and have fun :)
 

tfinch2

Lifer
Feb 3, 2004
22,114
1
0
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Originally posted by: tfinch2
Speaking of which, why do you have such craptacular lenses on a 30D? :confused:
I'll take a guess here; because he's still a high school student?

Shoulda went the other way. Nice lenses with cheap body.
 

foghorn67

Lifer
Jan 3, 2006
11,883
63
91
For Pete's sake, you need at least one speedlite. Rent one for around 30 for the weekend. (maybe less) and bounce the sucker if you got a low flat ceiling that is close to neutral. Hotel Ballrooms suck sometimes, because they have ceilings in sections.

And yes, see if you can go the the venue to practice.

-Unless subjects are totally still, they can wander out of focus really fast if you using one shot AF. Turn it on to servo if they are moving.
-Focus on the eyes, always.
-Your 50 1.8 will hunt like a bitch in dim lighting. So go for the eye brows since they have a higher contrast.
-If in a church, talk to THEIR wedding coordinator for rules about flashes, where you can move around. Get in the aisle for the entrance of the bride. Have the other get the grroms expression the moment she walks in. During the ceremony, have one in front of the first pew. If they have a balcony, use that telephoto on a tripod, I don't see much use of this otherwise unless it's an outdoor wedding. 2.8 zooms can barely be fast enough more often than not. Don't piss them off, you never know when you have to shoot their again if you get into this business.
-On posed shots, you need to get everyone to look at your camera. Everyone can get wandering looking at all the friends and relatives cameras. Get really firm with this.
-Shoot the bride getting ready. Get detail shots of shoes, garter belt, rings, flowers, and of course the dress.
-During the cake cutting, pose them before they actually start cutting. Then let them have at it.

-Timing is they key to everything. Be on the lookout. It's the expressions on the faces that make the difference.
-Know your camera settings in the most intimate way. Memorize the dual functions of the three buttons on top, so you need minimal looking.
-Your LCD will lie to you, all of them do. If you concerned about exposure, error on the slight overexposure about a 1/3 stop if you can. Learn the histogram. Google it.
-If you get a strong backlit subject, just use the exposure compensation and go +1 to 1.5 stops. I don't bother with spot when it comes to backlit subjects.
Pony up on CF cards and shoot away. You don't want to depend on a few shots for each event or pose.
 

foghorn67

Lifer
Jan 3, 2006
11,883
63
91
Originally posted by: alfa147x
Good idea, even though it is kinda lame, how much more would we need?

Thanks!
I have a 4GB card. But the studio demands jpegs. It reminds me of shooting slides, less forgiving. If I got to shoot in RAW, I would need a bit more.
I have a 2GB in the other body, and most get pretty full. I have 2 2GB cards for backup.
I had one fail on me last year.
Bring your battery charger along too.

 

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
Moderator
Aug 23, 2003
25,375
142
116
8GB CF cards are $35-ish on Newegg.
 

virtuamike

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2000
7,845
13
81
Originally posted by: foghorn67
Originally posted by: alfa147x
Good idea, even though it is kinda lame, how much more would we need?

Thanks!
I have a 4GB card. But the studio demands jpegs. It reminds me of shooting slides, less forgiving. If I got to shoot in RAW, I would need a bit more.
I have a 2GB in the other body, and most get pretty full. I have 2 2GB cards for backup.
I had one fail on me last year.
Bring your battery charger along too.

Extra batteries good, charger a little overkill. I shoot RAW even for weddings. I have 14GB in cards to go through which isn't too bad, but I'm shopping around for another 16GB or so. Sandisk is running a rebate on their cards right now in the form of a gift check to the store you bought the cards from. 8GB of Extreme III @ B&H is $100 - $40 rebate. If you buy 2, you get $100 back (so basically buy one, get one free, pretty good deal).
 

virtuamike

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2000
7,845
13
81
Originally posted by: tfinch2
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Originally posted by: tfinch2
Speaking of which, why do you have such craptacular lenses on a 30D? :confused:
I'll take a guess here; because he's still a high school student?

Shoulda went the other way. Nice lenses with cheap body.

Can always rent fast glass. In fact, it's usually cheaper to rent glass than it is to rent a body (at least that's true at the shops I go to).
 

alfa147x

Lifer
Jul 14, 2005
29,307
106
106
Originally posted by: tfinch2
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Originally posted by: tfinch2
Speaking of which, why do you have such craptacular lenses on a 30D? :confused:
I'll take a guess here; because he's still a high school student?

Shoulda went the other way. Nice lenses with cheap body.

It was a $150 upgrade from my XTI so I jumped for it, I hated the grip on the xti
 

Jawo

Diamond Member
Jun 15, 2005
4,125
0
0
Never stop taking pictures! just continually shoot. You will NEED a flash...I shot two weddings (semi-officially) and really needed a flash, especially when the sun sets or in a dark reception hall. While backlight alters may look nice, they are a b!tch to shoot. The mother of the bride will never forget you if you screw up. Batteries and memory cards are cheap, so get plenty. Look online for tips for all the groupings.
 

OdiN

Banned
Mar 1, 2000
16,430
3
0
1 - Where is the wedding?

2 - What time?

3 - Where is the reception?

4 - What time?

Answer those questions and I can help you.

If anything is indoors, you are going to be severely limited by your equipment, mainly lack of flash. Your 1.8 50mm will be okay, you should shoot it wide open whenever you are using it. That means you will have to take care with focusing. For portraits, I would use that 50mm...I think it would get the best results out of what you have. Groups you'll have to use that 18-55mm.

Indoors I use a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS and sometimes I'm still limited and want more light than is available. But I also have a 50mm f/1.4. If I can use flash, I will. Otherwise crank the ISO. On a 30D I would try not to use more than 800ISO, and keep it under that at all times possible. Noise is okay - it can be lessened in post processing. Also if you take a noisy 1600 ISO shot at 8MP and print it on a 4x6, you won't even notice it unless you have really bad chroma noise. Even at 8x10 it won't be nearly as noticeable as it is on a computer screen.

You really will want to shoot RAW in order to fix things later. This will mean you won't get many shots on 2GB cards. I have about 32GB in CF cards. 2 8GB, a couple 4GB and a bunch of 2GB. If it's a long wedding, I'll use a lot of that space. But that's with a 40D which uses more memory.

Expose for the dress as much as possible, as it is usually the brightest thing in your shot. You don't want to lose detail in it. When shooting a wedding I find I use spot metering most, and also center wieghted average. It doesn't really matter though - use the metering mode you are most comfortable with, but you need to understand how it meters and how that will affect your image in various situations.

Figure out who key people are in the family - MOB/FOB, grandparents, MOG/FOG, etc. Watch them when you can throughout the ceremony and reception. If you have two shooters, this is a huge help. One of you can focus on the giving away of the bride by her father - and the other should be concerned with the mother of the bride. You can get great emotion-filled pictures by doing this approach. Also when the vows/rings, etc. are being done - one focus on that and the other on the parents of each, etc. It's nice to have different angles of the same thing too, but the emotion captured by focusing some on family is priceless. Also - when the bride first enters - one of you focus on her, and the other focus on the grooms reaction.

Go to the rehearsal if at all possible. Learn the order of when things happen. The ceremony - even if it is 45 minutes in actual length - will be over in about 3 minutes to you. Your first time it goes VERY quickly and you feel like you don't have time to do anything. This is normal. Welcome to the world of a wedding photog :p

I recommend shooting on aperture priority, and shoot as wide open as you're comfortable with. With my L lenses, I shoot wide open and don't worry about it, unelss I want a larger DOF for a particular shot. With your lenses, you'll have to worry about image quality with them wide open and I'm not familiar enough with them to recommend a minimum setting.

Hopefully everything is well lit. But be prepared. I once did a wedding in July. It was hot, and the power went out - no A/C, no more interior lighting - wedding went on. I had to change game plans to allow for the huge decrease in available light. Not to mention that it gets miserable very quick inside with no A/C when it's 110° outside.

See if you can rent a flash or borrow one from a friend or something. Bounce flash is best and works very well with a nice white ceiling. Direct flash is bad - you'd really want to diffuse the light. Also if you use a flash mounted on your camera indoors and you turn your camera to a portrait orientation, you will end up with ugly shadows on the walls of the people you're photographing. Ideally you would want a bracket which keeps the flash directly above your lens, but that may not be possible. The reason for the shadows is with the camera above the lens, the light is projected in the direction of the lens, so the shadow is behind the subject. With it turned to the side it's more from the side and you get the shadow to the right/left of the subject depending which way you turn. Also a bracket raises the flash higher. A higher light source, centered over the top of the lens will garner the best results as any resulting shadow will be lower and behind the subject. It's not perfect like a studio could be, but much much better.

Browse some wedding photography sites - look at poses and such and try to remember some to use, etc.

May be able to offer more advice if you post the locations/times. But hopefully this helps some.

I was going to try to find some example stuff, but....I don't have much up I can point to...

On exposing for the dress, I knew I had this shot:

Clicky

The light from the window is somewhat blown out - but it doesn't matter. It could even be blown out more, but the important thing is that dress.
 

randomlinh

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,846
2
0
linh.wordpress.com
Originally posted by: tfinch2
Why don't you go to the venue and practice a bit? Take some practice snaps and see what exposure settings work best.

You'll probably need a flash. It's not like your lenses are blazing fast (besides the 50mm). Speaking of which, why do you have such craptacular lenses on a 30D? :confused:

are you talking about the zooms or the 50? the 50 is pretty damn good for what it is. It'll just struggle like a mofo if the lighting is too low, but I wouldn't lump it in craptacular.

the other's.. yeah... look for the IS version of the 18-55 maybe? It's suppose to be far better, and it's cheap (relatively...)


as for rentals, there's this thread going on.