Fred Frank Loc: Roanoke Alabama

Friend getting married on the beach Wednesday at Perdido Key near Gulf Shores Alabama.
Family pictures at 5 PM, with ceremony at 7.00. I have a D850,
70-200, 24-70, and 14-24, all f2.8.
I also have a SB800 speedlight.
Lastly, I'm not a Wedding Photographer but feel I can pull it off with deacent results. The groom knows of my lack on experience in this setting. I want to show up like I know what I'm doing. I'm thinking the 24-70 will get it done. Not sure if I should try with or without fill flashing. I know settings will depend on where the sun is etc. Just asking for advice before Wednesday. Thanks.

kcooke Loc: Alabama

I am very familiar with the area where that will occur. Our condo in orange beach is 3/4 mile away. Sun will be intense at 5 obviously from the southwest. Sun will be going to down in a line that follows where the waves break in shore looking west. There will be other people on the beach that are not part of the wedding that you will have to contend with in your photographs. I’ve seen Many weddings occur on this beautiful sugar white beach.

I’m not a wedding photographer but I have several friends who are professional wedding photogs. From watching them work I would say take the flash the 24-70 and the 70-200. Just my 2 cents

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Fred your query has been recently address by a myriad of UHH members in this post.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-736912-1.html

Over 13 pages of dissertations on the challenges and joy of doing one's first wedding event.
Please do keep in mind that a women's wedding event is likely the most important day in her life.
To this end you might want to bring a second shooter into the mix... preferably a female photographer.

Wishing you all the best on your journey Fred...

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Will there be any indoor shots like at a reception? The SB800 flash will do nicely on the camera outdoors, I usually set a flash to 1 to 11/2 stops below the reading you get for exposure as it will be used to fill in the harsh shadows you'll get if there is bright sun. Indoors is another matter. If you don't get the flash off the camera you can experience shadows and red-eye. You can get the flash off the camera with a flash bracket or with an extension cord without the bracket (you will still need the extension cord with the bracket). A flip bracket will allow you to keep the flash centered over lens to eliminate shadows to the side of your subject.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

You will need to be well versed in the use of fill-flash. I’ve shot many beach weddings. The SB-800 is a VERY good flash unit.

Fred Frank Loc: Roanoke Alabama

Thank you sir. That is so helpful.

Tomfl101 Loc: Mount Airy, MD

Do your best to shoot formals in a backlit situation. Fill flash can be helpful but don’t overdo it. The sand will create enough reflected light so as to brighten eyes. Off-camera flash is best but wind will likely blow your stand over. So employ an assistant if possible. A reflector can be better than flash but your assistant will need some training. Reflectors and their effectiveness are harder to master than you would think. Hopefully you can get the B&G out for additional portraits around 8:30-9:00 for the golden hour and shoot all natural.
Good Luck!

Fred Frank Loc: Roanoke Alabama

I hadn't thought of that info you shared. All will be helpful. Thank you

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

This paragraph is cut and pasted from many of my previous posts' answers to these questions pertaining to wedding photography:

"When it comes to weddings, and other such religious/celebratory family events, some families place photograhy as one of the top priorities in the planning- some do not. They will assign the task to an amateur friend or relative and oftentimes will regret that decision. Sadly, they realize their mistake after the fact. Perhaps a few will be satisfied with what they have. Many will hire an experienced top professional, who will provide a masterful "album". The album gets lots of attention at first but may languish on a bookshelf or closet for years to come. I will, however, guarantee, from personal experience and the reaction of many of my clients, that album becomes invaluable many years later"

The part of the OP's question that scares me is:" I want to show up like I know what I'm doing. I'm thinking the 24-70 will get it done. Not sure if I should try with or without fill flashing. I know settings will depend on where the sun is etc. Just asking for advice before Wednesday". Well, I am sure your 24-70mm lens will work well but your equipment and how is perceived by folks at the wedding, pertaining to that gear, is not all that important. It is what you do with that gear and your mastery of lighting and those are not some things that can be learned in 2 days.

People are offering well-meaning suggestion, advice and tips but only you know if you can function under pressure. Even a small intimate weddingg can be a photographic nightmare for the inexperienced.

Style and approaches to professional wedding photography have changed over the years. Certn aspects are always in flux, however, there are certain basics that have survived all the changes. Bridges and gorrm want to appear as the best in their weddingg photographs and attention to detail and expression is important. Thereis no time to fuss and fumble with equipmet- everything has to be done quickly, spontaneously, which entails always being in the right place at the right time and ready to shoot. Exposure, flas fill rations and focus management need to be just about "muscle memory" to the point where you can do these things your sleep.

"All brides are Beautiful"? Yes they glow and are usually at their very best, however, not all of them are "models" so YOU, the photographer, have to find the beauty- how are your portraiture skills?

Wedding photography is a mélange of skill sets- portraiture, photojournalism, fashion illustration, and people skills (psychology)! Oftentimes you deal with happy but nervous, folks, in tine windows of opportunity.

It's Monday! You have a day. Perhas go to the location in advance and check out the ligh athlete appropriate times of day and dry run some exposure tests to ger yo flas fill up to snuff. Even on a partly cloudy or overcast day, you can get some unwanted dense shadows in the eye sockets so a gentle fill is a good approach even in subdued light. You do not want to overpower the natural light- just add shadow detail.

Good luck!

BebuLamar

I wouldn't be sad if there is no pictures of my wedding or of the weddings of anyone I love. I would be very sad if any of those marriages fails.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

You will definitely want to employ your SB-800. In many instances, I also slap a 3/4 cut CTO gel on my flash to match the warmth of the evening sun.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

Although I have no direct experience, I would be reluctant to change lenses at the beach.
If you can, it would be convenient to have 2 cameras, one with each lens.

P.S. to the OP: If you click "Quote Reply" as I did here, we can tell who you are addressing.

jcboy3

From your questions, I am cofident you cannot pull it off. The time to learn how to photograph in those condictions is not an actual wedding.

Perhaps you did not have sufficient notice that you would be the wedding photographer. Perhaps your confidence led you to think you could do this without sufficient preparation.

I would not shoot a beach wedding with a single camera because that means you need to change lenses frequently.

I would not shoot a wedding of any kind with a single camera because that means problems with your camera means you won't get any pictures at all. In fact, I have backup for everything (cameras, lenses, lighting).

I would not shoot an evening event with just a single speedlight. I would not shoot an evening event with only on-camera flash.

I try to not shoot a wedding without an assistant and/or second photographer.

I would not shoot an evening beach wedding without lots of experience shooting portraits in the evening.

I would not do such a thing to a good friend, so perhaps this is less a friend than an aquaintance.

Rent another camera (D850, since you are familiar with it).

Rent a more powerful light and diffusers and stands and get an assistant to hold it so it doesn't blow over. I would use my Godox AD200 or Godox AD360ii. Assuming you can get familiar with off-camera flash in a day.

If it's a good friend, hire a photographer as a wedding present.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I believe jcboy3 is infected with the "Wedding Photos Have To Be Perfect" virus. Having said that, there are some valid considerations in his post. Equipment backup is one of them. If you don't have two bodies, consider renting one. And a second shooter is also useful since you can't be everywhere at once.

However, you state that the groom knows your level of experience and presumably is comfortable with that. (I would check with the bride before continuing -- she has a say in the event too). He (they?) are not expecting perfection in the photos, just documentation of the event. Some people are like that, contrary to many people's opinion of wedding photography.

I shot two weddings for friends as a rank amateur. The photos were OK but certainly not perfect. Both marriages lasted over 50 years. The photographs are not essential to a great marriage. They ARE useful for the family history, but there has to be a viable family for that to happen. The celebrants are more important than the photographer.

Fred Frank Loc: Roanoke Alabama

Thank you guys. I really do get It!!
I will take another 850 body with a couple extra batteries. The Bride and Groom are a former Pastor and his worship leader. Both are in early 60's I'm 72 and will do my best. All of the comments make perfect sense as I expected it would. I'll be shooting RAW and fully manual. I will take some shots tomorrow to experiment and some test shots at the beach. Thanks UHH. I'll post a couple samples next week for your approval.