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Small wedding
Aug 16, 2011 15:39:45   #
Ugly Hedgehog Newsletter
 
Hi,

I have been asked to take photos for a friends small wedding. It will be on a dinner cruise boat leaving harbor at 6:15 at night for 3 hours. The date is the 10th of September. I have a Nikon D3100 with a 18/55mm lens and a 70/300mm lens. I have an external flash and a tripod. That is all the equipment I have. I would like to know the best settings, etc. to use in order to provide my friend with the best possible photos I can manage. Any suggestions will be extremely appreciated.

Thanks. Mark.

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Aug 16, 2011 17:31:05   #
dicspics Loc: southwest fla. 10 mins from the gulf
 
I hate doing weddings, the biggest problem is the people drinking before you get any good pics. After you get done and fix all the pics the best you can, the bride comes to look at them, and tells you they suck. You try to explain that you told her to get the people to do certain posses, but nobody would listen.
but back to the shots.. set lens at f8. speed at 1/125.. ISO 100 or 200 and adjust flash to get best lighting. Keep the flash going all the time, because there will be shadows from the lighting on the boat. The lens will be determined by how far you can back up..

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Aug 16, 2011 21:55:07   #
Accent Images
 
Hi, I have questions about it...

Is the wedding at night or during day time?

How fast are your lenses? F2.8? Image stabilizer?

How many guests?

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Aug 17, 2011 00:17:00   #
robtekirsch Loc: Bergenfield, N.J.
 
Practice all you can before hand know exactly what the camera & lens will do. Try diff angles. Also practice changing iso settings to allow more light in as it gets darker BUT watch for excessive noise (Grain) also try changing some prints to B&W (this is very popular) Good Luck. Get a star filter & play with that too beforehand. Makes those candle shots impressive.

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Aug 18, 2011 05:32:28   #
tturner Loc: Savannah Ga
 
I would suggest keeping it simple, take only the 18-55 lens, use an ISO of 400 to 800. Try not to do anything fancy, if this is your first wedding, stick to the basics. Also remember "there is no such thing as a simple wedding" In my experience, the smaller the wedding, the more people want, and the more they complain. I also have quit doing weddings.

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Aug 18, 2011 09:34:50   #
henrycrafter Loc: Orem Utah
 
First make a list of all the critical shots that you will need such as cake cutting, ceremony, parents etc.
The biggest thing is dont interrupt the ceremony. Stay in the background.
Use the tele for the actual ceremony from a distance
I hope this helps

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Sep 2, 2011 02:53:42   #
DanielB Loc: San Diego, Ca
 
Ugly Hedgehog Newsletter wrote:
Hi,

I have been asked to take photos for a friends small wedding. It will be on a dinner cruise boat leaving harbor at 6:15 at night for 3 hours. The date is the 10th of September. I have a Nikon D3100 with a 18/55mm lens and a 70/300mm lens. I have an external flash and a tripod. That is all the equipment I have. I would like to know the best settings, etc. to use in order to provide my friend with the best possible photos I can manage. Any suggestions will be extremely appreciated.
Thanks. Mark.
Hi, br br I have been asked to take photos for a ... (show quote)


Forget the 70-300mm it's just too much lens for such tight quarters unless you want to take some skyline photos from the boat. Tripod will just get in the way (again tight quarters). Get a Flash diffuser for your flash. Go out and practice, Practice, Practice shooting the camera in Manual mode set the camera to 1/125 sec and learn to adjust the aperture and external flash from your camera on the fly. I shoot almost exclusively in manual mode and it takes time to learn the in's & outs but once you get used to it your results will be better in the long run. Otherwise shoot in Aperture value or Time Value and go with it. Take as many shots as you can give yourself a fighting chance of getting some gems for them. VERY IMPORTANT! Extra batteries for your flash and one for the camera just in case. Don't wait till they die to change them in the flash. As soon as it starts to get sluggish change them. I can't add more than that except - Good luck -you'll need it.P.S. As to what Henry said above - if you can get clear shots of the bride and groom using the long lens go for it (remove the flash diffuser)but don't get so close your a distraction. Church weddings are more critical of this but on a boat who can tell. Talk to the bride and groom and ask them what they would like and if they want you up close and personal go for it but in moderation like the ring exchange, close up on the hands. The drawback of two lenses 1 body is having to quickly change lenses you may miss something important. I use 2 bodies 2 lenses and just switch between cameras.

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