julle

Friends have asked me to be the "official" photographer for a small casual wedding. I know I can do it, but have some doubts now.

I only have a Sony a6000 with the 2 kit lenses and the 50 mm 1.8 Sony lens.

My concerns area that even though they say casual wedding, I know the bride, will have some high expectations and may want to enlarge some of the photos.

I am tempted to suggest that they find someone with a full frame camera.

Will my suggestion to find someone with a full frame camera be a good idea?

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

The camera is good enough. You may want to look into lighting. Thousands of Weddings were taken with Nikon D70's Are you sure you know how to pose the Bride, Bride & Groom. and Group shots? Do you know enough about Weddings to know were you should be to get the important shots? Do you have a plan for a back up camera and lenses? Some Bride's that are doing a low budget wedding are thankful for whatever photos they can get. Sounds like this gal is not one of them. By the way many pro Wedding photographers use crop frame cameras. - Dave

thively61 Loc: Robinson, Texas

Julle,

If the wedding is outside in daytime, then the a6000 and the lenses you have should work ok. If inside and dim lighting and you cannot use flash, then you might have a problem.

I've tried inside with the lenses you have and my results were pretty mixed. I was new with the camera and no doubt missed some better settings, but I got some noisy pictures at 3200 ISO in dim light.

I also was slow on the focus methods, and had trouble getting sharp pictures when people were moving.

If you are experienced with the camera, and can change your focus settings quickly, and you have enough light for the lenses you are using I presume you have the 16-50mm and the 55-210mm (not counting the 50mm 1.8, that is fine in lower light), then I would do it for friends.

You don't say if the bride is going to pay you. If she really expects pro level shots, then I would decline if you have not shot a wedding before with this camera.

Also, addressing your enlargement comment, there should be no problem enlarging a6000 pictures to reasonable sizes (11x14, 16x20).

Here is a link to my flickr album with some a6000 wedding snapshots: https://flic.kr/s/aHskdpWHEN

fotodon Loc: Oberlin, OH

An experienced (really good) wedding photographer can pull off some impressive shooting with minimal equipment but no amount of high end equipment can compensate for inexperience. I assume you will do the best possible job that you can do but I also assume, based on your question, that you have never shot a wedding with the equipment that you have. Maybe you have never shot a wedding.

The question you need to ask yourself is...do I risk a friendship? Only you can answer that. Also, are you planning on breaking into the wedding photography business with this job. If so, it is the worst possible way to do it. In my mind, the ideal situation would be, your friends hire a pro with experience that welcomes you as another contributor to their wedding pictures. We have done this for a few of our brides and have never had much of a problem with it.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck. And if you decide to pursue wedding photography further, this board is a great place to gain knowledge.

julle

You are all mentioning issues I have in addition to the equipment.

You have all given more than enough reasons to decline. Would rather enjoy the party than having to "work"

Thanks a lot. It all makes me feel better.

Beercat Loc: Central Coast of California

Julie ..........

You were given some great advice. I remember my first wedding shoot. I never was a second or a third, my first was as me being the first photographer as in #1 official :shock:

I knew the camera pretty well, had watched tons of training videos for wedding photography and had studied close up wedding photographers for years as I was behind a video camera.

With all that I had done to prepare for the big day I was stress out. Nothing can prepare you for that big day other than being a third and then a second snapper.

My results were mixed. Pulled off some great portrait stuff while things were slow but once things got moving it was exciting and at the same time stress city. I was thankful for a better half who really had great post processing skills,

As far as the camera and lenses you have. I prefer my crop sensor cameras though I have some pretty good glass to place on them. However, when the lights go low I pull out my full frame. Even with 4 high end speed lights I still often shoot at 1250, 2500 or 3200 on my ISO. In dark churches where you can't use flash I often shoot at 2500 using a 85mm f/1.8 and if I go to a f/4 lens I need to boost up to 5000. Crop sensors just don't perform like a full frame at high ISO settings.

In reality you have what many 3rd wedding snappers have while they are learning but on the flip side of that many crop sensor cameras today are superior to what many professional wedding snappers were using not long ago. In many weddings your camera will do fine so long as the shots are not challenging because of light, so long as you have the skills. I've seen to many relatives at weddings with $5,000 camera/lens setups that have no idea what they are doing. Nothing is more important than skill. A great photographer can pull off amazing photos with an average camera. Skill trumps equipment every time.

Bobbee

One of the first weddings I did, for free, on the spur of the moment, I shot with a D200. the pictures were good and the couple and mom and dad loved them. when I revisit them I realize they are def not what I shoot today. Ignorance was bliss. It turned out OK. But I could have done and do, do better. Take care, good luck.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

-Is this for $$ then think hard.
-Do you shoot RAW then you have PP that can help.
-Can you simply give the couple a CD with selected (the good ones) photos and let them do what they will.
-If you're thinking of turning this into a business, there is nothing like trial by fire to make the final decision.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I would never try to talk someone out of shooting weddings. I love it, and hope that everyone else will love it as much as me. The questions on equipment were answered. I shot weddings with a D-70 for quite a long time. Even after getting my D-200, I kept using the D-70, because I knew it so well.

Now, the money issue is a valid point. If you want to do this for your friend as your wedding "gift" and if they can't afford, or don't want to pay for an experienced photographer. I think as long as you sit down with them and explain the limitations (like low light issues depending on the venue, and your abilities.....first time, nervous, no experience posing, etc.) If they are fine with it, then why not?

If the bride (or groom) is the type to "blame you" if something isn't "perfect", then I would pass on that job, and wait for a more opportune couple to work with.

The best way to start (in my opinion,) is to work for free a couple of times as an assistant to someone else. It isn't as hard as you think to get someone to let you work with them for the experience. Hopefully, you will get some good pointers, and some good images for your portfolio.

Beercat's experience is different, but only slightly. He shot wedding video for a very long time, before he went to still photography, so even his first wedding, wasn't his first. (in a manner of speaking) He already knew the flow of weddings, and what to watch for to get the "magic moments"

My guess is that if you do this job, you will get some fine shots, you may miss some magic moments, but that's to be expected, and if you are honest and up front with the couple, then they should be very happy with what they got.

If they pay you, trust me on this, no matter what they pay you, they will look back later and think that they should have got "more for their money" It's human nature.

Please check back and let us know how you proceeded. Ultimately it is your decision, and we, on this board would love to help out any way we can.

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

Please do not misconstrue my remarks as any kind of discouragement in your taking on your first “official” wedding assignment. It is true enough that everyone has to start somewhere or somehow, however, when it comes to wedding photography specifically, I certainly do not encourage “baptism by fire” or “ one's jumping into to the water to see if one can swim” with little or no specific experience. That can be dangerous waters for sure! I would love to encourage you or give you tips, sagely advice and ideas, however, I am working at a handicap because I have no idea of your photographic skill levels, I have not seen your photography and even if your are a very proficient photographer, I don't have any idea of how you may or may not be able to operate efficiently and quickly in the throws of an active and fast-paced wedding. There are necessary skill sets and “people” skills, specifically pertaining to wedding coverages, that go beyond the techniques of photography alone.

Aside from photography skills, in an of themselves and even the people skills that I have alluded to in my last paragraph, there is one RED FLAG that I can advise you on. That's whenever people say or describe their upcoming wedding using the words “small” or “casual” that red flag pops up in my mind. This is oftentimes an indication that they don't want to spend allot of money if any at all on their wedding photography, the photography may not be a priority before the wedding day but their expectations or “standards” may be way above their price point preferences. After the fact, that is, once the have experienced their wedding day, their mindsets change and they unexpectedly become aficionados of fine photography and take you to task for not meeting their expectations. Some folks, not fully realizing what really goes into wedding photography, assume anyone with a camera or even some talent can become an “overnight” wedding shooter. You can sit down with them, well in advance, and honestly explain your limitations, reservations or concerns but sometimes this honest and sincere information you will offer is misconstrued as modesty and it simply goes in one ear and out of the other.

In reality, some weddings, whether they are modest or elaborate, are easy enough to shoot while others, again regardless of their size or scope, are like shooting a fast-paced sports event or operating in a war zone- allot depends on the attitude of the bride and groom, their bridal party and families and the degree of cooperation they are willing to extend toward their photographer in terms of providing a reasonable window of opportunity for formal or preliminary photographs, punctuality in starting times and taking your direction every now and again during the course of the event.

As for equipment? I can tell you that I have seen truly outstanding and excellent wedding photography done by extremely talented and able photographer with camera bags full of modestly priced but decent enough DSLRs and a bunch of kit lenses and, inversely, totally unacceptable results coming from mediocre or inept shooters with top-of-the-line outrageously priced gear! Good wedding photographers soon learn to improvise pretty early in the game. Problems with low levels of light without super-fast lenses can be worked around by increasing IOS levels which can bring a bit of “noise” or grain, however, most wedding albums will not exceed prints larger that 8x10 or thereabout where the degree of noise can be insignificant. A bit of “grain” can add to the ethereal quality or photojournalistic look of ceremony shots and all churches do not necessarily prohibit the reserved use of flash photography. If you think that your present equipment will somehow be somewhat inadequate for the job you can consider renting a camera with a very fast lens for the indoor available light shots. It's all really a matter of resourcefulness.

If you decide to go ahead and take on the job, it might be advisable to bring in a second shooter, perhaps a friend who is equally interested in photography as you are, to cover situations where you virtually have to be in two different positions at the same time, back up some of the “most have” shots from alternative angles and just help you lug around your gear so that you can more easily concentrate on you camera handling, exposure and focus issues, framing and composition and the sequences of events that you must be prepared for. If there is a church rehearsal, try to attend it so that you can anticipate the shots and get the lay of the land down pat. This is an opportunity to make some light readings in advance and secure permission of the clergy to use flash if that becomes necessary. If permission is not granted, at least, you will know what you are up against and make provisions to remedy or preclude any problematic issues. On you first job, you don't want or need negative surprises.

Always travel with a spare camera and flash unit! Even a modest working mirror-less camera is better that a dead DSLR! Also, bring additional memory cards, batteries and any expendable supplies that you may require.

Wedding photography is a mixed bag for sure. It requires skills in formal portraiture, photojournalistic techniques and some directorial prowess. People skills are of the utmost importance; you may have to curb the activities of the “cell phone paparazzi” in a diplomatic manner, deal with a bride )or groom) on the verge of a nervous breakdown, adjust ill-fitting clothing, or even deal with a very inebriated guest! Hopefully, nothing drastic will occur on your wedding photography debut but it safe to approach things, especially on your first job” from a standpoint of Murphy's law! (Mr. Murphy said (to paraphrase) that anything that can go wrong will go wrong) plus the old adage that: “An ounce of prevention is indeed worth more than a pound of cure” is definitely to be applied.

All the best to you! Ed

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

:thumbup: :thumbup: You often come up with the perfect way to say what I am thinking. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to help people with explaining that the less someone pays you, the more they expect.

I will refer back to your example next time it comes up.

Also, the "informal" weddings are the ones that you feel are more like a fast paced sporting event, and you are totally exhausted at the end of the day.

Thanks for adding your comment, you helped not only the original poster, but me (again) as well.
bk

Beercat Loc: Central Coast of California

"informal" ............. ha ha

We shot video only at a wedding last Saturday. We were asked if we could discount our price a bit. I called the mother of the bride who was the one inquiring. I asked her the details. "it is a small informal wedding. The B&G don't have a lot of money so the parents are paying, but we love your work and want to surprise them with something special." I asked her point blank that I didn't want to give a break and then find out they spent a bunch. Bottom line ........... Photographer was $5,000 ............. we got taken advantage of. Plus what was to be a 5 hour shoot turned into 7 1/2. When will we learn.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I hear you, and I can't think of any time in my dealings, where the party that asks for the discount isn't the biggest pain in the tush in the end. Like I said, I've never been able to put things in words the way Ed can. He hit the nail on the head..