mas24 Loc: Southern CA

A friend who owns a Nikon D7100, and owns only two lenses, a Nikon 18-55mm kit lens, and a FX 28-300mm, wants to save his sister money, from not paying a pro photographer to do a small Wedding. He is an amateur just like me. I asked him, why didn't the Bride and Groom's family chip in to hire a pro photographer. He said they were already paying for other preparations to the Wedding. I told him those 2 lenses he owned were not going to cut the mustard. He does have an external flash unit. I offered to loan him my prime lenses of 35mm f1.8 and 50mm f1.8. And an outdoor plug in work light he could use inside the small Church. He has never done a wedding before. He said he will have two young laborers to help out. He says he can handle it. I told him to prepare for a long day when he does it. Reception included. I'm glad I'm not doing it.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Can go to the place of the shoot, an take some experiment shots to familiarize himself with the lighting.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

What's wrong with the lenses? Do they work?

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Nothing is wrong with any of the lenses. I just thought he needed some fast prime lenses that I'm willing to loan him.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

If conditions are OK and he knows what he's doing, the 28-300 is all he will need. He had better be good and know what he's doing, that or have a very loving and forgiving sister, but based on what few facts we have, he has 1 crop frame camera and 2 lenses, this is a problem looking for a place to happen.

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

He is taking on a huge task with that set up. The 18-55 will require coaxing, a sturdy tripod, and a bunch of light to get anything decent. The primes you would like to loan him would, to me, be a little limiting because he may have to get close, I have the 35 mm 1.8 and it's a nice lens but I wouldn't want to shoot an entire wedding with it and changing lenses too much will mean missing shots.

He should probably shoot it in RAW (I would do Raw and Jpeg so that they could see the results faster) and plan on spending a bunch of time processing them with some sort of editor.

I wish him a lot of luck.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

He's not a bad photographer. Just no experience in doing a Wedding. All Pro Wedding photographers that I've encountered, have full frame cameras, and experience. They charge money for their experience too. As they should.

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

It's a specialty field for a reason and yes, the get paid good money because they get the job done.

If he really feels up to the task he should follow the bride. Make her the focal point and the rest should follow.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Knowing the equipment and having the right equipment is perhaps a quarter of what he needs to know. Does he have a back-up? A shot list? Has he posed groups before? Is he prepared to forego the experience of attending his sister's wedding? He has to know- he's there as an employee- not as family or as a guest.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

If the guy is a GOOD photographer, he has everything he needs. He probably has a speedlight, what else is there?
Because YOU don't have the confidence in your abilities to do a wedding, why do you think he can't get it done?
WHY does he need fast primes?? To be sure nothing is in focus?
He's only gonna be an amateur like you till he shoots that wedding, then he'll be MORE professional than you!!!
It's always the 12" behind the camera till it comes to a wedding, suddenly it's ALL about the camera?! Hmmmm, funny how that works!!! LoL
SS

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

This is an idea that if certain planets are aligned, the moon is full, and the stars are smiling, could turn out ok. However, my experience is that when an inexperienced photographer does something like this it often does not end well.

Things that can go wrong on this most important of days for a couple:

1. Gear failure. It happens. It sounds like he/she does not have backup gear, just in case.
2. Not having a contract - even if he is doing it for free, there needs to be a contract that describes a scope of work - what shots he/she is expected to get, and when the shooter is expected to deliver the proofs
3. Inexperience with gear - nothing worse than waiting for a photographer to stop fumbling around with the camera.
4. Dropped lens, left the battery in the charger, left the memory card in the card reader - it happens.
5. On the day of the wedding, the Bridezilla emerges - it happens, and unless he is a super-dooper people person, she (or her mother) will be completely unmanageable.
6. Not having a Plan B, Plan C etc - wedding party is late, it starts to rain, the wind kicks up - things you have no control over but happen nonetheless - contingency plans need to be in place "just in case" and need to be discussed beforehand.
7. A single flash and a work light will not do. Points to lack of experience. Shooter needs to be fully familiar and comfortable with low ambient light and bounce flash. Fast lenses are not the answer. You can't shoot a wedding at F1.8 - shallow depth of field will spoil a lot of the shots. Good shooting technique, even better post processing skills so that high ISO shots are not too noisy. I doubt the minister will allow you to set up a work light in the church. Many won't even let you use flash - too distracting.
8. MWACs and GWACs - moms with cameras and guys with cameras - nothing worse than having a great shot spoiled by someone's cellphone and hand right in the middle of the scene. This needs to be discussed and if the bride and groom do not agree to an "unplugged" wedding, where there will be a designated time and place to take shots of and with the wedding party and the couple, they will need to understand that your friend is not responsible for the results.
9. Not having enough batteries, memory cards.
10. Not having an assistant - I would never personally take on an assignment like this without an extra hand. Just having an extra hand to hold a pole mounted flash held by an assistant will greatly improve the results.
11. Permits - if some of the shooting will be done outside, at a park or somewhere else, a photographer will need to secure a permit.
12. Insurance - what happens if something goes wrong - you are on someone else's property - you are liable if someone is injured as a result of your negligence. Insurance is a must.
13. What happens if your friend goes out to dinner the night before the wedding, eats something that causes them to get sick and wakes up the next morning with the sluices open at each end? This speaks to contingency plans in #6.

These are some of the gotchas - all of which I have either seen happen or have happened to me.

I suggest your friend not take this on. This is too important a day. Right now, they are thinking of the money they'll save. After the wedding they may end up being really disgusted at the results, and there goes another personal relationship down the tubes. A wedding shooter has to be confident, experienced, and extremely well-organized to pull it off. And he/she doesn't get a do-over if things don't work out.

One last thing - has the couple contacted the caterer, the florist, the tailor, the reception hall, DJ/Musicians, etc to see if they will get a discount? Probably not. The couple is not placing a proper value on photographic services, and this is a red flag. They are expecting great results for free.

I cannot say it enough - your friend should not accept this. Too big a responsibility. I there is time, your friend should at the very least find a wedding photographer that is willing to take him/her on as an unpaid assistant, just so he/she can get a better sense of what is involved.

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

You may be setting higher expectations than the family is. Not everyone spends thousands on a Photographer. Yet these are the only stories published in photo magazines. His biggest problem is lack of back up equipment in case something fails. A real pro always has redundant back ups and fall back plans.

BrettProbert Loc: Clinton, PA

Other than that though, he should be good to go!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

And your point is?

crhoetzl

Having photographed weddings for 36 years I strongly recommend a second camera. A camera failure is a catastrophe that can't be corrected in Photoshop. I think it's better to loan him your camera body.