canon Lee

To those that shoot weddings and special events, I thought it would be informative that we share how we shoot, expose, & special techniques we have developed, through the years.... To the beginners that want to improve their event shoots, pay attention to the pros...
There is always a debate in my mind whether or not to shoot in the shade at midday, or position couples or groups at angles to the sun... of concern are shadows and highlights as well as squints... We don't often get to choose midday or the golden hours..,
Then there is the indoor low light concerns... What settings/modes on your camera do you prefer?.... Why do you prefer them? What are your techniques using flash? Most important is what do you anticipate? Do you use a second shooter or an assistant? How many shots do you take?
Or you can just share with us your own experiences of what not to do and what is important to do....
Let us not debate with each other but lets share our own successful techniques and what works for you....

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Lee, are you aware there is a sub-section of the UHH forum that specializes in wedding photography?
Here is a link to it:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-118-1.html

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Yes but other than the Nude Section, you can hear the paint drying on the walls of most every other section!!!
SS

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

As for people shooting over a shoulder. You told them nicely not to do it and then stopped shooting when it became a nuisance which usually caused the bride then tell people to leave you alone so you can work.
As for the number of shots. I used to shoot film and usually no more than 6 rolls of 24 exposures each. then came digital and everyone has gone shot crazy. i think more than what I did in film days is an over shoot, something I got yelled at later from the studio head if I over shot. If all the shots did not count they also berated the photographers. Why? The simple answer was it cost money to waste shots. Now it costs time which cost money when you have too many shots. So I say keep it simple and shoot what you need and with some groups you might shoot a few more than you did with film when digital but other shots do not need two or three to get the pose right the first time unless you have an habitual blinker.
Flash was always at f8 or higher and shutter depended on how much you might want to drag a shutter during the group shot in church.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Nowdays for indoor classical music concerts:
Two identical bodies - both with constant f2.8 lenses. A 24-80 (35mm FOV equivalent) and a 80-300 (35mm FOV equivalent)
Both bodies set up the same - Auto ISO (usually limited to ISO 6400), focus assist lamp off (so not to disturb the performers), focus confirmation beep off (so not to disturb the performance), one focus point only active (I may move it around when shooting), no flash and image stabilistion will be on.

When shooting I will be in aperture priority, usually with the the lens wide open and take what ever shuter speed I can get. I will be using exposure compensation if need be (the bodies I use have a live histogram). All shots are hand held and usually shoot around 300 raw (it gives me more flexibility when post processing) pics per performance. Normally publish, to the web, 50-75 images (within 3-4 days) so the "client" can download web sized (and ok for up to ~ 10x8" prints) for their own use.

I always try to capture "moments" and will have a good idea of what is comming as I have witnessed (with a lot of freedom to move around) at least one rehearsal.
During actual performaces you cannot do anything that will distract the audience.

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

I shoot events, indoor and out. Mostly meetings, award ceremonies, tutorials, workshops, technical demonstrations, things like that. A lot of it is like a wedding reception: not very good lighting and fast paced with nonrepeatable shots.

I carry 2 bodies, one with the 24-70 and one with the 70-200. In large spaces I might switch the 24-70 for the 200-500. One camera is in my sling bag, the other is in my hand (I don't use a strap on the camera -- it gets in the way too often). Flash is generally too intrusive, so ISO is generally 5000-12000. Raw only (I generally don't need immediate results -- photos are used for PR, newsletters, things like that. There are plenty of other cameras that do live facebook stuff so that's not my thing. Aperture priority, usually low speed continuous (I can squeeze off single shots easily) but occasionally I will need 10-12 fps. It's amazing the contortions people squeeze out of their face when speaking at a podium. I frequently use 3-4 shot bursts but there are some people whose face is so mobile that I have to use 10-15 shots to get something useful. There are two guys I have to take more than 50 shots to get a good one and even then it's sometimes iffy.

Generally depending on the event, 300-1000 shots. Downloader Pro takes the files from the card and renames them and organizes them in a folder (http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-page?upnum=1595). Dump it all into LR and do triage (http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-page?upnum=1584). Files stay on the card until everything is backed up, including the "final" edits.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Starting with you? This is lacking any info about your techniques or preferences.

canon Lee

Hi RJAY, yes I am aware of the pro sections, But I wanted the beginners here to listen in on what the pros have to say... Not only am I interested in what other pros do but the beginners can also...

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

It's more fun watching the paint dry in the nude section though!

canon Lee

Hi Odd jobber.... I shoot different types of shoots, my main income is my full time shoots of youth sports clubs, where I do picture day... I do however shoot weddings and special events, but more as a side line, as my photo
business keeps me busy most of the yr.. Occasionally I shoot real estate, and some portraits, or product ... The Youth clubs shoots entail a backdrop, and 2 light/umbrellas.. Its more like a studio set up... I use a wifi device for camera output, to an iPad for large viewing. My lighting is not like the portrait shoots, it simpler using only 2 lights, spaced around 6'apart, large umbrellas, close to the subject. One light is lower than the other as these are full body shots not head and shoulders.. Now for weddings, it depends on a lot of factors, like outdoor time of day, indoor lighting. I usually use a wide angle lens for most of the shoot. I try to shoot in the shade when ever possible, using Manual, setting the Aperture at 1/60, ISO 400 or more, and use exposure compensation for each shot.. I might also shoot in Aperture priority, getting the exposure correct and then using flash compensation to bracket.. It all depends on how much time I have...
I am always interested in how other pros shoot, as I am always eager to become faster and more accurate with the exposure. There are so many different ways to get the right exposure, especially if your outside at noon... Would you like to share your techniques?

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

I take it you are shooting close to f2.8 ? I shoot the similar shots trying to keep a higher fstop for sharpness. Usually around ISO 12800 unless my spot readings allow me to shoot higher fstops then I can adjust to a lower ISO. I use my go to lenses an 18 to 140mm and an 50 to 300mm on different cameras to help lower my noise quotient as well as shooting from the back of the theatre or a balcony when possible. To fine tune exposure by use of the add or subtract 1/3 fstop feature of the camera body. I shoot jpeg only because of what the final use will be. I might try raw next time to see if it will help the difficult shots. I really do not like shooting at such a wide aperture just because of it's limited focus area. Just in case I do bring a couple of f1.8 lenses. I might try your way next time instead of using shutter speed priority.