Fredrick wrote:
OK, against my better judgment, I have agreed to shoot a wedding for my cousin’s son’s wedding. Please don’t tell me it’s a really bad idea and that I should offer to pay for a professional photographer. I know you all mean well. I’ve already done that. As a bit of background:
I recently took a series of photos at another wedding (as a guest … they also had a professional photographer) and sent them out to a number of relatives. This groom-to-be (this August), his fiancée, and his parents looked at the photos and called me and begged me to shoot their wedding. I said no, no, no and downplayed any expectations, but to no avail. They loved the photos that I did as a guest at another wedding, so I just don’t see a way out of this without jeopardizing our relationship. No, I’ve not shot a wedding before. I’m mostly a landscape and street photographer.
So, I’m going to go ahead with this, and here is where I would appreciate any help and insight you could provide:
I currently own a Fuji X100V (fixed 35mm FF equiv, 26mp camera) and a Fuji X-T2 (24mm MILC camera) with plenty of zoom and prime lenses. The X100V has a leaf shutter, enabling me to fill flash up to 1/4,000 of a second. I have just a little experience using flash outdoors or indoors.
The wedding will be at my cousin's house (with a huge backyard). The ceremony will take place in the afternoon in the backyard, and the reception will be in the backyard and also inside the house. Probably around 40-50 people. Lots of young adults and laid-back relatives.
What I’m trying to figure out is, which camera do I use? Do I use both? What focal lengths? All the photos that I took at the other wedding as a guest were with my X100V, using fill flash with the built-in camera flash. Do I use one camera for outside and one camera for inside the house? The X100V has a built-in digital teleconverter for 50mm and 70mm (in addition to the 35mm) which I can easily change. Which flash unit (if any) should I buy? I’m looking at Nissin and Godox TTL flashes (and my head is spinning). I realize if I use a flash I will have to practice quite a bit for it to become second nature to me (I have 4 months before the wedding). I plan on shooting in RAW + Jpeg and using PSE and Luminar for post-processing.
As you can see, I have some decisions to make before I start practicing. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
OK, against my better judgment, I have agreed to s... (
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I have no way of knowing exactly what your talents and capabilities are, in terms of wedding photography You did not post any images of your previous experience in that aspect of specialized photography. The conversation here and your questions and many answers are based on equipment choices and post-processing methodologies. Believe it or not- equipment has very little to do with the challenges you might face due to inexperience and lack of specific technique and method.
I have covered, literally, thousands of weddings and similar events. Back in the olden days, I and many of my cohorts, colleagues, and fellow professionals, shot weddings with one main camera and a fixed lens- a 4x5 press camera, a Rolleiflex, or a medium format rangefinder model with one normal lens. I am not suggesting that you revert to this method but my point is, that even with this basic gear and a couple of flash units, some excellent work was produced by capable shooters. To boot, there were no post-processing methods to rescue extremely bad exposures so consistency of exposure, composition, and general quality had to be maintained under a vast range of different and oftentimes difficult conditions with critical time frames.
Good wedding photography is a hybrid beast- a mixture of photojournalism, portraiture, and a touch of fashion photography. Your technique has to be second nature and a matter of muscle memory because you cannot fiddle with your gear because you have BIGGER fish to fry- capturing expressions, posing, anticipating, and capturing peek action and a bit of crowd control and people skills.
The size of the wedding, the longevity of the marriage, the age or demeanor of the participants, and the price of bananas have little to do with anything. A tiny wedding in a backyard can offer more challenges than an elaborate affair in a majestic cathedral or an opulent grand ballroom. A small casual celebration can be just as difficult or demanding as a riotous mega-party! You can shoot certain formals on another day in advance but that is not always possible. You have to be prepared to do the job perfectly on the spot as it goes down. You have to PLAN what couple and the bridal party to create a schedule and be ready to take an alternative approach if things go south.
There is no practical way to "practice" many of the aforementioned procedures, requirements, and methods unless you are mentored by a seasoned professional and have the opportunity to assist on several weddings and perhaps serve as a second shooter to gain experience.
You mention that you do not want to be told: "not to do this"! I am not trying to discourage you- I am just presenting the facts as I see them. Today's modern gear and advanced technologies make the job a bit easier but in some cases, too much gear can bog you down. You may very well rise to the occasion and do a great job. Oftentimes, folks do not worry much about technicalities such as exposure and composition but they want to look good and be flattered in their wedding portraits. A bride would not likely complain about half and f/stop off but will not be pleased with a poorly draped gown or veil or an unflattering camera angle. You will not like to receive complaints about insufficient dynamic range but a lack of fine detail in a white wedding gown or baggy trousers on the groom will draw boos.
Obviously, the couple did not want or see the need to hire an experienced pro. They might be pleased with whatever you do for them- or not. Again, I have no way of knowing. It is up to you to ascertain their expectations and as long as you are honest as to your experience and everyone is on the same page- you should be unscathed.
I wish I could give you some quick tips or foolproof methods. Realistically, this work cannot be book-learned or ascertained and mastered overnight. If you post some images of that last wedding you covered I could be more helpful.
The only words in your question I find uncomfortable are "roped in" and "against my better judgment"!