So, I've gotten roped into shooting a wedding. Yikes! Any advice greatly appreciated (Page 13): The B/G portraits can be done any time except that typically they are not available...

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

BebuLamar wrote:

I have a suggestion. Since Gene thinks you might mess up and of course anybody might so why not doing the photography today. So many wedding pictures I saw can be taken any time and not neccesaritly on the wedding day.

The B/G portraits can be done any time except that typically they are not available after the wedding while they are off on their honeymoon. Before the wedding or a week or month later works although it requires any tux rentals to be done twice or for an extended period. But that's only considering the B/G. The rest of the family and the others in the wedding party have to be available for the group portraits.

My stepdaughter's wedding did it right, in my opinion. The wedding was at 5pm. Preparation started at 9am. Pre-party started at 11am, to encourage everyone to be there early. Portraits started at noon and lasted until about 4pm. Then the wedding, from which everyone went directly to the reception, including B/G. Portraits were done in daylight.

The only real advantage of choosing another day for the portraits would be weather considerations.

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

As for the wedding pros chiming in here, I'm sure you all do a fine job shooting weddings and know your stuff. I just want to reiterate here that not everyone NEEDS a pro photographer at their wedding. Sure, the pros do a great job and the photos are superb and the coverage is complete. But the wedding photos have several purposes.

First of all, the wedding photos are for the family history. It's nice to have professional photos for the family history, but amateur photos work, too. And these days, EVERYONE is carrying a camera, even if it's just their phone (no intent here to diss some phone cameras).

Second, wedding photos are to display to friends who weren't able to attend (or who might not even have been friends at the time). Of course they can be displayed to the attendees also, to remind them of good times.

Third, the social aspect of the wedding can be enhanced by publishing the photos. This obviously doesn't apply to ALL weddings, only the socially 'important' ones.

Fourth, the wedding photos provide employment to photographers, camera manufacturers, software writers, printmakers, framers.

Not all of these purposes are equally important, and for some weddings the last couple can be completely irrelevant.

I am really talking about real weddings, not the few that end in divorce, and especially not those where the wedding photos are ceremonially burned at the split. The photos do not affect the longevity of the marriage. The first two weddings I shot I was an amateur but I had a camera. Impecunious friends got married so I did the photos. I had a speed graphic and a limited number of film packs. I got around 30 shots of each wedding. My amateur ability showed in the photos. Both marriages lasted over 50 years and were terminated by the death of one of the celebrants.

PS: my second wedding was shot by the self-timer on my camera.

BebuLamar

DirtFarmer wrote:

The B/G portraits can be done any time except that... (show quote)

The real advantage to me is that if you do it months in advance and if you mess up you can redo it many times. It's no longer a once in a lifetime thing. If you failed for the 10th time then you can be sure you need to hire someone.

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

BebuLamar wrote:

The real advantage to me is that if you do it months in advance and if you mess up you can redo it many times. It's no longer a once in a lifetime thing. If you failed for the 10th time then you can be sure you need to hire someone.

My daughter's wedding dress was not available until a couple weeks before the wedding.
And there were lots of photos taken months before the wedding. They were called "engagement photos"

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

BebuLamar wrote:

I have a suggestion. Since Gene thinks you might mess up and of course anybody might so why not doing the photography today. So many wedding pictures I saw can be taken any time and not neccesaritly on the wedding day.

Thanks for the suggestion. However, the wedding couple and their parents live in Evergreen, Colorado and will be traveling to Santa Barbara, CA for the wedding.

BebuLamar

Fredrick wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion. However, the wedding couple and their parents live in Evergreen, Colorado and will be traveling to Santa Barbara, CA for the wedding.

I am a bit sarcasm because I saw so many wedding pictures that really don't reflect the events of the day.

dicspics Loc: southwest fla. 10 mins from the gulf

If you HAVE to ask that many questions, don't even think about doing it. Iv'e done weddings years ago and it's a nightmare. STOP right now, your will be sorry..

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Fredrick wrote:

OK, against my better judgement, 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 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 was 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 use 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 judgement, I have agreed to ... (show quote)

Make sure at least two people shoot video even if it only with iPhone. Entrance, ceremony and after wedding. One shooter should be in first row to get sound or use external mic so that u record and can hear the ceremony. Do some research on videoing a wedding.

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

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... (show quote)

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"!

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

E.L.. Shapiro wrote:

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"!

I have no way of knowing exactly what your talents... (show quote)

Hi: I’m not sure why this thread is popping up again??
I started it a year and a half ago. I did do the wedding in August of 2022. I posted some of the wedding images in the Wedding Section, and you did give me feedback last year.
Sorry for all this confusion?

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

My advice is to be barely seen, barely remembered. Too often, a pro photographer is the center of the show. The bride should be the center, with the groom as ‘supporting cast’.

imagextrordinair Loc: Halden, Norway

Fredrick wrote:

OK, against my better judgement, 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 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 was 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 use 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 judgement, I have agreed to ... (show quote)

For your first time, I suggest auto ISO and be sure your shutter speed is at least 250th of a second. Outdoor is no problem, but indoor I would not go below F5 for groups except for effect or with a long lens. Bounce flash is easy and will sink at 250th, just be aware of the potential shadows. Go to youtube if you need more on that.

A little noise generated by higher ISO is way better than other problems caused by low ISO and especially too slow of a shutter speed. You will be surprised how good a sharp, higher ISO image will look.

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

The wedding was was last year.

User ID

DirtFarmer wrote:

The wedding was was last year.

(Download)

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

Fredrick wrote:

Thomas, I will definitely give your suggestions serious consideration, and will look at Wedding Wire. Thank you!

I agree with Thomas about the second shooter that has experience. It would take some pressure off of you.
Good luck