First time Wedding Reception
Dec 17, 2018 15:16:41 #
First thing I have tried to talk my grandson out of me shooting his wedding reception and told him to hire a professional. They have one for the engagement, bridal and wedding pictures but I think they are banked out so he has asked me. My primarily shooting is sports pictures where flash is not allowed. I have shot landscape and wildlife but no weddings or engagement or reception pictures. That being said I have a Nikon D4, D500 and D800 to work with. Lenses, the holy trinity a 50mm 1.8 and 105 1.8 macro. Two Nikon sb910s and wireless transmitter and receivers. I have been practicing setting them up and watching youtube video's on shooting a reception hall which I don't have a chance to check out before hand because this is out of state. My question is when using flash and the distance to subject is changing what is the best way to stay consistent with your lighting.
Dec 17, 2018 20:34:44 #
One option on flash is to put your strobe on a lightstand. Get it as high as you can and bounce it off the corner where the ceiling and wall meet. Then you choose an area to shoot within and meter your camera and flash for that area. You can set up more flash units to widen the area.
You may not have to use a flash if you are in a decently lit area. At my daughter's wedding this summer the reception party was in a church multipurpose building. The lights were low, but the people running the show had set up lights for a dance, and between the two sources of light neither myself or the photographer they hired needed a flash.
You may not have to use a flash if you are in a decently lit area. At my daughter's wedding this summer the reception party was in a church multipurpose building. The lights were low, but the people running the show had set up lights for a dance, and between the two sources of light neither myself or the photographer they hired needed a flash.
Dec 17, 2018 21:45:22 #
There are a number of ways to light a wedding reception with flash. Which method you adopt depends on you lighting gear and your know-how with flash usage. Unless you have enough lighting gear (several units) to surround light the room, you need a simple and straightforward method.
First things first? If you have never photographed a wedded the most important aspect you shoud concentrate on is what to shoot- being able to anticipate the action and being at the right place at the right time to record all the highlights of the event. Lighting aesthetics are important but if you attempt a complex lighting method with no experience and no opportunity to test things out at the actual venue, you best bet is to keep methods simple and make certain the you get good usable- printable files- properly exposed.
A speedlight dedicated to the camera's exposure system is a safe option. With flash usage the most important technicality is the inverse square law- as you stated, the exposure varies with the distance from the flash unit to the subject. Experienced shooters know how to estimate distances and set the aperture settings accordingly and quickly withou hesitation. This involves understanding the guide number assigned to the flash unit in use and operating accordingly. There are variations that depend on the size of the room and the reflectivity of the surroundings. Doing theses manual calculations are too time consuming and cumbersome for fast and efficient coverage of a wedding unless you have the system down pat. If your camer a flash can be used in a TTL flash program that's you be your best bet. My advice is to test the system out in a local ballroom, church or gymnasium and do a few shots of a test subject at various distances and see if the exposures are consistent. You need a center-weighted meter reading to avoid "subject failure" in large or dark surroundings.
You can use your second flas if you have a slave triggering feature to fire it off camera. You can use it to create a portrait-like lightg or open up dark backgrounds. The second light can be held by a assistant or mounted on a mobile ligh stand. Again, withou experience and knowing exactly where to place the second ligh- problems can arise.
Make certain your shutter speed is set within the synchronization range of your camera. If you keep the shutter speed on the low side but still easily hand-hold-able, you will pick up some of the ambient light in the room when using you speedlights.
The best way I can "talk you through" this is by recommend that you keep the on-camer light as simple as possible. Concentrate on getting good spontaneous expressions. Sit down with the couple in advance and make a list of basic activities- entering the reception, first dance, mixed dancing, toasts and speeches, rock 'n' roll grab shots, head table, guests congratulating the couple, group of the bridal part and parents, grandparents, cake cutting- bouquet toss- garter toss (if they do that),. Before the festivities begin- make sure to get some formal closeup and full length shots of the couple and the VIPS of the family and bridal party.
Are you gong to shoot the ceremony? Entering the venue, vows, ring exchange, blessings, folks looking on, kiss, recessional, throwing confetti, fireworks, bubbles- wahtever?
Use more that one camera- Shoot flash with one and available light wit the othere. With the available light setup- shoot it like a sports event!
Make sure you have plenty of memory cards, lots of spare batteries, and shoot lots and edit later.
The lenses you mentioned are normal and a moderate telephoto focal lengths. You may want to consider renting a 35mm wide angle lens for some wider shots- all over views of the room and wide shots of the dance floor.
I usually tell folks NOT to do this as a first time experience but it looks like you have been drafted so you have to soldier on. We can get into light modifiers, bounce lighting and all kinds of fancy stuff. If you can employ theses methods with confidence- more power to you but if not KEEP IT SIMPLE! Let us know if there is anythg else we can assist you with.
Good luck- I hope you can enjoy the wedding and not have to sweat ti too much. No booze for the photographer! Don't forget to kiss the bride and hug the groom. Congratulations to all! Best of the season!
First things first? If you have never photographed a wedded the most important aspect you shoud concentrate on is what to shoot- being able to anticipate the action and being at the right place at the right time to record all the highlights of the event. Lighting aesthetics are important but if you attempt a complex lighting method with no experience and no opportunity to test things out at the actual venue, you best bet is to keep methods simple and make certain the you get good usable- printable files- properly exposed.
A speedlight dedicated to the camera's exposure system is a safe option. With flash usage the most important technicality is the inverse square law- as you stated, the exposure varies with the distance from the flash unit to the subject. Experienced shooters know how to estimate distances and set the aperture settings accordingly and quickly withou hesitation. This involves understanding the guide number assigned to the flash unit in use and operating accordingly. There are variations that depend on the size of the room and the reflectivity of the surroundings. Doing theses manual calculations are too time consuming and cumbersome for fast and efficient coverage of a wedding unless you have the system down pat. If your camer a flash can be used in a TTL flash program that's you be your best bet. My advice is to test the system out in a local ballroom, church or gymnasium and do a few shots of a test subject at various distances and see if the exposures are consistent. You need a center-weighted meter reading to avoid "subject failure" in large or dark surroundings.
You can use your second flas if you have a slave triggering feature to fire it off camera. You can use it to create a portrait-like lightg or open up dark backgrounds. The second light can be held by a assistant or mounted on a mobile ligh stand. Again, withou experience and knowing exactly where to place the second ligh- problems can arise.
Make certain your shutter speed is set within the synchronization range of your camera. If you keep the shutter speed on the low side but still easily hand-hold-able, you will pick up some of the ambient light in the room when using you speedlights.
The best way I can "talk you through" this is by recommend that you keep the on-camer light as simple as possible. Concentrate on getting good spontaneous expressions. Sit down with the couple in advance and make a list of basic activities- entering the reception, first dance, mixed dancing, toasts and speeches, rock 'n' roll grab shots, head table, guests congratulating the couple, group of the bridal part and parents, grandparents, cake cutting- bouquet toss- garter toss (if they do that),. Before the festivities begin- make sure to get some formal closeup and full length shots of the couple and the VIPS of the family and bridal party.
Are you gong to shoot the ceremony? Entering the venue, vows, ring exchange, blessings, folks looking on, kiss, recessional, throwing confetti, fireworks, bubbles- wahtever?
Use more that one camera- Shoot flash with one and available light wit the othere. With the available light setup- shoot it like a sports event!
Make sure you have plenty of memory cards, lots of spare batteries, and shoot lots and edit later.
The lenses you mentioned are normal and a moderate telephoto focal lengths. You may want to consider renting a 35mm wide angle lens for some wider shots- all over views of the room and wide shots of the dance floor.
I usually tell folks NOT to do this as a first time experience but it looks like you have been drafted so you have to soldier on. We can get into light modifiers, bounce lighting and all kinds of fancy stuff. If you can employ theses methods with confidence- more power to you but if not KEEP IT SIMPLE! Let us know if there is anythg else we can assist you with.
Good luck- I hope you can enjoy the wedding and not have to sweat ti too much. No booze for the photographer! Don't forget to kiss the bride and hug the groom. Congratulations to all! Best of the season!
Dec 17, 2018 23:12:23 #
Thanks for your thoughts. The good thing is I don't have to shoot the wedding they have a professional for that. I will be getting pictures at the reception which will be kind of laid back. I been studying up on the basics of this and your right about keep it simple.
Dec 18, 2018 11:05:02 #
farwest wrote:
First thing I have tried to talk my grandson out o... (show quote)
Check out this 7 minute video. Gets you started on the right track!
https://youtu.be/S3IQFayyyoU
Dec 18, 2018 13:26:09 #
Another option is to get a disposable film camera for each table at the reception and let the guests photograph the reception. This worked well for me and my late wife. You get a better atmosphere of the reception with doing this. Of course, there is the cost of the camera and getting film developed. At which point you have options of having the images put on a disk for safekeeping or printing later.
Dec 22, 2018 00:01:58 #
Weddingguy wrote:
Thanks great video.
Dec 26, 2018 10:38:59 #
Whitt, I'm going to "attack" this from a different perspective. From your experience with sports photography, and the other good points on lighting, (I agree, get at least one flash off camera on a stand, you can get pretty creative with it) I'll assume you'll be fine with lighting and operating the camera.
What I want to touch on is what will make your photos worthwhile, instead of just a bunch of random photos of a bunch of people.
I go over this with any apprentice or second shooter. One or 2 wide angle shots of the entire reception is all that is needed. Any more than that will just be thrown in the trash or never printed or put in an album/. What you need to do is first, before everyone arrives, get detail shots of the tables, decorations, the cake, etc. During the meal, go to each and every table, and have the people all move to one side of the table and pose for you. Nobody wants a wide angle photo of several guests looking away, or shoving food in their mouths. A great table shot with all the people looking at you smiling, is something that will be treasured. Walk around and get as many shots as you can of people laughing, or whispering in someone's ear, anything that shows how much fun people are having. The best part of this is that you all but guarantee that you will get a shot of 99% of every guest at the wedding reception. If you wander around the edge of the room, just trying to snipe a photo here and there, you will end up with a bunch of unflattering shots of people, and only because of luck and numbers, may end up with a possibly good shot for the album.
Talk to the event planner if there is one (usually not these days), or the DJ (in the event of no planner, the DJ will set the pace for the evening as far as what happens when. (at least a good one will.)
Obviously, know when to be where by what the planner or DJ tells you, and be prepared for all the events. The cutting of the cake, don't just walk up behind the crowd and try to grab your shots. Let the couple know that you will need to be front row center, and don't start without you there. Once there, you take charge, you tell them when to cut the cake when you have the correct position (it is only done once, you can't just hang out and "hope" you get the shot) Let them know that you will count down for them to cut the cake, and I normally will do several of this part, so you get the knife at the top of the cake, and the looks on their faces as the knife hits bottom (they always tend to instinctively look at each other and smile after the knife goes down) get the "sports action" shots of them feeding each other the cake, and hopefully not smashing it in each other's faces, but be prepared for it.
Do the same with the bouquet toss and garter toss. TAKE CHARGE, let them know that you need to be in position, and you will tell them when it's ready to go. If you can catch sports action, you can get good shots of the bouquet and garter ready to be tossed, in mid air, and people trying to catch(or in the case of the garter, men running away from) the toss.
On the "special" (first, or other) dances, get a full body shot of each dance, and a close up of the faces of each person's face doing the dance, mother of the groom, father of the groom, and the bride and groom. These often show great emotion. No need to take 10 shots of each dance unless something really stands out. It just means more culling later.
For games, like the "shoe game" or whatever. Just a few shots that show what is happening, and then if you can get some reaction shots of the guests laughing, or a close up of the bride or groom as long as they look like their having fun, is all you need.
On the speeches, please, as someone who does a LOT of these and a lot of culling, one shot of each person giving the speech, one shot that shows the expressions of the couple looking at who's giving the speech, hopefully laughing or wiping a tear is plenty for each speech. I've had to cull/edit weddings with tons of shots of each and every person giving speeches, and 50 angles of the head table. It just takes hours to go through all that. Handing the couple a disk of images like that is also overwhelming. They only want the ones worth printing, or putting in a book, not 50 expressions on the same person's face, people yawning, or people shoving food in their faces.
On the dance floor. Get the couple dancing with each other, and with other people. One or 2 shots of kids dancing, kids are always dancing is enough. Grab a wide shot or two of the whole dance floor, and a few of people that are having a particular amount of fun. Again, from experience working with inexperienced photographers, don't just concentrate on the pretty girls. Us old fat guys on the dance floor can provide some memorable photos as well. HAHA.
The main thing to take away is, you need to take control, and don't be afraid to say "excuse me" and step in front of someone to get the shot. If you are "hired" to be the photographer, you can't be timid. Don't be rude, but they want you to get the shots.
Finally, you notice I keep saying album. I would suggest that if they are just getting disks of images from the photographers from the ceremony and formals, why don't you put together a nice wedding album for them with all the photos, and present it to them as a wedding gift? My kids and grandkids look at my parent's wedding photos, and my wedding photos (both before today's nice albums, just photos put in slip in sheets) The albums are something that can sit on a coffee table for 50 years, and people will still enjoy getting them out and looking at them. If they are on a disk, in a drawer somewhere, nobody will enjoy them. An album is the best gift of all.
Just my 8 cents. (a lot more than the 2 cents, I had planned on typing)
bk
What I want to touch on is what will make your photos worthwhile, instead of just a bunch of random photos of a bunch of people.
I go over this with any apprentice or second shooter. One or 2 wide angle shots of the entire reception is all that is needed. Any more than that will just be thrown in the trash or never printed or put in an album/. What you need to do is first, before everyone arrives, get detail shots of the tables, decorations, the cake, etc. During the meal, go to each and every table, and have the people all move to one side of the table and pose for you. Nobody wants a wide angle photo of several guests looking away, or shoving food in their mouths. A great table shot with all the people looking at you smiling, is something that will be treasured. Walk around and get as many shots as you can of people laughing, or whispering in someone's ear, anything that shows how much fun people are having. The best part of this is that you all but guarantee that you will get a shot of 99% of every guest at the wedding reception. If you wander around the edge of the room, just trying to snipe a photo here and there, you will end up with a bunch of unflattering shots of people, and only because of luck and numbers, may end up with a possibly good shot for the album.
Talk to the event planner if there is one (usually not these days), or the DJ (in the event of no planner, the DJ will set the pace for the evening as far as what happens when. (at least a good one will.)
Obviously, know when to be where by what the planner or DJ tells you, and be prepared for all the events. The cutting of the cake, don't just walk up behind the crowd and try to grab your shots. Let the couple know that you will need to be front row center, and don't start without you there. Once there, you take charge, you tell them when to cut the cake when you have the correct position (it is only done once, you can't just hang out and "hope" you get the shot) Let them know that you will count down for them to cut the cake, and I normally will do several of this part, so you get the knife at the top of the cake, and the looks on their faces as the knife hits bottom (they always tend to instinctively look at each other and smile after the knife goes down) get the "sports action" shots of them feeding each other the cake, and hopefully not smashing it in each other's faces, but be prepared for it.
Do the same with the bouquet toss and garter toss. TAKE CHARGE, let them know that you need to be in position, and you will tell them when it's ready to go. If you can catch sports action, you can get good shots of the bouquet and garter ready to be tossed, in mid air, and people trying to catch(or in the case of the garter, men running away from) the toss.
On the "special" (first, or other) dances, get a full body shot of each dance, and a close up of the faces of each person's face doing the dance, mother of the groom, father of the groom, and the bride and groom. These often show great emotion. No need to take 10 shots of each dance unless something really stands out. It just means more culling later.
For games, like the "shoe game" or whatever. Just a few shots that show what is happening, and then if you can get some reaction shots of the guests laughing, or a close up of the bride or groom as long as they look like their having fun, is all you need.
On the speeches, please, as someone who does a LOT of these and a lot of culling, one shot of each person giving the speech, one shot that shows the expressions of the couple looking at who's giving the speech, hopefully laughing or wiping a tear is plenty for each speech. I've had to cull/edit weddings with tons of shots of each and every person giving speeches, and 50 angles of the head table. It just takes hours to go through all that. Handing the couple a disk of images like that is also overwhelming. They only want the ones worth printing, or putting in a book, not 50 expressions on the same person's face, people yawning, or people shoving food in their faces.
On the dance floor. Get the couple dancing with each other, and with other people. One or 2 shots of kids dancing, kids are always dancing is enough. Grab a wide shot or two of the whole dance floor, and a few of people that are having a particular amount of fun. Again, from experience working with inexperienced photographers, don't just concentrate on the pretty girls. Us old fat guys on the dance floor can provide some memorable photos as well. HAHA.
The main thing to take away is, you need to take control, and don't be afraid to say "excuse me" and step in front of someone to get the shot. If you are "hired" to be the photographer, you can't be timid. Don't be rude, but they want you to get the shots.
Finally, you notice I keep saying album. I would suggest that if they are just getting disks of images from the photographers from the ceremony and formals, why don't you put together a nice wedding album for them with all the photos, and present it to them as a wedding gift? My kids and grandkids look at my parent's wedding photos, and my wedding photos (both before today's nice albums, just photos put in slip in sheets) The albums are something that can sit on a coffee table for 50 years, and people will still enjoy getting them out and looking at them. If they are on a disk, in a drawer somewhere, nobody will enjoy them. An album is the best gift of all.
Just my 8 cents. (a lot more than the 2 cents, I had planned on typing)
bk
Dec 26, 2018 11:48:31 #
Dec 26, 2018 12:33:13 #
Now that is just what I needed. Shooting reception tomorrow and this helps me so much. I'm grateful for your input. I'm a laid back type of guy so this could stretch me a bit.
Thanks,
Whitt
Thanks,
Whitt
Dec 26, 2018 14:15:32 #
farwest wrote:
Now that is just what I needed. Shooting reception tomorrow and this helps me so much. I'm grateful for your input. I'm a laid back type of guy so this could stretch me a bit.
Thanks,
Whitt
Thanks,
Whitt
Any wedding shoot will "stretch" anyone . . . even the seasoned wedding photographer.
Dec 26, 2018 19:00:39 #
Receptions can be physically exhausting, especially when solo. As BK stated, make friends with the DJ. Most weddings that I've shot, they run the show. Additionally, the DJ will often allow me to stow extra gear/bags/cases safely and out of sight.
Occasionally there might be a Master and Mistress of Ceremony.
Occasionally there might be a Master and Mistress of Ceremony.
Jan 4, 2019 18:01:15 #
bkyser wrote:
Whitt, I'm going to "attack" this from a... (show quote)
Excellent guidance.
My 1 deviation would be not to worry about taking too many photos. You do not make a living from this so you should have hobby time to cull :-)
...having said that, I would caution that "taking too many" can distract you from getting the critical few. Make sure you know where and when you need to be and have pretested those
shots with your lighting setup. Your cameras should have a mode that allows you to save your settings so when the moment comes (Toss, cake etc), you flip the camera to the preset mode and you are ready.
I often have 4-5 speedlights on light stands in the corners/against walls and bounce off the ceiling (or use flash cards if high ceilings).
Receptions are fun. Less pressure than the ceremony as there are only 2-3 key "must get the shot" shots.
Jan 26, 2019 08:31:09 #
Pistnbroke
Loc: UK
Sounds like I am too late but as a Nikon D850 wedding shooter I would use the D800..the lens I use is the N 28-300 always at F8. Set the camera base iso to 200 so when you turn on the flash it goes to 800 (auto iso 200-6400) and just put the flash in the shoe and only shoot landscape to avoid any side shadows..(crop later ) or buy a flash flipper .I only use the SB 400 as its close to the lens. Done hundreds of weddings like this and thousands of shots no problem.
I only shoot JPEG usually large basic.
For the dancing I use a 14mm Samyang in P mode taped up at about 8 ft as well as the 28-300 also in P mode .never use flash and stand with your back to the disco . ( I have my own battery powered disco lights in case the disco guy is poor or turns his lights off for the first dance )
I only shoot JPEG usually large basic.
For the dancing I use a 14mm Samyang in P mode taped up at about 8 ft as well as the 28-300 also in P mode .never use flash and stand with your back to the disco . ( I have my own battery powered disco lights in case the disco guy is poor or turns his lights off for the first dance )
Jan 28, 2019 09:32:40 #
Pistnbroke wrote:
Sounds like I am too late but as a Nikon D850 wedd... (show quote)
This is what I like about our section. There are as many ways to light and shoot a wedding/reception as there are photographers. (and in my area, there are 2 photographers for every non photographer, so there is a lot of competition) I know that Jerry and I tend (tended, he's changed equipment) to use fairly the same light setup with off camera lights, ala David Zinser, but we also have people that love the flash bender, and various other methods. I'm just glad we can all share, and learn other's ideas, so we can experiment.
My dream is to end up getting some really nice self contained battery powered strobes, but for now it's usually off camera flashes around the floor on different channels, a few of them gelled for effect, and I can turn them on or off from my flash transmitter... I normally have one flash on a stand that I move around with me as well.
It works for me, but I always dream of having awesome equipment, but things like life keep getting in my way... so I just make it work with what I have.
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