First Time Wedding Photohgraphy

F

FrattonFreak

Messages
502
Name
Warren
Edit My Images
Yes
You know how this goes.....you take some portraits and landscapes that people comment nicely about and then you are asked to photograph a friends wedding as "he takes nice pictures"

I suppose everyone has a first time but I was wondering if there is any specific advice / book suggestions etc ????

All I will be doing is taking the images and post processing. I wint be putting these into an album but I may get asked to make order the prints etc
 
Hi, Not a wedding photography but if it was me I would watch my exposure especially if she is in white and he is in a dark suit.
If you go onto the B&H website or You-tube sure you will get tips via video that will help you out.
Oh yes GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

Russ
 
I've been doing alot of lurking, reading and watching videos etc for this very same reason. I've got some links of useful articles on my ipad, I'll put them up later. I'm shooting my 1st one Saturday! Thankfully B&G are already married (registry office) so this is more a wedding celebration with a ceremony on the brides parents farm with a marquee so not lots of formal shots in church, outside in big groups etc.

In order to improve the look of my shots (hopefully) I got the Bride to hire me a nice lens. I've also borrowed another body and lens for the occasion.

They say you haven't got the opportunity to mess this up as it only happens once so with that in mind I'm going to the venue the day before at the same time the ceremony will be so I can practice shots and locations with them then check them out on Friday night to see what's good what's bad and what could be improved.

I'll let you know how I get on from an amateurs POV and might even post some pictures up if I'm not too worried about getting slated.

I sent the bride this link

http://www.rossharvey.com/weddings/southwood-hall-wedding-summer-love

and she said 'yeah, something like that will be fine' which got me worried! Just hope I can get some keepers even closely similar to those fantastic shots.
 
WelshNoob said:
I've been doing alot of lurking, reading and watching videos etc for this very same reason. I've got some links of useful articles on my ipad, I'll put them up later. I'm shooting my 1st one Saturday! Thankfully B&G are already married (registry office) so this is more a wedding celebration with a ceremony on the brides parents farm with a marquee so not lots of formal shots in church, outside in big groups etc.

In order to improve the look of my shots (hopefully) I got the Bride to hire me a nice lens. I've also borrowed another body and lens for the occasion.

They say you haven't got the opportunity to mess this up as it only happens once so with that in mind I'm going to the venue the day before at the same time the ceremony will be so I can practice shots and locations with them then check them out on Friday night to see what's good what's bad and what could be improved.

I'll let you know how I get on from an amateurs POV and might even post some pictures up if I'm not too worried about getting slated.

I sent the bride this link

http://www.rossharvey.com/weddings/southwood-hall-wedding-summer-love

and she said 'yeah, something like that will be fine' which got me worried! Just hope I can get some keepers even closely similar to those fantastic shots.
Click to expand...

WFT... you've never shot a wedding and as an example of what you had in mind you sent her the UK's top wedding photographer's website :LOL: :bonk:

Talk about setting unrealistic expectations ;)

I'd quickly send her an awful tog's pics and say 'I'm aiming for somewhere in between' (y)
 
ajax_andy said:
WFT... you've never shot a wedding and as an example of what you had in mind you sent her the UK's top wedding photographer's website :LOL: :bonk:

Talk about setting unrealistic expectations ;)

I'd quickly send her an awful tog's pics and say 'I'm aiming for somewhere in between' (y)
Click to expand...

I was totally blown away by them, I thought they were amazing and was expecting her response to be the same!!!!! :thumbsdown::thumbsdown: I just saw the set on TP, didn't realise he had won "Best Wedding Photographer in England" :(

In my defense I just sent her an email with the link, nothing else.

That set was particularly pertinent as the wedding is in a similar vein.
 
Last edited:
FrattonFreak said:
You know how this goes.....you take some portraits and landscapes that people comment nicely about and then you are asked to photograph a friends wedding as "he takes nice pictures"

I suppose everyone has a first time but I was wondering if there is any specific advice / book suggestions etc ????

All I will be doing is taking the images and post processing. I wint be putting these into an album but I may get asked to make order the prints etc
Click to expand...

1) Make sure you have a back up body and lens... if your camera dies you NEED another, same with the lens. If you don't and it goes wrong you litterally are screwed. I've had 2 camera's die on me mid wedding in the 12 months i've been shooting weddings... always had a backup thank god

2) You need to approach it as a photographer and not a guest, so make sure you're standing where a photographer would and not in a bundle of guests all blocking your shot or getting in your way

3) No amount of videos or books will prepare you for shooting a wedding... main thing is to remember the basics, make sure you're exposing correctly, make sure your focussing right, check your battery levels and switch when required, bounce your flash etc etc. Things move very quickly so make sure you remember to change your settings moving from inside to outside and vice versa, check the LCD and histogram regularly to ensure you're getting things right.
 
WelshNoob said:
I was totally blown away by them, I thought they were amazing and was expecting her response to be the same!!!!! :thumbsdown::thumbsdown:

In my defense I just sent her an email with the link, nothing else.

That set was particularly pertinent as the wedding is in a similar vein.
Click to expand...

I honestly can't understand why you'd show her such high quality and unobtainable standards... You've kind of made a rod for your own back. To her that's 'wedding photography' now, and will expect something similar.

I'd seriously go back to her and explain he's won awards for his work and you can't hope to achieve even close to that standard.
 
ajax_andy said:
I honestly can't understand why you'd show her such high quality and unobtainable standards... You've kind of made a rod for your own back. To her that's 'wedding photography' now, and will expect something similar.

I'd seriously go back to her and explain he's won awards for his work and you can't hope to achieve even close to that standard.
Click to expand...

It's my sister. She knows what pictures I take. She won't be expecting anything like that.
 
I didn't mention it so not your fault. On a plus side I'm going to put the pictures I take on a website and then if someone asks me to shoot anything again I'll direct them to that. It should do the trick of getting me out of having to shoot again! :):)
 
Thanks for your comments and good luck WelshNoob - I would be very interested in how it goes.

In terms of sample images you should have shown a set of say Wayne and Waynetta's marriage - set expectation low and you can only be better :D

I have a D700 which i'll probably pair up with my favourite 24-70 and I'll get hold of a back-up cropped sensor camera. Any suggestions of lens on the latter e.g. a longer zoom (slow) or 50mm f/1.8 etc....

Good advice on the exposure if white dress and black suits - thanks
 
FrattonFreak said:
Thanks for your comments and good luck WelshNoob - I would be very interested in how it goes.

In terms of sample images you should have shown a set of say Wayne and Waynetta's marriage - set expectation low and you can only be better :D

I have a D700 which i'll probably pair up with my favourite 24-70 and I'll get hold of a back-up cropped sensor camera. Any suggestions of lens on the latter e.g. a longer zoom (slow) or 50mm f/1.8 etc....

Good advice on the exposure if white dress and black suits - thanks
Click to expand...

I pretty much only ever use 24-70mm f/2.8 & 70-200mm f/2.8... I have a 50mm f/1.4 but tbh never use it for more than about 5% of shots at a wedding... the rest are split between the other lenses... 24-70mm gets used for all wide angle and semi close ups, 70-200mm for long range candids (y)
 
ajax_andy said:
I pretty much only ever use 24-70mm f/2.8 & 70-200mm f/2.8... I have a 50mm f/1.4 but tbh never use it for more than about 5% of shots at a wedding... the rest are split between the other lenses... 24-70mm gets used for all wide angle and semi close ups, 70-200mm for long range candids (y)
Click to expand...

I'm glad you said that, I'm using the 70-200 and 16-35mm was going to keep my 50mm ready but maybe not needed.
 
24-70 F/2.8 on my 5dmkiii and either a Zeiss 50 f/1.4 on the 1DX or I will alternate with the 85mm possibly the 70-200 F/2.8 for long shots (especially for any shots in foreground of water fountains etc)
Apart from getting your lenses setup, make sure the batteries are charged, try and avoid flash where possible (I prefer reflectors when sunny instead of fill flash) - actually, if I find you've used the pop up flash then I'll send a digital head slap through here :D

Look for light, if you can't find it then move - don't be afraid to tell the B&G to move either.
 
This thread started off quite scary until I got to the sister part. Have you done much photography of people before? That will give you the answers about lenses etc.
 
connersz said:
This thread started off quite scary until I got to the sister part. Have you done much photography of people before? That will give you the answers about lenses etc.
Click to expand...

It's not my thread so I'm taking the 5th.
 
Basically if anyone's looking for wedding advice then this is the forum to get it. Although some togs do get alarmed when it's another newbie wedding thread but as long as you fully detail your experience and that no cash / contracts have been signed and you're doing it as a test then that's part of the fun. I've seen some others on separate forums that have gone in with the 'Big I am' and completely ruined a special day due to more confidence than experience of the camera itself :D
 
Best way to start out in the industry is to offer your services to a seasoned professional as a second shooter.

Weddings are probably one of the hardest genre's of photography to get totally right because there are so many elements out of your control but you need to learn to adapt to changing scenarios at the drop of a hat.

As has already been said make sure you double up on just about everything, backup your cards as soon as you get home or even onsite if possible. Phone Cliik insurance (other insurers are available but I prefer these guys) and get some public liability & professional indemnity insurance cover if you wish to carry on.

Probably the most important thing a wedding photographer needs is good people skills because you must already be comfortable with your photography skills unless you wouldn't even be thinking about it.

I hope it all goes well for you and please let us know how you get on.

Regards

Paul
 
To answer a few questions:

1. I'm an amatuer.
2. LOL - Its being done for free and the couple just cannot afford a pro tog. Maybe they'll ask me to make the wedding dress also. However and not wanting to debate this really I'm not sure there is any need for pro togs to worry or complain e.g. working mechanics / hobbyist mechanics / every other trade etc have been doing cobbles on the side for decades and friends have been helping friends for free for decades. Anyway everyone has their first wedding shoot on at least one occassion
3. I'm not going to launch a career into wedding photography on the back of one shoot :D so their business is safe for a while yet
4. I'm very grateful for any advice
5. I'm doing a BA Hons degree in Photography so watch out pro's if I get there but perhaps glamour photography would be an alternative to consider also :)
6. PopUp Flash with a diffuser would surely avoid a digital slap ;)

Thanks very much for everyone's comments - these are really helpful.

Connerz - Yep - have done some portrait work but its less pressurized I would think. I have an awful lot to learn about photography, perhaps my flickr site gives an idea of where I am: http://www.flickr.com/photos/61780014@N08/

Thanks
 
Last edited:
Was in a similar boat this time last year photographing a friend's wedding though I did have the slight advantage of also having another friend co-shooting with me. I could probably give loads of advice but in a nut shell, it was all about preparation for me. It allows you to turn up on the day with a plan and confidence.

You may not feel the need to do all of the below it is stuff I would do if doing it again.

I suppose firstly, as has been said, take care to set the bar low with the B&G. You're an unpaid amateur and their expectations should be aligned with that. By all means, you should aim to exceed them but don't allow the balance to tip the other way by not communicating with them at an early stage.

Next up is preparation. I'm sure a seasoned pro can get away with putting far less time into this element but I personally wanted to be as thorough as I could possibly be. Firstly with regard to getting a feel for the sort of shots the B&G are actually after. Is it formal stuff, reportage, posed fun shots, specific poses etc or are you to just blend into the background and capture some moments. If they are looking for posed shots, do some studying on simple poses, don't let this get to complicated, just the basics of how to get ladies and gents to look natural, things like side on to the camera, hands in pockets type stuff. Rehearse this stuff with willing models.

Get an idea of the B&G's plans for how the day is scheduled, service time, meal time, cake cutting, first dance etc. It'll not run to schedule but at least you'll know what order things will happen in so you an be prepared.

Plan a shot list and keep it with you. Make sure it's written in the order that the shots will be taken in. Your list should include plenty of shots of the little details, shoes, flowers, cake, table decor etc as the bride will no doubt have put a lot of time into them. Have a dry weather plan and a wet weather plan. Your dry weather plan should factor in the possibility of harsh lighting outdoors.

Make sure you're are 100% confident in using your gear. If you can't use a flash, don't try to learn on the day. Either don't use it and work around that (you might need it when things get dark) or start learning now.

As others have said, make sure you have backup gear available that you can get results from. My friend and I had three bodies between us, 2x 70-200's, 2x 24-70's and a couple of primes as well as three flash units and other clobber. Obviously you can get away with less for just one of you but consider all the 'what if's'.

Visit the venue if you can. Get a feel for what shots will work where. What direction will the light be on the day at what times etc. Where can indoor shots be taken, you get the idea. I found this part particularly useful especially as we had my wife in tow who was able to pose a little so we could work out some ideas. Ideally this would be combined with speaking to any vicars, registrars etc and getting some of the ground rules set.

As the day approaches, check all your gear. Make sure all batteries are charged, memory cards formatted etc. Have plenty of spares with you and consider a plan for swapping memory cards or backing up a few times over the course of the day. Check all your camera settings are how you want them and some silly iso value hasn't been dialled in the image quality turned down or something else similarly frustrating.

On the day itself, arrive early. Bring water as it's thirsty work. Try and get as many of the standard shots in the bag before people arrive. Outside shots of the venue, the cake, flowers, rings etc.. Once people start arriving, move onto your plan. Things will move fast and you won't get much downtime so it's all about remaining calm and efficient. It'll be over in no time.

The photography bit, there are plenty of tips online so all I'd say is shoot raw and use your histogram and highlight blinkies, they're a life saver.
 
I was in a similar situation earlier this year. It worked out quite well but it was hard work!
I think Gad-Westy's advice was spot on and I approached it in a similar vein.

I found that actually taking the photographs (exposure, focus etc)was the easy bit. Getting the right people in the groups and getting them to pose and look at me was harder than I thought. It is unlikely you can rely on ushers etc. I took 3 or 4 shots of every group pose in case I got a blink or yawn.

Quick list of what went right.

1. Meet with B&G get list of 'must have' shots and find out which of the guests are particularly important to them. In my case it was the Gran (as well as as the parents etc). Should be easier for you as its your family.

2. I visited the venue with the B&G at the same time of day when we would be taking most of the shots to see where the sun was and find suitable locations. This included where to take the group shots if it rained.

3. I got a complete running schedule of the day, ie what was happening when and where.

4. It came apparent that there were moments where photos needed to be taken at two different places at one time, so would be useful if you could get help. For example Bride preparation and groom preparation.

5. Need to speak to the vicar or registrar to find out if you can use flash and what they will accept and what they wont, this also includes working out your position during the ceremony, capturing bride arrival and down the aisle etc, again useful if you have help.

6. Lots of thought had gone into table settings/decorations. I needed to find out when the reception room would be laid so I could shoot the detail and the room before it was full of people, and of course work out what else would be happening at this time.

7. I used 3 cameras (I know, overkill..) The main camera was D3 with 24-70 lens, I had D200 with 70-300 zoom and D80 with 10-20. The D3 got the most use by a long way.

8. Had mobile phone numbers for all key players in case there were any hitches and plans needed to be re arranged.

9. Most important for me was that I told them I had not done this before, I wasn't very good, it could easily be a disaster and they should get a pro. They still wanted me to do it but at least I had hopefully lowered their expectations and that at least helped me to work under a bit less pressure.

10. I took around 1500 shots from which I got 300 they were happy with. I learned an awful lot on the day, as I am sure you will. One of the things I learned is that if I were to do it professionally I would want to charge £2k+. I spent the best part of 5 days on this wedding if you include all the prep and PP etc.

Good luck!
 
Good advice so far.

One thing I'd recommend though is not using flash during the ceremony. It's very distracting to the couple. It's a wedding afterall, not a photo shoot.

Of course that depends upon your gear. Since you have a D700 & 24-70 chances are you won't need flash unless the ceremony is in a very dark church....in which case the vicar probably won't let you use flash anyway!

The main thing I'd say is that a large part of wedding photography isn't taking the photos but people management. Get that right and you've won half the battle to begin with.
 
BBR said:
10. I took around 1500 shots from which I got 300 they were happy with. I learned an awful lot on the day, as I am sure you will. One of the things I learned is that if I were to do it professionally I would want to charge £2k+. I spent the best part of 5 days on this wedding if you include all the prep and PP etc.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
I was in a similar position 3 weeks ago for my sister-in-law's wedding. Luckily all went well. I just had the one camera though, a 450D and used a Sigma 30mm f1.4 for the ceremony, shooting mainly at 200 or 400 ISO, then my Sigma 17-70 for the rest of the day coupled with 430EX flash, which was invaluable. I could not use it during the service, however, hence the 30mm f1.4.

Couldn't agree more with your last point about how time consuming it was afterwards. The whole day was very tiring, but the editing and faffing about took ages too. I took 550, found 310 'keepers', of which I have not put 78 into a tier 2 folder with 232 main shots of the day.

The B&G are delighted with what they have seen so far and I am giving them all the shots on a DVD tonight.

My main mistakes; not being as thorough as I should have been in checking the background and not using my histogram, as I omitted to notice that some outdoor shots with flash were over-exposed as I was in bright light with a maximum sync speed of 1/200 at f6.3. I was able to rescue it fairly well in DPP though, as I shot in RAW.

That would be my main tip based on my extensive 1 day experience of being a wedding photographer; shoot RAW!
 
WelshNoob said:
I've been doing alot of lurking, reading and watching videos etc for this very same reason. I've got some links of useful articles on my ipad, I'll put them up later. I'm shooting my 1st one Saturday! Thankfully B&G are already married (registry office) so this is more a wedding celebration with a ceremony on the brides parents farm with a marquee so not lots of formal shots in church, outside in big groups etc.

In order to improve the look of my shots (hopefully) I got the Bride to hire me a nice lens. I've also borrowed another body and lens for the occasion.

They say you haven't got the opportunity to mess this up as it only happens once so with that in mind I'm going to the venue the day before at the same time the ceremony will be so I can practice shots and locations with them then check them out on Friday night to see what's good what's bad and what could be improved.

I'll let you know how I get on from an amateurs POV and might even post some pictures up if I'm not too worried about getting slated.

I sent the bride this link

http://www.rossharvey.com/weddings/southwood-hall-wedding-summer-love

and she said 'yeah, something like that will be fine' which got me worried! Just hope I can get some keepers even closely similar to those fantastic shots.
Click to expand...

:LOL::LOL::LOL:

I feel like the guy out of taken... "GOOD LUCK" :wave:
 
UaeExile said:
:LOL::LOL::LOL:

I feel like the guy out of taken... "GOOD LUCK" :wave:
Click to expand...

It will all be fine;

"what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career"

Unfortunately I haven't had a career in photography :LOL:
 
All of the advice above is stop on and will really help you. I learned everything I know on here lol. Not sure if you have read this but its something I posted when I did my first wedding:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=461078

Incidentally I've got my second wedding to do in 8 weeks time for my sister. I'm certainly not going to make a habit out of weddings but as she has seen my last efforts she knows what I can do.

Good luck and make sure you enjoy the day, after all it is your sisters wedding!
 
My advice.

Don't do it, especially if it's a relative, just go and enjoy the day.

I shoot weddings and no way will I shoot for family, end of story. You can't be a guest and be a photographer, one or the other. It's so intense as a job, from preparation to the day to post production. You can't possibly enjoy it as a guest.

Even if they can't afford it, which they can if they need to ;) I would not do it.
 
As promised here are a few comments on the weeding, I've attached a link to a few images I took:
http://warrenjonesphotography.com/photo_12572669.html

Initial I felt a bit self concious but very quickly I was smply part of the parade and accepted and recognised as whatr I was, the official photographer.
Weather was pretty poor and was lucky to get a few outside shots when it wasn't raining but still windding, Wedding was 1/2/2014
I had to use a lot of flash inside so exposure was difficult and preferred to adjust using ISO rather than exposure compensation in camera which worked out well
I learnt a lot, a key one was understanding ahead what size images I would likely be printing as frameing can be key
Using an SB900 I got through about 3 x 4 AA batteries. I took about 600 images in total
The couple seemed very pleased

I would have prefered to work without flash since the flash recycling time, though quick does prevent image bursts. I was very methodical in checking exposure and images on camera back to ensure I had good exposure plus retook images where you get one person with eyes closed / closing which always happens with multiple people.

It was a good challenge and if in similar circumstances I'd recommend people do try this but on the basis they know their camera well, there is no time for messing around with settings. You have to work fast, organise, be polite and look cool and smiley to get people to smile back

let me know what you think
 
Link isn't working
 
I'll preface my comments by saying I'm a hobbyist and I rarely shoot people, so please take them with a grain of salt. What really matters is whether the bride and groom like the photos.

Kudos for dealing with the weather...it looked like it was dreary and windy. I think you have some nice shots that the b&g will be very happy with. The ones taken on the bridge are quite nice as are the more formal shots at the table. Nice use of symmetry on the group shot.

I would watch your pp, the contrast on some of the shots looks rather high and I think you're losing some of the texture in her dress and his suit.

Wrangling all of those people can be tough. It may be helpful to have someone assist you who can focus on the small details, like hand placement, especially for the groomsmen, they just automatically fall into that urinal pose....not a good look.
 
Thanks for your comments. The link is fine so maybe try again?

Yeah it was awful day, wet windy and cold and getting outside during a brief break in the rain was a bit of luck

Contrast - Yeah good shout. Organising everyone can be hard work, one of the bridesmaids was helping gather everyone. I guess if I ever start making decent money I can hire an assistant. I loved that comment "urinal pose" that will stick in my mind and something to look for in thefuture
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top