First wedding in November...

keeweeman

keeweeman

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Col
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Hi folks

I am just after some advice really as i am shooting my first wedding in November and since it is a twilight one I can see it being quite tricky. I am doing it for no fee but hoping to gain a lot from the experience, but at the same time I want to be able to hand over some really good shots for the bride and groom afterwards.

Any advice people can give would be awesome, I can appreciate the thread is a little vague but I really am looking for any advice people want to give no matter how obscure/silly!

If it helps the kit i have at my disposal is:

Nikon D90 + kit lens
Nikon D7100
Nikon 35mm prime
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 mkii
Nikon 18-55mm f2.8
Sigma 70-200mm f2.8
Nikon SB700 flash
Nikon SB600 flash

Col
 
everything joe says, but in a bit more detail :

Do you have much experience in other types of photography? i.e. portraits? dimly lit scenes. i.e. you might not be allowed to use flash until you get to the venue in the evening - if you're shooting that far into the night of course. You dont specify whether it is bridal preparation, ceremony or the whole event from morning until late at night.

You might want to forget the flashes as well, you don't say whether the wedding is in a church, registry office or outdoors so yes, your description is very vague.

Best thing to do is to see someone in action. I recommend you look on youtube for wedding photography. Also look at wedding photographers portfolio's to give you an idea of what to do/what shots are expected.

Are the people getting married, family or friends, or friends-of-friends.

Do you know what their expectations is, of a non-pro wedding photographer? You may want to reconsider - Im honestly not trying to put you off, but that first wedding is a LOT of pressure. At least you have 3 months to go do some research. Start now.

First thing I would do, is offer them a free engagement shoot. That'll put less pressure on yourself and on the bride/groom once you know your limits and the couple know what to expect from you. If the engagement shoot comes out a mess, then you might want a rethink.

Dont think you will get plenty of time on the day - you will have to think on your feet. Things move very very fast.

2 cameras is what you need, one for backup but also get one lens on there so you can quickly swap camera's to shoot wide or closeup shots.

The siggy 200mm and 35mm prime (if its 1.8 or 1.4) should be good, also the tokina will be good for some nice wide distorted shots so you do have the lenses covered at least. LOTS and LOTS of batteries. At least 2 or 3 per camera - JUST in case.
LOTS and LOTS of memory cards. You could be shooting a couple of thousand images throughout the day - but only deliver 300-500 shots (unless there's hundreds of guests). ONLY deliver your BEST shots, doesn't matter if they end up with 100 BRILLIANT shots, its better than 1000 shots with 100 brilliant one's and 900 crappy ones - you will only get remembered for your crappy shots.

You might want to consider getting a freebie job as a 2nd shooter for someone, do this ASAP. Know your strengths, know your weaknesses.

Baring in mind, this is someone's very very important day - fluff it up and you may never want to purse this as a career because you'll get a bad start and everyone and their dog will know about it. Free or not.

Good Luck !
 
Much appreciated guys definitely!

I have been "casually" researching wedding photography now since it was first mooted that i would do it, they are friends of my fiancee's and have been told that I haven't done a wedding before. By casually researching i mean i have spent a good few hours looking at different togs portfolios and doing some reading up on the formal shots required etc, but without yet having the opportunity to practice them. They are happy with that as they don't want someone there in a fully professional/formal capacity, they want (in their words) someone who knows how to use a camera properly who will capture the day but without going over the top.

In terms of my own experience I come from a mostly landscapes background and while i have done a lot of low light stuff previously I haven't done a huge amount of low light stuff with people as the subject.

The venue is a hotel type venue (leasow castle, wirral to be precise) rather than a church and i must admit i would where possible prefer to use natural light simply because i find it much more appealing. The flashes will be with me should i need them but unless there are shots that allow them to improve the shot then i will be using them froogally if possible.

I definitely don't want to balls it up, not so much from a personal perspective career wise (no intentions of going into photography as a career, but picking up the occasional bit of paid work would certainly help make an expensive hobby much more self sufficient lol) but because i would feel awful for the couple if i didn't get what they wanted image wise.

In terms of the brief I can't give you that as I don't yet know it myself, it is something i need to discuss with them to find out exactly what they expect on the day but it is something i will be sorting out asap as time is now pressing!

35mm prime wise it is the f2 version for a full frame so actually works out as being a 52mm on the d90 and d7100 :).

The freebie job could well be worth investigating too i if i can pick something up in september (moving house this month so won't have time), that would be massively beneficial i think.

Thanks again that is really useful so far!
 
Sounds good if you've got some low light portrait experience :)
Also sounds like you have a pukka venue - I've only had a couple of churches and registry offices - I'd die for a decent venue like a castle.
Nothing wrong with natural lighting, saves on lugging lots of equipment around and a lot of fantastic wedding photographers dont even bother with a flash gun.
Dont be afraid to pump up that ISO and turn the image into a B&W if its really grainy, adds atmosphere.

F2 should be ok, but if you could convince the couple to spend a few quid and rent you a 1.4 or even a 1.2 or borrow something wide open you can get nice shallow dof for the ring shots and pull all that light in.

Get an engagement shoot on the go, especially if they're local. Will give you a BUCKET of confidence on the day, knowing them a bit better (on a more personal level). Try and go somewhere where the lighting is going to be similar would help your expectations on the day - or even better, get your missus and go visit the castle and do get some portraits of your other half :) Will give you confidence and more experience at the venue, knowing where the nice spots are (if you have time to go do pose shots).

Get a little book (£8) called Wedding photography - a Guide to Posing (Oliver cameron publishing) - its a bit like rocking horse poo though but you might be able to get a copy off amazon, full of little ideas for you - its like having some photographer's portfolio in your pocket. Whip it out before you start or make notes of what you'd like to do - then ask the bride/groom if they'd like to try those photos out.

Just keep shooting - on the day, you will brick it - but ENJOY the day also, it can be extremely rewarding knowing you've captured someone's special day and made a good job of it :)
 
One of the more experienced photographers will pop along hopefully and fill in the gaps/correct me where Im wrong. Hope you share the images when you take them - definitely share engagement shots so you can take note of the critique so you can improve on any weaknesses you might have, dont take the critique to heart, but listen to what others have to say and you'll be fine :)
 
I did my first wedding just over a week ago. I did a LOT of research and had all the kit I possessed in the car just in case. I borrowed a spare camera and had a friend come along too to second shoot.

I learnt a lot to say the very least. You need to experience it to appreciate the effort required. Thankfully I know my camera very well and was able to manage. Things do happen fast and you may forget to drop or raise the ISO or other settings for example in the heat of the moment, so you need to keep a cool head.

I met with the couple twice beforehand and had a list of the main group photos they wanted. I also met with the best man and he took the list and herded the right people into frame as required on the day which I would highly recommend.

Although I had all my kit with me I only used flash later in the evening when I didn't want to push the ISO too high. Although I was tempted I never even changed lens and shot the whole day with a 24-70mm f2.8 STM II (Canon). It was wide enough for portraits and long enough for the venue. A couple of times I thought abpout using my 70-200 f2.8 but managing one camera/lens was enough for the first time.

Research and meet with the B&G, that's my advice.
 
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To add my own advice, as a seasoned pro - we all started somewhere - i would ditch the somewhat dreamy ideal that you are not going to use flash very much. You may well need to use it a lot more than you think and a good technique at bounce and fill flash will provide you with photos you can work with , on occasion your shot without might turn out too slow blurred or just too noisy. Think safety first to start and dont walk before you can run. Low light landscapes have little or no relevance to low light wedding photography.

Once you have mastered flash and become confident over a few weddings of how things work you will then be more able to deal with non flash and bring it back into your game. Just remember when browsing wedding photographers work a lot of us have literally hundreds of weddings under our belt and thousands of shots with our camera bodies and lenses so its not always going to be that easy to replicate what you see.
 
Carlh said:
Sounds good if you've got some low light portrait experience :)
Also sounds like you have a pukka venue - I've only had a couple of churches and registry offices - I'd die for a decent venue like a castle.
Nothing wrong with natural lighting, saves on lugging lots of equipment around and a lot of fantastic wedding photographers dont even bother with a flash gun.
Dont be afraid to pump up that ISO and turn the image into a B&W if its really grainy, adds atmosphere.

F2 should be ok, but if you could convince the couple to spend a few quid and rent you a 1.4 or even a 1.2 or borrow something wide open you can get nice shallow dof for the ring shots and pull all that light in.

Get an engagement shoot on the go, especially if they're local. Will give you a BUCKET of confidence on the day, knowing them a bit better (on a more personal level). Try and go somewhere where the lighting is going to be similar would help your expectations on the day - or even better, get your missus and go visit the castle and do get some portraits of your other half :) Will give you confidence and more experience at the venue, knowing where the nice spots are (if you have time to go do pose shots).

Get a little book (£8) called Wedding photography - a Guide to Posing (Oliver cameron publishing) - its a bit like rocking horse poo though but you might be able to get a copy off amazon, full of little ideas for you - its like having some photographer's portfolio in your pocket. Whip it out before you start or make notes of what you'd like to do - then ask the bride/groom if they'd like to try those photos out.

Just keep shooting - on the day, you will brick it - but ENJOY the day also, it can be extremely rewarding knowing you've captured someone's special day and made a good job of it :)
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think the engagement shoot is definitely a good call and the pre wedding venue visit is something i was thinking of doing a few times before the day tbf in order to get a good grasp of the place. The book does sound useful, i might well see if i can find a copy of that too. In terms of batteries and cards i shall be investing in extras over the next couple of pay days, same for decent batteries for the flashgun(s) too.

drounding said:
I did my first wedding just over a week ago. I did a LOT of research and had all the kit I possessed in the car just in case. I borrowed a spare camera and had a friend come along too to second shoot.

I learnt a lot to say the very least. You need to experience it to appreciate the effort required. Thankfully I know my camera very well and was able to manage. Things do happen fast and you may forget to drop or raise the ISO or other settings for example in the heat of the moment, so you need to keep a cool head.

I met with the couple twice beforehand and had a list of the main group photos they wanted. I also met with the best man and he took the list and herded the right people into frame as required on the day which I would highly recommend.

Although I had all my kit with me I only used flash later in the evening when I didn't want to push the ISO too high. Although I was tempted I never even changed lens and shot the whole day with a 24-70mm f2.8 STM II (Canon). It was wide enough for portraits and long enough for the venue. A couple of times I thought abpout using my 70-200 f2.8 but managing one camera/lens was enough for the first time.

Research and meet with the B&G, that's my advice.
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Keeping any extra gear i have in the car sounds like a useful idea and one i hadn't thought of, same with the getting the best man to herd people in fairness. Getting him to help would also give me a little bit of help with the other issue i can see occurring on the day which is my own self confidence, so having that extra person there that knows a reasonable proportion of the guests would be a handy ally to have i think!

Andrew Davies Photography said:
To add my own advice, as a seasoned pro - we all started somewhere - i would ditch the somewhat dreamy ideal that you are not going to use flash very much. You may well need to use it a lot more than you think and a good technique at bounce and fill flash will provide you with photos you can work with , on occasion your shot without might turn out too slow blurred or just too noisy. Think safety first to start and dont walk before you can run. Low light landscapes have little or no relevance to low light wedding photography.

Once you have mastered flash and become confident over a few weddings of how things work you will then be more able to deal with non flash and bring it back into your game. Just remember when browsing wedding photographers work a lot of us have literally hundreds of weddings under our belt and thousands of shots with our camera bodies and lenses so its not always going to be that easy to replicate what you see.
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I am definitely not deluded over the flash, i anticipate having to use it for most of the event, but if i get an opportunity then i'll not use it, i am under no illusions on this one it is a tool for the job and i know it will need to be used! I have done low light stuff beyond landscapes so i know there is significant differences but my main experience has been scapes where the camera can be propped on a tripod and left to its own devices for a while which won't be the case at a wedding.

I can appreciate that response sounds a little defensive and that isn't how it is meant to sound, i just don't want to come across like i think i will be able to ditch the flash at a nightime wedding and expect results as i know that certainly isn't the case, it would just be nice should the opportunity arise to get some naturally lit shots. Of course the venue will also play a part in that too which is something i will look at when i do my pre wedding visits there.
 
I agree with Andrew. Safety first.

Do not practice new techniques on a wedding day. Whilst YOU might not like the look of using on camera flash (bounced or not), I can assure you, your 'clients' are far less likely to express disappointment at sharp, correctly exposed but uncreatively lit photos, than a creative experiment gone badly wrong!

If you do consider hiring any kit, get it for a week before the wedding to totally familiarise yourself with it. As for shooting low light at f2 or wider, this also takes practice to nail the focus with such shallow dof. I really would not recommend shooting wide open unless you have already perfected your focusing technique at such apertures.

Lastly, your camera skills will be expected to be excellent without question, but what are your people skills like? You will need to be organised & assertive but not bossy!
 
You said:
"The venue is a hotel type venue (leasow castle, wirral to be precise) rather than a church and i must admit i would where possible prefer to use natural light simply because i find it much more appealing. The flashes will be with me should i need them but unless there are shots that allow them to improve the shot then i will be using them froogally if possible."

then in the next comment :
"I am definitely not deluded over the flash, i anticipate having to use it for most of the event, but if i get an opportunity then i'll not use it, i am under no illusions on this one it is a tool for the job and i know it will need to be used!"


I think you may need to think of this from the point of view of results, this is your first wedding and you need to make sure your desire to prove yourself is not your undoing. Wedding Photography is not a black art or magic , but it IS a damn site harder than most photography simply because of the one shot only situation you will be in for many parts of the day.

You also mention not ditching the flash at a nightime wedding ... the flash is your friend during the day, in the sun , and indoors in the light too dont just think of flash for low light , you need it for highlight aswell !
 
I shot my second wedding on Saturday. It isn't rocket science if you do your homework. It does go incredibly quickly though. The couple had planned things with me, but due to time restraints we missed the bridal portrait, as she was running late. The camera focus jammed out for the kiss (The venue was dark as dark, shooting at 6400ISO all through the ceremony even on a bright day) and I forgot the ring shot, due to the best man being more concerned that all the grooms party had forgotten their buttonholes and were running around trying to sort it. If the couple desperately want it, I will obviously do the ring shots for them separately but that is their call.

You have to accept that things happen, you may not get every single shot on your (or their) lists, but you will get some great shots if you do your homework.

As for flash, I used it a lot for Brides details, the cake, some details in the reception venue, the couple portraits. The first dance etc., etc. I used off camera flash, but I am confident in using it and this is the key. You need to have your technique down. Whether on camera, off camera, low light or whatever. Make sure you practice and make sure you are confident. If you are, everything else will fall into place.
 
drounding said:
I ... had all the kit I possessed in the car just in case.
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In which case you're lucky to still have all your kit

ding76uk said:
... I forgot the ring shot, due to the best man being more concerned that all the grooms party had forgotten their buttonholes and were running around trying to sort it. If the couple desperately want it, I will obviously do the ring shots for them separately but that is their call.
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In which case the best man had his priorities right. And I don't agree that a ring shot after the event is "their call". They asked you to get the shot, but it's not your fault that on the day you couldn't. End of, AFAIC.

keeweeman said:
I am just after some advice really as i am shooting my first wedding in November and since it is a twilight one I can see it being quite tricky. I am doing it for no fee but hoping to gain a lot from the experience, but at the same time I want to be able to hand over some really good shots for the bride and groom afterwards.
Click to expand...

My best advice to you would be to keep the whole thing as simple as possible on the kit front, and shoot most if not all of it at the highest ISO at which you can get an A4 print which is acceptable to an ordinary person as opposed to a photographer.

I'd also advise you not to work to a shot list of any kind apart from the couple shots and family groups, which latter you need to agree with the couple in writing beforehand. And ideally those groups will be small ones. The reason I say don't work to a shot list is that you'll have enough on your plate without the added pressure of ticking shots off a list, and if you don't have a list, nobody can moan when you don't get a shot that's on it.

Personally, if I was in your shoes I'd just shoot the whole thing as it happens to the best of my ability, and make the best job I could of some posed couple shots and the groups. We've shot civil ceremonies in some black holes in our time, and it's amazing what you can do with ISO6400, a steady hand and a relatively short lens at f1.4.

Don't sweat it too much. After all, it was their idea to get married in the dark, and their idea not to pay a pro to do their snaps ...
 
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Thanks for the help guys it is very much appreciated! Just ordered a couple of spare batteries and a couple more memory cards with a view that i will order another one or two of each next month too so that i am well stocked.

I think the 6400 iso would cripple the d90 although i don't know about the 7100 as that is a camera i am borrowing from my brother.

In terms of shot lists i can see the pros and cons of both sides there, i think what i will probably do is to discuss it with the couple well in advance and settle on a relatively short list so that there is some formality to things without it being a huge problem to achieve the whole list.
 
I've not read the entire thread, but I think the d90 may not be upto a dark day - dark church at F2.8 (without flash).
 
GuinBondEyes said:
I've not read the entire thread, but I think the d90 may not be upto a dark day - dark church at F2.8 (without flash).
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My response to this won't get past the swear filter. Some people really do not have a clue.

But just for clarity: If I were to buy a brand new camera for every wedding photographer in the country who has suffered complaints about noisy images....

It wouldn't cost me a penny :D

Some people forget we're in a service industry

They'll complain if:
You're late
You're a slob
You're rude to guests
You don't stay calm and in control
You don't deliver what you promised
You get all the above right but deliver late

They won't give a monkeys if:
You use a low end or old camera
There's signs of digital noise
Your composition needs some work
You shoot with a Pentax


They'll be overwhelmed if:
You avoid all of the above, keep smiling, tell them they're gorgeous, deliver photos that flatter them and drop a couple of cheap enlargements in with their album delivery.
 
Keeweeman, I would get down to the venue swifto and check the lighting because I know Leasowe castle having been to more than a few parties there and the rooms are large with pretty subdued lighting, it is lovely for everything but probably not natural light photography at twilight, also twilight in November is probably middle of the afternoon so at least by seeing which room or rooms they are in will give you a heads up but I would expect flash all the way.
 
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I guess it depends who the client is....I wouldn't be happy to pay a photographer to shoot my wedding that was going supply me with noisy badly composed images. I don't care how polite they are, if the images are crap we have a problem......:mad:
 
surfg1mp said:
I guess it depends who the client is....I wouldn't be happy to pay a photographer to shoot my wedding that was going supply me with noisy badly composed images. I don't care how polite they are, if the images are crap we have a problem......:mad:
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FFS:wave:


Sometimes I genuinely believe that people enter threads looking for a point to argue. Have a check on the dictionary definition of the word 'context'. Have a think, try applying it:D
 
surfg1mp said:
I guess it depends who the client is....I wouldn't be happy to pay a photographer to shoot my wedding that was going supply me with noisy badly composed images. I don't care how polite they are, if the images are crap we have a problem......:mad:
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I wasn't aware that noise and badly composed images were related?
 
apologies for not replying to this sooner (a lot sooner to be fair), been up the wall for the last month due to moving house!

i am planning on getting up to the venue a few times before the date and if i can those trips will start in the next week or two as i want to get to grips with it in different lighting conditions. I have also now extended the offer of an engagement shoot although whether this will happen or not is a little up in the air due to the bride being a little shy on the idea, if it does happen i am thinking a bakery lesson (she bakes absolutely amazing cakes and does all of the really cool decorating that goes with them) between the b&g ending in a food fight so plenty of colour involved along with a lot of laughs and plenty of plastic sheeting will be required lol.

Thank you again for the advice, although i haven't been replying i have taken note of the replies and taken them on board as i really don't want to mess this up (as i said earlier, that is more for the couple than for me!)!

Col
 
Phil V said:
My response to this won't get past the swear filter. Some people really do not have a clue.

But just for clarity: If I were to buy a brand new camera for every wedding photographer in the country who has suffered complaints about noisy images....

It wouldn't cost me a penny :D

Some people forget we're in a service industry

They'll complain if:
You're late
You're a slob
You're rude to guests
You don't stay calm and in control
You don't deliver what you promised
You get all the above right but deliver late

They won't give a monkeys if:
You use a low end or old camera
There's signs of digital noise
Your composition needs some work
You shoot with a Pentax


They'll be overwhelmed if:
You avoid all of the above, keep smiling, tell them they're gorgeous, deliver photos that flatter them and drop a couple of cheap enlargements in with their album delivery.
Click to expand...

You sir must like the sound of your own voice. A dark church in November...... a D90, F2.8 IS6400 (no flash)......... even IF your clients don't mind noise, there is the issue of slow shutter speed here. A D90 isn't up to the job.

Sorry OP if I'm coming across here a little strong, but I'd rather warn you up front rather than harp on about having to buy new kit. :)
 
GuinBondEyes said:
You sir must like the sound of your own voice. A dark church in November...... a D90, F2.8 IS6400 (no flash)......... even IF your clients don't mind noise, there is the issue of slow shutter speed here. A D90 isn't up to the job.

Sorry OP if I'm coming across here a little strong, but I'd rather warn you up front rather than harp on about having to buy new kit. :)
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I've never shot a D90. But I've shot weddings with older kit. I think you must imagine that until the D800 was released no one shot weddings.

You're probably right! Wtf do I know, you've clearly loads more experience of this than I have.
 
GuinBondEyes said:
You sir must like the sound of your own voice. A dark church in November...... a D90, F2.8 IS6400 (no flash)......... even IF your clients don't mind noise, there is the issue of slow shutter speed here. A D90 isn't up to the job.

Sorry OP if I'm coming across here a little strong, but I'd rather warn you up front rather than harp on about having to buy new kit. :)
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I used a second photographer who used to shoot with the D90 , and you are correct it can BARELY get through you will be maxed out , its not impossible but will be hard and totally reliant upon how much light you get in the church.
I trained my second in the use of the 5dmk2 and gave him it asap ;)
 
Personally I'd forget the D90 unless you are in good daylight and just use it as your "OMG My D7100 just stopped working!" camera.

As a few others have said, for your first keep it simple as it can be overwhelming the speed that you will need to work at. Taking photos is only a small part of the day. Equally important if not even more so is people management and anticipating what will happen next. No point in being able to take an amazing photo if you can't herd all the cats into one spot.
 
I should be using the D7100 as the main camera for the day with the D90 being the second camera. The wedding itself isn't in a church it is all being done at leasowe castle (for those that don't know it isn't a real castle, it is a hotel with turrets lol) and being a twilight wedding it will mostly be inside aside from when i pinch the b&g away for a little while to get some shots of them. Both cameras will have flashguns and both flashguns will be getting used as required.
 
I don't know the venue concerned but as the modern trend for venues (around me at least) seems to be going down the black hole of Calcutta in a bag feel, I'd also suggest you check it out as the lights starting to go. It'll give you an idea of how dark it might be on the day.
Also plan where and how to shoot it if it's pouring down with rain.
 
I will be at the venue this sunday (for different matters than photography but i will still be snooping about hehe) so will be starting to get a feel for the place. With it being november i am semi banking on it being a cold and rainy day/night so i would think most of the shots will be done indoors. That being said i will be scouting the place a number of times between now and then to make sure i know most of the nooks and crannies which could lend themselves to different shots in different conditions!
 
assuming there is enough light for the couple to see each other, and for the registrar to do their stuff you'll be fine. No-one ever complained about noisy images.

I would avoid shooting at less then f4 though. Its hard to keep everyone on the same plane of focus if you shoot more open then that - particularly during the ceremony. Open up for some more creative stuff later on if you want. Also watch your shutter speeds with that. But remember if they're having a romantic candlelit ceremony you want the photos to reflect that. Not make it look like a July day
 
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bit of a bump/update to this thread. I shall be ordering myself a Nikon D750 on Monday which will be with me and ready for use at the wedding so that should negate some of the low light issues mentioned previously :banana::banana::banana:.

Another slight deviation from the original plan is that the d7100 and Nikon 18-55mm f2.8 that I was due to borrow from my brother sort of went swimming in a local lake the other night (tripod failure by the looks of it), his insurance are dealing with it but if I were to end up having to rent a lens to replace that one (if the insurance take their time etc) with what would you guys recommend? I am tempted by the 24-70mm f2.8 as that would give me some range but there is also a part of me that thinks an 85mm prime could be a good call too. Now that I will have the full frame for whichever lens I end up renting it gives me more options, and then I could use the 35mm prime on either the d90 or if the d7100 is sorted by then, then on that.

Cheers again!

Col
 
Most definately good luck indeed and the 7100 should be up to the job, we shoot with a 6D , a 5D3 , 2 x 60D's and a 20D as back up... and we still have used the 20D at times when we want the fish eye on.

Thing is that November is going to be dark... really dark, we have a few in January that are in a pretty dark hotel and I have to be honest that obviously we will use the 6D and the 5D most as they make shooting at upto 10,000 iso a breeze but in saying that Im with phil as I've no problem with shooting the 60D at 6400 even with the noise, just npse reduction and some good processing and the simple fact is that as long as an image is sharp then the clients won't notice noise, it's as simple as that.

They will however notice a dodgy blurred shot so don't be afraid to bump the iso.
 
Cheers guys, i do like the idea of the 85mm prime i must admit, although i do have some trepidation simply because a zoom lens is much easier to use purely due to the range they give between focal lengths. That said for focussing speed and depending on the lens the aperture allowance the prime does make a lot of sense. I shall have to do some mooching about and see which one i feel happier to go with in the next week or two and get it booked!

I had a go of the d750 in wilkinsons cameras today with both my own tokina 11-16 dx lens and my 35mm f2 prime, put it this way after reading the reviews for the camera and now giving the thing a go myself i certainly won't be afraid of bumping the iso anymore. I was gobsmacked by just how good it was, I tried it at 12000 iso and 1/4000 shutter just to see how it performed, admirably was an understatement! I am used to not going above 800-1200 on the d90, my how times have changed!
 
Not hugely experienced with flash, i have played about with bouncing it off walls/ceilings etc both on and off camera but while i am still practicing it before the wedding i'm not looking to try and be adventurous on the night as i can see that causing unecessary headaches. Especially when the consensus on here for someone of my experience etc seems to be keep it simple but aim for well exposed, sharp images rather than trying to be too clever and making a mess of it.
 
bit of a bump, but one question has just occurred to me, is it considered rude to change lenses during the ceremony? My intention is to have either the 35mm prime or the 85mm prime on the d750 and the 70-200mm on the d7100 as the bride walks up the aisle, however if i wanted to change the prime to the alternative option during the ceremony in order to change the focal length available would the noise created (albeit hardly a racket i know, but its a different noise to just the shutter going off) by changing the lens be considered a no no?

Also, when it comes to photographing the details, table centres, flowers, cake with knife prior to cutting etc, what is the best point to get those images? I am thinking that with this being a twilight wedding the time constraints will be even tighter than usual as there will only be a window of about 40 minutes where i can get some shots with just the b&g, but that will be during the time that the hotel staff are turning the room around and preparing it for the wedding breakfast and reception (also when the more ideal time to get the detail shots would be due to the lack of guests in the room).

Both seem like silly questions i know, but both occurred to me and i thought hmmm, might be best to ask that one!

I have now visited the venue a couple of times, day and night so i have some spots in mind for shots with the b&g although the group shots will possibly prove problematic since it will be pitch black outside so i will have to herd them into groups indoors and try and find a couple of possible locations with a reasonable backdrop for them to stand against.

Lastly, if the weather is fairly clear and the b&g agree to some shots outside, there is a pagoda of sorts that in an ideal world i would have them pose in and then light it using flash. However, i tried to do that on my first visit and due to the structure having no roof there was nothing to bounce the flash off to actually light the inside of it. Will it actually be possible to create this effect on the night or does it really need a roof in order to bounce the flash(s) off to light the space? I would have to use the commmander mode on the camera and having done some reading this morning it seems that the flash' sensor has to be in line of sight of the camera. Is the line of sight part correct? If so that could be problematic since the ideal would be to have one flash lighting the front of the b&g from the side but hidden behind one of the uprights, and then the other flash behind them just to add some fill light (or have both behind and create a silouette).

Cheers for the help folks, it has been very much appreciated!
 
Firstly I'm not a wedding photographer, but I have and do shoot in a cathedral close to me. One bit of advice I would offer, I you think your going to be doing a bit of lens juggling is take the front and back lens caps of prior to the ceremony.
I once dropped a lens cap...onto a stone floor...in the cathedral. for the noise it made I may as well have dropped a bloody dustbin lid!
 
keeweeman said:
bit of a bump, but one question has just occurred to me, is it considered rude to change lenses during the ceremony? My intention is to have either the 35mm prime or the 85mm prime on the d750 and the 70-200mm on the d7100 as the bride walks up the aisle, however if i wanted to change the prime to the alternative option during the ceremony in order to change the focal length available would the noise created (albeit hardly a racket i know, but its a different noise to just the shutter going off) by changing the lens be considered a no no?
Click to expand...

I am not a wedding photographer, I've done one. I wasn't comfortable changing lenses while anyone was speaking or praying.

Also, when it comes to photographing the details, table centres, flowers, cake with knife prior to cutting etc, what is the best point to get those images? I am thinking that with this being a twilight wedding the time constraints will be even tighter than usual as there will only be a window of about 40 minutes where i can get some shots with just the b&g, but that will be during the time that the hotel staff are turning the room around and preparing it for the wedding breakfast and reception (also when the more ideal time to get the detail shots would be due to the lack of guests in the room).
Click to expand...

In your position I'd discuss the timetable with the B&G. For me the order was
  • prep & details
  • arrival at church
  • ceremony (no photography allowed!)
  • register signing
  • leaving down the aisle
  • church steps
  • groups
  • run off to venue to do interiors / details
  • B&G's arrival at venue
  • Semi-posed couple shots
  • Cake cutting
  • Informal groups
  • Candids

Lastly, if the weather is fairly clear and the b&g agree to some shots outside, there is a pagoda of sorts that in an ideal world i would have them pose in and then light it using flash. However, i tried to do that on my first visit and due to the structure having no roof there was nothing to bounce the flash off to actually light the inside of it. Will it actually be possible to create this effect on the night or does it really need a roof in order to bounce the flash(s) off to light the space?
Click to expand...

If you really want the effect of a bounce flash then you'll need something to diffuse the light. Has the structure got any walls you could bounce off? If you have an assistant (or some gaffer tape!) then you could try bouncing off a popup reflector, but adding another person to the mix may alter the dynamics and rapport between you and the couple. If you really want this particular shot then you could contemplate a shoot-through brolly on a stand via wireless triggers. I would suggest that this isn't really the time to be experimenting, though.

You could just keep it simple and use a bare off-camera flash, perhaps handheld and connected via a sync cable.

I would have to use the commmander mode on the camera and having done some reading this morning it seems that the flash' sensor has to be in line of sight of the camera.
Click to expand...

Largely true, you may be lucky and find that the remote flash can see the signal when it's bounced off something else - but you say there's not much to bounce off. fwiw I've never managed consistent results using off-camera TTL, tending to go manual with wireless triggers, but I generally have the leisure to work more slowly.

Using the flash on camera and bouncing off a biggish popup reflector appeals most to me, but I haven't tried it in the circumstances you describe. Don't forget the led video light option, though.
 
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