Advice needed - wedding to photograph.

[Steep]

This will be a non profit thing for a friends sister, it will be a registry office affair with a cruise down loch ness after the ceremony as the wedding 'do'.

I've never done this before and I think I could do with some advice on how to go about it re the ceremony.

I'm assuming there will be some kind of dry run before the event, should I approach the registrar (or official) to see what kind of thing I can do during the service?
What should I be looking to do in terms of set ups etc, i.e. B&G shots, small family groups, large family groups
I'll be speaking to the bride soon to make sure I know what she wants from me.

As for supplying prints etc, I had thought of uploading to Photobox and letting folk order what they want from there for themselves. Is this a good idea? has anyone done similar and was it successful?

/add - 6 million other questions I can't think off right now.

 

[Steep]

Equipment I was thinking off, 50mm f1.8 as the main lens with the Sigma 10-20mm for group shots or in tight spaces. 300d with Sigma 500dg super (should I invest in a Stoffen?)

 

[CT]

There may well not be a dry run Steep, so if the registrar's office is local get down there and do a reccy ASAP. Often these places are quite limited for suitable photo locations.

Certainly approach the registrar, introduce yourself and ask about any 'rules' you have to observe. Just showing some consideration and asking, gets you a long way. You may have to do this on the actual day. I always included the registrar's in one of the signing the register shots.

As for what shots, it's largely common sense and how many you want to take. Take plenty of the bride and groom to make sure you have at least one they'll like. Groom and best man, bride and groom and best man, bride and groom with her family, then his, then both families and however you want to perm the possibilities. The boat trip sounds like a good photo call for for some unusual shots.

The trouble with a 50mm especially for close ups is they're a bit intimidating, as you tend to be shoving the camera right into people's faces.

I covered weddings with 2 lenses - a 28-80 zoom, and a 24mm prime for larger groups and interior shots. You need to be very careful going any wider than that because of the distortion. With groups particularly, people on the ends start to lean out very noticeably.

I'd highly recommend Colab for your processing. Ask for their Professional Package Deal, you'll pay a bit more, but their prices are very reasonable.

HTH mate.

 

[digitalfailure]

I'll stand by pretty much everything CT has posted, especially the link to www.colab.com

I used a 17-40 and a 70-200 to cover a wedding last month, the 200 was great for picking out candid shots and also getting in on the action during the ceremony because the registar wouldn't let me work from where I needed to be.

I had the stoffen on my 430ex for the whole time and it really did give a pleasing light.

Take more memory than you think you'll need! and have the ability to either change batteries or charge them. I came back with over 350 raw images! had it not been for having my lappy with me i'd have run out f space on my cf card......but that was because my 1gb spare card was in the wifes ixus

 

[CT]

You're a guest at this Steep so you'll wear a suit and tie no doubt, but I can't stress enough to always wear one. Look like a pro and act like one and you'll get far less hassle from registrar's and clergymen.

 

[Steep]

But but..I'll look like an Englishman!!! mind you it would save having to get my kilt let out point taken about looking professional though, appearance is everything. Annoying the clergyman won't be a problem, she's marrying a communist!

I don't want to load myself down with too much kit since this promises to be quite a mobile affair. I think the 50mm is my best option (particularly since it's my only option) for the main portrait shots, I can stay pretty far back and still get good results with it I hope. The wide zoom will pretty much cover the larger group shots at 20mm and I think I can adjust for any distortion afterwards.

4x512mb cf cards which will take 70+ raw shots each, I might order a 1gb to top that up a bit.
Batteries no problem, I have 3 camera batts and 2 sets of 2700mah rechargeables for the flash, must remember to make sure they are fully charged the day before. I can take aa spares too.

I was asking about Photobox particularly because I can upload images to them and others can then order their own prints directly, they also do a nice photobook idea which I think might go down well with the family. I can't see from Colabs site if they do anything similar.

 

[digitalfailure]

colab have an app you download called crystalpix pro

very easy to use and it uploads the images and shows thumbnails, you can change the sizes for each shot aswell as shrink to fit or fill page

 

[Double_Agent]

Ok your doing it as a non profit think for the bride and groom. Fair enough. But why should you not make a little money out of the prints.

Obviously give the bride and groom the prints they require and then offset that cost with a small charge on the printing of the other photo's.

You say you want to look professional and act professional on the day and I am assuming your gonna have to spend some serious time afterwards converting the images for printing, so why not have them available on a website for all to see and order from you.

Once the order has been made, you can select whichever printing company you wish and make a little money to offest your time expenses on this.

From what I have seen, Weddings are very stressful days for the photographer. Not everyone is suited to doing this type of work. There is a lot of organising of people involved and then as you have never done this before, these will be the bride and groom's visual memories that they want to treasure for life.

Getting the right shot perfectly isnt always going to be possible so make sure that your able to get lots of alternatives.

Equipment wise, 50mm seems a little bit "Static" as your main lens for this. And again watch out for distortion on the wides. You dont want Uncle Bob looking rounder than he really is.

 

[GfK]

Registry Office weddings are the simplest thing. You go in, the registrar jabbers on for a bit, bride and groom say "yea but not but..." etc, and you're all herded out again.

The registry office wedding I did back in April - I was allowed to go up to the front (over to the side tho, out of the way!) and take some pics during exchanging rings. (You might want a short DOF for this to blur out the bored faces of the people in the background).

I then got some shots of a re-enacted register signing plus a couple of other shots of bride/groom/witnesses. We then managed to get a couple more shots outside the registry office, and we took 6 or 7 cars full of people to another location for the rest of the shots + group shots. This was pre-planned.

Registry Offices run to a very tight schedule. Just as we came out of the registry office, another wedding was coming in so I had to move my car (I was chauffeur too!) to make way for that, so we only managed to get a handful of outside shots. I guess you will too so make sure to prioritise your workflow.

The registrar was very friendly and helpful throughout, though. Make sure the bride and groom tell the registrar you're coming, and there shouldn't be too many problems.

 

[Steep]

Good points both of you. I know the 50mm is restrictive but it's what I've got, that said I was practising with the kit lens and the sigma flash last night and getting decent results, I think it's slight softness might come in handy for some shots.

Meet Fred Head.

GfK just the advice I was after, some first hand experience! The re-enactment of the signing is a good idea since I doubt I'll be allowed in for the real deal.

Last night I ordered a Sto-fen, two of 7dayshops bp-511 batteries and a couple of 1gb cf cards to boost my stock to 4gb (560 shots). There's a chance I'll be able to nip home and offload some of the images too since this is all taking place withing a mile of home.

 

[RobertP]

If you are taking reception pictures in low light with the flash and stoffen expect half the normal battery life in the flash - it has to work hard to punch through the diffuser.

 

[RobertP]

Just had a look at some from a wedding I was at last year.

These are shots that were not used...but show the 'pro' in action.

I guess it would be a good idea to go to the registry office and hang around to watch what an experienced wedding pro does.... locations etc outdoors.

Note the light being harsh and behind everything - and I didn't have a flash then. He was allowed to wait there during the wedding - he did not shoot from there.

Arranging them outside. He did family shots here afterwards.

He was at the car for ages to get his shot. His assistant was never far away but did not do much.

Again he followed up with friends/family in the same location. Note the light from behind. Every shot he took was with fill flash.

We gave the couple an album of my shots and a dvd slideshow. They preferred my shots to the pros
I was a bit dissapointed with mine as I did not realise at the time how important some eye contact is. Practically all my shots people were not looking at me - they were looking at the pro. I should have been shooting over his shoulder

 

[Steep]

That's great Robert thanks, I can see the point of backlighting it can give a nice glow to the couple. I went to see the brides father today, the party is going back to his house after the ceremony and he has a very nice garden so I think a lot of the formal posed shots will be done there, with just a few at the registry office. I think this will work best as it will allow everyone to relax for a while. I've also told the family to make sure there are lots of big brightly coloured umbrellas just in case the weather is poor.