Attending a wedding as a guest- some ideas please

Chrisbie

Chrisbie

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Chris
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I am attending a wedding as a guest this weekend.
It is in a hotel not a church
There will be an official tog but I would like to take some unnoficial pics. and would like some advice on what to go for as an addition to the official pics.
A Friend has given me some great advice as she attended a wedding recently and noticed the official tog went home before the first dance when the couple took to the floor.
Any other ideas.
My normal fare is motor sport so I dont suppose my skills at panning shots will be of any use at all...
Thanks
Chris
 
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Use your ability as a guest to blend in and take some "real" "candid" "natural" photos of the Wedding.

The official guy will be doing a great job of doing all the forced and posed shots where people stand totally straight pulling the same smile, shot after shot, with the only faltering difference being the tiredness in their eyes as they loose the will to live "Ok, photo number 3478, groom and his families pets"

the second people slip out of the grasp of the regimented photographer, they will relax, smiles will become real and you can capture the the true wedding !
 
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Where's the wedding going to be, etc what do you want to get, candids can be real fun, (y) try to get photo's of people that have no idea your taking there photo (y) but just have fun would be my suggestion and try uncle bob the guy that's been paid to be there :LOL:
 
I did this a couple of years ago at a friends wedding - landscapes are my normal thing.
There was no pressure on me to take anything, only do what I wanted and have a good time. The evening was way out my normal comfort zone, but was great fun! I learned a lot too!

As suggested, don't even bother competing with the official tog(s) - no point.
Go for informal groups of people, with their awareness and slightly posed is fine, especially if you can get some dynamics into the image; I found a group altering the best man's speech and had no trouble getting them to pose for the camera and look really naughty.
I grabbed loads of candids too; you need both!

Plus be on the lookout for opportunistic shots like a bridesmaid having a full on foot stamping tantrum at the back of the church being calmed by the vicar (she'll regret that when she's older) and the same bridesmaid trying to crawl under the brides dress during the speeches.

The less formal shots mean so much to the families. Last time I was at the couples house I spotted they have categorised their wedding photos into Official (2 photographers), Duncan and Everyone Else - result :)

I'd suggest travelling light, one camera, one lens. Flashless and big aperture - my 24-105 on the 5DII was perfect. I don't use a strap on my camera which was good as it didn't spoil the lines of my suit and made me look even less like an official photographer.
 
Sit in a corner with a long lens and snap away. Don't annoy the official photographer. :)
 
Definitely a good chance to grab some candids. I was doing some at our annual works BBQ and I much preferred them to most of the "posed" types of shot that other guests seemed to be shooting. One of the bosses was asking me why I had so few shots of people smiling and I was trying to explain that I don't really "do" smiling :D
 
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thanks for all the help
I had a great time
used a 180mm lens and a 50mm and got some great shots
kids nicking grannies drink
kids touching the wedding cake
Mother in law slapping the groom
and loads more "moments to remember"
Thanks again
 
I want to see the MIL slapping the Groom ...... that sounds like a proper fun wedding !
 
I attended a wedding earlier this year and whilst I did get a couple of group shops I concentrated on the "Candids" the bridesmaids sharing a joke, the father of the bride looking lost. Because I knew the family I had an idea of the things they liked. I don't think some of the shots I took would have gone down well with some people though.
 
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