Been asked to do a wedding - Advice needed

redmonkee

redmonkee

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PHILIP
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Just received an email from a friend of a friend I met at the weekend.

Hi Phil,

Hope you had a good time on Saturday?

Anna and I were wondering if you would be interested in doing our wedding photos? We dont have much of a budget I'm afraid, but if you could price something up for us (we have know idea how much it costs)?!

For instance if we paid you for your time., maybe we could get guests to contribute to the photo's for our present.

Anyway, it would be great to hear from you and yopur thoughts.

Niki

No bearing in mind I am more a Sports tog (or trying to make it as one) I sent this reply

Hi Niki

Had a cracking time on Saturday and was great to meet you both.

I have a few concerns with doing the wedding photos. The main one being I have never done a wedding before, and from what I gather they can be pretty difficult and high pressured as obviously you only get one crack at getting the shots.

When you say you only have a small budget does this mean you can't afford any professional wedding tog? If thats the case and you feel I'd be your best bet (ie if I didn't do it for you, you'd have to rely on friends and family with their point and shoots) then I'd be pretty willing to give it a go. Just bear in mind that I'm not a pro and the lenses I have a more geared for Sports photography as that is what I specialise in.

I do have a wide angle lens which would do for the group shots. Also I have a 135mm lens which is great for creating a nice blurred background in portraits, so I might be able to get by with these. What I'll do is have a word on the photography forum I'm part of for the expert's advice and see if they think I could do a decent job with my kit.

One thing I can do is design the album as I used to do this freelance for a couple of wedding photographers and I have designed in excess of 50 albums.

Cheers

Phil

Any advice on this would be great, ie is my gear ok to do a decent job. I know I'll get pro's saying don't do it, but if they really cant afford a tog and would have to rely on P&S then surely I'd be a better option :shrug:

Thanks

Phil
 
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I think you summed it up nicely, they wouldn't under ideal circumstance's ask and put the load on you but they need the favour as they cant afford a tog.

I would say looking at your gear list you have it pretty well covered with the 17-40 and 70-200 and your galleries on your web site show your both a good and versatile tog, though no expert in this field I would say give it a go and make the wedding photo's their wedding present.
 
iancandler said:
I think you summed it up nicely, they wouldn't under ideal circumstance's ask and put the load on you but they need the favour as they cant afford a tog.

I would say looking at your gear list you have it pretty well covered with the 17-40 and 70-200 and your galleries on your web site show your both a good and versatile tog, though no expert in this field I would say give it a go and make the wedding photo's their wedding present.
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Oops I need to update my gear list as I don't have the 70-200 anymore as this was replaced by the 135 f2L

My gear list at the mo is

2 x 1D3
135 f2
17-40 f4
1.4 x TC
 
The 17-40 will do for the groups and general shots, use the 135 for the portraits and the 70-200 for the long shots inside the church when you generally can't move around much.

If you can use your cameras competently then you should have no real issues. the real trick is planning the shots you want to achieve within timeframe which you have available to you.
Communication is key. If you thrash out with the bride, groom and best man beforehand what you need, then it becomes a lot less stressful.
Don't forget to drink water on the day but leave the alcohol til the cameras are put away.

*edit* I think you can manage with a 135, but a 70-200 would help a lot - I used it far more than I expected to at a recent wedding, whereas the 50mm and 85mm prime lenses I expected to hammer to death didn't get a look-in..
 
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If you are already an accomplished photographer and can get the right exposure manually for the lighting conditions then you have 50% of it nailed. the hardest part is "taking control" on the day - you have to. Wedding photography is not for shy, retiring types. You have to shout loud enough to be heard, you have to get the guests in the "posed" photos to look at YOU - not uncle bob just behind you, you have to get the "must haves" without fail (have a list) You have to rope in the best man and chief bridesmaid to assemble the guests for the group photos (you won't know who is who!) You also have to do this whilst making all the guests being photographed relax and entertain them with a bit of humour and banter...

If you can do that AND move indoors if/when it starts to rain (and still get good shots with your flash) then go for it, if not, then make sure if you do do it - the expectation is set at a very early stage as to what they will be getting.

Without a shadow of a doubt you will need a fast lens and a flash for the "inside" shots during the service.
 
Whilst having the right kit is very important (plus sufficient backup) this is only a small part of the equation.

Not only do you need a plan A, you also need a plan B and possibly C too.

You need to know how to make things go your way and how to overcome the inevitable obstacles that try to throw you off-track which might mean you miss shots you had planned, or you overrun your time.... possibly both.

Getting great shots when everything is on your side is one thing, but the real challenge starts when you struggle against the elements, mother-in-law, vicar, hotel manager, toastmaster, uncooperative guests, faulty equipment etc etc.

Your mate might accept that you are not a 'wedding' photographer if things go awry, but his new wife, and worse still... his mother-in-law, are unlikely to be so forgiving :gag:

EDIT: Oops! I assume Niki is the bride! Having re-read your post.... if you have designed over 50 wedding albums, I guess you will be better equipped than most shooting their 1st wedding :)
 
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I was asked to photograph my sisters wedding last year.

The only advice i would give is get a friend invited who also has a decent camera - and get him to shadow your shots.

Even if you screw up one or 2, chances are your buddy will get it.

It all turned out fine for us and the bride and groom got a great album with some really nice shots.
 
Cheers for the tips guys.

Niki is the bride but then they both are (Civil partnership :thumbs:) the best man is actually a good friend of mine, so this might make it easier for me in rounding people up as I'm naturally a little shy :nuts:

Regarding Flash, well I don't have one so I'd be relying on the 135 f2 and natural light for the low light shots. With regards to shooting manual I have shot a few sports in manual however under rapidly changing light conditions I use the auto ISO feature and centre weighted metering.

I understand using manual is the preferred method when shooting weddings. Would I be right in exposing for the highlights on the bride's dress and going from there?

One thing I do have going for me having designed so many albums is a sense of the kind of shots a typical bride and groom want on the day :thumbs:
 
As long as they know what to expect, you should be ok. Your kit should be fine for most of it, the hardest part is getting the shots done (i.e. have a list of all the shots needed like couple, couple + Bridesmaids etc... and use best man / ushers to help co-ordinate.
 
cambsno said:
As long as they know what to expect, you should be ok. Your kit should be fine for most of it, the hardest part is getting the shots done (i.e. have a list of all the shots needed like couple, couple + Bridesmaids etc... and use best man / ushers to help co-ordinate.
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The first and last wedding I did (read in to that what you want :lol:) the B&G already had a list of shots they wanted me to do, which I typed up and printed off 3 times..... one copy for my suit pocket, one in my camera bag and one in the car :lol:

For the group shots, I got the "everyone" group shot first then the B&G and non-family, once I'd finished with the non-family members, I sent them away to the bar (they seemed to like me for that) and gradually "lost" people until it was just me and the B&G.

Seemed to work well for me anyway ;)
 
Do you actually want to do this wedding?
 
Do it! It's a perfect opportunity to test the water with wedding photography. You never know, maybe you've love it, maybe you won't. You'll never know though unless you try!

You've made the situation clear to your friend so what have you got to lose other than one day out of the year and a bit of editing time! It could turn out to be a good earner for you in the long run - no bad thing :)
 
Arkady said:
The 17-40 will do for the groups and general shots, use the 135 for the portraits and the 70-200 for the long shots inside the church when you generally can't move around much.

If you can use your cameras competently then you should have no real issues. the real trick is planning the shots you want to achieve within timeframe which you have available to you.
Communication is key. If you thrash out with the bride, groom and best man beforehand what you need, then it becomes a lot less stressful.
Don't forget to drink water on the day but leave the alcohol til the cameras are put away.

*edit* I think you can manage with a 135, but a 70-200 would help a lot - I used it far more than I expected to at a recent wedding, whereas the 50mm and 85mm prime lenses I expected to hammer to death didn't get a look-in..
Click to expand...

the thing with primes at a wedding I've found to be anticipation, if I know where they're gonna be I can nail it with a prime but if I don't the zoom is soo much more flexible.
 
WHen is the wedding?

If it is this time of year you will need an flashgun if the service is in the afternoon.

Go for it, you'll be fine. And I am sure you could ask nicely for a second shooter opportunity before the event if you wanted so experience, and you could also ask for a second shooter on the day to give someone experience and also to give a second set of photos.
 
lawrie29 said:
WHen is the wedding?

If it is this time of year you will need an flashgun if the service is in the afternoon.

Go for it, you'll be fine. And I am sure you could ask nicely for a second shooter opportunity before the event if you wanted so experience, and you could also ask for a second shooter on the day to give someone experience and also to give a second set of photos.
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no you won't because the vicar will go ape :D

you need f2.8 and a modern body
 
david1701 said:
no you won't because the vicar will go ape :D

you need f2.8 and a modern body
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For the photos afterwards! Not during the service.....
 
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