Really tough wedding shoot - are these problems fairly typical ?

[mikeyw]

I've done about 4 weddings before now but y/day really brought home to me how tough the job is and how you really earn your fee. Here's some of the problems i faced...what could i have done differently to deal better with them ?

At the pre-shoot we agreed all the location shots and i produced a full detailed time-table for the day covering everything required.

I arrived 30mins early at the brides house for our 12midday getting ready shots before the 2pm ceremony - she finally arrived at 1-15pm :shake:..this left us 15mins for some hurredly taken pics and put my schedule totally out of the window straight away.

Instead of my planned 1pm arrival at the church to set up and meet the vicar etc it ended been 1-40pm giving very little time to set up properly and get shots of people arriving etc.

Naturally she was 20mins late arriving at the church by which time the rain had arrived...i got some pleasing results but was very wary of my gear starting to get very wet.

Inside the church the rain cleared and had bright sunlight streaming through the small church behind the bride and groom - extremely challenging conditions and no fill flash allowed...used exposure comp and centre weighted metering to improve the situation, thankfully at the pre-wed shoot we'd experienced the same thing so i was aware of it....any other tips on how to deal with this standard dark church / no flash / bright window light problem?

Afterwards we used the dry interlude to get the group shots but even before the end the rain returned and it was very difficult to keep people interested in the cold & wet...again my flashes and bodies were starting to get damp. Guess i need to invest in some camera waterproofs !

The Marquee for the reception that i'd planned to shoot in had to be cancelled on the morning of the wedding due to heavy rain overnight, this left me to walk into the hall they'd hurredly arranged to use and see an horrendous dark wood angled panelled ceiling with glass everywhere a very little in the way of walls....it couldn't have been much worse and even all the windows could'nt yield enough natural light with the very grey wet weather outside. I'd tried various flash tecniques but it was a choice of horrible colour cast from the ceiling or reflected flash light from the windows, even my trusty gary fong was struggling....a very testing situation....but by standing a long way from the subjects at an angle and zooming in, the flash back from the windows was manageable.

By now it was 6pm and we still hadn't done the Bride & Groom poses (they wanted to wait for the weather to improve) - light was fading and the rain getting heavier....we were left no option but to face the elements and do the shoot in the rain using whatever cover we could find and umbrellas...we all got pretty wet as did my camera equipment, to the point the flashes started playing up and batteries dying instantly due to the cold damp conditions. With no assistant it was nigh on impossible to keep my gear dry....we got some decent results but were very limited in what we could do.

All in all a very tricky day and one that made me realise how tough this job really is

I guess the key is have a plan B for rain disruption but have a Plan C for torrential rain, last minute venue cancellations and almost unworkable conditions....tough day at the office

If nothing else i hope other new wedding photographers can learn something from my experiences y/day

As i'm new to weddings my fee is fairly modest and nowhere near represents the amount of time and effort that goes into it...that said i would love to hear any advice from seasoned pro's on how better to deal with the unexpecteds !

I guess you only truly learn how to deal with certain siuations when you experience them 1st hand...

Tia,
Mike.

 

[lexie]

that's some day at the office alright mike. i've only seconded at one wedding so far and although the weather was dry all day our problem was that the sun was so bright that in the church the light coming in through the windows was very harsh and a nightmare to expose for, luckily the b+g were out of the worst of the direct light.

the shots outside were a pain as well becuase as people were coming out they were walking straight into the midday sun and squinting quite badly. harsh shadows and blown highlights are never a greay look are they? lol even with raw procesing they weren't perfect but they were improved to the point were most of the detail on the brides dress could be retained.

 

[Phil V]

I feel for you, that's not a good day for anyone, but IMO what you got wrong was simple - preconception.

You had a plan for the bridal prep and felt bad when through no fault of yours you couldn't do it.

Why do you feel it's important to get pictures of guests arriving at church? If you do, you do. The only pre weddings that 'need' doing are the groom and best man etc. and the bridesmaids, it's 10 mins work - and not even that much of a priority - as everything except the bride and father arriving could be done later.

You don't have to struggle with the weather - in the UK you have to embrace it, rain snow, fog, bright sun - learn to roll with it, photograph proceedings as they occur and work out how to do your groups in an inside location if necessary.

My approach is not to have to deal with the unexpecteds, it's to expect to be challenged - so nothing is unexpected. That way, no matter how many weddings we shoot, we never expect it to be 'another day at the office' this keeps our senses heightened and stops us becoming complacent.

Newbies think that once they've shot a few weddings and learned how and when things happen, then it'll be easy money. Good wedding photographers treat every wedding as a unique experience - this shows in their work. If two of my brides ended up with a very similar wedding album I'd be gutted - because my aim is to tell the story of 'their' day, not to just produce a good set of wedding images.

 

[CT]

Days like that are tough - no matter how long you've been doing it. I agree with Phil though, you've put undue emphasis IMO on guests arriving at the church. I'd normally just take pics of the bridal car arriving, the bride at the car with her dad, and probably a shot of the couple in the church entrance with the vicar who usually walks out to meet them.

You can never take the weather for granted and heavy rain can be a real problem in which case you need to be well prepared for taking the shots indoors if necessary, and suitability of venues varies enormously for that, but sometimes it's the only option left open.

Be grateful for the experience, you'll be a lot more prepared for the worst in future!

 

[Richard King]

Yep - expect that at weddings. On the day the best timing plans fall over, and the weather can throw rocks at you. That's wedding photography

 

[swanseamale47]

Yes sounds about right for many weddings. The timings are at best a rough guide, they hardly ever actually follow them in the real world, theres too many variables.

 

[mikeyw]

Thanks guys some good info there - i wasnt particularly bothered about the guests arriving but the couple made a big thing about it beforehand so didnt want to lrt them down although as we were so behind schedule we missed many people.

The awful light / layout in the reception hall really threw me and not sure if i could have done much differently.

All in all quite an experience

 

[asphotographymk]

This sounds like an average wedding. Getting a schedule is a great idea but dont expect to stick to it. Infact on the day i dont even look at it and just take the day as it comes.

In the UK the chances are it will rain and you will still need to get your shots ( i got married in Thailand and even there we had rain ). If it does the key is to not panic, get some shots in doors pop outside if and when the rain stops or do some nice shots under a brolly as you did. Keep your gear to a min in the rain, maybe shooting with flash on camera and find a little cover.

Weddings like these are a learning experience, you will have many more like this in the future.

 

[Lynton]

the first half of that sounds like my and SLimbert's day yesterday.

2pm service.

Bride due to arrive in horse and open carriage.

1.50pm heavens opened.........

2.40 pm after service....... rain of biblical proportions........

Did the group shots at about 5pm in the garden with OCF...........


I hasten to add it was "his gig" and I was bag carrier / soft box putter upper, and chief candid togger!

 

[POAH]

sounds like do an automotive shoot too - rain and lateness causes problems for other forms of photography as well. you get on and do the best you can in situations that are not your fault.

 

[ukglyn]

Sounds a bit like the wedding I have shot today, sometimes you just have to roll with it, every wedding is a learning curve!

 

[mikeyw]

Having gone through all the images i'm fairly pleased - yes the rain spoilt some, raindrops illuminated by the flash in front of brides face.....should be able to rescue in LR.

The images in the hall will take some work to get rid of the horrible colour cast from the ceiling.

In hindsight i should have taken a shoot through umbrella for an emergency situation like this one, yes it would have been a faff to set up move around but would have yielded better results.