Unusual Wedding Shots

akr

akr

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Al
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Hello all

My sister is getting married in September and I'd like to try and get some unusual shots. She will have a prof tog who should get all the good 'standard' stuff, and I'll keep well out of his way.

I've not been asked to do anyhthing, or nor is my sister expecting anything, but I'd like to try and get some shots and give her a small album or even just some pictures afterwards with some different type shots.

I will be an Usher so will be able to move around and reserve myself an appropriate seat!

I'm not the most imaginative person, any ideas anyone? I've been thinking of using the 10-20mm I have and some slow shutter speeds for panning but any other ideas?

Ceremony and reception will both be indoors and there will not be many pictures outside.

I have the old trusty 50mm 1.8 for any v lowlight indoor shots.

Thanks

Al
 
Go long.

Grab some candids with a long lens, the compressed feel is very flattering and you'll be able to operate without irritating the professional tog.

Do you have long, fast (or IS-equipped) glass?
 
I did the same for my niece. I just concentrated on the candids and let the professional tog concentrate on the formal pics
 
Having just got married myself, I was glad of a friend doing some candid shots.
My suggestions would be.

Guests - the wedding photographer mostly ignores them and concentrates on the bride/groom/group shots. The couple will have hungreds of pics of themselves but surprisingly few of their guests, so take as many as you can without annoying them.

Candid - shoot people doing what they do naturally and having fun. Preferably not too close so they don't see you and strike an unnatural pose, so a longer lens is useful - I found my 35-105 quite good for this.

Reception - quite often the photographer will have gone by the time for the food, driinks, speeches and dances, so it would be lovely for the couple to have pictures of the evening to remember.

Oddities - things and details that define the day but may get overlooked. For example, the badge of the wedding car, shots of the centrepieces, cake decorations, flowers, room decorations, reception venue - anything you can find really that people will remember but not think to take pictures of.


I'm only an amateur, but these are what I'd want to see in addition to the usual pics.

I did quite a few candid shots for my wife's cousin's wedding last year, not long after I'd got my first SLR, but I'm quite pleased how they came out.
Feel free to have a look here
 
Hi all and thanks for all the advice, it's much appreciated.

The longest lens I have is the 70-200 but at f4 I guess it's not the fastest indoor. Whilst I'd love to, I can't splash out on a new lens for this! I could however hire one, I had a quick look and within budget would be a 70-200 2.8 L, IS or non IS, or the 135 f2 L. I guess I'd prefer the latter as it will be smaller, lighter and more conspicuous. I have a 40d so with the crop factor I imagine that would be more than long enough, unless you think otherwise? I looked ont this site http://www.lensesforhire.co.uk/canon-telephoto-8-c.asp

Thanks for that link, I'll bring a step-ladder :-). But seriously thanks it's got my brain ticking, exactly what I was looking for.

and thanks for the tips and your link weetobix, they look good, I hope your wife's cousin appreciated it!

al
 
My best mate got married a few years ago and had a husband and wife pro team, they split up and whilst one was taking the professional photos the other concentrated on taking the candid shots, also kept out of the way / out of sight and got some totally random photos, which really made a difference. They were over the moon with them. :thumbs:
 
Moos3h said:
Do you have long, fast (or IS-equipped) glass?
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one oft he forum advertisers www.lensesforhire.co.uk would be able to hire you a nice lens for the day/week brilliant service and great prices will save you buying some fancy glass

also my wife and i got married many years ago, hired a tog to do wedding, and her uncle just took some candid shots of us during the day and of the guests , no posing just purely candid shots, to this day these photos still get looked at, and i cant remember the last time we looked at the "official" ones
 
totaly agree. go for the candids.
the pro wont have time to get many candid shots.(unless theres more than one.)
and as you'll know most already, theyll be more comfortable with you around.
better shots.
as for lenses. go IS every time.especialy if your going long.
weetobix has all the right points too.
place setting with the names of the b & g are often missed by the pro.(i dont).
natural stuff of kids messing around go down well too.
 
IS isnt essential! people dont stay totally still so the IS wont be able to do anything about them moving.. it saves a little cost AND weight.. tis nice though..
 
akr said:
Thanks for that link, I'll bring a step-ladder :-). But seriously thanks it's got my brain ticking, exactly what I was looking for.
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I wouldn't suggest a stepladder unless you are the pro - far too much aggravation, but think about using furniture - garden bench or low wall for example, or maybe get a leg up a tree or something. The guy that was shooting those funky angles even shinned up a lampost to get one of those shots.
 
inaneredstripe said:
totaly agree. go for the candids.
the pro wont have time to get many candid shots.(unless theres more than one.)
and as you'll know most already, theyll be more comfortable with you around.
better shots.
as for lenses. go IS every time.especialy if your going long.
weetobix has all the right points too.
place setting with the names of the b & g are often missed by the pro.(i dont).
natural stuff of kids messing around go down well too.
Click to expand...

I always look for a good bag of detail shots, one of them being the place settings, or the main seating plan list. Sadly many these days seem to let their venue print a crappy list off in Word so it isn't always worthy of a photo.

Candids are always good. A good time to get them is in between group shots, people relax and often interact with each other which can make some nice pics. Tricky for the main tog to catch. I don't get to catch them myself really, but before I started doing weddings I did the above at a friends wedding and they framed 3 pics i took in between group shots...none of the pro's shots are visible in their house :)

70-200 f4 is perfect for this, assuming outdoors anyway. I wouldn't bother hiring any gear, take minimal gear with you, remember your other commitments during the day (e.g. ushering), then get to work during the formals, and any other time you feel you can. Don't forget to enjoy the day though, and keep that dirty great big lens hidden when your not using it so it isn't in the main tog's shots!
 
Did anyone else look at the link Tdodd put here. Have they done a load of work in photoshop for those images then. Can anyone say what touch ups they have used.
 
Candids it is! And thanks Tdodd for the tips, I was not really taking the step ladder but chairs \ walls etc great idea.
 
missmoloko said:
Did anyone else look at the link Tdodd put here. Have they done a load of work in photoshop for those images then. Can anyone say what touch ups they have used.
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I attended the convention refered to in the thread I linked to, and I watched these guys shoot. Some of the shots are with the Sigma 10mm fisheye mounted to a 40D, so any distortion effects are real. It was a miserable January day and the guys were showing us how to get "interesting" shots in the naffest places. Most of the pics here were in taken in the undercover (almost underground) access to the Novotel in Hammersmith. Others are around the outside of the hotel. The B&G here are professional models and obviously knew how to pose.

I took along my Fuji P&S and you may get a sense of the environment and what an unretouched photo might look like from some of my efforts. I was not trying to duplicate their work but show the perspectives, environment and approach...

Here's an album with a few of my documentary shots - http://picasaweb.google.com/EezyTiger/SWPP - and a couple of examples below....

20090117_083040_0064_LR.jpg


20090117_083544_0084_LR.jpg


20090117_084124_0104_LR.jpg


20090117_084358_0120_LR.jpg


20090117_090732_0190_LR.jpg


20090117_091041_0194_LR.jpg
 
I'll go against the flow here, don't go long, get close. Most pros shoot candids long as they are uncomfortable getting in close.

As an usher you have a good opportunity to mingle, get in with groups of people, shoot them interacting with each other. Most candids you see from weddings are no more than headshots, they could be anywhere. Keep an eye on what the pro is shooting and find something away from that.
 
I see your point, but if as a guest you're chatting to people and having a laugh, all that natural emotion may disappear the second the OP puts a camera to his eye and the other guests will either stop and freeze, or group together for a boring photo.

I think your idea will work better if shooting from hip - which I do occasionally. It's hit and miss but it's an ideal way of getting in the thick of it and not giving people enough time to react to the camera being pointed at them. Also he may get lucky and bag a few so it's definitely worth trying your idea.

ETA: Love the stuff on your website :)
 
Raise the camera, allow people to react to it, and wait. They'll go back to their conversation, then take the shot. It's about body language as well, if you stand there with the camera at your face and are tense and nervous in the situation then they will be too. Act calm like it's nothing, and after a moment of discomfort on both sides they'll be calm again.
 
Tdodd so do you know how they got the railings to look blue instead of yellow. Can anyone explain how to do this?

There's so much in photoshop I need to learn.:bang::bonk:
 
Sorry, missmoloko, I don't use Photoshop. I saw their shots immediately after the shoot, before any edits, but I have had no contact with them since and I have no idea what they did for the final versions posted in that thread.
 
You'll often find that the official tog won't hang around for long in the evening, if at all. That's when you can fill your boots. Fast glass, high ISO, no flash and document the evening reception.
 
Al de Man said:
You'll often find that the official tog won't hang around for long in the evening, if at all. That's when you can fill your boots. Fast glass, high ISO, no flash and document the evening reception.
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I agree about the no flash, when trying the flash at the evening do, all I got was redeye and over exposed faces. High iso and no flash worked much better for me
 
Thanks again all for all the input in this thread.

I'll stick the 50 1.8 on for the eve and crank up the ISO! I best get practising!
 
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