Wedding shoot help

Mark-Anthony

Mark-Anthony

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Hi all

My friend is getting married next month, 28th August. He's asked me to do pics which I've agreed but I'm ideally looking for a lens suitable for a group shot.

So far I only have an 18-135 and a 50mm 1.8 but not sure if they're any good as never done a wedding before.

Help?
 
im no wedding photographer, but from what I read, most people us 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 for low light (ie the church), which the 50mm would be good for, providing you can get close enough.

I also have read that some wedding togs use only primes like 35mm, 50mm 85mm etc,

I am guessing your 18-135 is f3.5-5.6, which may be too slow for in the church but maybe fine for group shots.
 
Stop the 18-135 down to f8 for the groups & it will be fine. No need to worry about a fancy lens for that part of the day.
That is assuming the weather is kind & you're outside. It'll be trickier indoors
 
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Skd - yeah that's my lens. I'm using a d5100 body and I also have 2 spewdlighta and wireless triggers.

Paul_g - ok, I'll give that a go when it's on outdoor shots. It's only a small naval wedding with 18 going so shouldn't be too bad.

I've been looking at

Sigma 30mm HSM 1.4
Nikon 85mm
Nikon 55-300mm
 
that's a crop body isn't it ( I shoot canon so my Nikon knowledge is ltd) if so 24-70 is going to be too long at the short end

I use a 17-50 f2.8 on a crop (24-70 would be right on a full frame)
 
with only 18 people, you will be fine with what you have as far as the group shots go, in fact with so few, your 50mm would happily do even the biggest group if you have some space to play with, but the 18-135 would work in more limited space. Your bigger issue will be a dull day indoors, unless you can bounce some flash around, thats where you might struggle, but noisy high ISO photos are better than no photos, so dont be scared to push the ISO and remember, the noise will never look as bad in print as it does on screen ;)
 
If you know what you're doing, you have all the gear you need.

My fear is that you're not sure you've got the gear, so I'm not sure you know what you're doing with it.

I could shoot your job with your gear, but it wouldn't be my usual coverage - it'd be something else entirely.

Most wedding shooters use 2.8 zooms, 2 cameras and prime lenses / flash for that something extra. So that's what most of us would recommend, it's almost a no-brainer.
 
I have only helped at one friends wedding at the last minute and not in the wedding photographer category but I took on the challenge regardless of the size of the lens in my kit (I would not have taken this on if I had not known the family well enough ) if your lens isn't wide enough - get up higher than the guests - consider them all looking up at you instead of facing towards you - this way you will fit them all in too :) - or if you cant get up high use a monopod ? your friends trust you and know you can do this for them and it will be a great experience too , good luck :)
 
Nickyj said:
if your lens isn't wide enough - get up higher than the guests - consider them all looking up at you instead of facing towards you - this way you will fit them all in too :)
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Nickyj said:
or if you cant get up high use a monopod ?
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I don't understand these points...... Width has nothing to do with height.
 
EOS_JD said:
I don't understand these points...... Width has nothing to do with height.
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I understand it exactly, getting higher than a group means they can be deeper, so you don't need the width (y)
 
Phil V said:
I understand it exactly, getting higher than a group means they can be deeper, so you don't need the width (y)
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exactly - if you shoot a group of say 100 people from the front you can only really have four or so lines - so 25 per line

Shoot from above looking down and you can easily have 10 lines of 10 (not that'd suggest regimented lines - but just for illustration)

Also generally if you are shooting from a hotel window, portacabin roof , staircase , up a tree or whatever you will be further away which will also benefit a not particularly wide lens.
 
Thank you Phil V and Big Soft Moose I am glad you understand what I was trying to say I was a little worried my suggestions sounded a little mad :)
 
I get it now guys ;) Although you are totally changing the group dynamics to get that shot.
 
I always have a body with a 70-200 attached and my main body with a 50mm on and I've got to be honest only occasionally do I use the 70-200 body or even exchange for my others (28mm, 14-24mm, 18-105mm).

Trust the 50mm, shoot right open which is beneficial for the light and if you get the focus right the happy couple will love the look.
 
Pegasus_Thrust said:
I always have a body with a 70-200 attached and my main body with a 50mm on and I've got to be honest only occasionally do I use the 70-200 body or even exchange for my others (28mm, 14-24mm, 18-105mm).

Trust the 50mm, shoot right open which is beneficial for the light and if you get the focus right the happy couple will love the look.
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Isn't that all a bit long? Is that crop or FF?

Even on ff, 50mm is a bit long for groups, I always shot them at 35 or 28 on film.

I could shoot an entire wedding with that but it'd be a bit restrictive, the wider lenses give a feel of 'being there'
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm tempted to get the sigma 30mm. I'm also on the lookout for a second body so I can do what Phil V was saying. I'm no pro but really enjoy photography, fingers crossed it goes well
 
Phil V said:
Yes, generally you're making it much more interesting. ;)
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I agree - it was just that talking about shooting a group in front, the width won't change if you raise the height.... That's what I was getting at. nothing about the rights or wrongs of composition.
 
read my post on being a guest and a tog.......will help you understand the issues. Its not easy being both, you need make a judgement call as to whether you are there as a guest or as the tog.....as a tog you need to be prepared to miss out on the involvement you would get as a guest, as a guest dont expect to cover it the same way as an independant tog would....

Trust me, i have been there.

Several things also come to mind-
Does your friend know your skill level. Make sure they do. be confident but honest. May save for an awkward chat post wedding. I dontknow your skill level so you mayt well be more than comepetent, but im not the 'client' so to speak!

Amateur does not mean bad, pro does not mean good...give it your best shot and dont be afraid to boss people around..politely of course. If your job is to get the shots then you need to do all you can to get them.

Carry spares of everything.

Bounce flash in the event of low light. Check out neil van nierks you tube videos for some great tips.

Relax and have fun. Nothing more disconcerting at a wedding than a pancicking photographer lol!
 
gpc1 said:
read my post on being a guest and a tog.......will help you understand the issues. Its not easy being both, you need make a judgement call as to whether you are there as a guest or as the tog.....as a tog you need to be prepared to miss out on the involvement you would get as a guest, as a guest dont expect to cover it the same way as an independant tog would....

Trust me, i have been there.

Several things also come to mind-
Does your friend know your skill level. Make sure they do. be confident but honest. May save for an awkward chat post wedding. I dontknow your skill level so you mayt well be more than comepetent, but im not the 'client' so to speak!

Amateur does not mean bad, pro does not mean good...give it your best shot and dont be afraid to boss people around..politely of course. If your job is to get the shots then you need to do all you can to get them.

Carry spares of everything.

Bounce flash in the event of low light. Check out neil van nierks you tube videos for some great tips.

Relax and have fun. Nothing more disconcerting at a wedding than a pancicking photographer lol!
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That's superb advice, cheers
 
Little_duke said:
Hi all

My friend is getting married next month, 28th August. He's asked me to do pics which I've agreed but I'm ideally looking for a lens suitable for a group shot.

So far I only have an 18-135 and a 50mm 1.8 but not sure if they're any good as never done a wedding before.

Help?
Click to expand...

If your a guest and asked to be the main photographer forget it, my son asked me the exact same thing and it just doesn't work. You can't be taking pictures-arranging the principles and later on all the guests and take the photos at the same time.

If you not an invited guest then the problem doesn't occur.
 
realspeed said:
If your a guest and asked to be the main photographer forget it, my son asked me the exact same thing and it just doesn't work. You can't be taking pictures-arranging the principles and later on all the guests and take the photos at the same time.

If you not an invited guest then the problem doesn't occur.
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(y) - Im doing a wedding in sept. I have told them (as they are friends as well) that i will be covering the day as the photographer so please dont include me as a guest / in seating plans / in transport plans etc etc. They intially raised an eyebrow but after i explained to them that my 'job on the day' as requested by them, is to be the photographer then i should really remain external to the wedding party and be treated as a non guest.

They understood this entirely and also, i believe, cemented in their minds that i am treating this with professionalism, care and responsibilty. Which is what you would expect from any wedding photographer who cares about what they do and what they are delivering in terms of service. This also frees me up and allows me to 'work' without thinking about having a drink with the groom, or spending time with their family in conversations etc. It sounds a little cold but having tried being both on the same day I have learnt a valuable lesson.

communication in key with the friends / client / familt and will, in the long run, help you to produce a more polished service.

I have only shot 4 weddings, all for friends. All, bar one, i treated as a non guest. The one time i realxed this rule was the one wedding i learnt the hardest lessons......dont relax the guest / non guest rule!!

Im sure there are many pros / amateurs alike on here who have vast experience and can also give advice, but i hope my little, non pro starting out in wedding photography advise helps.

dont forget to post the images as well (if you can ) for critique. It may be harsh, blunt, prasing etc but i have learnt a lot from this forum. Take the advice constructively and it will certainly improve your photography skills.

All the best
 
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Phil V said:
Isn't that all a bit long? Is that crop or FF?

Even on ff, 50mm is a bit long for groups, I always shot them at 35 or 28 on film.

I could shoot an entire wedding with that but it'd be a bit restrictive, the wider lenses give a feel of 'being there'
Click to expand...

I know a very good wedding photographer that shoots groups on a 70-200 if space allows. Makes for a unique look. I have also done this, and it looks much better in my opinion than the boring wide angle that most wedding togs use.
 
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Phil V said:
Isn't that all a bit long? Is that crop or FF?

Even on ff, 50mm is a bit long for groups, I always shot them at 35 or 28 on film.

I could shoot an entire wedding with that but it'd be a bit restrictive, the wider lenses give a feel of 'being there'
Click to expand...

I can shoots most groups on a 50mm, it's only for the bigger groups or if space is tight I'll switch to wider (on FF)
 
I shoot ff with the 50 and try to use it as much as possible, if space doesn't allow then I use the 28.



Yes the 18-135 is DX, but it extremely rarely gets used.
 
Phil V said:
Yes, generally you're making it much more interesting. ;)
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I couldn't agree more. That is some easy but cracking advice. It is something so simple yet many people don't think about it. Great advice :)
 
When our eldest grandson got married about 3 years ago all I had was Nikon D90 and a 55-200mm DX lens. I took a lot of shots with this arrangement and have been complimented by many people (including the pro tog who took the official shots) on the quality of my shots.
 
Little_duke said:
Hi all

My friend is getting married next month, 28th August. He's asked me to do pics which I've agreed but I'm ideally looking for a lens suitable for a group shot.

So far I only have an 18-135 and a 50mm 1.8 but not sure if they're any good as never done a wedding before.

Help?
Click to expand...

Where is the ceremony taking place? If in a church be warned they can be very dark! I shot a wedding on Saturday and it was glorious sunshine outside... inside I was shooting at ISO 8000 - 10000 and that's with a fast f/2.8 zoom.

I know from experience that crop bodies can't handle high ISO's well... especially not that high. If I were shooting with my old 7D i'd have been in serious trouble!

Weirdly there was a guy stood behind me shooting a 550d with pop up flash (I was at the back of the church with a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom) and I just thought 'why are you even bothering? You'll get nothing but snowy images and that flash aint going to do anything other than irritate me!'
 
my best advice is go and look at the venue and get it straight in your mind what type of light you have. make a note of the shots you want to take and the the shots that they want, do get caught out on the day by the unexpected. i would think that most churches will not allow flash during the service. next plan for bad weather, its best to have a backup plan.
last remember its there day so work with them. good luck
 
ajax_andy said:
Where is the ceremony taking place? If in a church be warned they can be very dark! I shot a wedding on Saturday and it was glorious sunshine outside... inside I was shooting at ISO 8000 - 10000 and that's with a fast f/2.8 zoom.

I know from experience that crop bodies can't handle high ISO's well... especially not that high. If I were shooting with my old 7D i'd have been in serious trouble!

Weirdly there was a guy stood behind me shooting a 550d with pop up flash (I was at the back of the church with a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom) and I just thought 'why are you even bothering? You'll get nothing but snowy images and that flash aint going to do anything other than irritate me!'
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I stupidly left my 2.8 lens at home and went with my 24-105 last week. 25600ISO on one camera (f4) 12800 on the other with my 2.8 70-200.

Won't make that mistake again.
 
EOS_JD said:
I stupidly left my 2.8 lens at home and went with my 24-105 last week. 25600ISO on one camera (f4) 12800 on the other with my 2.8 70-200.

Won't make that mistake again.
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25600? Yikes! :puke:

The thing is in dark churches it's not like you can add flash... you can always under expose and pull up in post but that makes it look even worse than shooting at a mega high iso.

I think the 5D MK III did an outstanding job at ISO10000 and retained a lot of good detail and the colours still look rich and nice... same with the 6D which I was suprised to see focused fine most of the time. Would hate to be on a crop sensor at that ISO as I've used a 7D at 4000 ISO before and it was dreadful.

FF body + Fast lens = only way to go IMO
 
ajax_andy said:
Where is the ceremony taking place? If in a church be warned they can be very dark! I shot a wedding on Saturday and it was glorious sunshine outside... inside I was shooting at ISO 8000 - 10000 and that's with a fast f/2.8 zoom.

I know from experience that crop bodies can't handle high ISO's well... especially not that high. If I were shooting with my old 7D i'd have been in serious trouble!

Weirdly there was a guy stood behind me shooting a 550d with pop up flash (I was at the back of the church with a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom) and I just thought 'why are you even bothering? You'll get nothing but snowy images and that flash aint going to do anything other than irritate me!'
Click to expand...


Well, an update. I done it, and absolutely loved it. But harder than I thought but only hard in the terms of getting people to do what you want (guests etc)

So far had 48 likes on the preview pic on the brides FB. Prints are currently being sent to me for the album and the canvas is on way. Will update when they arrive
 
Little_duke said:
Well, an update. I done it, and absolutely loved it. But harder than I thought but only hard in the terms of getting people to do what you want (guests etc)

So far had 48 likes on the preview pic on the brides FB. Prints are currently being sent to me for the album and the canvas is on way. Will update when they arrive
Click to expand...

that's one of the biggest skills (and the reason why they say wedding toggery is not just about your photo skills) - its always harder when they know you as a friend/family member than doing strangers as well
 
Little_duke said:
Well, an update. I done it, and absolutely loved it. But harder than I thought but only hard in the terms of getting people to do what you want (guests etc)

So far had 48 likes on the preview pic on the brides FB. Prints are currently being sent to me for the album and the canvas is on way. Will update when they arrive
Click to expand...

Well done, I'm glad it went well (y)
 
EOS_JD said:
I stupidly left my 2.8 lens at home and went with my 24-105 last week. 25600ISO on one camera (f4) 12800 on the other with my 2.8 70-200.

Won't make that mistake again.
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25600 iso??? Where were you shooting - in a coal mine????

The only times I may have had to shoot above 3200 iso at f2.8 is a candlelit church at 4pm in December!

However, I do use a tripod in dark churches to enable slower shutter speeds than I would risk hand holding.
 
chip said:
25600 iso??? Where were you shooting - in a coal mine????

The only times I may have had to shoot above 3200 iso at f2.8 is a candlelit church at 4pm in December!

However, I do use a tripod in dark churches to enable slower shutter speeds than I would risk hand holding.
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f4 and needed 1/125th to stop them as they walked down the aisle. correct exposure was 25600 and even then it was still a tad dark (my fault for not getting in early enmough and switching to a fast prime (it was Luss Parish Church! Very dark and on a day that was f16 outside lol!!

Learned a valuable lesson - and the images were still ok!
 
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