Weddings?

B

Broric

Messages
549
Edit My Images
Yes
It's happened :-( One of my mates is getting married and asked if I'd shoot the wedding. I've explained that I've no experience, would be worried about ruining it and suggested he gets a professional.

Hopefully that solves the issue but if not and it comes down to me doing it or no one I'm not sure I could say no. Assuming that happens, what sort of equipment would people recommend? It might be a case of hiring some out for the day but seeing if what I have is suitable.

Any other advice for reluctant wedding photographers would be appreciated.
 
I recently went through a similar situation as yourself and ended up buying a Nikon D700, 70-200 VR, 85 f1.8, SB900 flash along with cards, batteries and also other lenses like 24-70 etc that i had at home.

You more than likely will need fast lenses around 2.8 or better and a body which handles higher ISO quite well.
 
If you really dont want to do it then dont.....your heart wont be in it...you wont enjoy the wedding....you'll be in a ****y mood and your best work wont show through!!! And potentially the couple could fall out with you because you didnt get what they wnated.

if your reluctant because you're scared or unsure of technique but really want to give it a go then do some searching on here/ elsewhere and throw your self into getting the best out of your freinds big day!!!

Weddings arent just another situation to shoot or practice your skills....its the biggest day of someones life....its emotional....special....there's a lot of pressure....is this something you want to do????
 
Yeah I appreciate all that and that was behind me saying no but at the same time if they're not left with any choice and I could do it I'd feel bad for turning them down.
 
What kit have you got already? As posted you'll need a fast lens and a body which handles high ISO as you'll be shooting inside quite a lot.

Have a go of the search engine on here there's loads of threads on weddings.
But as Dan says do you really want to do it?
 
markyboy.1967 said:
I recently went through a similar situation as yourself and ended up buying a Nikon D700, 70-200 VR, 85 f1.8, SB900 flash along with cards, batteries and also other lenses like 24-70 etc that i had at home.

You more than likely will need fast lenses around 2.8 or better and a body which handles higher ISO quite well.
Click to expand...


So you spent the best part of £5k just to shoot a mates wedding? Surely that's not the whole story?
 
ah, the good old wedding for a friend thread

Ok, I'm not going to say don't do it, after all we all start somewhere so here's some hopefully constructive thought

First things first, know your camera inside out, what buttons to press to change settings - can you do it in the dark? what is it good at, and what is it bad at

secondly you need to know what things affect your shots and how to fix them, front light, backlight, low light, direct sunlight, harsh shadows, darkness, what do you change on your camera and what are the inherent trade offs between changing f stop, shutter speed and iso

thirdly, what shots to take and what you are allowed to do by the vicar - can you use flash (unlikely) if not what do you do, if you do use flash how good are you with it,

can you herd cats, because you'll need to be able to do that
are you good infront of a crowd

can you tease good photos out of reluctant bride and groom

can you deal with crowds of people pushing you out fo the way so they can get a good shot

are you going to shoot in jpeg or raw, how well can you use photoshop, do you know what your limitations are?


an not finally but finall for now, how do you deal with nerves? I still remember my first wedding and I was crapping myself, and that was just as a second shooter!

If you do decide to do it then good luck, but you will need to put a heck of a lot of prep and practice into it
 
Broric said:
Yeah I appreciate all that and that was behind me saying no but at the same time if they're not left with any choice and I could do it I'd feel bad for turning them down.
Click to expand...


there are people out there who'll do last minute weddings (maybe people on here)...i think if you didn't want to or didnt feel comfortable doing it your mate would prefer you to be honest with him and say.....plus you can get on with celebrating the big day (which is your excuse/ reason) with him.

There's always another option....but good on ya for thinking about your mate!!!
 
I recently lost my job and was applying for vacancies when my wife asked me to do her workmates wedding. I said no several times before eventually giving in, then the race was on to get some equipment. My thoughts were to do the wedding and see if i enjoyed it and then decide if i wanted to do others, if not then sell my gear and get another Nikon 500f4. I have now been asked a few other times and have a few initial meetings set up for this week to discuss photography with bride and grooms. It was a chance i was willing to take and i loved my first wedding but now the real work starts as i dont want to go into it half heartedly.
 
Broric said:
It's happened :-( One of my mates is getting married and asked if I'd shoot the wedding. I've explained that I've no experience, would be worried about ruining it and suggested he gets a professional.

Hopefully that solves the issue but if not and it comes down to me doing it or no one I'm not sure I could say no.
Click to expand...


You haven't said "NO" so I'm sure they consider you booked.

They say you shouldn't mix friends & business so I recommend you think long and hard about this NOW. If you do not tackle the business side of things now, I guarantee you will wish you had later.

Shooting friends and family can be a relationship timebomb if you do not establish exactly what each other's expectations are, what's included, and how much extras will be.

Many people do not believe how much a quality wedding album costs and if you have not pre-warned them, you risk them feeling ripped off later, even if you haven't made a penny!

If you hire equipment, use it for at least a week before the wedding and make sure your backup kit is good enough to do the whole job.

If things go awry, your mate might possibly understand..... but the bride, and particularly her mother, may be less forgiving.
 
chip said:
You haven't said "NO" so I'm sure they consider you booked.

They say you shouldn't mix friends & business so I recommend you think long and hard about this NOW. If you do not tackle the business side of things now, I guarantee you will wish you had later.

Shooting friends and family can be a relationship timebomb if you do not establish exactly what each other's expectations are, what's included, and how much extras will be.

Many people do not believe how much a quality wedding album costs and if you have not pre-warned them, you risk them feeling ripped off later, even if you haven't made a penny!

If you hire equipment, use it for at least a week before the wedding and make sure your backup kit is good enough to do the whole job.

If things go awry, your mate might possibly understand..... but the bride, and particularly her mother, may be less forgiving.
Click to expand...

and don't think this just happens to family who happen to be photographers, this is my business and still friends want it for free.

I do mates rates, but you'd be amazed how far people think that should go ...

"I met you once at a party in 1987, can you do my wedding (for free)"
 
Broric, If you do have to cover the wedding, make sure you plan what you want to cover during the day, including doing a venue visit. Get together with your mate and make a list of all images that they require and then give the list to the best man to call the people out for the next shot, one less job for you to worry about.

The day before charge all of your batteries, test all of your equipment and try to get a good nights sleep.

And good luck!!!
 
keirik said:
I do mates rates, but you'd be amazed how far people think that should go ...

"I met you once at a party in 1987, can you do my wedding (for free)"
Click to expand...

I was contacted by an ex-girlfriend last year enquiring what 'deal' I could for her daughter's wedding as we were 'old friends'....... she dumped me in 1978!!! :'(

I didn't get the gig :D
 
markyboy.1967 said:
I recently lost my job and was applying for vacancies when my wife asked me to do her workmates wedding. I said no several times before eventually giving in, then the race was on to get some equipment. My thoughts were to do the wedding and see if i enjoyed it and then decide if i wanted to do others, if not then sell my gear and get another Nikon 500f4. I have now been asked a few other times and have a few initial meetings set up for this week to discuss photography with bride and grooms. It was a chance i was willing to take and i loved my first wedding but now the real work starts as i dont want to go into it half heartedly.
Click to expand...

Best of luck Mark, though i`m sure you will manage without luck..............:thumbs:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top