 Jill H. Oldfield |
HELP!! Asked to be Photographer at Wedding I am a total shutterbug, people very rarely see me without a camera. I often get complements about my results, and am told I have an eye for it. But the truth is I know nothing about the technical side of photography. I don't always have as much confidence in myself as others, who tell me I should become a professional and make a living doing what I love. So far for most of the pictures I have taken, I have relied on the camaras automatic settings to set up the shot. My concern is that friends of mine, in an effort to save money for thier wedding have asked me to be their photograper, and I fear that relying on the auto mode on my digital camera may not cut it. They understand that I am not a professional and that I have never done this before, but I really want to do an amazing job for them. The wedding is 6 weeks away. and I don't have the time and more importantly I dont have the money to take a class to learn how to manually use my digital camara. I used have an Olympus D-550 until it got stolen, and that prompted my husband to go all out and buy me all kinds of equipment so that I can follow my dream, and now I am a little overwelmed. I have a Canon Powershot G5, plus telephoto and wide angle lenses and as a result of a flaw in the design of the camera in order to use the lenses I had to also buy the canon ex220 flash. I do also have a tripod. But I know nothing about apatures, shutter speeds and ISO- what they are, why they are important, and when to use them. For instance when they come down the aisle towards me, in a low lit church - what should I know to set my camera settings to? Uggghhh I am stressing! I welcome any advice you have to give and feel free to talk to me like a 3 year old LOL
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Damian P. Gadal |
Well you could decline, or use the next six weeks to practice (may be using your husband as a subject) under various lighting conditions, i.e., in dark buildings, churches, etc. noting the settings - since you shoot digital you'll get almost instant feedback... hth
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Nik's Pics |
It's funny because I am in practically the same situation. I've been asked to take pictures at a family member's wedding, but know very little about the technical side of photography. Anyway, I bought this book called "The Best of Wedding Photography" by Bill Hurter and I highly recomend it. It covers pretty much everything you need to know for wedding photography and deffinitely gave me a confidence boost. Good luck with the wedding!
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John P. Sandstedt |
I've shot almost a dozen weddings - all using a traditional, film-based 35 mm camera Minolta SRT-201, Canon EOS-620 and Canon EOS 3.] I had to set the exposure with the Minolta; I took advantage of the Program Mode with the EOS beauties. THere's nothing like the auto-everything in the wedding scenario. You need to be concerned with getting all the pictures - not just the classics [Bride feeds Groom cake, a picture of every table, etc.] I'm concerned that, in view of the fact that you say you don't know a lot about photography, your husband [great guy that he is] bought you "too much camera." But, if you want to use it correctly, follow the first rule of photography [as I teach it.] READ THE MANUAL! Then, go out and practice. But, don't be afraid to let the camera do the work. One caveat, I don't shoot digital. I scan slides, negatives and prints and, thereby, take full advantage of the computer age in photography. I can't make any suggestions regarding how to handle the "delay" associated with your digital's getting the image to memory. One way or the other. Take lots of pictures. As they used to say, film is cheap! With digital, you can delete any losers you take. But, with lot sof images, you're bound to get some great ones and the Bride will love them forever. John
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Jo J. Jackson |
Unfortunately, I also find myself in this situation a lot. These are just a few things that I do to try and keep my stress level down... 1) Do as many pictures as you can before the wedding. Usually the bride and groom follow tradition and don't want to be seen together, but you can always do the bride and bridesmaids, the bride with her family and then the groom and groomsmen and the groom with his family. Trying to do all the pictures after the wedding is hard because you don't want them to miss their reception and it just puts more pressure on you to try and hurry. 2) I also check with the bride and groom and ask if they want me move around during the ceremony or not. I'm always afraid of being distracting during the ceremony but most of the people I've worked with give me total freedom to roam. You may also want to check with the minister. I've shown up only to be told that their faith doesn't allow pictures during the actual ceremony. In this case you'll have to re-create. 3) Most churches are dark and can be a huge headache to work in. What can be difficult and can't be seen until later is shadow. If you're using straight flash, it can cast shadow behind your subjects. If its really dark, I suggest opening all the windows you can, setting up on a tripod and not using your flash. If you're lucky, and its a pretty day, you can look for good landscaping and architecture around the outside of the church and convince them to do them out there. Reflectors are also an option, but I can't afford them and you probably don't want to invest in them if its not a regular gig. 4) I also like to have a second camera if possible. If you have a photographer buddy, they'll usually let you borrow theirs. Most people think that they prefer color, but if you keep a second camera with B & W and just occasionally snap one, they alomost always fall in love with them. I am by no means an expert, I just often find myself in similar situations. You can also do what I do after a wedding, go home and sleep for 14 hours straight! LOL! Best of luck!
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Karma Wilson |
Caveat: I've never shot a wedding...BUT I have been very successful at getting good portraits and I have suggestions for optimal wedding portraits: (I've read a lot of these wedding discussions). You've gotten a LOT of good advice already. Let me add: Don't rely on your cameras auto features for portraits of the bride's face, etc...For these types of portraits definately use your portrait setting which will give you a much improved result (shallow dof, softer feel). Take your portraits in good lighting--I agree with the outdoor suggestions but be very aware. Since weddings are often midday you have harsher lighting to deal with, so try to find a brightly shaded area instead. You don't want harsh shadows or people squinting! Sometimes lightly dappled sunlight can make a photo stunning, so look for the best lighting and vary it a bit between several sources. Or if there is a pretty window in the church with light pouring through carefully pose your bride to get a window lit shot, which can be very impacting, especially for weddings with gauzy dresses! For your posed shots leave your camera on a TIFF setting so you'll be able to edit them in the highest quality. For your moving shots shoot fine jpeg as you'll have more speed. During the ceremony you WANT the auto feature. It takes precious time to switch little dials and it's best to have it on the safest default setting! Also, take advantage of your burst mode for the walking down the isle shots. That way you'll have more than one option in case somebody blinks at the wrong moment. Also use burst mode for the rice throwing ceremony and the car driving away. Don't use your portrait mode for large group portraits because you need a deeper DOF for these shots. Strange as it may sound you might try landscape setting which is going to give you sharp, very detailed shots. You might consider the burst mode for group shots as well because there always a blinker in the crowd! Try not to use a flash during the ceremony. Try to optomize the lighting in the church. Watch where you meter as this can change the WHOLE look very easily. AND remember, this is the digital age. Don't give up on any shot before editing. There are filters that can make portraiture photography absolutely stunning, even if the starting shot looked only "so-so" to you. Good luck! Hope you post your results! Karma
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Mary E. Heinz |
Hi, this may not be timely...but I just did my first wedding/ no training or assisting/ was scared to death/ but the clients realized I was very intent on doing a good job as if they were my family/ I had a dark room; used 800 film 35mm and alot of the work was done for me/ the bride / groom just being themselves...I was worried about getting the shots off quickly enough... just ask them afterwards to walk back out, etc...better safe than sorry and get in writing you are not liable for anything; I did because I have no wedding insurance...this was for an acquaintance...I was so relieved to recently see the photos//they will be online in two weeks at http://www.pics-ties.com FamilyTies Photography Hope this helps... Mary
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Jerry Frazier |
I would say no until you learn more. You might pull it off, but you might not. I guess it depends on the persons wedding. If it's a big wedding and they are expecting amazing work, I would say no. If it is a small wedding and they dont have any expectations, then go ahead. You should be very clear that you don't know anything technically. Tell them this and make it very, very clear. It sounds as if, without you, there wont be any photography. I've shot hundreds of weddings, and I see more and more DSLR's showing up at weddings, and guests shadowing me because they want to get into photograpy. I'm not sure why weddings seems to be the training ground for all these new photographers, but it is. Ask yourself this, if they are friends, do you want to enjoy the wedding or not? If you are shooting the wedding, and doing it properly, it wont be fun at all. It will kind of suck. It is very difficult and hard work and there is no real enjoyment of the day for you. You work like a dog all day long for 8 or 10 hours. That's quite a gift. Plus, your lack of knowledge really scares me. Also, do you have a backup camera. What will you do if your camera fails. I have 6 bodies with me, and a back up lens for every lens I have. Basically, I have two of everything. Plus, I always have a 2nd shooter, so nothing is missed, and if I fail, they likely will capture what I missed and visa versa. Things happen too quickly sometimes, and they are forever gone. I wouldn't mess with it. Just go as a guest with a camera, rather than as the photographer.
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Jill H. Oldfield |
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Jerry Frazier |
WOWZA! It didn't notice the date on your original post. Funny!
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