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Wedding photography advice
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Hi,
I am doing my friends wedding in the New Year and I was hoping to get some advice from you. she cannot afford a fully pro photography and that is why she has asked me. I currently work freelance in the portrait / fashion industry but this is the first time I will be responsible for a wedding.
Basically, I have a 24-105 f4 L lens and a 50mm f1.8. I saw the church a few weeks ago and when inside, it was quite dark..I took out my camera to test the 24-105 and I had to move my canon 500d up to 3200ISO which I think will be too high…I was trying to not use flash…
I know i could use the 50mm but that will mean I will be moving about a good bit which I am not keen on.
Also, when the aperture is open at its widest, what is the best focus system to use as there will obviously be a very large depth of field?I have also considered using the flash, I have a 430 EX II but I dont want really harsh lighting so I was looking at the strobies pack for flash where you can attach a mini soft box…. has anyone used these in wedding scenario?
Are there any other better flash attachments that will reduce harshness of flash?
I would prefer not to use flash but I am concerned that I will not have enough light.
Any advice would be welcome,
Thanks
EMC
I’ve recently been in the same situation. If you bounce the flash off the ceiling it will help. Not sure how good diffusers are but don’t use that little flip over diffuser on the 430, it cancelled out the ttl zoom on a few shot I took and ruined some pictures. Also don’t fill your buffer with the bride walking up the aisle with the father, and miss the handshake! Shamed of myself. Thank god it was only for a friend.
Hi Eilish.
The first piece of advice I would give is to get a list of photos that the bride and groom want, and plan your day from there, I think unless you have f2.8 or faster lenses, you will have to use flash, I think that iso 3200 is a bit over the top, I would have thought iso 400/500 if using flash, you will be quiet near your subjects for the important shots.
As a matter of interest, when is the wedding and when you visited the church was it lit or unlit at the time.It would be best to visit the church maybe a week beforehand, at about the time of the ceremony, to give you a better idea of lighting conditions on the day.
I would also recommend that you attend the rehearsal of the ceremony, to give you a good idea of what will be happening on the day, and it is also an opportunity to meet the celebrant.
In general there are about 7 / 8 shots that you must get in the church. 1. Bride and father walking up the aisle, you should arrange before hand that they walk very slowly or stop at your request, so that you can get that shot. 2. the hand over. 3. lighting both candles, 4. exchanging vows / rings, 5. The KISS… 6. lighting single candle, 7. signing the registrar. 8. Bride and Groom walking down the aisle. of course there are quiet a few other shots that you will be taking, and you will have to move about a bit, just remember that the Bride is the most important person on the day.
If you get to the church well before the bride, ask a friend to stand where the bride and groom will be standing, when taking vows, lighting candles etc, and take test shots. There will probably be plenty of space behind B&G so you should not get harsh shadows.
This is only my opinion, there are quiet a few posts on weddings on this site, and perhaps others with more experience will add to this.
best of luck.Hi guys, yeh I have a list of the shots i need so I am not too worried about that aspect, i know what i have to get, its just getting the lighting right. I am sure I will probably have to use flash. The wedding is 1st week January and its is a very large chruch, very high ceiling and smallish windows so not much natural light.
Yeh i didnt think that there will be enough space behind the bride and groom that there wont be any real shadows so that is good!
Thanks for getting back to me guys and I will have a look in the wedding section for some more tips!
EMCHi EMC,
I’d really try get a loan of a 17-55 f/2/8. The 24-105 on a 500D will result in you being to far from your subjects for some shots. You can forget about a group shot with this lens unless you are 50 yards away. Formal family portraits will also be tricky….especially if you have a tight space to work with in the hotel. It perhaps will be too dark & cold/wet to do the family shots outside. You’ll need perhaps 20-25 feet of distance betwwen you and the subjects – and as the group gets bigger – you’ll have to move back again.
My other tip would be to get a pal to visit the church with you after sunday mass (when the lights will be still on) and try out various settings on the various shots you need to take.
When you are doing the ‘formal portraits’ afterwards – start with the Bride & Groom – and build the composition slowly by adding the bridesmaids, groomsmen etc etc – and then omiting them and adding family members etc…so you get all combinations. bride/groom with brides mum & dad, bride/groom with grooms family, bride/groom with bridal party…etc etc.
If you could ‘assist’ someone in a wedding before now and then – that experience will be invaluable. Even try a christening which are on sundays.
NB – You have to keep metering all the time.
Have a great day,
bren
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/wedding-photography-21-tips-for-for-amateur-wedding-photographers” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;
this site was very helpfull 2 me when I was doing my first wedding /it was first irish wedding I see in my life ,ceremony looks bit difrrent than ceremony in my country/ anyway that website should helpHi EMC and everyone,
Short share of my experience in the same situation. talking about photographing weddings in church, this is my the most favorite part in a whole wedding. To be honest, I cannot wait to enter the church and start shooting candid, bride walking down the aisle, ect. Why is that? Because I love to shoot using my 50mm f1.4 lens. I always use this lens in church, I set aperture – 1.4, ISO 800 and forget about any flash and high noise. Even if church is a bit dark, pictures look bright and amazing. If I need wide angle, I use 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, set ISO 800, f3.5 and shutter speed around 1/20-1/30. this will guaranty me a bright pictures.
Good luck.
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