Rex Photography - wedding photography

wedding photography - urgent help and tips?

my friend's mum has volunteered me (without asking me) to be the photographer at my friend's wedding in 2 months. The basis of her decision was that i am the only one she knows with a "fancy camera" (Nikon D40) and assumed i know what i am doing. WRONG! I am still taking photography classes and only been doing so for about 7months. I understand about ISO, Apertures lenses etc but i have never photographed a wedding before. Despite my best efforts i can't get out of this obligation bestowed upon me so my only choice is to learn how to photograph weddings (or do enough to wing it) in 2months. I don't think i'll need to do the formal shots, just ones where the bride is preparing, getting to the church, some ones of people eating cake etc and possibly a few group photos outside the church. Anyone PLEASE have links to websites, tips or a prayer to help me out? Thanks!

Public Comments

oh this will end in tears..... :-) ok make sure of their expectations, if they exceed your abilities it's best to let them know before, if they are happy to receive just a couple of "lucky shots" then go for it and use it as a learning experience. It's pretty unfair of your friend to dump this pressure and responsibility on you. It's not a portrait, you can't just say, "it didn't turn out that well so let's reshoot it" My advice is shoot RAW, this give you latitude in your exposure.
Wow chickie! we are truly two of a kind. I was in the same situation!! my advice do as i have done.... sit down with them and be honest. cleary perferably written expectations.. write down what they dont want to miss out on.. cleary and simply tell them honestly. I am new at this and not a pro... I just want to make it clear so you know.. I only have the one camera. if anything happens thats it.. ask them if they are aware of this.. TRUST ME ON THIS!! if things happen... you will always have that peice of paper to pull out.. plus you can make sure you are not working all night.. I also think that you should have a look at forums.. any photography forums.. have tips on shooting weddings.. if your friends mom has offered you... remember she could have said anything.. "she has taken photos for years ect.." and you do not want a bad name to come from this?? oh darlin, all the best and good luck i am sure you will do great!
Make sure people are LOOKING AT YOU, Tell the other guest that if they want a good picture they will HAVE TO stand next to you, and USE A TRIPOD. And look for anything distracting in the background that could ruin the photo. Say that you will need an hour between leaving the church and going to the reception to take photos. go meet the couple ask what picture they want, then go there before the weeding, look for places to take photos, take notes.
Go to adorama.com and click on AIRC - Adorama Imaging Resource Center. Find the section on wedding photography and click on it. That may help with your predicament. IMO, you should simply tell the bride and her mother that you simply do not feel competent/confident to do whats being asked of you. Tell them the day is too important to risk on an inexperienced photographer. Insist that they hire a professional wedding photographer and tell them you'll just walk around and take candids. IMO, a real friend would never put you in this position. The reality is that they want to be cheap and use you for free. That may sound harsh but its true. If you allow them to do this then you may as well have "WELCOME" tattooed on your back because you're allowing them to use you as a doormat. Being asked to do something is one thing. Being "volunteered" is quite another.
I think you should pull your friends mum aside and gently remind her that you are only a student, and not a professional. I have a feeling she already knows this, so I wouldn't get yourself all crazy trying to learn how to shoot like a pro-photographer. Just relax - I'm sure she isn't expecting much more than standard, average shots...and I'm certain your work will be above average!
just relax it ok belive me i was in a same boat make sure you learn poses and head turns and always tell them how to stand everybodys going to have FUN but check some sites where there is wedding photos OR just you pay for a profesional photographer and give it to them as a wedding gift.
If all you are doing are the background and candid shots, people will be doing and moving and talking. Tell your mother's friend that she will need to get you a very fast (low f number) preferrably image stabilized lens. Great excuse to get a great lens. Expect to pay a chunk for the lens... remember you usually get what you pay for.
First of all, sit down wioth your friend in front of some great (or even average) wedding photographer's websites. Show them to her. Then tell her, "See this? It''s what you WON'T be getting from a first time novice wedding shooter!" If she is OK with that, then tell her that you have real limitations with equipment and experience, and you won't guarantee that your pictures will be what she wants, or even any good at all. Manage expectations, and get it in writing. Have her sign. It is really crass and rude of her mother to impose upon you, but if you are going to do it, then get as prepared as possible. http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Wedding101-page1.html Here is a great link for a first timer. Also try Photo.net, the wedding and social event forum. There is an entire section for newbies and first-timers with a lot of valueable reading. Next look at your equipment. What lenses do you have? The kit lens is actually not a bad lens, but it is not very fast. If you don't have a f/2.8 zoom, then I will suggest getting a 50mm f/1.8 for low light. It is just over $100 new, and is fantastically sharp. and bright. On your crop frame sensor, it will be a good portrait length and will let you get those shots with the background nicely out of focus. If you only have one camera, beg, borrow or rent a second body and lens if you can. Even if you can't get hold of another SLR, bring at least a film or digital P&S backup. Not ideal, but if your camera dies in the middle of the processional at least you can keep shooting with something, Make sure to have lots of memory, and film if you are bringing a film camera. Start with fresh batteries in everything, and bring extras. Do you have a flash? (Other than the built in) That may be the thing that you will need the most. The pop-up flash does not have enough power to light a group, and will produce harsh shadows, especially in vertical shots, and red eye. If you use it a lot, it will also drain your camera battery. Do you have an extra battery? I would recommend at least an SB600. In two months, you can learn some basic flash technique, and learn how to bounce your flash. You can make a homemade bounce card for it (www.abetterbouncecard.com) or just rubberband an index card to the flash head. Theis is something you will need to practice, though. preferably with groups of people in rooms similar to the wedding venue. Take a tripod with you. Flash may not be allowed in the ceremony, and is distracting at any rate and should be used sparingly even when allowed. Find out from the officiant what is allowed and what is not. Every church has different rules re photography. Check out those wedding sites and pay attention to the posing. Make notes or print the ones you like. Get a couple of friends as vicitms, oops, I mean models :-), and practice posing them. Brides want to hold their flowers too high. Pay attention to details like that. Watch the backgrounds so you don't have a tree growing from someone's head. Straighten ties and jackets and dresses. For the guys, hands in pockets are fine. Hands crossed in front protecting the "family jewels" are a peeve of mine, and every guy will stand like that if you let them. Always pose people at an angle to the lens, never shoot them straight on. Check your histogram to avoid blowing the highlights on the bride's dress. Try to get lots of photos taken outdoors to get better light. Go ahead of time, and at the same time of day, and scout out the venue for locations. If you're fortunate, there will be nice open shade and a scenic background without powerlines, parking lots and busy streets in the way. There are long lists of the "must-have" shots. Find one and go over it with the bride and groom. They may not want 400 formals with every family combination imagineable, but if they do remind them that it will take LOTS of time. When doing the formals, take charge. You pose them, then you shoot first. No one is to be shooting until you get yours, otherwise you will have the subjects looking everywhere instead of at you. Tell the Aunt Ednas and Uncle Bobs that they can snap AFTER you step aside. Keep reminding the subjects that they are looking at YOU now. You will have to say this every time you shoot, people's attentions spans are short sometimes. In your case, you probably don't want to forbid other cameras at the formals, look at them as your backup shooters, but if you don't take control it will be a mess. Don't allow unlimited time, either. Get yours, step a bit to the side for a few seconds, then start the next pose. If Aunt Edna got hers, fine, if she didn't, too bad, the party is waiting. Start with the biggest group and work down to just the B & G. Release folks as soon as you are done with them to go to the reception. Have a family member in charge of rounding up the groups and having them on hand. It is frustrating to have to stop while someone hunts down Uncle Joe or Grandma for the photo op. I always shoot the formals in RAW + Jpeg. That way, if I need more control I have the RAW file. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around. The reception and pre-shots you can probably get by with jpeg only unless you are worried about the WB. Shooting weddings ain't brain surgery, but it is also not like shooting other things. There is pressure involved to get it right. Things move pretty fast and there are no second chances to capture the moments, no do-overs. If this is a friend, you will not be able to enjoy the festivities as a guest, you will be working. So wear comfortable clothing (that's comfortable, but not slouchy, lol) and especially comfortable shoes. Stay hydrated and eat before you start. You may find you really like doing it. And you may not. With enough preparation, you should be able to capture some nice images of their special day. I hope it goes well and everyone is happy with your effort. Good luck and best wishes!
My wife did weddings for a while and to be honest assisted a professional for the first year before ever attempting to shoot on her on. There is too much at stake. I think it's great you are taking classes and have a deep interest for photography but to be honest if you have never shot a wedding before don't do it until you are very comfortable. I would have a sit down with your friends mother and really make her understand that what she is asking requires a whole lot of experience that frankly you don't have. I would tell her that you would be happy to take photographs but that you don't feel comfortable being responsible giving them memories that are intended to last a lifetime that is only achieved by a seasoned professional wedding photographer. Remember there is no kiss the bride again because the photographer missed the shot. Just be honest with her and well if wedding photography is something you want to pursue assist a pro before attempting it on your own. There are so many factors to consider when do this type of job. Good Luck
ok...if you are not responsible for the formal shots, then you have the fun job! Practice before the wedding on a few things....detail shots....get in nice and tight on something (like the back of her dress). use b/w for creativity on the detail shots. check out TONS of photographers websites and you will see what i'm talking about. try this one. www.photosbycindylou.com. she's got great stuff...i used to work with her. dont' be afraid to try fun angles...tilting your camera. one or two people in the shot...play it safe and keep your camera verticle. verticle verticle verticle!!! on candid shots, people do not always need to be looking at the camera. there's too much to mention...just look at lots of web sites and practice!
It is unfair for you to have been asked to take on a job like this--and it's unfair to the wedding couple, as well. This woman (I assume it's the bride's mother) had the nerve to put you on the spot--she might as well ask you to take out an appendix--but since you're not a surgeon, it will be "messy", let's just say. In America, we teach our youths to say, "no" to drugs. But they never really taught them how to exactly deal with peer pressure. In your case, it was mother-of-a-friend whom you did not want to disappoint--and you being too timid to have not been able to have any time to even think about it. Call / e-mail her and tell this woman that you are not going to do it because you're not experienced enough. If she insists, tell her to try it with your camera & see what she says. p.s. I assume you're not getting a penny for this either.
If you are in school chances are you'll be fine. Lighting is the biggest problem in wedding photography. If she's getting married outside your in luck, if she's having a candlelight ceremony and reception, get a tripod, you'll need it. Buy a book or two on wedding photography, they are abundant. Go to the wedding site and the reception site the day before at the time of day you'll be taking photos and take practice shots to get your lighting right. Focus is the second biggest problem in wedding photography. Take your time and take multiples of the same shot. Auto focus some and manually focus others. Make sure you know exactly what the bride wants and make sure she knows exactly what she is getting from you. I will pray this doesn't damage your friendship.
Here's exactly what you need to look at: http://www.denisreggie.net/ Hope this helps. V
Ouch !! I suggest you call all photographers in your area and bug them to go along to any wedding they may have as a assist and watch and learn. The last thing you want to do is mess up your friends wedding pictures, Not a good start . . The Nikon D40 is a fun camera that actually takes good pictures with a good lens ( not a kit lens ) and good lighting( sb800), Good editing and knowledge you might be able to pass it off. here are links you can go to and ask questions and some may cost . Good Luck.Photography Forum friendly group interested in one thing and that is giving help and advice on photography. http://www.photography-forum.org/ Fredmiranda Photography chat of all kinds, contests, camera and lens user reviews and more. http://www.fredmiranda.com/ Nikonians The Worldwide Home for Nikon Photographers www.nikonians.org Digital Wedding Forum A membership only place for wedding photographers to chat. www.digitalweddingforun.com WPPI Wedding & Portrait Photographers International http://www.wppionline.com Wedding Photojurnalist Association A professional organization composed of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world. http://www.wpja.com/ PPA Professional Photographers Of America http://www.ppa.com