photograph church wedding without flash
 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to photograph a church wedding
without using a flash? The church's existing tungsten lighting is
relatively dim even during the day. Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

photograph church wedding without flash
 

Get a 50 mm f:1,8 and a 100 mm f:1,8, put in a ISO 800 film (e.g. FujiPress
800), and get shooting, that should get you through most situations...

--
Venlig hilsen/best regards

René Ernst Nielsen

+45 66122111
+45 28722962
"Andrew Liu" skrev i en meddelelse
...
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to photograph a church wedding
without using a flash? The church's existing tungsten lighting is
relatively dim even during the day. Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

photograph church wedding without flash
 

On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:37:46 -0000, Andrew Liu
wrote:

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to photograph a church wedding
without using a flash? The church's existing tungsten lighting is
relatively dim even during the day. Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, seriously. Are there
restrictions on your using flash in the church, or what? I've been in
churches like that where even ASA 800 wouldn't cut it. My suggestion
would be to rent a Norman or Quantum portable unit and give yourself a
couple days to get familiar with it. A powerful flash will allow you
to use bouncelight or bare bulb methods to achieve better contrast
ratios and also you'll be able to use a film type that is better
suited to enlargements. Otherwise pray for sun and a change of venue
to outside the church.

These people are depending on you to provide a record of these
memories. Severely underexposed results cannot be excused, and you
will discover that brides are universally unforgiving. I pray for
your soul...

photograph church wedding without flash
 

KBob wrote in
:

On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:37:46 -0000, Andrew Liu
wrote:

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to photograph a church wedding
without using a flash? The church's existing tungsten lighting is
relatively dim even during the day. Any and all suggestions are
welcomed.

This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, seriously. Are there
restrictions on your using flash in the church, or what? I've been in
churches like that where even ASA 800 wouldn't cut it. My suggestion
would be to rent a Norman or Quantum portable unit and give yourself a
couple days to get familiar with it. A powerful flash will allow you
to use bouncelight or bare bulb methods to achieve better contrast
ratios and also you'll be able to use a film type that is better
suited to enlargements. Otherwise pray for sun and a change of venue
to outside the church.

These people are depending on you to provide a record of these
memories. Severely underexposed results cannot be excused, and you
will discover that brides are universally unforgiving. I pray for
your soul...

The church has a policy of not allowing any flash photogrphy inside the
church. Once outside, anything goes!

photograph church wedding without flash
 

On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 21:46:44 -0000, Andrew Liu
wrote:

KBob wrote in
:

On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:37:46 -0000, Andrew Liu
wrote:

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to photograph a church wedding
without using a flash? The church's existing tungsten lighting is
relatively dim even during the day. Any and all suggestions are
welcomed.

This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, seriously. Are there
restrictions on your using flash in the church, or what? I've been in
churches like that where even ASA 800 wouldn't cut it. My suggestion
would be to rent a Norman or Quantum portable unit and give yourself a
couple days to get familiar with it. A powerful flash will allow you
to use bouncelight or bare bulb methods to achieve better contrast
ratios and also you'll be able to use a film type that is better
suited to enlargements. Otherwise pray for sun and a change of venue
to outside the church.

These people are depending on you to provide a record of these
memories. Severely underexposed results cannot be excused, and you
will discover that brides are universally unforgiving. I pray for
your soul...

The church has a policy of not allowing any flash photogrphy inside the
church. Once outside, anything goes!

You'd best fully explain your predicament in advance to the
newlyweds-to-be, and tell them not to expect much. Handheld shots
under these conditions will not be much to look at (especially if
color), but might at least provide something they wouldn't otherwise
have. You might try going for the intimate/grainy look with 800 ASA
B&W and a fast lens.

photograph church wedding without flash
 

Andrew Liu wrote in
:

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to photograph a church wedding
without using a flash? The church's existing tungsten lighting is
relatively dim even during the day. Any and all suggestions are
welcomed.


Fuji NPZ 800.

Tripod.

Fast lenses can help, but you cannot rely on them. Short depth-of-
field can be as damaging to wedding shots as motion blur. All it takes is
not having the bride and groom in the same plane.

Time your shots for pauses, specifically to avoid any movement from
your subjects.

After the ceremony, stage the key shots, when you can get in nice and
close and use a flash if necessary. This also allows you to get angles you
couldn't possibly achieve during the ceremony (such as behind the altar,
looking into the couple's faces). Good to let the family know you might be
doing this too, so they can stick around and keep the first few pews
realistically occupied for a convincing background.

And as KBob said, explain the difficulties in advance, so everyone
understands the constraints. They'll be more cooperative (hopefully,
anyway).

Good luck!


- Al.

--
To reply, insert dash in address to match domain below
Online photo gallery at www.wading-in.net

photograph church wedding without flash
 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to photograph a church wedding
without using a flash? The church's existing tungsten lighting is
relatively dim even during the day. Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

what photographers for years have been doing...

A. tripod. As a medium format shooter I've shooting almost everything
with one anyway.

B. non zoom lens that gives at least f/2.8, some are as much as two stops
faster, f/2 and even 1.4 can be found (though I wouldn't go buy something
just for the one shoot.

C. fast film, though for all these years I can't understand why why why why,
they don't make a tungsten balanced fast color neg film, it doesn't make
sense to me, the number of times I needed a really fast film in daylight
could be counted on one hand, but near weekly a fast roll balanced for room
lights would have very nice indeed. but that's life. frankly I'd use an
800, the faster films not only show it but don't look any better than 800
slightly under. and you can get an 800 in the same 'family' as the rest of
the wedding, of course if you are digital than do a white balance and your
good to go, just remember to reset later.

D. before it became a cliche' to be a photojournalist and shoot a half
dozen rolls of the ceremony, most photogs only shot a dozen or so, expecting
only five or six in the finished album, the entrance, the rings, the 'big
view' and the kiss. maybe the flower/ring kids, maybe the bridesmaids but
if one looked less than wonderful then none were used and the portraits
looked so much better anyway...

but an old trick is to put the camera on the ground, using your wallet or
checkbook to give the front a slight angle up, now this worked with those
old waist level finders where you had to look down, or cameras you can take
the prism off.

I presume that restriction was just for the ceremony, not for any and all
photos even after the wedding when most couples have the formals done?

for the formals, a tripod is really an excellent idea, you can select a very
slow shutter speed and a low flash out put, I would routinely select f/4
(one stop down from wide open on my f/2.8 lens) and a shutter speed slow
enough that would let the background build up to one stop under. This
allowed the background to show full glorious detail, and I would go as slow
as a full second, especially if the group were mostly adults and
cooperative, the flash will freeze them enough that any movement shouldn't
be apparent (unless they turn suddenly and then you can end up with an
interesting Picasso effect)

this reply is echoed to the z-prophoto mailing list at yahoogroups.com

photograph church wedding without flash
 

Andrew Liu wrote:
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to photograph a church wedding
without using a flash? The church's existing tungsten lighting is
relatively dim even during the day. Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

One thing needs clarifying, is the restriction permanent, or only during
the actual ceremony. A lot of ministers do not like the flash going off
in their face while they are trying to concentrate on what is happening.
Okay, so that leaves you a few options:

1) Stage a few shots, after the wedding, with the couple, this may let
you get other points of view that you would not normally be able to get.

2) Be honest tell the couple that there will not be many shots of the
ceremony, due to a lack of light. Suggest another location for photos,
if the wedding is at a time when it's warm outside then a park or other
locale can give you some good opportunities...... Otherwise there may
be a room somewhere you can use.

3) Talk to the churches minister, trust me, it's unlikely to be the
first wedding, the minister may be able to tell you what other
photographers have done in the past.

W

photograph church wedding without flash
 

"The Wogster" wrote in message
...
Andrew Liu wrote:
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to photograph a church wedding
without using a flash? The church's existing tungsten lighting is
relatively dim even during the day. Any and all suggestions are
welcomed.

It is a problem you have to get over. Many ministers don't allow flash but
the bride and parents do expect a good photo. If conditions are real bad a
good cop out is to set up your tripod, fast film, and med format at a high
vantage point and do a 'General scene' shot. Can be very good if the church
has a gallery.
No minister objects to flash when signing the resister. You can find lots of
scope there to pose a couple of good shots.
Make sure you have a good photofinisher who will be able to help sort out
the mix of daylight and tungsten lighting with the finished prints.

photograph church wedding without flash
 

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 02:27:51 -0000, "Bob"
wrote:


"The Wogster" wrote in message
.. .

No minister objects to flash when signing the resister.

---Freudian slip, perhaps?? ;-)