Reluctant Wedding Photographer

In article .com,
Martin Brown wrote:

This is the only piece of your advice I would question. For a novice
wedding photographer it is easier to photograph the guests as they
arrive at the church in dribs and drabs rather than having to herd
them en mass into photogenic groups afterwards (and for that get the
ushers to help). It presupposes there is somewhere suitable to take
these photos in the churchyard.

Who takes the formals after the ceremony? I guess it's OK if you like
tracking down all the people who are in a hurry to get drunk and don't
mind that the bride & groom look haggard.

Mr. Strat wrote:
My recommendation would be the old master of weddings, Monte Zucker.
But if a person learns the basics of professional portraiture, the
principles are the same.

That would be a great recommendation had Zucker not DIED earlier this
year. Don't you read newspapers?

In article , Cynicor
wrote:

That would be a great recommendation had Zucker not DIED earlier this
year. Don't you read newspapers?

I didn't know that he died. Too bad. But there are plenty of other good
wedding photogs out there. As I said, learning the principles of
professional portraiture goes a long way.

In article ,
"Juan Moore Beer" wrote:

I think I know the very basics about what to take with me, (Extra
batteries, memory, etc.) but would appreciate any free advice.

In April this year I was in the same predicament. Fortunately the
bride was not too demanding as it was her (and the groom's)
second time at the altar. The pictures were mainly for her
parents since the 7 sibs were rarely together in one place long
enough to take a picture. Things were pretty laid back, they just
wanted to get married, not stage a media extravaganza. If your
niece wants a wedding album that'll rival Charles and Di's, tell
her your not up to it unless you're sure you are.

A mutual friend, also an amateur photographer, was also on the
guest list and agreed to be a backup to me. It also helped a lot
that another friend on the guest list had done professional
wedding photography years ago and agreed to be my coach.

A second photographer will get shots that you don't. You can't be
everywhere.

Don't make things too different from your normal practices. You
don't want to learn a different way of shooting at the wedding,
stick with your normal practices as much as possible. I assume
they work or you wouldn't have been asked.

I'm not an experienced flash photographer so I didn't use a
flash during the service. That means I needed a fast lens. You're
not shooting race cars so if you take enough shots some of them
will work and some won't. If your comfortable with flash
photography then consider using it. Ask the minister what is
acceptable.

I lucked out in that the bride didn't wear white. She also knows
how to use Photoshop.

I stood at the back of the church with a 70-200mm f2.8 on a
tripod and got about 2 dozen good shots of the service. You can
stage nearly everything else afterwards.

I normally shoot landscapes so one thing I learned, that seems
obvious now, is that in a group shot, if a person can't see the
lens, they won't be recognizable in the picture (at least by
face). It took about 4 group shots before I realized that all the
arranging that my retired professional photog friend was doing
was to get people in positions where their faces would show up in
the picture.

I'm going over the their house this weekend for dinner and to
work on the groom's model RR. About the only thing that's changed
is that I can't ask her out ;-)

--
Fred Lotte

In article ,
Fred Lotte wrote:

I'm not an experienced flash photographer so I didn't use a
flash during the service. That means I needed a fast lens. You're
not shooting race cars so if you take enough shots some of them
will work and some won't. If your comfortable with flash
photography then consider using it. Ask the minister what is
acceptable.

Using flash during the ceremony is a big no-no regardless of the venue.
I did available light shots during the ceremony for years using a
Hasselblad, tripod, and ASA 100 film. And stay out of the church during
the ceremony. There's nothing more disruptive and unprofessional than
some dork walking around taking pictures and intruding on what is
supposed to be a sacred event.

On 2007-11-06 13:36:24 -0800, "Mr. Strat" said:

In article .com,
Martin Brown wrote:

This is the only piece of your advice I would question. For a novice
wedding photographer it is easier to photograph the guests as they
arrive at the church in dribs and drabs rather than having to herd
them en mass into photogenic groups afterwards (and for that get the
ushers to help). It presupposes there is somewhere suitable to take
these photos in the churchyard.

Who takes the formals after the ceremony? I guess it's OK if you like
tracking down all the people who are in a hurry to get drunk and don't
mind that the bride & groom look haggard.

I don't think there will be many formals at this particular wedding, if
any at all.

We are talking one step above handing everyone a disposable camera
here. Nothing wrong with that; not everyone wants a $15,000 photo
package of their wedding. Believe it or not, some people do not measure
the quality of their wedding by how much they spent on the photos.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

C J Campbell wrote:
here. Nothing wrong with that; not everyone wants a $15,000 photo
package of their wedding. Believe it or not, some people do not
measure the quality of their wedding by how much they spent on the
photos.

Amen to that

jue

In message ,
Mr. Strat Proclaimed from the tallest tower:

In article .com,
Martin Brown wrote:

This is the only piece of your advice I would question. For a novice
wedding photographer it is easier to photograph the guests as they
arrive at the church in dribs and drabs rather than having to herd
them en mass into photogenic groups afterwards (and for that get the
ushers to help). It presupposes there is somewhere suitable to take
these photos in the churchyard.

Who takes the formals after the ceremony? I guess it's OK if you like
tracking down all the people who are in a hurry to get drunk and don't
mind that the bride & groom look haggard.

At my wedding, the photographer took most of the formals(family groups,
'artistic' shots of my wife, couple shots of us both etc.) outside the
church, after the ceremony, before everyone headed off to the church. From
most wedding I've been to, thought that was SOP. That is what usually seems
to happen. (This is in the UK, if that makes any difference).

--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)

In message ,
ChrisM Proclaimed from the tallest tower:

In message ,
Mr. Strat Proclaimed from the tallest tower:

In article .com,
Martin Brown wrote:

This is the only piece of your advice I would question. For a novice
wedding photographer it is easier to photograph the guests as they
arrive at the church in dribs and drabs rather than having to herd
them en mass into photogenic groups afterwards (and for that get the
ushers to help). It presupposes there is somewhere suitable to take
these photos in the churchyard.

Who takes the formals after the ceremony? I guess it's OK if you like
tracking down all the people who are in a hurry to get drunk and
don't mind that the bride & groom look haggard.

At my wedding, the photographer took most of the formals(family
groups, 'artistic' shots of my wife, couple shots of us both etc.)
outside the church, after the ceremony, before everyone headed off to
the church. From most wedding I've been to, thought that was SOP.
That is what usually seems to happen. (This is in the UK, if that
makes any difference).

Maybe we are talking at cross-purposes... Do 'formals' include shots of the
bride and groom?
If so, HOW can you take them BEFORE the ceremony? It's traditionally
supposed to be bad luck for the groom to see the bride before they meet in
the church!

--
Regards,
Chris.
(Remove Elvis's shoes to email me)

"Juan Moore Beer" wrote in message
...
My niece has asked me to be her wedding photographer, and it is giving me
nightmares.
I think I know the very basics........but would appreciate any free
advice.


Surprise the couple - hire them a photographer for the day.............