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wedding photography



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 26th 06, 02:16 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.art
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Default wedding photography

I'm amateur "advanced" and my sister in law wants me to shoot her wedding.
I'm comfortable with this. However, advice/tutorials or books would be an
awesome tool to review prior to doing this wedding. Any recommendations as
to tutorials or books or anything at all to help me, would be greatly
appreciated

Thanks,

Peter


  #2  
Old March 26th 06, 05:05 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.art
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Default wedding photography

"Peter" wrote:
I'm amateur "advanced" and my sister in law wants me to shoot her wedding.
I'm comfortable with this.


"Ignorance is bliss", and as soon as you find out more about it
you may not be blissfully comfortable with it! :-)

Typically the answer to your question is "Don't!"; your chances
of losing friends and annoying family are great.

However, advice/tutorials or books would be an
awesome tool to review prior to doing this wedding. Any recommendations as
to tutorials or books or anything at all to help me, would be greatly
appreciated


You'd be better off assisting them in finding the _right_ wedding
photographer!

That said... I see that you're a Canuck, eh? If you happen to
live in a rural area where there simply are no wedding
photographers, that's a very different thing. If it is your
services or *no* photographs at all, go ahead and do it, but be
sure you disclaim any ability at wedding photography loud and
long *before* the wedding. (I've done a few for that very
reason.)

My brother is a retired photography studio owner. We were
discussing his daughter's photography, a couple weeks ago.

http://serenadavidson.blogspot.com/

He said he just couldn't do what she does! He described her
style as "photojournalism"! He fussed at setting up the
composition for every shot he ever took. She shoots _whatever_
it is they do.

The difference is something you would want to be very clear
about which it is that you are doing, and be equipped for in
advance (plus have the wedding party well aware of in advance).

--
Floyd L. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)
  #3  
Old March 26th 06, 05:06 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.art
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Default wedding photography


On 26-Mar-2006, "Peter" wrote:

I'm amateur "advanced" and my sister in law wants me to shoot her wedding.

I'm comfortable with this. However, advice/tutorials or books would be an
awesome tool to review prior to doing this wedding. Any recommendations as

to tutorials or books or anything at all to help me, would be greatly
appreciated


Ask yourself the question "What is it going to do to my relationship with my
sister and family if I screw up and get nothing?"

Having done that, I would
- ensure that I have two or three times the image capacity (film or cards)
that I could ever imagine needing
- same goes for batteries for both the camera and flash
- have backups for every critical piece of gear (camera, lens, flash,
tripod,...)
- find an 'assistant' to help schlep all the gear
- list all the posed shots I want to get and arrange with the wedding party
as to when they will be shot
- check with the church about the use of tripods and flash during the
ceremony
- scout the church and reception hall for shooting locations, angles,
lighting and take test shots

This all presumes that by 'advanced amature' you know your gear inside and
out without diving into the manuals.

There are quite a few books on the subject. I am sure you can find several
in any large bookstore.

At one time I shot weddings professionally. Recently a close friend asked me
to shoot her wedding. I asked her to hire a pro because 1) I want to keep
her as a friend and 2) I want to enjoy her wedding. I am out of practice
shooting weddings and I know that in the stress of the situation it's easy
to forget something. If you're shooting film you may not know until you get
the film back. If you're shooting digital you don't have time to check every
shot and you may not be able to recreate the shot even if you do.

My suggestion is have her hire a pro. Then you do your own shooting and give
her a book of great candids.

Whatever you decide good luck.

--
Tom Thackrey
www.creative-light.com
tom (at) creative (dash) light (dot) com
do NOT send email to (it's reserved for spammers)
  #4  
Old March 26th 06, 07:29 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.art
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Default wedding photography

If you decide to do it, which is "bad" as already mentioned, i'll give
you only one advice :

- Shoot the couple pictures BEFORE the wedding itself, everyone will be
more relax, and you'll have time.
Take one hour before the ceremony, and if the weather is alright shoot
outside in a calm & green area, that you will have recognized BEFORE, to
get ideas for the shoot.

Do that will save you some serious worring during the wedding as you'll
already have the more important photos.

Peter wrote:
I'm amateur "advanced" and my sister in law wants me to shoot her wedding.
I'm comfortable with this. However, advice/tutorials or books would be an
awesome tool to review prior to doing this wedding. Any recommendations as
to tutorials or books or anything at all to help me, would be greatly
appreciated

Thanks,

Peter



--
Stéphane Bourzeix
===============================
http://www.bourzeix.com/weblog/
===============================
  #5  
Old April 13th 06, 06:24 AM posted to rec.photo.technique.art
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Default wedding photography

Good advice.

I would add:

- Shooting a wedding is like no other type of photography. There is
no prep for it. You have to be 100% on your game for 100% of the time.
Good skills and good tecnique are valuable, but the ability to do it
right and do it right the first time is invaluable. It's about 50%
technique, 50% technical skills, 50% people skills, 50% being ready for
what's going to happen next, and 50% being in control of the situation.

- Go to the rehearsal and do a walk through. Get a CLEAR
understanding of what you can do and when you can do it.

- There is no such thing as too much film, too much memory, or too
bright of a flash.

- If you are shooting film, get it ordered. Keep it refrigerated.
Call a good company for a film recommendation. You don't want to buy
it at your corner drugstore.

- Shoot test photos during the rehearsal and analyze them before the
wedding. Does the woodwork glare? Who is wearing glasses?

- Carry two of everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. Two cameras is a
MUST. Even if it just keeps you from losing a shot while changing
film. I shot a wedding last year and the next day shot a football
game. About 20 images into the football game, one camera's shutter
flew into pieces. The other camera had a lense malfuction. Nothing to
do but pull the CF card, swap lenses, and keep going.

- Go find a GREAT lab. No sense working your but off and having the
lab be only so-so.

- Go read some bridal magazine. See what the brides are seeing. (Do
it on an empty stomach because some of it will make you want to hurl).

- Shoot 100 pictures a day between now and the wedding so you are
familar with lighting condition, etc., know how many shots you will get
out of batteries, etc. (I just checked the counters on my cameras.
For my current set of cameras, I've shot about 30,000 images in the
last 20 months. I don't think that's all too unusual for people in
this group). Figure out how to handle back lighting. Figure out how
to catch a flower and bouquet in mid-air.

- Go blindfold yourself. Figure out your camera setting and how to
change them. You will want to be able to do it without looking.

- Get a checklist from the bride of what she wants. Then shoot
everything else, too. The list is a starting point. Also, don't use
the list. They are pretty bad and mundane.

- Get a dog or a small child and practice your "Stop" voice. The most
important thing of the whole day is not your technical skills -- you
say you have them -- but your ability to totally control the situation
without getting anyone ****ed off at you. That will be nearly
impossible to do for you, because you are dealing with relatives. So
you need to be able to firmly but politely to tell your mother to stop
gabbing with Aunt Clara and to get her butt over her and get her
picture taken. This will make or break you. This is what the other
posters mean about killing relationships. You MUST be assertive.
Under no circumstanes let someone else get between you and the bride
(okay, maybe the minister).

- Realize that this will not be any cheaper than having a pro do it by
the time you buy equipment and supplies. The only difference is that
your sister-in-law has figured out how to get YOU to pay for it instead
of her. She might cover the film, but she knows you aren't going to
charge her for the second camera. So if you YOU want to enjoy the
wedding, just go hire someone. Otherwise, start buying equipment.
(ex. I am pretty frugal and I carry about between $5,000 and $6,000 in
equipment with me. Go for a few "L" lenses and it can go up rapidly).

- Send your camera(s) in for servicing and cleaning right now!

- Search for other photographers in your area and see what the
competition is doing. Then search outside your area. Figure out how
every picture is taken and why it was taken.

- Go study the picture's you've taken in the last year and see what
you do good and incorporate it into your plans. Also, see what your
sister has on her walls so you can see what she likes.

- Finally, PANIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Just kidding. Sort of. No,
on second thought, panic isn't too bad of an idea)

Good luck.

Pat.

  #6  
Old April 25th 06, 08:59 PM posted to rec.photo.technique.art
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Default wedding photography


"Tom Thackrey" wrote, along with other
excellent advice:

My suggestion is have her hire a pro. Then you do your own shooting and
give
her a book of great candids.


Make sure you hire a wedding photographer who is OK with other
folks running around taking pictures, some aren't.

Go for the 'journalistic' style and stay away from the pro's
staged setups. You may want to shoot B&W: it is hard to get
the color balance wrong and B&W is developing a cachet -
'Real' photographs that last forever, especially as older
wedding album pictures turn magenta-green.

r.p.t.art may not be the optimum newsgroup...


 




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