Wedding party shots set up help

[Abel]

Jeff lemme chime in here....

Let us know what kind of equipment you currently have and such... Camera/Lenses etc.

Generally most churches etc will not allow flash photography during the ceremony so you are left entirely with the natural/ambient light that is available which sometimes wont be much. Wedding photography really does require some fast lenses in order to handle those low light situations. lenses with an aperture of f2.8 or larger will work along with a camera that does fairly well with noise at higher ISOs etc.

many wedding photogs utilize a 70-200 lens with image stabilization (or VR depending on the brand of camera you use) to help them slow down the shutter (and use long focal lengths) to say for instance to 1/30 or so and not get any camera shake.

Those image stabilizations lenses are fairly pricey but if you already own one then youre good to go in that respect! there are other fast lenses such as the 85 f1.8 or a 135 f2 that will get you some reach and yet still have a nice wide aperture to soak in all the light you can.

As far as samples, i would recommend browsing the forum and other websites online and sift thru peoples wedding photos... get a feel for what looks good in your eyes, what really appeals to you and thats a great start to get ideas and such for various photos before, during and after the ceremony.

Youll notice, covering the bride before the ceremony while she is getting ready is a must... you can get a lot of great preperation shots that can really help fill out an album etc.

Anyways... I hope this helps some... I'll post some more if anythiing else comes to mind...

UPDATE:
I took a look and saw your equipment list in you profile. it shows you having a Canon 30d, Canon EF-S 17-85 1:4-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF 70-300 1:4-5.6 IS USM, No flash, No tripod

Camera will be perfect. I definitely think a fast lens is in order... Some others may be able to give their experience on the f4 lenses in weddings but some of the places ive shot at, f2.8 wasnt as fast as what i would have liked! hehe.

There are places around town where you can rent them for the weekend so that is always an option. a flash will also be necessary for the group photos, wedding party exit as they come back down the isle etc.

[Tracy Hicks]

Hey Jeff, I have a couple books I think and I just noticed your here in The Woodlands. You want to borrow them? -T