1st Wedding: Need advice

[gatorbait01]

Hey Guys/Gals,

I'm doing my 1st wedding for a friend of a friend and need a couple pointers.

1)When doing the family portraits do you guys typically use studio strobes, speedlights or just do ambient? It's going to be inside up on the alter and I have control of the overhead lights. I was thinking on bringing a couple monolights w/ umbrellas and utilize those.

2) During the ceremony do you guys just shoot ambient or are you bouncing your speedlight? I'm thinking ambient due to the distractions.

3) What about when the bride/groom are walking the aisle, are you using your speedlight and are you bouncing it? It's kinda dark through the aisle. Also do you gel your speedlight?

Thanks

[Tom]

When doing the family portraits do you guys typically use studio strobes, speedlights or just do ambient? It's going to be inside up on the alter and I have control of the overhead lights. I was thinking on bringing a couple monolights w/ umbrellas and utilize those.

Depends on the ambient. I always at least use my flash for a little fill. Monoblocks with umbrellas will make for better light, but will also take a lot more time and many churches restrict time.

2) During the ceremony do you guys just shoot ambient or are you bouncing your speedlight? I'm thinking ambient due to the distractions.

Most churches won't let you use any flash. Even if they did, I wouldn't use it because it would be distracting and rude.

3) What about when the bride/groom are walking the aisle, are you using your speedlight and are you bouncing it? It's kinda dark through the aisle. Also do you gel your speedlight?

Sometimes will use a flash if permitted, sometimes will not. Just depends what is allowed at the church. Bouncing it could be difficult as church ceilings are typically too low.

[Phisch]

I recommend asking the church about lighting and time restrictions.

You could also see if they're doing a rehearsal and try to attend. This would help you immensely to figure out your lighting situation particularly since this is your first one.

[janetg]

always use lights for formals unless you have light streaming in on their faces..otherwise you get little black holes where their eyes are supposed to be. i personally set these up before the ceremony and stash them, so it only takes a minute to get them set up.

[suerenee]

Originally Posted by Phisch

I recommend asking the church about lighting and time restrictions.

You could also see if they're doing a rehearsal and try to attend. This would help you immensely to figure out your lighting situation particularly since this is your first one.

I agree but be careful...if the rehearsal is at 7 p.m. and the wedding is at 3 p.m. you will have different lighting!

[Phisch]

Agreed! The nice thing about rehearsals is that it's like a dry run for the wedding and gives you some sort of practice. For me it helped a lot because I was able to offer suggestions that made photographing the ceremony much easier. The couple was nice enough to walk slowly at the recessional for me, that sort of thing.

[kayumangi]

Originally Posted by gatorbait01

1)When doing the family portraits do you guys typically use studio strobes, speedlights or just do ambient? It's going to be inside up on the alter and I have control of the overhead lights. I was thinking on bringing a couple monolights w/ umbrellas and utilize those.

Depending on the venue. If there is ample space outside for a big group then I'd rather bring them out than mess around with lights considering you only get 15-30 mins to take the shots. If you must shoot inside keep it simple. The more complex you go, the more time it takes to take the shots and less enthusiastic your subjects will be.

Originally Posted by gatorbait01

2) During the ceremony do you guys just shoot ambient or are you bouncing your speedlight? I'm thinking ambient due to the distractions.

This is debatable but if it was me and speed lights were allowed then I'd go for it. The couple hired you because they wanted to make sure all the magical moments got captured correctly and artistically. A lot of the best wedding photographers in the world aren't afraid to use whatever means necessary to capture the moment, and that includes using speed lights (if allowed to).

Originally Posted by gatorbait01

3) What about when the bride/groom are walking the aisle, are you using your speedlight and are you bouncing it? It's kinda dark through the aisle. Also do you gel your speedlight?

Again depending on the space considerations. I use a light torch (a monopod with legs and a speed light with aurora bounce card attached). The key is fast recycle times. So you shoot at manual mode with very low power like 1/8 or 1/16th then control the everything else on camera either ISO, or aperture opening.

I still use on-camera flash for the AF assist I just make sure that my on-camera flash doesn't interfere with my light torch.

[kayumangi]

Rehearsals are nice but not alot of couples can afford to have one. So be prepared. As with everything else keep it simple so that you are agile and can adjust accordingly in less than no time.

[thatsridiculous]

i agree with checking on church restrictions for flash use during the ceremony. and i 200% recommend using flash gels whenever you use flash. not sure what type of flash diffuser you're using, but i recommend the demb flip it, which actually has a flash gel holder made for it.

Demb Flash Products - Flip-it! the variable-angle flash reflector

[gatorbait01]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was going to skip the rehearsal, but I better go to at least determine the order of events. I decided to use my strobes for the formals and do ambient during the actual ceremony. What do you think the best lenses to utilize? I have a 50mm f1.4, 28-70 f2.8, and a 70-200 f2.8. I was planning on using the 50mm to shoot the bride while she is getting ready, 28-70 for the formals and can't really decide on the ceremony shots. I would like to have the speed of the 50mm, but not sure it's enough range. Thinking I will use the 28-70 and the 70-200, but I hope the f2.8 is good enough w/o getting too high in ISO. Luckily a friend of mine let me borrow his D200 as my 2nd camera. Maybe I could put the 50mm 1.4 on the D200 since it's cropped sensor anyways and give me a bit more range, but got to be careful on the ISO on that camera. Need to do some noise testing to see how high I can go w/o too much noise, but the f1.4 gives me the best chance of getting a usable ISO. I could do the 28-70 or the 70-200 on my D700.

[Tom]

What do you think the best lenses to utilize?

It totally depends on the rules, the situation and your abilities.

Able to think on your feet is the most important thing in a wedding photographer. You may be fine at F4 in some churches, and you may be dead at F/1.4.

My last wedding had exposures in the church at 1/60th F/2.0 ISO 4000. Plus, you couldn't shoot from the front.

[thatsridiculous]

i would put your 70-200 on one and the 28-70 on the other.. the zoom will keep you from having to move back and forth in the ceremony (distracting, unprofessional), and the 70-200 means you'll be able to get nice tight shots of faces if emotion seeps through. in the getting ready - the 28-70. most of the time getting ready is in a small messy room, packed with chicks. put your 50 on for detail shots. use it if the room is huge and you have lots of room to work without stepping on shoes, bags, clothes or people, which is not likely. you can always de-noise, but you can't un-blur motion blur. don't be afraid of going high on the iso. its better than no shot at all.

[kayumangi]

Originally Posted by thatsridiculous

i would put your 70-200 on one and the 28-70 on the other.. the zoom will keep you from having to move back and forth in the ceremony (distracting, unprofessional)...

I disagree Heather. Zooms make you lazy and complacent =)

That's why the best wedding togs are called Ninjas, nobody knew they were there.

Plus, primes produce the best images bar none.

But I guess Jerone gotta use whatever he has now.

[thatsridiculous]

Originally Posted by kayumangi

I disagree Heather. Zooms make you lazy and complacent =)

That's why the best wedding togs are called Ninjas, nobody knew they were there.

Plus, primes produce the best images bar none.

But I guess Jerone gotta use whatever he has now.

I don't think any lens can make you be lazy and complacent, that has to do with the person using them. Most of the wedding photographers I have worked with, and myself, shoot with some sort of zoom for the bulk of a wedding. I agree that primes produce great images, but I think in this specific situation - where he only has a 50, and two zooms, he should probably not be running back and forth in the aisle with his 50 with the zooms in his bag. If he had a full range of primes, of course, this would be a different discussion entirely.

[kayumangi]

Understood. I was just taken aback by the "unprofessional" label.

I just believe that our mission as togs is to capture the best wedding photos possible. But you can't capture beautiful moments if you're in one spot, and having a zoom will tempt you to stay put like a plant. Now if one attracts attention to one's self then maybe they need to work on their ninja skills =)