First Wedding Gig :/

[thall04]

Hey...first time poster. I have my first wedding gig at the end of this month, and I am VERY nervous! The first part of it is going to be outside in the bright Texas sun, and the other part is going to be inside in a low-lit place. What is the best thing to do in order to have the pictures not seem blown out or blurry?

HELP!!!

[ChrisTX]

To keep the shallow depth of field outside, use a ND filter and a fill flash. Your images shouldn't be blurry unless you're shooting at too slow of a shutter speed, or you miss focus. If you're inside in the dark, you're going to need flash and a fast lens, or really boost your ISO.

[arich]

At risk of being "that guy", might I suggest that these are questions you should have asked, had answered and put into practice prior to accepting the responsibility of shooting a wedding? Now maybe you just have a friend who is letting you shoot for fun in which case awesome, practice and experience are the best learning tools (theoretically). However, if that isn't the case, I would suggest that you make sure the bride is absolutely clear on the level of experience you have and the type of images you are capable of delivering.

All that being said, I am going to once again hazard a potentially upsetting guess that, based on your lack of experience with shooting scenes involving light and a D40 as your camera, you have neither a flash a or an ND filter to use as Chris suggested. Assuming you understand manual mode you should meter for faces, I would set for spot metering to make sure you don't get funky readings off the bright sky or background, metering off the grass can work as well. If your backgrounds are blown out but your faces are properly exposed then you're better off than exposing the whole scene but just having shadows for faces. If you don't have a flash then there's not too much you can do inside except crank your ISO, open your aperture and pray.

Also, read this: Read this before you ask: What do I do at my first wedding...

[lvolkjr]

Hey Andrew,

Just a heads up, those links don't work. All I got was:

"Not Found The requested URL /forum...ad.php was not found on this server."

[bryanlindsey]

Originally Posted by arich

At risk of being "that guy", might I suggest that these are questions you should have asked, had answered and put into practice prior to accepting the responsibility of shooting a wedding?

Mmm hmm.

You need to follow the principles of good lighting and exposure. Your question is kinda like "I'm playing in a pro football game next week...what do I need to do?" Wedding photography is a skill all its own. You need to be prepared to shoot in low light, shoot action, drag the shutter, bounce flash, shoot details, etc.

FWIW :)

[thall04]

Yeah, I did forget to say that it's just my friend that I've grown up with for years. It's going to be very low-key. I just want to make sure it's good. Will a light scoop help?

I'm going to be going to the locations of the wedding and reception beforehand and practice.

[arich]

Originally Posted by lvolkjr

Hey Andrew,

Just a heads up, those links don't work. All I got was:

"Not Found The requested URL /forum...ad.php was not found on this server."

Thanks Lowell, not sure why they didn't work, I copied them from CaptainTom's stickied thread here: Read this before you ask: What do I do at my first wedding...

Original post updated.

[ChrisTX]

Originally Posted by thall04

Yeah, I did forget to say that it's just my friend that I've grown up with for years. It's going to be very low-key. I just want to make sure it's good. Will a light scoop help?

I'm going to be going to the locations of the wedding and reception beforehand and practice.

What equipment do you have? What sort of processing do you intend to do? I have seen "professional photographers" shoot weddings with a DSLR they used as a point and shoot in auto mode. Not good.

Low key or not, these are photos they will have of one of the most important days to keep for the rest of their lives. Remember that.

[picman]

Lots of good stuff here:
Digital ProTalk

[texkam]

This is like hearing:
I'm making my first wedding cake at the end of this month and I don't know how to bake.
I'm making my first wedding gown at the end of this month and I don't know how to sew.
I'm catering my first wedding at the end of this month and I've never catered anything before.
If one doesn't know how to shoot in midday sun or low light then expecting to learn by the end of the month for a wedding shoot no matter how informal is unrealistic and irresponsible. Your friend should know that you could very likely get nothing in the way of usable images and miss important moments. If both of you are OK with this and the problems associated with it then shoot it.

What is the best thing to do in order to have the pictures not seem blown out or blurry?

Learn why pictures get blown out or blurry.

I'm sure this is not what you wanted to hear, but this is my best way to help you. Learn to shoot in manual. Good luck.

[MikeC]

Please reminder your friend its your first wedding gig and I hope she NOT expect to pay for your first wedding gig. Tell her that you're learning and you'll be fine.

Remember take your time, make a check list, and have fun!!!

[texkam]

Ignore the Snobs

What makes one a snob?

[arich]

changed my mind =P

[texkam]

What makes one a snob?

Really, I don't mean this in a smart a$$ way at all.

[JohnT]

I can tell you this... I've been shooting portraits and events for almost 5 years, and there is no way I would shoot a wedding solo without working a few as a second shooter for an experienced photog first. It's a one-time-only event, and you don't want to mess up! :)