Wedding Photography

[bigbaz]

Well i got my 550D this week, as well as my 17-85mm lens, and i am going to a wedding this weekend and have decided i may as well bring it along and give it a go. I am not the official photographer and they have hired professionals so it is not the end of the world if the photos do not turn out, i am doing this for my experience, so don't bother telling me wedding photography is hard, i have searched and found that out already.

Now my only lens is the 17-85mm, but i am looking at buying a 50mm F1.8 and a 55-250mm IS lens in the near future, would i be better off getting these sooner?

I only have the in built flash, will this be enough?

Lens hoods, i don't have any, should I?

I am pretty new at this should i just stick to Auto mode, or change it to one of the other auto settings, such as portrait mode or something? Or is this that moment where i need to take my training wheels off and learn more about depth of field so i can get some good background blur happening?

Any other tips for me?

Edit - Forgot to mention it is an indoor wedding!

[virgal_tracy]

Reallistically, what are you hoping to achieve at the wedding. If it it is church / chapel ceremony, there will be little chance for you to be standing up to take pictures. Many churches have a no flash policy also.

As a guest the 17-85 will allow you to get some nice images, so no necessity to go out and spend money now if you don't want to.

If you don't care about the images then take it off auto and experience what the changes do to the images. There is much more to learn than simply bluring the background. Learn about the relationship between iso, aperture and shutter speed. This is a great opportunity to experiment with no pressure on you to produce.

Introduce yourself to the pro photographers when they have a quiet moment. Some will be gald to answer and others may tell you to push off. Respect that they have a job to do and accept what they give you.

[bigbaz]

I suppose i want perfect photos and to learn everything about photography in one week so i can take perfect images, is that too much to ask?

It is a church ceremony, but as a family member (sort of) i can get a pretty good seat easily enough to get a good line of sight.

I might ask the church, it is easy enough to turn the flash off (I have figured out how to do that in the 20 or so hours i have had the camera)

Spending the money now or later doesn't really bother me, i can probably go out and borrow any of that gear off mates easy enough also.

I care but not heaps, i want to take nice shots (my girlfriend is one of the bridesmaids so i would like to get some nice shots of her) but i would also like to take the opportunity to learn a bit more about the other modes of the camera, perhaps i will do this the day before so i am not going in with no knowledge or experience.

Thanks for your advice

[flash]

go and have a ball, say g'day to the pro's and ask questions, before you get to the wedding have a lot of "home shoots" line up a teddy bear at the distance you are going to shoot and fire lots off with different settings, I have learnt that you cant hurt the thing by messing with the settings, if all else fails try "ADEP" auto depth of field and "portrait mode" just mess with it a lot before you get there, I'm no pro and I dont think I ever will be but by hell I'm having fun with my new toy

[ricktas]

I suppose i want perfect photos and to learn everything about photography in one week so i can take perfect images, is that too much to ask?

Yes!

You will not learn in one week everything needed to take perfect photos. Learn as much as you can in this time and take the best photos you can, but you have a LONG learning curve ahead of you, and a lot more money to spend to get anything like a professional wedding photographer can. Consider than a wedding photographer will turn up with probably more than $10K of camera gear, including single lenses that cost thousands alone.

Enjoy the experience, but don't put to much pressure on yourself, cause you will be unhappy with the results if you do.

[bigbaz]

Yes!

You will not learn in one week everything needed to take perfect photos. Learn as much as you can in this time and take the best photos you can, but you have a LONG learning curve ahead of you, and a lot more money to spend to get anything like a professional wedding photographer can. Consider than a wedding photographer will turn up with probably more than $10K of camera gear, including single lenses that cost thousands alone.

Enjoy the experience, but don't put to much pressure on yourself, cause you will be unhappy with the results if you do.

Thanks for your response, that statement was said tongue in cheek, in case my tone was not picked up, they really do need a font for that, anyway i digress. Back to wedding photography, or photography in general really.

I suppose i will just get out and try to take as many photos as i can before the day and play with a lot of different settings.

Also thanks flash for explaining what A-dep was, i haven't read the manual yet and that was the only mode i hadn't guessed yet, i knew it would be something that i should know.

[flash]

no worries mate, have a ball that's the secret! I found it was best if you download the manual to your putey then read it off the screen, I found it was easier for me and still is, there is a hell of a lot on "you tube" as well

[ricktas]

Thanks for your response, that statement was said tongue in cheek, in case my tone was not picked up, they really do need a font for that, anyway i digress.

We have Smilies, that are good to use for that sort of thing. Esp when you cannot express tone via text.

[I @ M]

Baz, take what I am saying without a single hint of sarcasm or any form of condescending tones at all please.

In a nutshell, you are doomed to almost certain (99.9%) failure at getting "perfect" shots.
If you are on very good terms with the bridal party see if you can con them into posing for you and use the occasion as a massive learning experience to see what needs to be done in a situation like that. If you aren't on very good terms with the bridal party, stick to candids and use the experience the same way.

say g'day to the pro's and ask questions,

Sorry, but that is not something that I would recommend, unless you have made some form of arrangement with the official photographers well before the event I would stay well out of their way. They may well be professional enough to handle a few polite enquiries as well as take the necessary photos but the reality of it is that they would rather not have another person in their face on the day asking questions and possibly getting in the way.

They are there for the only people that matter on the day, the bride and groom, and unnecessary distractions (amateur 'tog) can only serve to possibly take the shine off their day.

Besides, wedding togs are a breed all of their own and some can be quite tetchy about the whole deal. Creative genius or something I believe they call it.

[bigbaz]

I would say i am on pretty good terms with the bridal party, there is only 4 of them, plus the bride and groom and i am dating one of them (not the bride or groom), so that is a pretty good start, and i know all of them reasonably well.

I am prepared for failure, this will likely be my first (possibly second) time out with the camera, but i figure i am not going to learn anything if i do not try to take photos, and if i am going to try, i may as well get some advice before i do

[zollo]

your mates have all the gear and you got one week to practice, you got all you need for perfect wedding photos.

[flash]

I agree with Zollo, practice, practice, and then practice some more, dont be prepared for failure, the back of the camera will tell you when you have a good shot, take a look at the spread of the whatsaname thingy it should all be roughly centre or evenly spread, read the manual and just enjoy yourself, it's all good!

[campo]

Besides, wedding togs are a breed all of their own and some can be quite tetchy about the whole deal.

yeah, come near me when i'm working and I'll hit you over the head with my $3000 lens

but seriously, it seems you've determined that capturing shots is not necessarily as easy as it seems and you have realistic expectations for a first wedding. This is a great start as you may even surprise yourself!

Here are a few quick points:

• As above, best not to use flash in the church during the ceremony. That said, as the bride walks in, walks out and during the certificate signing (if celebrant says everyone come up) are usually the 3 times when it's "permissable" to use your flash.
• Don't be scared to push your ISO up high in the church. Better to capture grainy images then clear ones with lots of motion blur (ie. shutter speed too slow, people moving)
• don't bother with multiple lenses as you will miss things when changing, the 17-85mm should be able to cover most of your needs
• Talking to the photographer is really a case by case thing that you'll have to judge on the day. I personally don't mind talking to people and handing out a few tips when working but i will tell people to disappear if they become a nuisance.
• have fun, and enjoy the day as much as you can (it sometimes does suck when your partner's in the bridal party)

[dche5390]

What's with churches and no flashes? Is it actually a stated rule?

[ricktas]

What's with churches and no flashes? Is it actually a stated rule?

In some churches yes. Some ministers of religion will clearly state that flash is not permitted in their church.

[dche5390]

In some churches yes. Some ministers of religion will clearly state that flash is not permitted in their church.

Sorry for going off-topic, I suppose one must respect that but ... is there a rational reason behind this?

Lucky most weddings I've attended as a guest or wanna photographer have allowed flash. Is flash going to .. destroy something?

[kiwi]

Yes, genesis 14:3

"You shalt not be a ######## in a church by strobing a religious ceremony like it's a fashion runway"

Moses I think

[campo]

What's with churches and no flashes? Is it actually a stated rule?

it's a personal preference of various churches/ministers...

the first thing i do when i get to a church is introduce myself to the minister and have a chat about their dos and donts. Generally speaking most ministers are fairly relaxed but the bottom line is that it's their service and you have to respect their rules. I have a clause in my wedding contract to "protect" me in case the rules are very restrictive and prevent me from doing my job.

As an example of what can happen, in Canberra there is a church that my colleague shot at where the minister instructed him to take a seat and told him not to move during the ceremony or use flash. The following weekend he shot at that same church with different minister and was allowed to move around and use flash...

[darkbhudda]

Sorry for going off-topic, I suppose one must respect that but ... is there a rational reason behind this?

Lucky most weddings I've attended as a guest or wanna photographer have allowed flash. Is flash going to .. destroy something?

Yes. When you get idiots that have flash so bright it could drown out the sun and are taking photos every few seconds, it does ruin the atmosphere. Far easier to ban flashes rather than ban idiots.

[Keith]

What's with churches and no flashes? Is it actually a stated rule?

It's easy, just ask the minister/celebrant if it is ok. If they say yes then just go easy on the flashing if you have to use it. And go to the church beforehand and find out the levels and settings required so you don't need to do any major testing on the day.