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A mate has asked me to take some pics at his wedding reception.

Just some candid shots of family/guests etc.

I have the following gear

D70
18-70
105 macro
70-200VR
SB-800

Will that get me by? Or will I be needing a new lens?

What focal length would be ideal for this type of photography?

I'm looking at one of these

24 f2.8
28 f2.8
35 f2
50 f1.8
50 f1.4

Any advice for gear and technique WRT candid shots would be appreciated.

I think that for what your mate wants, you have adequate lenses for the job. Another addition in your lens collection would be a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8. I would go for the 1.4 but I already have one.

The wider aperture will give you more control over depth of field and blur out any unwanted background. (Don't overdo it though. That's a common mistake for new owners of F1.4 lenses.)

Hi GT,
The gear you have will suffice, but a wider prime (as such, one of the ones you mention) would be ideal.
Have you sussed our (or know) the reception venue? Is there much room? I think if you were going to add one of these lenses you mention (without blowing the budget) the 50mm 1.4 is a gem of lens! It will allow you to open right up if the light is poor and it's a sharp piece of glass indeed.

As far as taking candids...roam the room, watch and wait...candids are exactly that...moments just happening and all you need to do is be there, eye and finger ready to go. Try to avoid chimping as you may miss that next great candid shot.


If the venue is big enough to move around freely, the 70-200VR will also be handy, but as I said, only you can move back far enough. People will obviously be more relaxed with you being right there in the thick of it.

Hope this helps.

Personally I would probably have the 18-70 and sb-800 on the camera most of the time while roaming around.. Some people must have more ninja powers than I do with changing lenses and adapting to whatever.. but I just don't like using primes for event photography, where I might need ~20mm for a group shot and then 15 seconds later want to take a portrait at 70mm. Obviously stick on a prime for more light and DOF control when you know what's going to be happening - for example during speeches, cake, etc etc where you can stake out a spot and focus on one thing.

At the moment my favourite event combo is a Tamron 28-75/2.8 and SB-800. Would love the new 24-70/2.8 for the extra width, but you can't argue with the Tammy for value

but hey, if all you want is reinforcement that you absolutely require a new toy because of this... then I reckon you absolutely need a 85/1.4 pronto

Might not need the 70-200 as it's rather heavy and hard to quickly swing around. 18-70 and the 105 will suffice.

PiroStitch wrote:Might not need the 70-200 as it's rather heavy and hard to quickly swing around. 18-70 and the 105 will suffice.

Sorry... Wayne ... I beg to differ. The 70-200 can be very useful if you put it on a tripod somewhere near front of the action during the ceremony. Tripod means that you can shoot wide open but use a slightly slower shutter speed in preference to ramping up the ISO... work at 400 or if necessary, 800 ISO. Look for reactions from the bride during the ceremony etc. As you useful trick, leave the 70-200 lens on the tripod, detach the camera and change to the 18-70 mm then grab some candids about the place before going back to the 70-200.... just make sure you are working off a moderate weight tripod and have it away from any possible movement.

The 70-200 is also great for the formal photos, in fact.... I use it just as much as the standard lenses. Its good for portraits but also candids.... send the couple off by themselves, tell them to have a chat or be themselves and then shoot some images without actually being on top of them. The trick with this is to maintain some control (prompt as required) and also not to take to long about it ... two or three minutes is more than enough to get some meaningful images.

As for other lenses.... don't stress it.... there is not a lot of point in buying a single lens just for one job... either rent or borrow if you think you really need it but in truth, you are better to wait until you really do know what it is that you need.

hope this is a help, Ants

I'm a long way from an expert but I helped out a friend at work a few months back & what you have will be fine. You will get 80% of your photos with your 18-70 & the rest (portraits) you can get with the 105.

a 50 is nice though (1.4 or 1.8 just depend on your budget) & so is the 35


but hey if you are looking for a faster zoom like 28-75 f/2.8 I have a Tamron looking for a new home.

I add another vote to the 18-70 being suffice at the reception. It does the job for the wide angle that you need, but the only downside of this is that you find it harder to work with low light and background separation. Despite that, its a great lens for the job.

I find for reception photos, I use the 17-55 for 70% of shots and 70-200 for the remaining. I have a 50/1.4 but rarely take it out because the fixed focal length is too restrictive on the floor.

I would think you would use the 18-70 the most although the aperture might not be big enough and you'll use more flash than ambient light.

Depends on the layout of the venue but 18-70 and 70 - 200 will get you by. A 50mm F1.4 would be desirable. Unlike Antsl I would recommend a monopod over a tripod although his advice is sound. With VR a monopod should suffice (otherwise why buy VR?).
Shoot a lot and keep checking your LCD screen for sharpness problems. If you can get to the venue a day or 2 before the wedding and shoot some test shots then you will be better equiped to excell!

If the reception is at The Lagoon Seafood Restaurant in Stuart Park, I did a wedding there recently and would be happy to give you info on the venue and shots from the wedding & test shots I took on a reccy trip down there a while before the wedding.

greencardigan wrote:
Will that get me by? Or will I be needing a new lens?

What focal length would be ideal for this type of photography?

Yes what you have will get you by

If you have some $$ pickup the 50mm or 35mm

Have fun and enjoy the day. It is your mates wedding...do you really want to work ?

Thanks everyone for the very helpful responses.

The reception is up at the restaurant on Mt Keira and I think the wedding starts at 2:30.

Can anyone give me some hints for using the SB-800 in this situation.

I'm guessing I'll use the diffuser that came with it and shoot manual with auto flash?

A mate has an old 50mm I could try out. A 50mm would also be good for doing family portraits too??

Just remember clipping the SB800 diffuxer on will auto set the flash to 14mm from memory? (approx .7 to 1 mtr from subject)

greencardigan wrote:Thanks everyone for the very helpful responses.

The reception is up at the restaurant on Mt Keira and I think the wedding starts at 2:30.

Can anyone give me some hints for using the SB-800 in this situation.

I'm guessing I'll use the diffuser that came with it and shoot manual with auto flash?

A mate has an old 50mm I could try out. A 50mm would also be good for doing family portraits too??

Set the camera in manual mode.

Shutter = 1/60 or slower if you think you can shoot without it blurring too much.

Aperture = The largest your lens can shoot. I think it's f/3.5 or thereabouts for the 18-70.

ISO = Depending on light, but it's usually around 600-1200.

Put the metering to matrix and flash to TTL BL (fill). Then take a test shot and adjust the FLASH compensation to suit exposure on the foreground.

That should do the trick and the flash strength will change depending on the distance of the person to the camera but background metering will remain the same.

You can borrow my 50, 1.4 if you want. I live in Figtree. PM me.

Peter Mc

What Methd said...but I'd suggest ISO 100 or 200 and shutter at 125. Sharpness is everything in this case. Tilt the SB800 up slightly and work close.

Thanks methd and Matt and others for the help.

Peter, I wont need to borrow yours as I've got my own one on the way. I tried out an old 50 1.4 and decided to get the 1.4D.

I should have it in time to get familiar with it before the wedding.

Hi All,

I got a wedding coming up as well, instead of looking for a range of lens, i am wandering if you guys can suggest 1 (one/uno) lens that is versatile enough to shoot in most occasion. I am not the main photographer but i have plans to tag along to learn a thing or two. I am thinking of the 50mm 1.4D or a 17-50mm zoom lens. Thanks BTW i am using a D300.

mansunzz wrote:Hi All,

I got a wedding coming up as well, instead of looking for a range of lens, i am wandering if you guys can suggest 1 (one/uno) lens that is versatile enough to shoot in most occasion. I am not the main photographer but i have plans to tag along to learn a thing or two. I am thinking of the 50mm 1.4D or a 17-50mm zoom lens. Thanks

On my most recent wedding I shot most of the time with the 18-50, probably 80%. It's wide enough for group shots and can zoom enough for closeups. I used the 70-200VR for portrait type shots for the remaining 20%. So in your case I would take the 17-50.

mansunzz wrote:Hi All,

I got a wedding coming up as well, instead of looking for a range of lens, i am wandering if you guys can suggest 1 (one/uno) lens that is versatile enough to shoot in most occasion. I am not the main photographer but i have plans to tag along to learn a thing or two. I am thinking of the 50mm 1.4D or a 17-50mm zoom lens. Thanks BTW i am using a D300.

G'day Mansunzz

If you are working with the main photographer, ask them what they want you you use to "add" to the variety of prints available. Generally a zoom towards the lower end of the range is likely to be more flexible. Faster lenses tend to be better than using flash, but sometimes even with good ambient light, a flash can be useful or even necessary.

I suggest you have a look at the forum's faq, esp the bit about profiles and location before someone comes along to give you a friendly clip over the ear.

I am not the main photographer but i have plans to tag along to learn a thing or two.

does the main photographer know this? If not I would certainly check with them if it is ok... key it up before the wedding!