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Hey guys, just had a go at my first wedding (not as the pro) i kept out of the pro's way for all the formal stuff and from what i saw he did a fantastic job. Im really only creating this post to document a few post shot thoughts and get a little feedback from the seasoned professionals so to speak..The pro didn't hang around all night wich is good because i think this is where i got some of my best shots.

Where is my 10-200 f1.8 lens , without gettin in the way you need the reach and i would imagine that a Really wide angle would enable you to capture some really crative shots.... you need every ounce of light you can get. I think next time i do a ceremony at a church ill borrow a 70-200 . (What do the pros cary with them??)

Secondly how many of my shots were spoilt by friends in the way with little compacts was amazing upon close review of my pictures i was amazed.... i dont think this problem would have been an issue if you were the primary photographer though as you have control.

With my Sb800 and 50mm f1.4 attached I am astounded by some of the shots i got at the reception i am chuffed with myself for this although it took alot of shots to get this right...

It has been the first time i have really pushed the iso (ISO1600 in some shots) on my D200 and that performed like a true champion very impressed with the amount of noise for the coniditions i was shooting in.

At the end of the day im confident that i could shoot a wedding as the primary photographer it's not as scary as it may first seem

Ok enough rambling from me for now im sure ill have some other random thoughts.... in the near future

HERE'S the link to the page ive created in the Image critiques forum.

Cool topic! I thought I'd add my recent experience to the pool: it's been about four weeks since I was the equivalent of second-assistant photographer for my friends' wedding. The main things I noticed:

* Indoor weddings = low light. And as the non-pro in attendance, I refrained from using the flash. Thankfully I had my Sigma 10-20mm. Unfortunately I wasn't located particularly close to the action though.

* Given the pro was shooting all the posed shots from the most advantageous positions, the area of most benefit for the couple was the candid shots taken from the guest point of view. The ones that the pro couldn't cover, in other words.

* I was given the honour of doing a post-reception shoot at Kirribili, which was very interesting and where I learned the most:
- It's pretty important to scope out the area beforehand.
- If it's an afternoon shot, you need to know when sunset is!
- And in any event you need to know where your lighting is coming from (natural late afternoon light is Soooo nice if you're lucky enough to have it, which I was)
- I actually found it hard to direct the couple (and their attendant families) - that's where I'll need more practice
- The more people were in the shot, the greater the likelihood that somebody was be blinking, moving, or looking away, so you need to take more shots
- If you're photographing around sunset, you're best off shooting fully manually (if you're not already) because the flash and exposure and the sunset are tricky to get the right balance for.
- Candid shots between the poses and before people have a chance to put on fake(ish) smiles are still among the most memorable, I think.

being a second shooter to a pro is a great way of learning... probably the best way. Watching how they shoot, direct etc. And if they can give you feedback on your images... even better!

Build your reportoire (sp?) by looking regularly at professional's work. Forums are a great place to start - opensourcephoto.com has some great wedding photographers.

Ive built up a collection of wedding photos Ive come across that I like - due to the pose, the processing, the angle, the creativity, the ideas...

(not condoning cloning / canabalising others work... just opening ones mind to the possibilities...)

This has helped me to expand my thinking and see things now I wouldnt have seen. Im also 1000% more confident in directing people and knowing what I want before the wedding has started, - when your a newbie its harder to think on your feet.

my thoughts for now
Jonathan

Following this thread with great detail

I have a wedding coming up in 3 weeks. very small garden wedding, just wanting simple photos of the event, on cd, no prints, etc... 'no frills'

Should be an interesting one for me..


I'd also love to find a wedding photographer to get some work experience and advice a couple of times a month from..