1st wedding assignment - help please!

[ozimax]

G'day all,

Have volunteered to photograph a friend's wedding next week, have never done a wedding before and I have little idea of what to do. The wedding will take place outdoors at the Coffs Hbr Botanic Gardens, starting at 10am.

My equipment is as follows.

1 D70 Nikon
1 kit lens
1 SB600 flash unit
512mb and 256mb CF cards
1 Apple iBook
1 Rabbitohs cap worn backwards to look like a photographer

Any help and advice as to how to make a decent attempt at producing some good photos will be appreciated.

Max

[phillipb]

First and foremost, with the exception of the ibook and the cap, beg borrow or steal but double your equipment.

[redline]

i wouldn't use anything your not familar with such new lenses, comp or flashes. stick to what you know, perhaps stock up on memory cards, a few 1gb cards should do it.
i can go thru 3 gig cards in a days shoots - 1000 photos in jpeg( yes i shoot jpeg).
a wedding you need heaps of latitude with you files so i would recommend raw. unless you doing posed studio shots then jpeg is fine.

[ozimax]

OK, you mean backup equipment, good point there Phil, should be able to get a film backup etc etc

Thanks, Max

[shutterbug]

G'day all,

Have volunteered to photograph a friend's wedding next week, have never done a wedding before and I have little idea of what to do. The wedding will take place outdoors at the Coffs Hbr Botanic Gardens, starting at 10am.

My equipment is as follows.

1 D70 Nikon
1 kit lens
1 SB600 flash unit
512mb and 256mb CF cards
1 Apple iBook
1 Rabbitohs cap worn backwards to look like a photographer

Any help and advice as to how to make a decent attempt at producing some good photos will be appreciated.

Max

Hi Max,

Your kit lens and SB600 should do the job.
You will need to invest in more CF cards, at least have 5 gigs, if you shoot raw, maybe double that.

[birddog114]

I doubt about: with just a kit lens 18-70 will do OK for the wedding.
at least you should have something simple as the Nikkor 50/1.8 for some special shooting and inhouse.
Yes, of course more CF card is needed btw.

[gstark]

Backup body, second lens are absolute musts.

More CF storage, and shoot only NEF. Scre something up in jpg and it'll stay screwed up forever; with raw you'll at least have a fighting chance of recovering it.

Forget the ibook; you should not have any time to be playing with it.

Forget the cap: create a professional appearance about yourself because you're there to do a job, and not look like some sort of cool dude.

[leek]

Tip: Check your ISO setting before you start...

You might want to borrow a larger zoom lens to get some candid close-ups as well...

[ozimax]

.Forget the cap: create a professional appearance about yourself because you're there to do a job, and not look like some sort of cool dude.

But these people all know me as a goon anyway....

Seriously, and this may seem like a silly question so please forgive in advance, but should a photographer "dress up" for a wedding eg tie, or just smart casual?

Max

[glamy]

They are friends, so I would consider myself as a guest and dress accordingly. The point has been raised before to use only equipment you are familiar with and I second that, the same goes for the CF cards.
Cheers,
Gerard

[JordanP]

Hi,

Check your PM - I might be able to help you out with gear.

Cheers,

[gstark]

Seriously, and this may seem like a silly question so please forgive in advance, but should a photographer "dress up" for a wedding eg tie, or just smart casual?

I would dress smart casual - that's how I dressed when I used to do this - but attitude is everything. Friends or not, this is a landmark occasion in their life, and you need to treat it as such.

[Luke Smith]

I did basically the same for my cousin a few weeks ago, one week after taking delivery of my D70 (meep!). From my experience of exactly one event I will offer my tips

• I took about 600 RAWs on the day/night, at 170ish per 1GB card. There are a few times when you can take 15 minutes out to download to the laptop but you had better be ready for the important bits with at least two empty 1GB cards.
• Know the schedule, know where they are going to do any garden etc shots.
• Have an esky in your car with Champagne, glasses, strawberries and Crown Lager (or something else nice looking) for all the wedding party (and yourself if you like). It will make them much more relaxed, even if the glass has sparkling apple juice in it, as was the case with my cousin.
• Use the flash all day – it lights up peoples eyes and makes them look alive. Use a diffuser or ceiling bounce so that the light isn’t too harsh.
• Take another set of batteries just in case. I used 5 x 2500mAh NiMH batteries in my SB800 and it went all day, just. Typically with the diffuser at 60 deg. Have another camera battery ready. All the batteries should be fresh at the start of the day. Check out my post http://www.d70users.com/viewtopic.php?t=7605&highlight= about AA chargers.
• Go to the rehearsal. Talk to the celebrant. Ask them what you can and can't do. Ask them what other photographers do. Do not take photos during blessings and prayers.
• Forget having a duplicate kit, take a duplicate photographer. I asked a friend to help me and he borrowed a 20D and did about another 600 shots.
• Don’t make the DOF too shallow. Wind up the ISO if you have to, noise beats blur and softness any day. Remember to turn the ISO back to 200 when you are done tho.
• Keep the camera straight. Turn on the guide lines in the view finder and pay attention to them. Straightening images later is very 'lossy'.
• Put the effort into photo shopping (TASTEFULLY) the best 10 that they want to do large prints of. I.e. clean up spots and imperfections. Maybe make some B&Ws. I hate selective colour, but each to their own.
• RAW rocks. You have so much more latitude to correct dodgy shots. I used RAW Shooter Essentials and conveniently the bride wore a perfectly white dress so I dropper’d the white balance off it 

So in total we took 1147 shots, 270 of which were decent and we got them printed on 6x4s from Harvey Norman for the family to flick through and chose favourites. About 100 are great and (humbly) about 10 are art. I am fairly happy with this hit ratio, particularly given the lack of experience we both had.

Cheers,

Luke

[ozimax]

Thanks for replying Luke, and with such a large post, will take it all on board. The fellow whose wedding I am photographing is a real country lad, a vegetable farmer, so he will be ahppy with almost anything. However, it is a once in a lifetime day (well for some it is ) so I will be trying my hardest to be imaginative and to come up with the goods.

Thanks again for the post,

Max

[Antsl]

•Have an esky in your car with Champagne, glasses, strawberries and Crown Lager (or something else nice looking) for all the wedding party (and yourself if you like). It will make them much more relaxed, even if the glass has sparkling apple juice in it, as was the case with my cousin.

Not a good idea IMO ... it is the sure way to get a spanner thrown in the clockwork operation of your formal shoot. Everytime drink gets pulled out at a wedding shoot things slow down a lot and then as you are trying to make images happen you discover people are away getting refills or otherwise looking for places to put their glass when you want to make an image. Get as much done as possible and then let them get to the reception where the the pressure is off you and they can drink all they like.

Given that it is winter and chances are the sunset is going to be about 5-5:30 you are better to keep them moving and avoid the distractions.

Antsl!

[Geoff]

Hi Ozi,
You've received some excellent advice so far and I really like the idea of the esky with some champagne and beers in it! One key thing I could really advise you to do is try and relax! I've done about 5-6 weddings now and whilst I'm not saying this to make you nervous/anxious they are quite stressful! Try and get a shoot list together of the typical type of shots you think you need to get. Also have a look at the myriad of wedding photographer's website out there and emulate the poses they have setup. A backup body as Gary and a few others have suggested is a MUST...if something goes wrong with your main body, you're in strife!! It's just something you need to do. The real issue is more storage, you DEFINATELY need more storage!!
Apart from what's already been said, all I can add is just try to take your time, and be aware of the background of the shot you're posing. Unless you're a brilliant photoshopper, it's much easier to move the bridal party than to stamp out someone in the background with an open mouth of food or something..haha. If you know the guy this is good, you will have some kind of rappore with him and his fiancee already which is great, but brides and grooms and the entire bridal party in fact are waiting for YOU to give them directions on where to stand and which way to look etc - be friendly/assertive and you will win their respect!
If you can muster up help from the best man after the ceremony to get the entire congregation/party together for the shot of the happy couple prior to the reception this is a great advantage. You may find that no matter how pleasant you are, people won't generally get together and help you for that one very (in my opinion) traditional and important shot.
Hmm..what else? If you can borrow a few more lenses that'd be fantastic and I think Craig has/is helping you out there...fantastic. Don't be affraid to shoot too much, the more photos you have the more you have to offer them and ultimately the happier they will be. Dont' wear the cap..you may be his best mate but you will need to be professional, and if you perhaps want to do more wedding jobs in the future you're appearance is paramount. You may also want to consider making up some cards (business)if you want to do this in the future, as guests at the wedding may ask you, so be prepared. The most recent wedding I covered was a challenge, the bride had this amazing ability to close her eyes as the shutter went, so if this happens. Get the entire bridal party to close their eyes, and count to 3 and on 3 they open their eyes wide and smile...a technique I wish I had known/thought about.
Can't wait to see some of your work..enjoy and have fun, stay cool, calm and collected!!! Oh another thing, go out of your way to remember the name of the bride/groom's parents and the bridal party too! You'll be great!!

[Antsl]

Righto Max, you asked for some advice from me so here it is ... I was going to put it in a PM but if I keep it open I will add to the fun for everyone!

There has been some very good advice floated by other members of which one of the biggies is the old relax and keep breathing routine! Dont get stressed, just take a moment every now and then to step back, look at the light, look at the situation, determine what looks good at the moment in time and if you do not see anything obvious move onto the next idea.

Here is a rought timeline that you should be working to ... cut and paste as required.

Go to the grooms place and get a few images of the guys getting ready, having a coffee (or a beer) doing ties, with mum and all that jazz. do it relaxed and dont try too hard to set images up.

Go to the brides house and get her getting ready, last minute photos with the family etc. Use window light (non direct sunlight) place yourself near the window, get a little modelling on the bride and take it from there.

Leave for the wedding venue and be there 10-15 minutes ahead of the bride (tell her to take her time getting there!).

Get to the church and place a tripod in the corner and then begin making a few candid images (groom looking nervous, mum crying etc). Use the SB-600 in TTL mode but pull back the exposure on itto -1/3 or 1/23. Set the ISO to 800, shoot at about f5.6 and use a slower shutter speed of about 1/25 th or 1/30th for candids inside... this will let you get the ambience of the church while getting some ambient light.

During the ceremony place yourself in a position where you can get two types of images, one being a wide shot of the group with the family and friends in the back (place the camera on a tripod and do this using available light, again at 800 ISO using a wide aperture). Once you have this image use a telephoto lens so that you can zoom in on the couple (use the tripod with this lens as well). The ideal lens for this is the 80-200 2.8... chances are you may be able to rent one of these lenses for the weekend (with every chance that you won't want to give it back either). After the vows you will have the signing of the register... turn on the SB-600, place on the 18-70 and walk up to the couple for this (at this stage get the shutter speed up to 1/60th, ISO 400). Keep these settings as they walk down the aisle. As they get to the door drop the camera back onto Program if you want and keep shooting from there.

About now most people will follow the couple out the door and your only chance of images for the next 10 minutes will be the couple getting mauled by family and friends. Keep the lens at 18mm, get close (within 2 metres) and get candids as they happen. Keep an eye out for some shy kid with a horse shoe and get down to their level as they give it to the bride).

After a few minutes ask the bride and groom to get the family together, make a space for yourself with the family and the coupe and then start shooting the family pics. Dont get everyone looking into the sun. A better option is to either shoot into the sun yourself and use the flash to provide a little fill (just make sure that you use a hood and avoid getting sunlight into the lens) but a safer option is to work on the shady side of the building and again use a little flash as fill.

Family shots include Bride and Groom with -

Brides Mum and Dad
Brides Mum and Dad, brothers and sisters
Both Families together with parents and Bros and Sisters
Grooms Mum and Dad, brothers and sisters
Grooms Mum and Dad
Brides Grandparents
Grooms Grandparents

(Doing it this way you build the image to a large combined family shot and then you work back to small groups again.

Once you have these images out of the way the next step is the formals.

As mentioned by others already, keep an eye out on the background but also determine where your light is coming from. Use the same lighting concept as I mentioned for the family images. Work out of direct sunlight (ie, dont shoot with your back with the sun) unless it is really late in the afternoon. If the sun angle is high you are going to get Panda Eyes (big black eye sockets) while at the same time you may have the group squiting into the light (all those wrinkles never make people look sexy!).

Soft light from about the 45 degree or lower angle is best and so the plan would be to look for a little over hang from a tree but make sure they can see a good gap of sky at that lower angle (always assess light from the subjects position too). If te light is looking good on the couple I would suggest turning the flash off or, alternatively pull back the exposure to -2
on the flash.... otherwise it can be a mood killer (I never use flash on formals).

Sunset will be at 5:15pm on Saturday in your corner of the world and so if sky conditions are good I would be looking for open land about 4.45 and using some direct warm light.

Group shots you will need to get are -
All the group, together
All the group, loose art shot
Guys together
Girls together
Couples (best man with chief brides maid etc.)
Bride and Groom together, full length, half length and art shot
Bride only
Groom only

Again, start big and then let the others go early so you can concentrate on the Bride and Groom (if the light is looking good warn them that you may call them back for one last group shot... play it by ear).

About now you can head back to the reception and start hooking into payment, a well deserved feed and a beer (or two). Keep the camera handy with the flash on and the 18-70mm and shoot candids as you see them but dont go too crazy (your there to have fun).

As for the argument over whether you are going to shoot RAW or JPEGS.... my thoughts to you are, do you really want to spend every night for the next week or two going through and converting all those RAW images? As much as I am a fan for RAW I also believe that if the client is not paying for the conversion, shoot JPEGS. Your camera has a Bracket Exposure mode and given the chance I would be shooting everything in JPEGS with the Bracket mode. Shoot at the exposure and then shot one stop over and one stop under, all in the space of a second, bang bang bang. Then all you have to do after the event is pull out the image exposures that good look.

I hear some people bragging about how many images they shoot at a wedding however the aim of the game is quality, not quantity. Get yourself a couple of 1 Gig cards and shoot JPEGS, Large Normal. you will get 550 on a card and so all up you should be able to 1300 images all up including what you have already.

Shooting three shots at the time as you bracket you should discover you'll end up with a total of 400 useable images, enough to cover the day. If you wanted to you could keep the laptop in the back of the car and download before the reception begins (dont format the card with the formals on it ... keep it on you just in case anything should happen to the laptop...). Borrow an extra card or two if you need one. I think that is a better option than spending $500 plus on memory just for the sake of one friends wedding. One thing ... have a spare battery charged and ready to go, even though the D70 does have a great battery. Again, a friend may lend you one of these!

I agree with the others that you will need spare gear however if you own a film camera then my advice is to ask your local lab (the one that you have a good working relationship with) if they can provide you with some film as a just in case... they may credit it back to you if you return the film in the packaging unmarked.

Again, relax and have fun.. dont let the day get to you. A couple of years ago a friend asked me to shoot her wedding, and play the trumpet and sing at the reception... and be the MC.... the last one was the killer for me however I did survive! All the best with the day, Ants!

I think I have written enough for now ... moderator makes note ... limit this guys word count!

[Marvin]

Antsl, what a fantastically helpful post. The advice is transferable for other outdoor portrait type things too. Thanks for posting and not sending it in a pm!

[Nikkofan]

Hi Ozi

I've done a number of (8 or 9) weddings so far, assisting a few different photographers, so have had the advantage of seeing how they all operate differently.

Firstly, if I can add my 2 cents worth, from my observations & experiences, it seems to me that one thing you have to do is to take charge. Don't worry about what the other guests might think or object to, you are the one that has to tell them what to do, where to stand, etc and do it before they move on to other things - and the bride & groom expect it, since they have "commissioned" you, per se, to direct & produce a good memory of their Special Day. As long as you are not being an obnoxious little Hitler, everyone will (IMHO) respect you more if you are openly (but respectfully) taking responsibility for the production of good shots rather than standing around waiting for them to stop "huddling" so you can shoot them - by which time the photo opportunity could well be gone, which I have unfortunately experienced once - my fault, due to my inexperience and shyness, I was trying not to "barge in" and lost a great photo opportunity because of it. In all subsequent weddings, I just took charge as much as the Main Photographer was doing and got some great shots because of it. Remember, just because it's your first wedding, you shouldn't feel you can't do it (believe me, if I can, anyone can!!) and everyone there will be on your side and more than some admiring your get up and go to take it on in the first place.

Secondly, as far as the shots themselves, look for the opportunity outside the "traditional" shots, which can present themselves in unlikely places, eg: a groomsman holding the bouquet or the bridesmaid's shoes, or a shot of the groom's hand as he was showing off his wedding ring to everyone - I took these recently and they loved it. Also, don't forget that the bride is a very very important subject and therefore so are her accessories, which she has possibly shopped for a long long time, therefore don't forget to take shots of her hair, her earrings, gloves, handbag, the back of her dress, especially if she has beading, lace, etc, etc. Long after the "traditional" shots, she will appreciate your taking these shots, believe me.

Thirdly, this can be a bit of a pain, but the family will really appreciate it - ask the family if there is anyone they absolutely definitely want a photo with before the day is over, especially if they have guests from overseas. I did this at the last wedding I assisted in and the groom's mother was absolutely stoked, as she had both family and friends from all over the globe there and hadn't thought about having special photos taken with them. I think I gave the Main Photographer the poohs a bit, because it delayed us a (very little) while, but the family ended up getting all the photos with all the special people there that they wanted and they were so absolutely grateful for this that, to me, their gratitude was really humbling and worth the extra 15 minutes or so.

Lastly, one really good tip that I got from a Main Photographer was just to relax myself and really encourage the couple to relax and have fun. I know this has been emphasised by others herein but it is sooo true. If you're uptight, then you can't work properly. I was so nervous the 1st time I assisted, I was nearly sick in the car on the way there. Much to my surprise, I really took some good shots and my confidence built up a smidge. I still get really nervous, but I know that I can take some good shots (some bad too, but I'm getting there!) and I have found above all - again, much to my surprise - that it is really good fun. No one there wants it to be a bad day and it can be an absolute blast and you feel such a rush when it's all over. So, if you can get the Bride & Groom to relax and have fun, and relax and have fun yourself, I can almost guarantee that you will immediately feel like doing another one as soon as you can. I don't know if this fades in time but it hasn't for me yet. I love doing weddings because it is a really happy day and everyone is into the spirit of it (so far, anyway, for all of the weddings I've done.)

Good luck Osi, I'm sure you will do really really well!

Nikko

[phillipb]

Hi Ozi,
Antsl has given you a comprehensive coverage and Nikkofan has touched on the other point I was going to tell you, that is the bride. Whenever you take formal portraits it's always a good Idea to take 3 shots of the same pose, one full lenght, one 3/4 and one close-up. Invariably the bride will say something like " I like this shot if only I could see the whole dress" or "I like this but I can hardly see my face". Give them the choice.

[JordanP]

............. oh and don't forget to have fun Max

[gstark]

I think I have written enough for now ... moderator makes note ... limit this guys word count!

Acxtually, I'm almost inclined to say that we should edit this thread and produce a weddings tutorial.

There's a few things that I think are missing from your post, but we can add to that as we go.

What do y'all think?

Who's up for the task?

[Antsl]

I actually kept the whole thing as brief as I could simply because I knew I had a lot to describe reagrding the day and poor Max has to digest this all! "Just the facts Mame, just the facts"! (on top of this I also have other writing deadlines due for tomorrow and I have yet to finish writing them!!

You are welcome to use my material in a tutorial as I am sure it is not the first time that people are going to go looking for this material. With this in mind I would prefer people go into shooting a friends wedding with at least some form of guidance that will get them through the day in one piece. I have two sisters and one of them got one of Dads friends with a camera to shoot the wedding and the other got me. There was a difference!

Keep me posted, Cheers, Ants

[Luke Smith]

EDIT : I wrote this before I saw that almost exactly the same point had already been made... doh

One key point I forgot to make is that you need to be direct with the people you are photographing. Tell them where to stand, tell a joke... get them to smile. They don't know what you can see through the viewfinder so you have to direct them. Obviously you also need to be very polite in doing so.

Also make sure you get the people to interact, to get close together. For some people this doesnt come naturally (even those who have just got married) so you might need to encourage them to make the photos more compelling.

Not that you should be taking a massive entourage with you but maybe someone you know is good at organising people and could give you a hand with this. You need to make sure that your wedding party knows who they are and trusts them before the event.

Indeed doing stuff like taking drinks is fairly subjective, but it worked for my assignment... up to you and your client really.

I'm happy to offer my inexperienced opinion and advice, the more ideas we share the more we learn!

L.

[ozimax]

Strike me pink mateys, them thar's a lot to digest...

Thanks to all, keep posting and I'll see what happens next week. I think this thread will be helpful to a lot of people out there in Nikon (and other brands) land.

Again, many thanks to all.

Max

[owen]

A simple tip that I found when I was just attending a wedding and the light got low - consider using Auto ISO. I lost the perfect shot due to having a slower shutter speed than I should have because I neglected to look at the ISO setting.

[ozimax]

Here's another question on the topic of this post. How much do you charge for a wedding? (Having said that, next weekend's job is a freebie but you never know, orders may come in?)

Some people charge $1500, $2000 $3000 ??? How do you know what to charge for a typical 6-10 hour day, equipment, travel, time, expertise, experience, prints, enlargements, artistic appeal? I assume better to quote too much than to lose out on the deal?

I realise this question has been covered, in general, with other posts but it most probably is a good time to bring it up again.

Max

[Antsl]

This is a bit of a dangerous question Max ... you have to remember that the good dedicated professionals who make their living as wedding photographers have studied the subject to the same degree that most other people out there have studied for their profession, no matter what it is. Now I notice that you describe yourself as a jack of all trades but how long would it take you to teach me all your skills to the point that I could deliver the same level of service to one of your clients no matter what the situation, within the same time frame, at the same cost effectiveness and the same level of professionalism you would offer? Chances are you are going to say quiet some time.

I don't mind helping out with information for genuine people who are helping friends out with a wedding... but when these same people get the idea that a couple of friends weddings qualifies them to become wedding photographers I get a little annoyed.

Like any job, it is rather easy when things are going well or your client is stupid enough not to know the difference... what sorts the pros from the amatuers though is how they cope when the conditions start getting out of hand, be it the lighting, weather or any of the other issues that can occur at weddings.

The simple answer to your question is that you charge what your worth, if things start going pear shaped though, you better have the skills to deliver... sorry does not cut it for most bride and grooms if they have commisioned you as their wedding photographer and you do not deliver.

Why dont you grab a copy of the last months Australian Photography magazine, the one that has a photo of a bride and groom on the fron. The featured photographer is Mercury Megaloudis, a good friend of mine. Have a read of the story and look at the photos and you may learn a little more about the life of a pro. Worth noting is that the he delivers from every wedding he shoots... those photos just arent the best of his career, they typify almost every wedding he shoots, hence the reason he picks up international awards. The story immediately after his feature has some tips on shooting a wedding... I notice that the photos are incredibly boring by comparison though!

If you can start shooting wedding photographs like Mercury then I would suggest you can start charging $3000 plus for your services.... if you can relate more to the photos in the second story then my advice is to charge less than $1000 because I do not rate them as good wedding images at all!

[ozimax]

You raise some good points Ants, seriously, I doubt that I'll ever really get into wedding photography too much, I much prefer landscaped and, especially, perching up on a rock near McCauleys or wading out into the surf at Snappers and snapping at the pro surfers!

What comes to mind is this: How many times have you perused a friend's wedding album/prints, overawed at the mediocrity of the work, and then been told that the "pro" cost them $2500 or more? A great many "pros" out there are mediocre at best, compared to the really good ones such as you have mentioned in your post.

My friend Richard Muldoon http://www.vividphotography.com.au/ seems to be to be one of the best, he is a true pro who wins awards frequently because he is meticulous, a perfectionist, knows his stuff, and is worth most probably every cent.

Having said all this, I may never get the opportunity to do many weddings and be paid, so I will endeavour to take on board the advice given and simply enjoy the day!

Cheers,

Max

[Antsl]

What comes to mind is this: How many times have you perused a friend's wedding album/prints, overawed at the mediocrity of the work, and then been told that the "pro" cost them $2500 or more? A great many "pros" out there are mediocre at best, compared to the really good ones such as you have mentioned in your post.

Sadly you are right ... do remember though that if you do decide to pursuse weddings professionally in your spare time you are at risk of become another one of those guys! There are so many wedding photographers out there and many of them do not have the training or the skills that should warrant them the lable of "professional"

Sadly wedding photography is a non regulated industry and so anyone is able to call themselves a pro photographer and go for it. A good percentage of those average wedding photographers have 9-5 jobs and treat the photography as a second income. There is not much consideration given to the consumer though, nor the valid professional photographers who rely solely on wedding and portraiture to make a living. These are also the same 9-5 people that grumble or get the union involved if their employer pulls in cheaper staff with lower skils with the intent of getting the job done a little cheaper (sending work to Asia seems to the the equivalent these days).

If you are commited to being a wedding or portrait photographer then give up the 9-5 and give it a go... try and make a living out of it and prove what you are worth. Learn what it is about to have amatuers medling with and undercutting your profession.

Ants
Member AIPP, Associate NZIPP

[Glen]

Ozi, beg borrow or steal more CF cards that will be a big help. Great advice from all above but more CF needed, especially as you will be shooting raw.

[shutterbug]

Well said Ants

I am one of those wedding photographers that have a 9-5 job. Thought about doing it full time, but the market is too competitive. Needed the regular income to pay the bills and mortgage.

I see that not many photographers can make a living on just shooting weddings, they would also need to do portraits, commercial...etc. I have a couple of friends that are members of AIPP and still have 9-5 jobs, and there studio is there home. They are doing very well, but still they have not stop there 9-5 job.

How much to charge is very subjective, but make sure you show your clients a range of weddings you have captured, not just a top pick album. The client/market will decide your price eventually.

Vincent

[NetMagi]

Just wanted to thank everyone who replied here.

Storm and I will also be shooting our first wedding (friends) very soon and I dunno about him, but I'm quite nervous. Reading everything here has been very helpful, and any links people can post with examples of classic poses, etc. would be great.

The equipment we have to work with is as follows:

(2) D70 bodies
(2) SB800's
(1) 18-70 kit
(1) Sigma 70-300 APOII
(1) Nikon 50mm 1.4
(1) Nikon 28-80
(1) Nikon 70-300g
(3) 1GB CF's
(1) Bogen tripod
(2) el-cheapo tripods


I hope we can pull it off with what we've got, because buying anything else isn't in our budget. I also have a laptop, so I figure we can DL our cards between ceremony and reception.

Out of the lenses I've posted, can anyone suggest what lenses we should be shooting for what 'phases' of the wedding? I was thinking I'd primarily use the kit lens as an all-round, and mount-up the 50mm 1.4 for the posed formals when I'll have the time to really compose the shots.

-Rich

[Antsl]

Hi NetMagi,

In order to know what lenses you should be using when I would suggest you tell us a bit more about the wedding... ie, are you covering just the ceremony and the formals or the home and aftermatch function too!? Having given some advice to OzzieMax on how to shoot inside a church I discover it is an outside wedding... similar rules apply though.

Inside I would me making use of the 50mm f1.4 and if you get the chance borrow a fast tele from a friend and use it mounted on the tripod or mono pod.

Have fun. Out of Curiousity, where in the states are you?

[Geoff]

Well said Ants

I am one of those wedding photographers that have a 9-5 job. Thought about doing it full time, but the market is too competitive. Needed the regular income to pay the bills and mortgage.

I see that not many photographers can make a living on just shooting weddings, they would also need to do portraits, commercial...etc. I have a couple of friends that are members of AIPP and still have 9-5 jobs, and there studio is there home. They are doing very well, but still they have not stop there 9-5 job.

How much to charge is very subjective, but make sure you show your clients a range of weddings you have captured, not just a top pick album. The client/market will decide your price eventually.

Vincent

I too am (at the moment) one of those photogs that have a 9-5 (will I do all sorts of very weird hours) job, but the hope is to eventually make it into a full time 'profession' with wedding and portrait photography. I am too on the savings plan and wanting to achieve as much as I can financially to make a deposit for a house/unit. That said I'm not just sitting back and expecting it all to just 'happen'. I have already enrolled in some well recognised seminars/courses in wedding/portrait photography. I believe that to make money and to improve your ability you have to spend money, and that means on bettering ones self. I am still charging a VERY nominal fee for a basic wedding setup, the first wedding I shot, I probably didn't even come out ahead (travelled to Canberra and back in a day!! ), but it was a GREAT learning experience! I've since done about 4-5 more weddings and now charge a bit more than that, with improving results!! When demand gets higher then I will eventually reduce my current 'normal' job and perhaps go part time with that, fortunately I have the choice.

[Jonesy]

I am so glad that everything didn't disappear after our Hacker friend...

I am off to a friends wedding and this has been great. I told them I'm leaving the camera at home but I will be taking it to see how I go and then hopefully produce something for them later...

But thansk to all for all of the information in this thread. I though I would post here as a 'bump' for those who may be new and in the same situation

Cheers everyone

Jonesy

[Antsl]

Aahh, back into the wedding season! I have shot a couple over the past few weeks, one was on digital but the other was as a second shooter for with a friend on the same assignment. We shot film for the occasion, right when I was in the process of selling one of my F100s. I used one of my F100s and one of my friends F5s. It was great to shoot film again to the point that I withdrew the other camera from sale and will keep both film cameras for more similar work. Will be looking for another way to fund my D200s!

The second wedding was also an instance where not everything went as planned ... outside wedding started fine but turned to rain as soon as the ceremony started. Fortunately I had anticipated the conditions and had an umbrella on hand for the main shooter and a coat for myself. He was working with three Leicas and a Hasselblad X-Pan. What was interesting at the end of the day was that it was rather difficult to spot whose work was whos! We had a similar eye.

Have fun with your weddings!

[mic]

Good luck Max.

Above all else and or of the stuff mentioned is great, think about your backgrounds, blown highlights & try and make a story as you go.

It will flow better for you.

EG:

Start at Girly shots pre wedding & blokey shots.
Then arrival at wedding
Ceremony
After shots
After After shots ( Reception )
Cutting Cake

Go home to bed exhausted

Cheers,

Mic.

[gecko]

I have found this tread very useful and so thought I would give it a bump and see if anyone else has wise words/ideas to add.

I am a sponge for info about this topic as I have a wedding in Sept - outdoors, Japanese Gardens....

Cheers
Gecko

[jdear]

I have already enrolled in some well recognised seminars/courses in wedding/portrait photography.

which ones geoff?

J

[Geoff]

I have already enrolled in some well recognised seminars/courses in wedding/portrait photography.

which ones geoff?

J

Nulab Melbourne's big boss Michael Warshall does seminars quite often, two of which I've attended so far,http://www.nulab.com.au. Admitdely he focuses more on how to run a successful business etc. I went to a seminar by Jeffrey Bloom, which was part of a seminar by Michael - http://www.ipwa.com.au/seminars/jeffreyBloom-FinancialFreedom.htm

Hope this helps.

[padey]

Here are a few things to keep in mind. I've put them into separate sections, but they all interrelate to some degree.

Working Glass
Forget about lens lust, because if someone is paying you constantly to take photographs then the glass you need should pay itself off. Therefore get the best glass you can get to return the best rewards. Tradesman don't turn up to build a house with just one hammer, nor do they go to bunnings and buy GMC china imports.

Return on Investment (ROI)
You are running a business, therefore you need to see a return on all investments; from camera equipment, computing equipment, marketing, time to run the business.... and so on. ROI is the reason why I don't shoot film anymore. It's also the same reason why i don't have any MF gear anymore.

Art and Craft
What is 'your style'? It's the way you match your artistic vision and your camera craftsmanship together. You may be a top technician or have great vision, but you do need both. Both take time to learn and learning on someone else's wedding day is not always the best place to do it. Wedding shoots are some of the hardest places to learn, because you are never in the same place twice, have very little control over the light conditions, within the same shoot you encounter dark churches/receptions and bright daylight. You shoot indoors, outdoor, rain, hail or typically blistering sunshine and it all has to be done inside an unforgiving time frame.

Give you an example, on Saturday i have a wedding at Nth Sydney. Morning service is inside an old dark Anglican church. Light is very limited and mixed WB. After the ceremony we are down to a harbour park at midday. Can anyone tell me what the lighting conditions will be? Then off to a reception centre.

Critical Eye
The most important critique will come from the bride. After that is must be you. I recommend you get some people who are also get paid to photograph to really give you a technical and vision critique.

Marketing and Exposure
You many be the worlds best, but if no one knows about you, then you might as well hang up your camera. Get on the web, magazines (hint see the back inside cover of Cosmo Bride) newspapers.... but make sure you track where you get your clients from. You must see a ROI or change your marketing.

Business Grasp
You are running a business. As far as time frames go, for every hour that i spend with a couple on their wedding day, i spend two more in pre and post wedding work. It's at the point now that my concerns are not with the wedding day, but business related like developing markets, hiring photographers, reducing existing costs and developing processes that can scale to meet increasing demand without weakening our brand.

Roll with the Punches
You've got to roll with the punches in this industry. You can plan till the cows come home, but sometimes things just don't happen the way they are meant to. You will meet some bridzillas, you will turn up to a post wedding location to have your part of the park blocked off by a bike race, you will have memory cards that fail or lenses that fall and smash... It's rare, but this stuff does happen. You need to keep the smile on your dial and roll with it.

Anyway, there are a few random thoughts...