Ok, so earlier today I was asked by a friend of my dads if I would shoot her sisters wedding. I said yes because I have been wanting to shoot a wedding for sooooo long, but now that I was finally asked I'm starting to go a little crazy. The wedding is October 1st and that was fine by me, I was all happy for it, then I asked the only thing I was dreading really... was it outside or in a church? Of course, the first wedding I get to shoot is in a church haha...ahhhh! I'm 17, almost 18 and have done a ton of portrait shoots, seniors and families and couples with no problem, and the results have been awesome. A wedding is a big jump for me and I'll be honest, I need a ton of ADVISE!!! First off equipment. They offered $250, yes I know thats cheap to most for a wedding, but in all honesty, I'm 17, a senior in high school, and this is my first time...haha. So I decided I will rent what ever equipment I will need to be successful, because I really want this to go well so I can put it in my portfolio and have another one of my dads friends, who works at a bridal shop, put my name on a list of wedding photographers and give her some work to show brides. So here is what I have: Canon 7D, Canon 50mm, a small aperture Canon lens I'm not even going to consider, and an external flash. I'm going to use this as an investment for me, so I am up to spending a little money to rent the equipment. I'm going to rent from Lensrentals.com. So what I feel I want to use is at least a good size normal tele zoom, probably going to rent the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS II again, and I also want a wide angle which I was thinking about the 10-22 even though it uses a really small aperture for indoor, but I want a wide angle.
SOOO... with all that out in the open, what all would people, just with a general rule of thumb, advise for a indoor wedding at a church (I don't have detailed specifics yet like if there can be flash, restricted to an area, or if its an old church with small windows) so this is a broad "in general" and if anything, give me advise on things needed if the worse case scenario was to present its self.
Ive heard a lot about the Canon 85 f 1.2 and Canon 24 f 1.4, so if you have used those, it would be awesome to hear some feedback, but also I would like to know, "if" I'm aloud flash, what would experienced photographers out there use for flash, just incase I am aloud. And any other advise for handling a first time wedding would be greatly valued!!! :)
Thanks for reading, sorry it was so long, I just have a lot of questions...all the time it seems haha.
70-200 f/2.8 would be good for the ceremony where you don't want to be close up in their face. I think a good second lens would be 24-70mm. You could use a 10-22, but I think it's probably wider than you need.
The 85mm is a great portrait lens, but I think a zoom would be more versatile.
You'll want spare batteries, cards, and if you have or can borrow a 2nd body, you can have one lens on each and not have to switch, and also have a backup if something goes wrong.
There was a thread less than a month ago that asked the same question, and a photographer who shoots weddings had good advice. You can type "wedding" or "wedding lens" in the search box, click on Discussions and go through all the previous discussions on this.
@klittle just an advise, take a second photographer with you, in the preparations stage one can cover the groom/family while you can cover the bride/family getting ready, which is one of the important shots in weddings. In addition, having a second photographer would give you a choice of photos to choose from when selecting the best angles while shooting inside the church, good luck! =)
I posted a similar topic in March and had a lot of helpful replies.
Here are some of them (I apologise they are all in lower case. When I saved them MS word was playing up so I had to use notebook)
From @indiannie_jones
"Make sure you find out the location of the wedding and scout out the area around the place before hand so you have an idea of locations to take the group photos and time out photos (and have a back up location inside if it is pouring with rain)
ask the bride and groom which shots are "essential" and if there is someone that definitely has to be in the photos, and make them a top priority
find someone from either side of the family and make them your photo co ordinator for that side of the family (they will have a better knowledge of the family than you will and will be able to organise getting people together
prepare prepare prepare, there is nothing worse than getting to a location and finding you have a flat battery or the wrong lenses.
find out what the couple want to achieve in the photos , do they want it formal or something different
details, stitching on the dress brides shoes rings flowers table settings button holes they may be simple but are important
but most important have fun, if you are enjoying the day others will be put at ease"
From @jasonbarnette
"November is yonks away - you have plenty of time to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE but with that said, you also need to have faith in yourself! She obviously chose you for a reason - most brides take this sort of stuff rather seriously; there are no second chances. I would suggest you read up on it as much as you can. It'd probably help to browse sites of wedding photographers and get some ideas regarding outdoor shots, angles, etc. At the same time, you want to be original - try to avoid the generic poses and have them do something they'll want to look back on and smile at.
Emma, weddings are actually more like photojournalism than portraits. True, you may do portraits with the bridge, groom, the parents, and various group shots, but 90% of a wedding is spur-of-the-moment photography revolving around everything that is a wedding.
For practice, do you have children or friends with children? Spend a day shooting a birthday party. It is much the same as a wedding: as a bride is the center of a wedding, the child is the center of a birthday party. Everyone is there to see them, talking to them, and pose for pretty pictures. There will be cake, food, and entertainment. And, just like with weddings, you will only get one chance to shoot that photo. It makes for very good practice.
As for equipment, I've only shot about a dozen weddings as a backup photographer for friends when they need the help. I can tell you the bare minimum you will need is two camera bodies, three lenses in the range of 12-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm, and two speedlights. You will be dealing with a lot of low-light situations, so lenses with a maximum f/2.8 aperture is a must. Variable apertures will kill you.
You'll need two camera bodies because you won't always have time to switch lenses. When shooting groups of three or more people you'll use the wide angle lens. Individuals you'll just use a normal range lens, something like 50mm or 85mm. The 70-200mm is not exactly a requirement, but I like the limited depth of field when shooting close to someone and the fact you can shoot a moment from across the room.
The only other vital piece of equipment are the speedlights. Don't think like a portrait photographer: you won't have the time or the means to set up strobes on light stands like a portrait session. Instead, you'll need to be mobile, able to move all around multiple rooms, without ever setting up a light stand. Having a speedlight for each camera is a must.
I recently had a friend whom I had gotten interested in photography in your same exact position. She was nervous, didn't charge because she felt the quality would just not be worth it, but she also only shot with a Nikon D200, the 18-55mm f/3.5-4.5 kit lens, and the built-in strobe. To put it bluntly: she cried for a week after the wedding. She shot 800+ photos and could really only use 10 or so, and those were the ones she shot outside without the need for a flash.
Wedding photography is a serious business because this tremendous event for a bride and groom only happens once. If you really want to do it well you need good equipment. Kit lenses with variable apertures just won't do it. A single camera body will work, but you'll miss a ton of shots while trying to change lenses.
Now that you've read over all this, you understand why no one does weddings for free. There are many places out there where you can rent camera equipment including bodies, lenses, and flashes. Some places even have a "Wedding Kit" prepacked and ready to go. At the very least, you should charge to cover your expenses. And also because every time a friend does a wedding for free, a professional photographer is losing business. Think of it like this: what do you do for a living? How would you feel if the neighbor across the street offered to do it for free and you lost your job because of it? At the very least, charge for the expenses and enough to take your husband/boyfriend/fellow-365er out for a dinner.
Please don't get discouraged by all I've told you here. I want to help you get prepared for this wedding, but I don't want you to struggle with bad lighting, poor lenses, and miss all the shots you wish you'd gotten. Feel free to ask any other questions and I'll help as best I can with the experience I've gotten. "
From @chamrick
"Wedding photography is intense. My best advice is to try and 2nd shoot with another wedding photographer. There is no other way to practice shooting a wedding than actually shooting a wedding.
Rent some prime lenses 50mm 1.4 is great and then a good zoom lens 70-200 is what many pros use.
A flash and a tripod are also essential to rent. If the reception is indoors in low light, then a tripod is going to help you get the shots. Without it, be prepared to see many blurred images.
Practice, practice, practice and shoot at least 1 wedding before shooting your friends.
Good luck!"
Everyone was so helpful and I took the advice, especially Jasons to heart (he also advised me not to do it and insteaad be a second shooter). The wedding I was asked to do has now been moved to next year rather than this November and I have been a second shooter for a couple of weddings to gain experience and know that this year I WOULD have been far out of my depth.
I plan to continue getting experience and improve now for November 2012, I am also now charging more than I originally said as I agree with Jason, a lot of work is involved and I deserve to be paid for that. As do you.
$250 will barely cover your rentals. For that price are you also expected to produce the prints? Will the photos be given as taken or will you spend time post processing them?
You could end up making a loss and whilst the experience will be valued to you if your Dads friends were to use someone else they would be paying a lot more.
This will take up a good chunk of your time and you do deserve paying for your time.
There are two ways of looking at it, either you are skilled enough to deliver the service that is wanted and therefor deserve to be paid more than $250 or you are not yet ready to be the main photographer for the wedding in which case you should tell the couple that so they can offer it to someone else and you can still offer to be a second shooter. That way you get the experience and your Dads friends will be happy with their photos.
- go to the rehearsal and find out where you are allowed to stand - the requirements of a church service will mean that this will be limited;
- we do not allow flash in the church service at all, it's too distracting - so check and find out what the church rules are, some won't allow photography during the service at all, others will limit it;
- we allow shots at the door and staged shots of signing of the register and other parts of the service, but the guy who walked backwards down the aisle bumping into the minister to get those shots is banned from photographing in that team of churches ever again
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
The 85mm is a great portrait lens, but I think a zoom would be more versatile.
You'll want spare batteries, cards, and if you have or can borrow a 2nd body, you can have one lens on each and not have to switch, and also have a backup if something goes wrong.
There was a thread less than a month ago that asked the same question, and a photographer who shoots weddings had good advice. You can type "wedding" or "wedding lens" in the search box, click on Discussions and go through all the previous discussions on this.
Here are some of them (I apologise they are all in lower case. When I saved them MS word was playing up so I had to use notebook)
From @indiannie_jones
"Make sure you find out the location of the wedding and scout out the area around the place before hand so you have an idea of locations to take the group photos and time out photos (and have a back up location inside if it is pouring with rain)
ask the bride and groom which shots are "essential" and if there is someone that definitely has to be in the photos, and make them a top priority
find someone from either side of the family and make them your photo co ordinator for that side of the family (they will have a better knowledge of the family than you will and will be able to organise getting people together
prepare prepare prepare, there is nothing worse than getting to a location and finding you have a flat battery or the wrong lenses.
find out what the couple want to achieve in the photos , do they want it formal or something different
details, stitching on the dress brides shoes rings flowers table settings button holes they may be simple but are important
but most important have fun, if you are enjoying the day others will be put at ease"
From @jasonbarnette
"November is yonks away - you have plenty of time to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE but with that said, you also need to have faith in yourself! She obviously chose you for a reason - most brides take this sort of stuff rather seriously; there are no second chances. I would suggest you read up on it as much as you can. It'd probably help to browse sites of wedding photographers and get some ideas regarding outdoor shots, angles, etc. At the same time, you want to be original - try to avoid the generic poses and have them do something they'll want to look back on and smile at.
Emma, weddings are actually more like photojournalism than portraits. True, you may do portraits with the bridge, groom, the parents, and various group shots, but 90% of a wedding is spur-of-the-moment photography revolving around everything that is a wedding.
For practice, do you have children or friends with children? Spend a day shooting a birthday party. It is much the same as a wedding: as a bride is the center of a wedding, the child is the center of a birthday party. Everyone is there to see them, talking to them, and pose for pretty pictures. There will be cake, food, and entertainment. And, just like with weddings, you will only get one chance to shoot that photo. It makes for very good practice.
As for equipment, I've only shot about a dozen weddings as a backup photographer for friends when they need the help. I can tell you the bare minimum you will need is two camera bodies, three lenses in the range of 12-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm, and two speedlights. You will be dealing with a lot of low-light situations, so lenses with a maximum f/2.8 aperture is a must. Variable apertures will kill you.
You'll need two camera bodies because you won't always have time to switch lenses. When shooting groups of three or more people you'll use the wide angle lens. Individuals you'll just use a normal range lens, something like 50mm or 85mm. The 70-200mm is not exactly a requirement, but I like the limited depth of field when shooting close to someone and the fact you can shoot a moment from across the room.
The only other vital piece of equipment are the speedlights. Don't think like a portrait photographer: you won't have the time or the means to set up strobes on light stands like a portrait session. Instead, you'll need to be mobile, able to move all around multiple rooms, without ever setting up a light stand. Having a speedlight for each camera is a must.
I recently had a friend whom I had gotten interested in photography in your same exact position. She was nervous, didn't charge because she felt the quality would just not be worth it, but she also only shot with a Nikon D200, the 18-55mm f/3.5-4.5 kit lens, and the built-in strobe. To put it bluntly: she cried for a week after the wedding. She shot 800+ photos and could really only use 10 or so, and those were the ones she shot outside without the need for a flash.
Wedding photography is a serious business because this tremendous event for a bride and groom only happens once. If you really want to do it well you need good equipment. Kit lenses with variable apertures just won't do it. A single camera body will work, but you'll miss a ton of shots while trying to change lenses.
Now that you've read over all this, you understand why no one does weddings for free. There are many places out there where you can rent camera equipment including bodies, lenses, and flashes. Some places even have a "Wedding Kit" prepacked and ready to go. At the very least, you should charge to cover your expenses. And also because every time a friend does a wedding for free, a professional photographer is losing business. Think of it like this: what do you do for a living? How would you feel if the neighbor across the street offered to do it for free and you lost your job because of it? At the very least, charge for the expenses and enough to take your husband/boyfriend/fellow-365er out for a dinner.
Please don't get discouraged by all I've told you here. I want to help you get prepared for this wedding, but I don't want you to struggle with bad lighting, poor lenses, and miss all the shots you wish you'd gotten. Feel free to ask any other questions and I'll help as best I can with the experience I've gotten. "
From @chamrick
"Wedding photography is intense. My best advice is to try and 2nd shoot with another wedding photographer. There is no other way to practice shooting a wedding than actually shooting a wedding.
Rent some prime lenses 50mm 1.4 is great and then a good zoom lens 70-200 is what many pros use.
A flash and a tripod are also essential to rent. If the reception is indoors in low light, then a tripod is going to help you get the shots. Without it, be prepared to see many blurred images.
Practice, practice, practice and shoot at least 1 wedding before shooting your friends.
Good luck!"
Everyone was so helpful and I took the advice, especially Jasons to heart (he also advised me not to do it and insteaad be a second shooter). The wedding I was asked to do has now been moved to next year rather than this November and I have been a second shooter for a couple of weddings to gain experience and know that this year I WOULD have been far out of my depth.
I plan to continue getting experience and improve now for November 2012, I am also now charging more than I originally said as I agree with Jason, a lot of work is involved and I deserve to be paid for that. As do you.
$250 will barely cover your rentals. For that price are you also expected to produce the prints? Will the photos be given as taken or will you spend time post processing them?
You could end up making a loss and whilst the experience will be valued to you if your Dads friends were to use someone else they would be paying a lot more.
This will take up a good chunk of your time and you do deserve paying for your time.
There are two ways of looking at it, either you are skilled enough to deliver the service that is wanted and therefor deserve to be paid more than $250 or you are not yet ready to be the main photographer for the wedding in which case you should tell the couple that so they can offer it to someone else and you can still offer to be a second shooter. That way you get the experience and your Dads friends will be happy with their photos.
- go to the rehearsal and find out where you are allowed to stand - the requirements of a church service will mean that this will be limited;
- we do not allow flash in the church service at all, it's too distracting - so check and find out what the church rules are, some won't allow photography during the service at all, others will limit it;
- we allow shots at the door and staged shots of signing of the register and other parts of the service, but the guy who walked backwards down the aisle bumping into the minister to get those shots is banned from photographing in that team of churches ever again