Beach Wedding?!
Discussion
My sister gets married in October in St Lucia. As the budget for the actual wedding is quite tight after the cost of the flights/honeymoon etc, she has asked if I will photograph her wedding for her.
I would consider myself an amateur photographer - but wondered if there are any tips people could provide me with? I currently have a Canon Ixus 950IS, but I have been hankering after getting myself an SLR at some point - I figure that a P&S isn't really likely to produce brilliant/memorable wedding shots?
I know there are quite a few wedding threads on here and it seems most people would suggest I didn't do it. However she is my sister and I am keen to get some special memories for her!
I would consider myself an amateur photographer - but wondered if there are any tips people could provide me with? I currently have a Canon Ixus 950IS, but I have been hankering after getting myself an SLR at some point - I figure that a P&S isn't really likely to produce brilliant/memorable wedding shots?
I know there are quite a few wedding threads on here and it seems most people would suggest I didn't do it. However she is my sister and I am keen to get some special memories for her!
For starters, my commiserations to your sister for getting married in St Lucia, we had our honeymoon there in '99 and while it's a fantastic place to go we watched a number of weddings out there and they all looked the least "wedding"-like weddings we've ever seen - spend the morning around the pool, get dressed up for 10 minutes of wedding and then back into your swimwear and back to the pool. We considered getting married on a beach before our wedding, having seen a few on our honeymoon we were really glad that we didn't do it.
Anyway, enough of me mouthing off!
Tips for photographing the event? Well I would think that a DSLR is absolutely essential, as good as the best modern compacts are they are still not a patch on even a basic DSLR. Beyond the kit (and plenty of time to get used to using it, ie. buy it as soon as possible!) I would want to be thinking about the composition of the photo's themselves - try searching on Flickr (or even Google) for wedding photos in St Lucia, even better if you already know the hotel they're staying at as you can add that into the search. The light out there during the day is incredibly harsh (if it's not pouring with rain - it is a tropical island after all), and the sun goes down very quickly in the evening so a good flash will probably be essential kit.
Anyway, enough of me mouthing off!
Tips for photographing the event? Well I would think that a DSLR is absolutely essential, as good as the best modern compacts are they are still not a patch on even a basic DSLR. Beyond the kit (and plenty of time to get used to using it, ie. buy it as soon as possible!) I would want to be thinking about the composition of the photo's themselves - try searching on Flickr (or even Google) for wedding photos in St Lucia, even better if you already know the hotel they're staying at as you can add that into the search. The light out there during the day is incredibly harsh (if it's not pouring with rain - it is a tropical island after all), and the sun goes down very quickly in the evening so a good flash will probably be essential kit.
rfn said:
My sister gets married in October in St Lucia. As the budget for the actual wedding is quite tight after the cost of the flights/honeymoon etc, she has asked if I will photograph her wedding for her.
I would consider myself an amateur photographer - but wondered if there are any tips people could provide me with? I currently have a Canon Ixus 950IS, but I have been hankering after getting myself an SLR at some point - I figure that a P&S isn't really likely to produce brilliant/memorable wedding shots?
I know there are quite a few wedding threads on here and it seems most people would suggest I didn't do it. However she is my sister and I am keen to get some special memories for her!
A P&S can get 'OK' results of undemanding subjects in good light, but forget it for anything else. By all means get a DSLR but you'll have to get some flying hours in first, because your first attempts will probably look worse than your P&S ones. On Nikonians we see lots of threads like this - the general consensus is to be sure she accepts that you are strictly amateur, that she gets what she pays for, that you are doing it for free and that the results might be grotty. If she can accept that, then fine, but you don't want any family feuds starting over it.I would consider myself an amateur photographer - but wondered if there are any tips people could provide me with? I currently have a Canon Ixus 950IS, but I have been hankering after getting myself an SLR at some point - I figure that a P&S isn't really likely to produce brilliant/memorable wedding shots?
I know there are quite a few wedding threads on here and it seems most people would suggest I didn't do it. However she is my sister and I am keen to get some special memories for her!
Very often in such cases the local hotel has a resident tog for just such events - is that an option? Or are there any other guests - Uncle Phils - who can assist?
A quick Google throws up: http://www.mikaellamber.com/Packages.htm & http://www.karaymedia.com/MainPages/WeddingPackage...
$375 very well spent IMHO - could be even cheaper if they're not overly busy.
$375 very well spent IMHO - could be even cheaper if they're not overly busy.
Andy M said:
A quick Google throws up: http://www.mikaellamber.com/Packages.htm & http://www.karaymedia.com/MainPages/WeddingPackage...
$375 very well spent IMHO - could be even cheaper if they're not overly busy.
... Which is at least a third of the cost to you of getting the kit to doing the wedding. I know weddings are expensive, but having a guest shell out a grand or so for a decent DSLR/Lens and flash to do it justise to save a few hundred on a 'tog is a bit harsh. Have to say choose the 'tog wisely though, seen some shots from a (forida keys) beach wedding and they were awful (plus he appear to have a foot fetish as at least 20% were of shoes / feet!).$375 very well spent IMHO - could be even cheaper if they're not overly busy.
I you must do it yourself then get out of the decent wedding photography books and read from cover to cover. Know your kit inside out. Have the fixed shots planned. Undersatnd fill flash in daylight and contre-jour (into the light) photography. More importantly perhaps, try and ensure there is some decent shade to take out the harsh shadows. YOU WILL need somewhere covered (shade of a plam tree etc) to do the group shots without harsh sunlight.
rfn said:
Anyone else got any thoughts/opinions? 
Get me return tickets - I'll need a week to canvas the place properly - and I'll do the job for you! 
More seriously, find a local whose work you can see, and enjoy the day rather than fretting about the photos. 1/5/10/25 years down the line those photos will have been important after all!
A bright sunny beach wedding sounds just as much a nightmare as a dark dingy church wedding to me! So if you are going to do it yourself, you might light to spend the next nine months learning and practising!
rfn said:
However she is my sister and I am keen to get some special memories for her!
I'd say this is the reason you want to leave it to a pro. It's a tall order to buy the kit, learn how to use it and then learn how to do wedding photography in time for the wedding. And unless you know some people willing to let you tag along beforehand, it'll be your first wedding shoot and you're only going to have one shot at getting it right. Especially in a strange setting with different climate conditions and lighting than you're used to.
Sounds a bit cheeky to me.
She blows the budget on a beach holiday-cum-wedding and then expects you to (a) pick up the slack, (b) spend what should be an enjoyable day fretting & working and (c) will blame you for evermore if the snaps turn out to be a bit rubbish.
Maybe a compromise position would be for you and/or some other family members to chip in for local professional work as a wedding present?
She blows the budget on a beach holiday-cum-wedding and then expects you to (a) pick up the slack, (b) spend what should be an enjoyable day fretting & working and (c) will blame you for evermore if the snaps turn out to be a bit rubbish.
Maybe a compromise position would be for you and/or some other family members to chip in for local professional work as a wedding present?
I'd walk away and thank yourself in time to come for still being able to have a conversation over Christmas dinner every year without the wedding being brought up.
Shadow and take photos by all means, but to be the one relied on to make the day memorable in 20 years time without ever having done it before? No thanks
Shadow and take photos by all means, but to be the one relied on to make the day memorable in 20 years time without ever having done it before? No thanks
Buy yourself a DSLR and a Flashgun. You'll need a couple of lenses and a tripod. Lots and lots of memory cards and a decent kit bag.
Thats for you.....now book a pro for the wedding. Take the DSLR along and take some candid type shots for your sister and / or capture the rest of the holiday to add to the album.
Thats for you.....now book a pro for the wedding.
Take the DSLR along and take some candid type shots for your sister and / or capture the rest of the holiday to add to the album. F_M-R2 said:
Buy yourself a DSLR and a Flashgun. You'll need a couple of lenses and a tripod. Lots and lots of memory cards and a decent kit bag.
Thats for you.....now book a pro for the wedding. Take the DSLR along and take some candid type shots for your sister and / or capture the rest of the holiday to add to the album.
Thats for you.....now book a pro for the wedding.
Take the DSLR along and take some candid type shots for your sister and / or capture the rest of the holiday to add to the album. 
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