Getting into wedding/ event photography

[taylor172]

Ive done 2 weddings and 2 christenings now, cheaply/ free as favours to friends etc.

So many people have said i shpuld do it propely (not full time but as a side thing) I dont even know how to go about it, if id be up to par etc.

couple of examples

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39958742@N08/sets/721...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39958742@N08/sets/721...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39958742@N08/sets/721...

[Simpo Two]

You've got some nice ones but also some duds, so you need to be more ruthless in what you take/keep. Ambient light can be great but sometimes you need flash too.

Remember that once you start doing photos for strangers and for money the responsibility shoots up - how much do you want that responsibility (or end up in court if your camera fails)? To do justice to a wedding you'll need to set aside several days work for meeting/location visit/wedding/processing/admin etc. Taking photos is only part of the deal!

[JDRoest]

Things I like, strong reportage type photographs, some decent strong images. Things I dislike, photos taken at an angle, mixing of b/w and colour.

Things I really dislike - the groom wearing Converse!

I went to a wedding this weekend, and the little thing in my head sparks up "you should be doing wedding photography, not this moron". The photographer was a nice young lady wearing leggings. Leggings. Leggings to a wedding. She had the legs and ass to be wearing leggings, but leggings to a wedding. Not that the groom, groomsmen and bridesmaids looked much better, but leggings???? Quite why the bride bothered to wear anything other than her pajamas I'll never know because no one else made an effort.

End of rant. Just had to get the leggings thing off my mind.

[Simpo Two]

JDRoest said:

End of rant. Just had to get the leggings thing off my mind.

And transferred them to mine, damn you!

[5hero]

Pics of said leggings?

[Kaiser_Wull]

Simpo Two said:

You've got some nice ones but also some duds, so you need to be more ruthless in what you take/keep. Ambient light can be great but sometimes you need flash too.

Remember that once you start doing photos for strangers and for money the responsibility shoots up - how much do you want that responsibility (or end up in court if your camera fails)? To do justice to a wedding you'll need to set aside several days work for meeting/location visit/wedding/processing/admin etc. Taking photos is only part of the deal!

What he said. A back up camera and lenses, plenty of spare batteries and memory cards are also invaluable, as is ensuring that you're properly insured.

The client is king so make sure that you know what they want - e.g. formal, posed photos, reportage or a mixture.

I'd add that the highlights in some of your shots are blown out. A variable ND filter is a boon when shooting outdoors on a sunny day. In any event, it's better to underexpose than overexpose - you can recover detail from the shadows in post processing (I take it you're shooting RAW images) but a blown highlight is lost forever.

Last bit of advice is to enjoy yourself. A relaxed photographer helps to put the subjects at their ease and makes your job a lot easier.

[taylor172]

the angle thing is something i have to fight against, it started when i was shooting motorport and just stuck with me, its a hard habbit to crack!

Thanks for the comments though very help ful, no ones laughed and said i shouldnt even be thinking of it so thats a good sign haha

[RizzoTheRat]

The future Mrs Rat moaned at me when I commented to the photgrapher we've booked that I'm not a big fan of photos at an angle. Apparently they're "arty". I'm an engineer, give me straight lines and right angles please Photographer happy to accomodate and do a few less angled ones though.