Wedding Saturday last min tips ?

[nick heppinstall]

Yup I will be taking pictures. Best mates sisters wedding.... Any last minute tips ?

[ExPat2B]

Search Reddit /r/photography, they have a number of recommendations for first time wedding photographers.

[GetCarter]

Set your camera to exposure bracket one stop each way. Then when you take a pic take three... then you will cover almost all your exposure fk ups.

It'll triple your download times but cover your arse.

[x5x3]

spare batteries - actually spare everything

[nick heppinstall]

Bracket ... Thought about that.. Will do... Have 2 batts and will take the charger. One camera though and no flash apart from the one in the cam !!

[revrange]

Couple of quick ones, sorry if any seem obvious

1. Shoot in raw
2. Memory cards - have plenty of spares
3. batteries - see above!
4. List of photos the bride and groom want, many people don't do this and it then causes problems when one person didn't get a photo with uncle X and auntie Y.
5. Be ready to be firm but friendly with people, there will be occasions when you will have to move past people/move people around etc to get shots.
6. Food, make sure you eat. You will be on call more than you think to get good shots.
7. See if someone can help you? An assistant is worth wait in gold to carry equipment etc
8. Can you get a flash? Fill flash outside is really handy, and its going to be sunny on sat so helps keep faces shadow free outside.
9. Enjoy! Being a wedding photographer is a really enjoyable experience, i know many photographers who dread it, get nervous etc, don't! Enjoy the day, your photos will be better!

Edited by revrange on Friday 13th June 18:11

[GetCarter]

nick heppinstall said:

Bracket ... Thought about that.. Will do...

Really, do this. Costs you nout, just download time, and you will find SO many pics that give you an alternative image to one that was over or under exposed, but was otherwise a good pic. Choice.

[nick heppinstall]

revrange said:

Couple of quick ones, sorry if any seem obvious

1. Shoot in raw
2. Memory cards - have plenty of spares
3. batteries - see above!
4. List of photos the bride and groom want, many people don't do this and it then causes problems when one person didn't get a photo with uncle X and auntie Y.
5. Be ready to be firm but friendly with people, there will be occasions when you will have to move past people/move people around etc to get shots.
6. Food, make sure you eat. You will be on call more than you think to get good shots.
7. See if someone can help you? An assistant is worth wait in gold to carry equipment etc
8. Can you get a flash? Fill flash outside is really handy, and its going to be sunny on sat so helps keep faces shadow free outside.
9. Enjoy! Being a wedding photographer is a really enjoyable experience, i know many photographers who dread it, get nervous etc, don't! Enjoy the day, your photos will be better!

Edited by revrange on Friday 13th June 18:11

1 - Check
2 - 5 x 16gb 1 x 8gb
3 - 2 but each good for about 800 shots ... One can be charging if need be ..
4 - Check
5 - Should be OK with the... Dad was a Press Photographer for 36 years and I picked up his knack of sorting people out :-)
6 - Chocky sorted ...
7 - Best mate also taking pics so will be working as a team
8 - No chance of a proper flash ... Will just have to use the camera flash if needed. Never used a proper flash gun anyway ... Well maybe when I was a nipper but that was a very long time ago !
9 - Looking forward to it. I enjoy taking pics !

[HHHHHHH]

Some useful tips here

http://www.holytaco.com/how-score-bridesmaid-weddi...

[cteagles]

Seems like you have it all under control, spare everything is the best advice. But also be relaxed and friendly with guests and the couple they will be relaxed around you and this will show in the photos. If there are 2 of you (This may sound obvious) make sure one does the opposite of the other - so one shoots wide the other picks out close ups a good example of this is the cake cut, one gets beautiful shallow DOF shots of the hands on the knife and the other gets the 'safe' shot of the whole thing. Best of luck!

[chris.mapey]

Swap memory cards about regularly throughout the day.

That way if the worst happens and a memory card corrupts you won't lose all the shots from that part of the day, just some (if you see what I mean!)

[nick heppinstall]

Thanks all !

[Mr Will]

GetCarter said:

nick heppinstall said:

Bracket ... Thought about that.. Will do...

Really, do this. Costs you nout, just download time, and you will find SO many pics that give you an alternative image to one that was over or under exposed, but was otherwise a good pic. Choice.

Is it really that worthwhile in this day and age? I can easily shove a raw file a couple of stops in either direction if required, so I don't really see what value the extra shots add.

[Simpo Two]

Because it is always better to try to get it right in camera than to rely on hammering it out in processing. Hammering it out later should be a last resort not a first one.

[x5x3]

how did it go?

[Mr Will]

Simpo Two said:

Because it is always better to try to get it right in camera than to rely on hammering it out in processing. Hammering it out later should be a last resort not a first one.

Yes; but I'm not sure how that relates to spamming three different exposures instead of one correct one? Perhaps it's my camera's low frames per second that colours my judgement here, but it just seems like it brings unnecessary hassle for little benefit.

[Drumroll]

Well it really comes to something when a guy taking photos at a wedding asks questions of a forum about cars. Certainly from the posts I've seen he has got the answers he requires.

Surprisingly no one said don't do it as you are clearly don't understand photography enough.

[nick heppinstall]

Welll... It was a bit of a nightmare really... The light was shocking... I'm really disappointed that so many of my pics are soft ... I don't know if its the cam, the lens ( although it does produce some superb sharp pics ) or my technique or a mixture .... They are just not critically sharp ....

I guess I just need more practice ...

I took about 1300 pics. Started putting through LR this after and done about 70 so far...

[nick heppinstall]

Drumroll said:

Well it really comes to something when a guy taking photos at a wedding asks questions of a forum about cars. Certainly from the posts I've seen he has got the answers he requires.

Surprisingly no one said don't do it as you are clearly don't understand photography enough.

Bit harsh really... I was doing it for a mate. It's not cost them anything and I think they will be pleased with whatever they have... The alternative was the guests taking pics on their mobiles ...

Oh and in case it you have somehow missed it this is the ' Photography & Video' Forum ....

[Simpo Two]

Mr Will said:

Yes; but I'm not sure how that relates to spamming three different exposures instead of one correct one? Perhaps it's my camera's low frames per second that colours my judgement here, but it just seems like it brings unnecessary hassle for little benefit.

Ah well if you could always get the correct exposure every time you wouldn't need to bracket, true. I always try to get every shot as close as I can on the day, and processing can make up for any shortfall later. In fact I don't 'bracket' as such but monitor and use EV - mainly because I use fill-flash and the flash wouldn't recharge fast enough to bracket.