# Taking wedding photos, tips please



## EdelineM (Dec 27, 2009)

Hi all..
A girl I know is hiring me as their wedding photographer. Her budget is not much and she asked me to tke their photos

I was wondering what can I learn to be prepare for this? She is not getting married on a church, so its just like a ceremony in a nice Country Club.

The gear that I plan to use are: 

- Nikon D90
- tripod
- Nikon SB600 + difuser
- Lenses : Nikon 50mm & 55-200mm (those lenses I can afford right now)
- Remote Control

What do you think I should learn me on taking photos outdoor/indoor?
And also how to get a great quality if I want to print the photos? 

Thank you


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## gsgary (Dec 27, 2009)

To be honest if you don't know you shouldn't be doing it


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## EdelineM (Dec 27, 2009)

well, that not the answer i was hoping .. but thank you 
if i know what im doing i wont be asking here as a beginner LOL

what I want to know maybe some tips on what setting on the ISO etc


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## gsgary (Dec 27, 2009)

EdelineM said:


> well, that not the answer i was hoping .. but thank you
> if i know what im doing i wont be asking here as a beginner LOL
> 
> what I want to know maybe some tips on what setting on the ISO etc




It is impossible to give you setting unless we know the conditions and the effect you are after, there is not one setting does all, always use the lowest iso possible unless you are using flash and you want more ambient light in the shot


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## EdelineM (Dec 27, 2009)

oh ok, thank you


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## IgsEMT (Dec 27, 2009)

read here


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## EdelineM (Dec 27, 2009)

thanks for posting the thread..
i finally google my self and found infos from other forum.. the other forum has more tutorial for beginners :thumbup:


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## o hey tyler (Dec 27, 2009)

I guess what people are trying to say is, if you aren't confident in what you are doing, there's a high probability that you will not capture moments that can't be captured again. If you are asking for basic camera settings, then you aren't particularly confident in what you are doing. Weddings are a BIG DEAL to a lot of people. And even if you are doing a wedding for a friend, you can very easily lose that very friend if you botch a shot or two. Not to mention, getting sued isn't out of the realm of possibility. 

The best thing you can do, is not accept any money for shooting the wedding. That way, you are not (as) liable for ephing up. You do it for free, gain the experience, and hopefully they'll be happy with the shots. 

I've never done a wedding before, nor do I intend to in the near future. The next wedding I go to, I am bringing my camera and keeping a keen eye on the hired photographer. Perhaps even chat it up with them. But don't put yourself out there do do something you are unprepared to do.


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## timfrommass (Dec 27, 2009)

The week I got my D90 my best friend got married.  I took shots before the wedding, and at the rehearsal, and my Dad took shots during the wedding.  They had a photographer and I was just doing it for fun, I still didn't understand much about the camera at all.  I had it in apature priority mode using the built in flash at the rehearsal.  

Now that the wedding has come and gone I look at the photographer's shots and marvel at how consistent they are in terms of exposure, and think that he did a great job shooting the wedding.  However, a lot of people who were there who don't know anything about photography prefer the pictures I took at the reception because I "captured the moments" better.  THis is only I think because I KNOW the people there, so it's easier to know how to get them to react and when to catch things they think are funny. 

I guess my point is you have a huge edge over a pro photographer in the fact that you know your subject, BUT your pictures will not be as good.  If they are "hiring" you because they are on a budget and can't afford a professional that's a great way for them to save money if they fully understand that they will not get the pro look that they have seen from other's weddings.  If I were in your shoes though, I would recognize that face, make it clear to them, and not charge them a dime.  Have fun with it, but know your capabilities and make the expected outcome clear to them

Good luck

-tim


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## HonCBRf4i (Dec 27, 2009)

I agree with tyler, DO NOT ACCEPT ANY $$ for this shoot, do it for the experience.  You MUST let them know that you are not in any means a professional photographer and there might be shots that don't come out right...

If you still plan on doing it, will they be allowing flashes during the ceremony??  If not, I would suggest getting there early and doing a bunch of practice shots to see how the lighting will be. you will  have to pump up your ISO, adjust your shutter speed and change your aperture for the darker conditions. 

If the flash is allowed, learn to bounce the flash off the ceiling to give your shots better natural light compared to the straight on hard flash, which you will get even with the diffuser on. 

If you have time before the wedding happens, spend some $$ and take a photography class.  It will teach you more than you think you already know.  Plus get out and find similar places to take photos to see how they come out.

I am in no means a professional, but just throwing out some suggestions that might help.


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## Vicelord John (Dec 27, 2009)

In all honesty....

You should know what you are doing before you do the wedding.  If you don't know what you are doing, or have to ask, you should be up front with her and not charge her anything. 

People have been sued for charging for weddings and saying they know what they are doing and effing things up. I have done dozens and dozens of portrait shoots and never charged because I still haven't perfected the art.

long story short though, if you don't know what you are doing... DON'T DO IT!


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## AtlPikMan (Dec 27, 2009)

Amen! To the Four Very Informative posts above.


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## EdelineM (Dec 27, 2009)

Thank you..
Maybe you are right.. since Im still a beginner, I shouldnt take the money and do this as experience so I wont get sued..

The wedding is going to be held in a country club, so no worries about flash thou.. this couple wanted me to take some photos outside the building.. means in the garden etc, we have seen some wedding photos blog by some very pro photograhper and we wanted to try to do the same..

I'm going to Nikon Class before the wedding so I hope the class will help me to be a better photographer 

Thank you all

:thumbup::hugs:


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## JAFO28 (Dec 27, 2009)

Check this one out.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-beginners-forum-photo-gallery/186973-shooting-my-first-wedding-help.html


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## bigtwinky (Dec 27, 2009)

you basically need to aim for the lowest ISO you can get to ensure clean images, based on the widest lens aperture and the light available.

In many places, this often means 1600+ (although outdoors you might hit 200-400 if its a nice day, but then have to deal with shadows and harsh light)

This is where pro photographers have a technology edge over you in that they have a camera capable of high clean ISO and also a variety of lenses that can shoot at 2.8 constant (zooms) or 1.2-1.8 (primes).  Without these lenses, you will be fighting to really freeze motion.

Off camera flash (via wire or transmitter) is key.

All this is over and above the knowledge of photograhy in what I consider one of the hardest thing to do, people posing.  Composition is critical to ensure that the mood and moment are properly captured.

Ensure the bride and groom know your capabilities and limitations (both in knowledge and equipement) and I totally agree NOT to take money for the event but still shoot for yourself.  Maybe bring along someone else who knows what they are doing.


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## Vicelord John (Dec 27, 2009)

This:



EdelineM said:


> we have seen some wedding photos blog by some very pro photograhper and we wanted to try to do the same..


 

Would have me running the opposite direction. They are likely expecting you to duplicate the same results as the professional photos.


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## rallysman (Dec 27, 2009)

I took some photos for a friend's wedding, which was my first time as well. I didn't expect to do well at all since all I had was a D50 and a SB-600. I ordered a demb flash diffuser which helped tremendously, and the shots didn't come out too bad. They offered to pay me but I just told them it was my gift to them. I processed the shots, sent them to him, and he was more than happy.
If they don't expect perfection they they'll probably be happy with the shots. Unless they're assholes. 

But yea, don't charge them.


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## EdelineM (Dec 28, 2009)

JAFO28 said:


> Check this one out.
> 
> http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...ry/186973-shooting-my-first-wedding-help.html



ohh thank you i'm reading it right now



bigtwinky said:


> you basically need to aim for the lowest ISO you can get to ensure clean images, based on the widest lens aperture and the light available.
> 
> In many places, this often means 1600+ (although outdoors you might hit 200-400 if its a nice day, but then have to deal with shadows and harsh light)
> 
> ...



when i talk to her, they seems dont have lots of money to hire a pro photographer, that is why they hired me. since i have done their brother's wedding before and they like my photos. but when i did their bro's wed i dont have a good SLR camera. so maybe i will let them know that my skills are not pro and will ask them to bring other photographer too just in case, but i will not ask for money from them 



Vicelord John said:


> This:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



yeah.. it's true.. 



rallysman said:


> I took some photos for a friend's wedding, which was my first time as well. I didn't expect to do well at all since all I had was a D50 and a SB-600. I ordered a demb flash diffuser which helped tremendously, and the shots didn't come out too bad. They offered to pay me but I just told them it was my gift to them. I processed the shots, sent them to him, and he was more than happy.
> If they don't expect perfection they they'll probably be happy with the shots. Unless they're assholes.
> 
> But yea, don't charge them.



i wont charge them .. is better i do this as a gift for them and a great experience for me


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## AfroKen (Dec 28, 2009)

bigtwinky said:


> you basically need to aim for the lowest ISO you can get to ensure clean images, based on the widest lens aperture and the light available.



This...and the rest of the post, for that matter.  Since you know the people, use that to your advantage.   I took photos for my cousin's wedding a couple of years ago, and used that to my advantage.  There was a professional photographer that was hired, but my cousin started thinking that he might not be all that, and asked me to take photos, so I did.  And since a lot of people knew me, I was able to get more intimate, close-up photos:


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## iolair (Dec 28, 2009)

I'm gonna be a little repetitive from the other posts, but...

1) You're an inexperienced photographer.  A wedding is by all accounts the hardest job a photographer can do.  So, don't accept any money to do it and make sure the bride and groom are VERY CLEAR of exactly what they can expect from you.

2) On your kit - you'll need a wider angle lens to do any group shots or scene shots of the whole venue.

3) Bring back ups of EVERYTHING - camera, lenses, extra batteries and memory cards.  If you don't have it, buy, beg, borrow or hire.

4) Work out a shot list with the bride and groom - what pictures they'd like you to get.

5) How long do you have until the wedding?  Practice, practice, practice.  Practice in low light.  Practice group shots.  Practice portraits.  Practice photojournalistic style.  Practice street candids.  Practice in the venue where the wedding will take place.  The more experience you can get, the better.  If it's possible, persuade a professional wedding photographer to let you come along and 2nd shoot for him.

Here are some links from my own bookmarks that may be useful:
Wedding photography 101 :: Photocritic photography blog

Wedding Tips - Managing Group Pictures - Calgary Wedding Photographer

Wedding Photo Tips for Amateurs

Wedding Photography Timeline - Tips and Advice - photo.net

Wedding Photography 101 - Tutorials

Photographing a Friend's or Relative's Wedding

Wedding Photography Tips (for photographers) --- Information About How To Photograph a Wedding for Beginners

Hope they're useful...


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## Shockey (Dec 28, 2009)

Sorry but if you don't even know how ISO works, you really have no business telling her you will shoot her wedding. Having said that if you are set on this course, set your camera on P (automatic) and bang away.
Unfortunately for you and the bride passable wedding photography does require some experience. You can take a crash course in it but when the pressure of the day hits and your mind goes blank just put it on automatic and hope for the best.


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## gsgary (Dec 28, 2009)

You are going to struggle big time with your widest lens being 50mm on a crop body, If you shoot outside and its bright you can use your flash outside on program with Canon it gives good results for a beginner.
Don't print them yourself get them professionally printed some will do colour adjustments and they use inks that are guaranteed for 100 years


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## iskoos (Dec 28, 2009)

I cannot give you advice or tell how to do this because I am no different than you. But I can tell you what I would do if I were in your shoes:

First, I would never do this if they wanted to hire me to save money. Because this would put lots of pressure on me and I guarante to mess it up.
But if my friend cannot afford a pro photographer and asked me to do it because otherwise no official photographer would be present in their wedding and also their budget could only afford to pay a little money to a friend, then I would gladly accept it.
And I would tell them that "I would put my best effort into this and would do my best. After the weeding I will show you the pictures I took, and if you liked them you just pay me whatever you think they are worth (considering they are done by a non-pro friend). And if you didn't like them and the if result indeed wasn't good, then I would give you a few of the best shots as a courtesy of my and keep the rest in my practice folder..."
If they said, okay, then I would read online and practice day and night till the wedding day...

This is what I would do... 
Good luck...


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## wikkhilson (Apr 26, 2011)

Sorry, I really do not have any knowledge about photography.


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## flyin-lowe (Apr 26, 2011)

I am confused. Who owns runs EM photography that you have in your signature. The web site has the same name you use. If that is you and you are advertising and have pics from weddings then why are you on here asking this question. If it is not you it might be better to ask the photographer that owns that business to tag along with them.  I looked at a few pics from that web site and noticed that all of the pictures seemed to have a forced look on the face of the subject. Not sure why but none of the photos I looked at looked natural. I am not sure if the people weren't' comfortable with the photographer or what but each person has an almost pained look on their face like they are not happy to be there.


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## vickig.photography (Apr 26, 2011)

EdelineM said:


> thanks for posting the thread..
> i finally google my self and found infos from other forum.. the other forum has more tutorial for beginners :thumbup:



Hi there! What other forum did you find for beginners? I didn't think I was quite a beginner but let me tell you from what I've seen on this forum there are a LOT of negative people just killing enthusiasm and dreams, not building people up with constructive criticism...I'm not a baby, but man there is some harsh stuff in this forum! LOL


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## KmH (Apr 26, 2011)

People, the thread died back in '09.  wikkhilson seems to have some sort of a problem.


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## Ginu (Apr 26, 2011)

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=How+to+photograph+a+weddingWell you should try *this *and see how much you understand...


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## jake337 (Apr 26, 2011)

EdelineM said:


> Thank you..
> Maybe you are right.. since Im still a beginner, I shouldnt take the money and do this as experience so I wont get sued..
> 
> The wedding is going to be held in a country club, so no worries about flash thou.. this couple wanted me to take some photos outside the building.. means in the garden etc, we have seen some wedding photos blog by some very pro photograhper and we wanted to try to do the same..
> ...


 

How much did they plan on paying you? You could find an experienced photographer for them and maybe you could be the second photgrapher. If there on a budget thats fine. Look for the most experienced person in their price range. Maybe sit down with them and go through as many photog's websites as you can and find a photographers style that they will enjoy looking at 30 years down the road....


I should look at the dates on threads more often....


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## Geaux (Apr 26, 2011)

KmH said:


> People, the thread died back in '09.  wikkhilson seems to have some sort of a problem.


 

......read people

lol.


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## Robin Usagani (Apr 26, 2011)

The OP is probably a super Pro now.


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## Bitter Jeweler (Apr 26, 2011)

KmH said:


> People, the thread died back in '09. wikkhilson seems to have some sort of a problem.


 
My theory is, that these are potential new spammers, that think they can get their 6 posts or whatever that new limitation is, by posting in old threads, not knowing they are brought to the top. This is what the DealStudio spammer did, to have a reserve of "old" usernames to use as they were banned.


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## vtf (Apr 26, 2011)

Man thats a long engagement.


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## flyin-lowe (Apr 27, 2011)

My bad
I didn't even look at the date until that was brought up.


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