# So, I'm going to shoot a wedding



## zulu42 (Oct 2, 2016)

This is for a friend/coworker. He knows I'm a photography hobbyist, and has seen some of my images.

I gave the couple my best speech on why they should hire a pro. Talked about how much they are spending on the wedding for temporary things: dress, venue, catering, and how the photographs would be some of the most important and lasting things to remember the wedding. I just couldn't convince them to hire a real photographer - "we would be happy with cell phone snapshots, so whatever you can do will be great"

Of course, the bride proceeds to show me her Flickr collection of image ideas - filled with brilliant images by obviously talented professionals.

Anyway, I'm doing it. There's some challenges I'm hoping to get help with. I'm using my Nikon D5100. I have 3 Nikkor lenses: the kit 18-55, a 50mm f1.8, and a 70-300 (probably won't even bring the 70-300). I have two Yongnuo speedlights with a remote. I also have a couple of light stands and umbrellas.

Biggest challenge: low light. Wedding is in December, indoors, in the evening. I'll be relying heavily on those speedlights. The venue has high ceilings and tungsten chandeliers and some recessed ceiling lights. I snuck in there yesterday to look at the place and take some test shots, but it was daytime.
I'm considering renting a faster lens, like a Tamron SP 24-70 f/2.8 Di VC from lensrentals dot com. Opinions?

Group shots: I'm thinking I will use the two speedlights on stands and hope they will light the groups enough. Should I gel the speedlights to try and match the tungsten?

Walk around shots: I will either try and carry a speedlight with one hand and shoot with the other, or maybe mount a speedlight on the camera. I also use a "rogue flashbender" to bounce/flag/snoot the speedlight.

Another challenge is that the beautiful bride is rather ...round. any tips for flattering poses for a heavy bride would be helpful.

I'm posting here hoping for help selecting a lens to rent, and for any helpful tips. I really appreciate any help or suggestions.


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## pixmedic (Oct 2, 2016)

although there are exceptions, (like our Tampa aquarium wedding) flash is usually frowned upon during the ceremony. 
for reception, and pre wedding shots flash will be fine. we used rogue flashbenders as well with great results. 
I cant help much for flattering poses, but i will recommend NOT shooting low, or close with a wide-ish lens.


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## Designer (Oct 2, 2016)

Instead of guessing and hoping, you would do better by practicing.  A lot.  Even more than you think.

What kind of venue?  Is this a church?  Even if it is a church, you might be able to get in there a few times to test your equipment.  Naturally, you will want to talk to the people in charge, and pick days/evenings when nothing else is going on.  Test your lenses, test your lights, test your timing, everything.

Do some research online about how to do weddings, how to photograph a heavy bride, what lenses, etc. that real wedding photographers use, and all the rest.  You've got some time, but not an abundance of time.


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## zulu42 (Oct 2, 2016)

Thanks 

I was worried about using flash during the ceremony, and asked the event planner and couple about it. They all said they didn't have a problem with it. I'll certainly try without flash, and try to be as inconspicuous as possible.


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## zulu42 (Oct 2, 2016)

Thank you designer. This is a reception hall at a golf course. I actually went there and took some shots already. Looked at the lighting, potential backgrounds. I really want to get in there in the evening when it is dark.

I'm trying to do the best I can, practicing, testing, and research.

Thanks for the replies!


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## tirediron (Oct 2, 2016)

Treat this like a professional job.  Visit the ceremony venue and talk to the officiant.  Ask him/her about flash during the ceremony, NOT the planner. They could not care less.  Also ask where you can/should stand, and if there are any other rules.  You DO NOT want to be the one getting scolded during the ceremony.  Scout the venue at about the time of day you will be shooting and look at the lighting, make sure you have your camera do lots of test shots.  

Talk to the couple about their footing the bill for your renting a higher-end body & a couple of lenses.  Explain that your gear is not meant for this sort of work, and the results won't be as good as they could be.  Regardless, practice a LOT.  Make sure you know what you're doing with your lights, and practice rear-curtain sync and other techniques.


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## vintagesnaps (Oct 2, 2016)

Before it's too late I would consider telling them you've reconsidered, that you appreciated them thinking of you, that you don't have the equipment or expertise to do this, etc. etc. You don't need to convince them, you need to tell them.

I mean, can there be any more potential problems with this?? December when it's dark by 5:00, a kit lens, inexperience (I think?), needing to figure out how to pose the bride in a flattering way, a flickr page with seemingly high and unrealistic expectations...

If they can afford to rent a venue, pay for catering, flowers, etc. etc. then they can figure out with their budget what their priorities are and budget accordingly. That doesn't seem to include wedding photos but that's their problem, not yours. So why make it your problem?


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## zulu42 (Oct 2, 2016)

I appreciate the input. I've already told them that with my equipment and experience, there may be few to no keeper shots. That being said, I have shot a couple of other family weddings, and came out with a handful of cherished shots. I know how to work my (limited) equipment. Already planning to rent a lens at least. Renting another body is something I'll look into. My D5100 would make a good backup. Much better than the  P9700 I'm bringing just in case.

Other Sharon, I really do appreciate your input and I'm in no way insulted. I think I have tempered their expectations. If I don't shoot this, all they will have is cell phone snaps. I know I can get a few shots that will be better.

Good advice tirediron. The couple has already agreed to let me attend and shoot the rehearsal. I'll bring a list of questions to the official.

Thank you all kindly for responding.


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## pixmedic (Oct 2, 2016)

vintagesnaps said:


> Before it's too late I would consider telling them you've reconsidered, that you appreciated them thinking of you, that you don't have the equipment or expertise to do this, etc. etc. You don't need to convince them, you need to tell them.
> 
> I mean, can there be any more potential problems with this?? December when it's dark by 5:00, a kit lens, inexperience (I think?), needing to figure out how to pose the bride in a flattering way, a flickr page with seemingly high and unrealistic expectations...
> 
> If they can afford to rent a venue, pay for catering, flowers, etc. etc. then they can figure out with their budget what their priorities are and budget accordingly. That doesn't seem to include wedding photos but that's their problem, not yours. So why make it your problem?




unfortunately, the biggest issue concerning the lighting can only be mitigated so much by experience. 
with moving subjects where you cant drop the shutter speed super low like with posed portraits, only fast lenses and/or well placed flash can compensate for low light shooting. 
with the gear the OP has on hand, it would be challenging even for an experienced wedding photographer. 
add to that the fact that the bride has already been looking at flickr pages of professional shots for ideas, and will undoubtedly be, subconsciously at the very least, expecting those same sorts of pictures of HER wedding day. 

there are a lot of challenges to overcome for this wedding, the answer to which is better gear and more experience.  
I agree with vintagesnaps that you are taking on a huge responsibility with a slim margin for success, especially if the bride
is going to compare it to the flickr pages she has been looking at.


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## zulu42 (Oct 2, 2016)

Any thoughts on the lens I'm thinking of renting?

https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nikon/lenses/normal-range/tamron-sp-24-70mm-f2.8-di-vc-for-Nikon


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## The_Traveler (Oct 2, 2016)

There have been a lot of people come here and say that they're shooting a wedding soon - with little experience.
I don't remember any who have come back and said that it was great and shown lots of great photos.

Let them take the cell phone shots.


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## robbins.photo (Oct 2, 2016)

Ok, well if this is something that is a must do, my advice would be to put some money aside if at all possible and invest in a good used d600, or see if you can borrow or rent it or something similar.  The shots they'll probably want most will be during the vows, and without flash the 5100 is going to have pretty much an almost impossible time accomplishing the task.  In fact you'd probably be much better off renting a full frame body than you would a faster lens.  


Other than that like folks mentioned, practice as much as you can.  Try shooting at some local bars and clubs and do as much low light action stuff as humanly possible.  

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk


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## zulu42 (Oct 2, 2016)

I completely understand. I've read several of these threads, and fully expected the same advice. I get it. I don't expect to get the results that many of you would achieve. Not even close. I do, however, expect to get a handful of shots that are better than a cell phone snap. The only thing I've promised my friends is that my results won't be as good as the ones they've collected on Flickr.

I'll not come back and say it was great and show lots of great photos. I will come back and post a few for critique.

Thanks for the tips


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## zulu42 (Oct 2, 2016)

Thanks for the advice, robbins.photo. I will look into renting a full frame. Thanks!


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## OGsPhotography (Oct 2, 2016)

Shoot the 50mm.

Thats probably your most used lens, right? 

Use what you know. Anything that you do different that night has much more potential for error.

1.8 is faster than 2.8. So why rent a slower lens? You will need to find a spot where there is enough room for groups. And use it! I probably wouldnt bring the 18-55 either. 

I've been to 2 weddings ( as guest) with the same photog last year, and her 85 1.2 doesnt come off all day or night, its on a FF though. Pretty much the same focal length as a 50 on crop. Her work is quality.

Blast them with them lights and bring extra batteries! Make them pop. Sharp photos are crucial IMO.

Having a light on camera will help a lot. Bounce it if you can but just blast them in the face if you have to!

Enjoy the challenge and disregard the naysayers. 

I've got my first ceremony under my belt, I didnt even bother asking or telling here. Too much nay nay I cant handle that. 

Read for hours till my eyes turned blue and practiced usefull technique. Then it happened. Its not easy btw lol. 

Good luck! 
OG


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## david.fazio.90 (Oct 2, 2016)

Not that you wouldn't but take both raw and jpeg if you can. I know a couple of semi pros that charge for jpeg only. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## KmH (Oct 2, 2016)

Of the 3 lenses you have the 18-55 is the least useful.

A rented 24-70 is a good substitute for the 18-55.
You'll want to practice with the 24-70 for 3 to 7 days days before the wedding.


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## SquarePeg (Oct 3, 2016)

Good luck!  If you were charging them or they would be paying a pro if you said no, I would agree not a great idea but since it's you or an iPhone album, why not?  

I attended a friend's wedding last  year where they went all out on everything else but had a pal with a Canon Rebel be their "photographer".  I thought the resulting slide show (that I had to sit through) was a really poor quality-on camera flash in the face-awkward pose-extravaganza but you know what?  They were beyond thrilled.  

So if they don't know a thing about photography, which I'm assuming they don't since they are not hiring a pro for their wedding... I'm sure they will be happy with what you get.  The bride looking at high end wedding pro wedding photos is a potential issue though and you may want to give her a clue as to how much that type of work costs so her expectations are set accordingly.


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## tirediron (Oct 3, 2016)

OGsPhotography said:


> Shoot the 50mm.
> 
> Thats probably your most used lens, right?
> 
> Use what you know. Anything that you do different that night has much more potential for error.


Fair enough, but is there really that much potential for error by switching from a prime to a zoom that covers that focal range?  I think the added versatility, assuming the OP does some practicing will be very useful.



OGsPhotography said:


> 1.8 is faster than 2.8. So why rent a slower lens? You will need to find a spot where there is enough room for groups. And use it! I probably wouldnt bring the 18-55 either.


Because of the added versatility.  50mm is NOT very wide on a crop-sensor, and while long FLs are often necessary at a wedding, so are short ones.  While I don't shoot many, when I do, or at events, my 24-70 is my main lens.  I would suggest too that the maximum aperture isn't all that important since hopefully the OP won't be doing a lot of wide-open shooting given the risk of missed focus at such shallow DoF.



OGsPhotography said:


> I've been to 2 weddings ( as guest) with the same photog last year, and her 85 1.2 doesnt come off all day or night, its on a FF though. Pretty much the same focal length as a 50 on crop.


 Not really....



OGsPhotography said:


> Blast them with them lights and bring extra batteries! Make them pop. Sharp photos are crucial IMO.
> 
> Having a light on camera will help a lot. Bounce it if you can but just blast them in the face if you have to!


 Ehhhh....  sorry, but this is just bad advice.  Yes, you need light and the more the better, but of paramount importance is some degree of CONTROL of that light.  Blasting people in the face with an on-camera speedlight is not likely to produce results anyone is pleased with.  Ideally, I would suggest the OP add a TTL cord to his list so that he can do ALL shots with the flash off-camera, but assuming that won't happen, I would recommend that he spend some time getting familiar with things like rear curtain sync and FEC.



OGsPhotography said:


> Enjoy the challenge and disregard the naysayers.


Agree 100%


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## astroNikon (Oct 3, 2016)

adding to all the above great advice ..

Go to the venues
take a couple friends.
Have your friends walk through a mock wedding with your camera.  Have one wear bright white (if you use a flash you don't want to over expose and blow out the whites) - or even bring a white heavy patterned table cloth and fold in half and use as a shaw.

You can redo and test your techniques and strategy this way. 
With the real wedding you have one time to get it right.  So practice it before hand.

renting new equipment that you've never used before could have it's drawback .. as in you aren't familiar with how to use it.  Though a FF may provide more benefits if you know your exposure triangle really well.

FYI, don't use your on camera flash.  If anything use a speedlight in the hotshoe if you need a flash (and can use one).  You'd be amazed how much even 1/32 can help.  Hopefully the sensor has a lot of Dynamic Range that you can pull out in Post Processing if it's really dark.


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## tirediron (Oct 3, 2016)

astroNikon said:


> Go to the venues
> take a couple friends.
> Have your friends walk through a mock wedding with your camera.  Have one wear bright white (if you use a flash you don't want to over expose and blow out the whites) - or even bring a white heavy patterned table cloth and fold in half and use as a shaw.
> 
> ...


This is f***ing brilliant!


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## waday (Oct 3, 2016)

vintagesnaps said:


> Before it's too late I would consider telling them you've reconsidered, that you appreciated them thinking of you, that you don't have the equipment or expertise to do this, etc. etc. You don't need to convince them, you need to tell them.


Totally agree. Just say no. Period.

Recently, my wife's cousin asked me to take engagement photos/portraits. I reluctantly agreed. Without my knowledge, this somehow turned into engagement party photos (which is essentially a wedding in her culture). So, instead of just saying no to an in-law at the very beginning, I then had to invent a convoluted story to get out of taking photos.

The in-law now thinks that I broke my camera while walking my dog.


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## vintagesnaps (Oct 3, 2016)

There could be good reasons to do this for someone, but just because they apparently don't want to pay a photographer seems like a bad reason to do it I think. I mean, if they can afford a venue at a golf course... at least where I live that type place is more pricey than budget friendly. This seems to be for someone who probably wants this because - it's free. I think people will take just about anything if it's free, if they really really_ really_ wanted wedding photos, they'd work out how to budget for and pay a wedding photographer.

This just takes one more job away from working photographers. Don't complain if they edit the photos you give them and plaster them all over the internet looking like crap and giving you 'credit' for their sh%$#y edits. Maybe you should offer to walk Wade's dog and that'll take care of it! lol


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## tirediron (Oct 3, 2016)

vintagesnaps said:


> There could be good reasons to do this for someone, but just because they apparently don't want to pay a photographer seems like a bad reason to do it I think. I mean, if they can afford a venue at a golf course... at least where I live that type place is more pricey than budget friendly. This seems to be for someone who probably wants this because - it's free. I think people will take just about anything if it's free, if they really really_ really_ wanted wedding photos, they'd work out how to budget for and pay a wedding photographer.
> 
> This just takes one more job away from working photographers. Don't complain if they edit the photos you give them and plaster them all over the internet looking like crap and giving you 'credit' for their sh%$#y edits. Maybe you should offer to walk Wade's dog and that'll take care of it! lol


There's that, but something that we as photographers often forget is that for many people photographs aren't a priority.  If you're a "foody" then you might be happy to pay $45 a plate for your guest's supper, but photographs?  Mehh... who cares?  My only concern would be, "Does the couple really mean that they'll be happy with whatever they get"?  I've heard more than one tale of a friend shooting a wedding for another friend with the promise of, "Whatever you can do is fine" only to be castigated by the couple and their family because the results were sub-par.


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## vintagesnaps (Oct 3, 2016)

Yeah, that's the thing, if they end up unhappy with the results, might be one of those things you're sorry you ever agreed to do it. Sounds like more trouble than it's worth.


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## zulu42 (Oct 3, 2016)

Excellent advice and discussion. I value all of the opinions given. Thanks very much.

I will certainly be shooting raw + jpeg.
I'll see if my local shop has a FF for rent. I will only go that route if renting for a few weeks is affordable. I know the controls and menus pretty darn well on my 5100. Being able to operate my body efficiently would be better than fumbling on a unfamiliar FF.

I'm pretty well set on renting that 24-70. I don't think the 50mm prime will be wide enough for the group shots.

Flash will be all off-camera. I have two speedlights and an IR trigger, and have used them enough to operate them efficiently.

I will be shooting the ceremony rehearsal, it will be valuable practice, and it's a great idea to have the bride wear white at the rehearsal.

A local professional photographer owns a camera shop in my town. I would have loved to get him this gig. I support his shop in every way I can. Bought almost all my gear locally from him, and taken all the classes he offers.


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## photo1x1.com (Oct 4, 2016)

First of all I'd show your couple what you are able to do. Perhaps (since you wanted to practise anyway), shoot 2-3 times with them on various locations that are similar to the wedding location. That way you can easily practice, get an idea what poses to shoot , they know what to expect and can rethink whether they are happy with your images or hire a pro. That would take lot of pressure off your shoulders and believe me, there will be enogh pressure during the wedding anyway .
Regarding the lights: do expose for the available light, maybe if at all very little under. And only use flash as fill. Otherwise the faces will all be unnaturally bright, while the background will be pitch dark. That alone will give you some nice shots.
Well, and then there is black and white. I know many photographers will kill me for what I say, but consider B&W. Black and white images have saved many photographers weddings. Many inexperienced photographers have huge troubles with white balance and different colours of light. B&W takes the risk out of this. Sure you have to consider that several colors look rather light in color images and dark in B&W, and when looking for separation from the background that is an issue. But in the end it looks better not separated, than having totally ugly skintones.

In the end it can be done. My door into professional photography too was a wedding of a friend. You have to start somewhere, and if your couple knows what to expect you have nothing to loose.


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## zulu42 (Oct 4, 2016)

Excellent advice. Thanks photo1x1!

Same couple wanted some photos for Christmas cards last year. So, they've seen what my photos of them look like. As you can see, far from pro. I think I've improved since these were shot. As long as I get something like this or better, I will have met their expectations.


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## zulu42 (Oct 4, 2016)

BTW, photo1x1, Nice site and videos!


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## photo1x1.com (Oct 5, 2016)

zulu42 said:


> Excellent advice. Thanks photo1x1!
> 
> Same couple wanted some photos for Christmas cards last year. So, they've seen what my photos of them look like. As you can see, far from pro. I think I've improved since these were shot. As long as I get something like this or better, I will have met their expectations.


There you go. They hired you because they have been happy with your images. They felt comfortable when you took their image, and for some people that is more important than the most amazing pictures. And besides the lighting that could be improved - since you admitted that  - especially the lady looks natural and happy. And that´s a somewhat modern thing. "Real people". Capture them as they really are and not how they are in front of the camera. Maybe she is afraid of not being able to relax and look stressed on the images of other photographers (maybe she even has experience with that ). Well, and the bride usually has more to say than the groom when it comes to choosing the photographer.
Funnily I just recently shot the american staffordshire from our neighbours. They look really frightening at first, but especially our neighbours dog is soooo calm. If anything he would collide with you while running because he is too heavy to stop at times .


zulu42 said:


> BTW, photo1x1, Nice site and videos!


Thanks, much appreciated. The website needs some nice design though, not enough time to do all I want at once.


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## Irwin Nursoo (Oct 7, 2016)

The 24-70mm is one of the best "starting" lenses.


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## Vtec44 (Oct 7, 2016)

Did someone say wedding photography?   

I can shoot an entire wedding with just 3 lenses... and 2 full frame cameras... and off camera flashes...   My go to lenses are 24-70 f2.8, 50 f1.4, and 70-200 f2.8.  The 24-70 has amazing focus speed, that is if your camera can detect focus in really low light with moving subjects.  Most of my daytime work is done with my 50 f1.4.  My 70-200 is great for ceremony when you can't really get up close.  Setting up expectations is critical.  You don't want them to expect something and then deliver something completely different.

Best of luck!


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## zulu42 (Oct 10, 2016)

Vtec44 - thanks very much for your input. I am a big fan of your work. In fact, I showed this couple some of your images when I was trying to convince them to hire a pro.

The shots during the actual ceremony have me most worried. I don't have a fast lens with enough reach to stay far back. I really don't want to use flash during the ceremony even though the couple says they don't mind. The posed shots and group shots will be fine to flash and even chimp and adjust, but the ceremony is the biggest challenge equipment and skill wise - and one chance to get it right.

I believe their expectations aren't beyond what I will deliver. Actually, I think that MY expectations will be much harder to live up to!

Thanks again everyone.


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## chuasam (Oct 11, 2016)

make her sign a contract that absolves you of fault if the photographs suck


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## zulu42 (Dec 27, 2016)

Well, mission accomplished. Last Saturday the 17th was the wedding.
It was very, very difficult. I reserved the Tamron 24-70 for rental but was given a Nikkor 28-70 2.8. A very nice lens that I wouldn't mind owning some day. I had two days to practice and quickly realized that the physical size of the lens, it's girth, blocked my AF assist beam. So, when the light was low later in the evening, I had to carry a small flashlight and awkwardly shine it on my subjects to acquire focus. It was also a heavy lens and it was tough to carry around for six hours.

There were many other challenges. The dressing room was small and I had to plaster myself against the wall and shoot tighter than I wanted for shots of the bride and groom getting ready. The lighting was all dim tungsten and the walls were yellow. The couple's dog was part of the ceremony and they wanted a lot of shots with the uncooperative pet. The bride's mother was somewhat of a " momzilla" and wanted to dictate a lot of shots and also wanted me to set up several non wedding family photos.

I got a ton of shots with motion blur. Even with the lens wide open, shutter speeds hovered around 1/60 and the rear curtain flash failed to stop motion.

We did all of the group shots after the ceremony at dusk. I did get several good shots, but as it got darker I struggled to acquire focus and maintain DOF even with my two speedlights at full power.

During the dinner and dancing I was in full spray and pray mode, and totaled well over a thousand shots for the whole day. I've since spent hours culling and doing more post work than I anticipated, and I'm not done yet.

The results are, in addition to a huge respect for wedding photogs, about a hundred keeper photos. Mostly fair in quality, a few I consider good. There are a few the couple and family will consider great, not because they're great photos, but because I did capture some nice moments and some emotion.

I've shown the couple about a dozen samples and they're completely satisfied, luckily.

I love photography as a hobby, but this was serious work. While I'm glad I did it for the experience, I won't be doing it again anytime soon.


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## Vtec44 (Dec 27, 2016)

pics?


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## zulu42 (Dec 27, 2016)

I'll post a few later this evening. They should serve to discourage others like me from attempting a wedding


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## OGsPhotography (Dec 27, 2016)

Sounds like you did a great job! E for effort at least. If you had 100 keepers I think you did awesome. Hindsight is 20/20 but having effort/ command of the moments is what counts, it'll never be as planned its a wedding! 

Dont deliver them all unless you promised 100. Its good to have a few up your sleeve if they ( she lol) gets demanding.... you can theow them some " extras".


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## robbins.photo (Dec 27, 2016)

So curious, how many people died or were horribly mangled by your attempts to shoot this wedding?

Because you know, I'm thinking if the answer is zero maybe some folks can relax a bit about future postings of this nature.. lol


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## Derrel (Dec 27, 2016)

zulu42 said:


> I'll post a few later this evening. They should serve to discourage others like me from attempting a wedding



Wow...this sounds like it was one tough gig! Yikes! Thanks for being so forthright abouyt the challenges. I can almost envison you, shining the flashlight at them, trynna' get focus....sounds awful. And yeah..the ancient 28-70 Nikkor AF-S...sooooo BIG and FAT a lens! like a small coffee can on the front of the camera...a 44-ounce nose-dive/wrist-twist special!! OMG, what an awful lens that was.


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## zulu42 (Dec 27, 2016)

Here are a few samples


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## photo1x1.com (Dec 28, 2016)

Those are actually pretty nice! I like 1 and 2 most. Congrats. Some do look a little bit overprocessed though (3 and mainly 4). I can imagine that you felt pretty worn out the next day . Giving the couple a set of black and white images is always a good idea - especially when having different colored light sources you can´t really control.
Wedding photography is underpaid (at least in my country) IMO, that´s why I stopped doing it. I was one of the more expensive here but people don´t realize how much work it is. Preleminary talks, preparation, many hours of shooting, wading trough 1000s of images, editing, follow-up meeting,...
It is fun, but it is also rather stressful compared to other photography fields.


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## zulu42 (Dec 28, 2016)

Thanks very much for the comments and likes. I agree on the over processed look on many. I'll go back in and back off on some sliders. There were several shots with slightly missed focus that I had to try and save by mashing some LR sliders. There's really no saving missed focus shots I suppose.

Shot 2 might be my shot of the day. Got lucky on that one.


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## photo1x1.com (Dec 28, 2016)

zulu42 said:


> Thanks very much for the comments and likes. I agree on the over processed look on many. I'll go back in and back off on some sliders. There were several shots with slightly missed focus that I had to try and save by mashing some LR sliders. There's really no saving missed focus shots I suppose.
> 
> Shot 2 might be my shot of the day. Got lucky on that one.



If the focus is just slightly off, you could make two two layers - one with sharper focus, and one with slight gaussian blur. Then you mask e.g. the eyes that were rather soft to reveal the sharp layer, and for the rest you use the slightly blurred. That gives the impression that the focus is on the right spot. That trick even works for image agencies


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## tirediron (Dec 28, 2016)

Nicely done!  Weddings are tough, no two ways about it.


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## greybeard (Jan 16, 2017)

Don't you just hate how friends put the touch on you when they know you are a amature photographer.  It happens to all of us from time to time and I've done my share of them.  I've done them both freebies and paid.  Use a flash for everything pre and post ceremony, use a tripod for shots during the ceremony.  I may be old school in my thinking but flashes during the ceremony are distracting and rude.  Use equipment that you know like the back of your hand.  You don't want to be fumbling with dials and buttons when you have the wedding party standing in front of you waiting for you to "GET THE PICTURES OVER WITH".  I'm sure you have told them that this is not your gig and they would be much better off to hire a pro for such an important event and it probably went in one ear and out the other.   The last time someone hit me up to take pictures at their wedding I told them that I wanted to party with all of our friends and share in the even.  I can't do this if I'm working taking your wedding pictures.  They actually understood this and hired it out and I'm really glad they did.


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## K Bonds (Jan 16, 2017)

As others have mentioned, weddings can be tough. But looking at your images, you did pretty well.  I remember my first wedding I experienced similar issues.  1) Room dark, can't focus 2)Lots of motion blur 3)Flash issues.  It happens. Get back up on that horse and try again because your pictures are pretty good.  I've learned to carry around a very small LED light that I mount to my camera on top of my trigger.  This helps with focus big time if the reception is dark.  Don't be afraid to open up the light.  I bet there isn't a single wedding photographer out there who hasn't experienced these issues time and time again during their first few weddings.  Good share and it really took me back to my first wedding or two.  I laughed heartily as I felt your pain!!  I bet you learned a lot though and become a heck of a lot better. Wish I would have saw this before, I would have given you a lot of good tips.


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## greybeard (Jan 18, 2017)

zulu42 said:


> Here are a few samples


Now you have been through what most of us have and it was NO FUN.  Looks like it came out nice and you have a ton of pics to look and play around with in post processing.  Would you do another one or would you respectfully decline?


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