# Photographing Weddings



## photosbydanij (Oct 30, 2012)

Hello, this is my first post here so forgive me if I'm not in the right sub-forum.

I shoot portraiture, mostly of children, newborns and maternity, however I have a repeat client who is getting married in April and very much wants me to photograph their wedding for them.  The wedding is not until 5pm and my biggest concern is for lighting.  For those who photograph weddings, what kind of equipment do you usually bring with you?  Is there anything I should know before I make my decision as to whether or not I will do it for them.  I have already told him that I have not done a wedding before, but that I would do some research and get back to him.  IF I am going to do it for them, I need to make sure that I can do it right and give them quality photographs that will live up to my standards.


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## gsgary (Oct 30, 2012)

If you have to ask your not up to the task


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## MLeeK (Oct 30, 2012)

Shooting a wedding is absolutely NOTHING like shooting a portrait. It's full on high pressure from start to finish. There is no margin for error and little to no time for chimping your exposures. You will be having to make exposure in the worst possible conditions-full on sunlight, a dark church,  back lit... Everything from a dungeon to spotted sunlight to full on glare. You will have to know posing for every body type within the same image, how to flatter the bride AND the bridesmaids at the same time. You'll need to be able to shoot everything from a panoramic to a telephoto zoom with an aperture of f/2.8 constant minimum. A few good primes are not a bad idea too. You will shoot in conditions ranging from relaxed and similar to a portrait session for a little while to a literal dead run-all while making sure your exposure and focus is spot on. 
And underneath all of that you had better know how to get proper exposure along with proper focus and depth of field by using your split second reflexes.
You will also need to make sure you have excellent indemnity insurance and a rock hard contract for weddings. 
Equipment wise you will need 2 professional grade bodies; a 70-200 f/2.8 and a 24-70  f/2.8 with backups of some sort for both of those. A couple of good primes are really nice to have for the portraiture part of it. A minimum of one good  dedicated speedlite and a modifier for it. Off camera setup and  knowledge with that speedlite is HIGHLY recommended. Reflectors and  preferably a strobe setup of some sort are HIGHLY recommended as well.

POrtrait work is very controlled and you can relax and take that shot two or three times. Wedding work you get one shot. THat's it and it's The. Most. Important. Photograph of those people that they will ever have taken. If you make a mistake it can cost you EVERYTHING. Literally. Not to mention break a bride and groom's heart. Wedding photography is not for the faint of heart. If you are a high pressure performer? It might just be for you-but only if you know your camera work inside and out.


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## manaheim (Oct 30, 2012)

Can I just copy and paste some other "omg don't do weddings!" thread into this one and then we can lock it after?


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## SCraig (Oct 30, 2012)

manaheim said:


> Can I just copy and paste some other "omg don't do weddings!" thread into this one and then we can lock it after?



That would be my recommendation as well.  Your only problem is going to be figuring out which one.


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## gsgary (Oct 30, 2012)

manaheim said:


> Can I just copy and paste some other "omg don't do weddings!" thread into this one and then we can lock it after?



You will be busy for the next year if you do


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## KmH (Oct 30, 2012)

In April, sunset will be after 7:45 PM in Dallas. - Sunrise and Sunset for U.S.A. &#8211; Texas &#8211; Dallas &#8211; April 2013

Here is for San Antonio - Sunrise and Sunset for U.S.A. &#8211; Texas &#8211; San Antonio &#8211; April 2013


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## OLDSKEWL (Oct 30, 2012)

Jeez. There are more relaxed wedding scenarios where the bride and groom are looking for more of a deal from a friend kind of service, or shoot it as a wedding gift kind of thing. Not every wedding is so high pressure. Everybody has to start someplace before taking on more serious events where they will want to chop off your head if every shot is not perfect. As long as there is a mutual understanding before hand.


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## MLeeK (Oct 30, 2012)

I THINK I found your website and facebook. You have some good, basic solid images there. Your newer stuff is solidly consistent  with good color, focus and exposure. You seem to do more child and newborn and your weakest images are in your families and groups-you need to step those up for a wedding. Overall I'd venture to guess you could do it with your skills. 
As for equipment if you don't have it, you can rent. 
Pressure-If you aren't comfortable with it even the most laid back wedding is still a lot of pressure if it's not your thing. If it's a WEDDING it's a LOT of pressure. I'll stand by my description on the pressure. You have to be prepared for the worst. Even bridezillas often CLAIM to not want much and to be easy and laid back... Then you get there and OH MY GOD... This is their wedding day, you have internal pressure there-you know you don't want to screw it up and that can make it hell if you don't like pressure.


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## photosbydanij (Oct 30, 2012)

Wow, and here I thought I might actually get a little bit of support around here.  I asked a simple question, not for reply after reply of basic berating.  I turn down weddings every day; the ONLY reason I told this particular person that I would look into and get back to him is because I know that it will be very low-key and I personally know most of the people who will be in the wedding party.  I have some event experience, but I do try to avoid it.  

In the end, I was 98% certain that I would tell them no for the exact reasons that many of you mentioned (inexperienced, important event, no redos, etc) but I did want to look into it before giving a solid answer.  I thought I was pretty clear that I was only thinking about it, not that I was for sure going to do it and that the whole thing was very much up in the air still.  Obviously, I'm not super comfortable with doing a wedding or I wouldn't be here asking for your ADVICE.

Do any of you know a wedding photographer who never had to shoot their first wedding?  Again, I made it very clear to him that IF, and I emphasized "IF" I did it, it would be my first.  I have been nothing but honest with them and, like I said, probably was never going to do it anyway.  I owed it to them, as a friend, to look into the feasibility of it and then match that up with my comfort level and decide from there.

Thanks for your help.  And for those who actually WERE helpful without being rude, thank you, really.


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## pixmedic (Oct 30, 2012)

typically, a photographer that wants to get into weddings works with an established wedding photographer as a second shooter in order to learn the flow of weddings. that's the best way to do it I think. it gives  you a chance to learn weddings without much of the pressure. not that you HAVE to do it that way...but it IS much easier, has a much better learning curve, and leads to fewer ulcers. I envy you though,  I sure wish I could be turning down weddings every day.


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## SCraig (Oct 30, 2012)

photosbydanij said:


> ... Do any of you know a wedding photographer who never had to shoot their first wedding? ....


Nope.  But I know very few who shot their first alone.  I know even fewer who shot their first alone and were successful.  The majority apprentice with another photographer and shoot second-camera for a few to understand what's going on.  That's what I did anyway.


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## photosbydanij (Oct 30, 2012)

Thank you.  I really am not looking to get into weddings at this time, but if I ever decide that it is something I'm interested in, I will find a local wedding photographer to work with until I am comfortable on my own.  It really is something that feels too high-risk for me, but I did want to know what it would take to do a wedding should I ever seriously entertain the idea.  Thank you for your thoughts.  As far as this particular wedding, I will be telling them that I cannot do it.  The equipment I would need to rent would drive up my fee far past what I would be comfortable asking, given the situation.  I have a very high standards and I criticize my own work far more than anyone else every could, which is why I needed to make sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I could do a wedding and have it be amazing.  I am not at that point right now and seeing all of the extra equipment I would need really drives that home for me.


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## SCraig (Oct 30, 2012)

photosbydanij said:


> Thank you.  I really am not looking to get into weddings at this time, but if I ever decide that it is something I'm interested in, I will find a local wedding photographer to work with until I am comfortable on my own.  It really is something that feels too high-risk for me, but I did want to know what it would take to do a wedding should I ever seriously entertain the idea.  Thank you for your thoughts.  As far as this particular wedding, I will be telling them that I cannot do it.  The equipment I would need to rent would drive up my fee far past what I would be comfortable asking, given the situation.  I have a very high standards and I criticize my own work far more than anyone else every could, which is why I needed to make sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I could do a wedding and have it be amazing.  I am not at that point right now and seeing all of the extra equipment I would need really drives that home for me.



In that case you really, really need to find a wedding photographer in your area and see if they are interested in an intern.  I was fortunate enough to work at a camera shop when I was young, and the owner was a wedding photographer.  I shot second for him a number of times and then later shot a couple on my own.  I decided it wasn't something I wanted to do for a living and took a different career path.  That was 40-odd years ago and I never regretted my decision.

Some love it, some hate it, some just do it for the income.  If you really think it's something that you'd like to do then go for it, but my recommendation would be that you do so only after you've got a few second-shooter jobs under your belt.

Edit ... I forgot to mention that I think your ethics are first-rate.  As MLeeK stated below, we see this so often that we are conditioned to blow it off as another noob professional.  Keep that attitude and you'll do well.


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## MLeeK (Oct 30, 2012)

photosbydanij said:


> Wow, and here I thought I might actually get a little bit of support around here.  I asked a simple question, not for reply after reply of basic berating.  I turn down weddings every day; the ONLY reason I told this particular person that I would look into and get back to him is because I know that it will be very low-key and I personally know most of the people who will be in the wedding party.  I have some event experience, but I do try to avoid it.
> 
> In the end, I was 98% certain that I would tell them no for the exact reasons that many of you mentioned (inexperienced, important event, no redos, etc) but I did want to look into it before giving a solid answer.  I thought I was pretty clear that I was only thinking about it, not that I was for sure going to do it and that the whole thing was very much up in the air still.  Obviously, I'm not super comfortable with doing a wedding or I wouldn't be here asking for your ADVICE.
> 
> ...


Don't let our answers get under your skin too much. We see posts every day where it's "I bought a DSLR and now I am shooting a wedding on Saturday, what should my settings be." And then they shoot the wedding and come back and we get the post "My shots are blurry, how do I fix that?" Your post is NOT the norm. 
It's kind of like Pavlov's dog... We respond based on what we've learned over the years.
We also hear about all of the lawsuits from those who aren't doing their homework first and it affects those of us who do shoot weddings greatly. Just like everything else we're worried about the state of the industry and what may happen next, how it affects our bottom line and life's blood..


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## DiskoJoe (Oct 30, 2012)

photosbydanij said:


> Wow, and here I thought I might actually get a little bit of support around here.  I asked a simple question, not for reply after reply of basic berating.  I turn down weddings every day; the ONLY reason I told this particular person that I would look into and get back to him is because I know that it will be very low-key and I personally know most of the people who will be in the wedding party.  I have some event experience, but I do try to avoid it.
> 
> In the end, I was 98% certain that I would tell them no for the exact reasons that many of you mentioned (inexperienced, important event, no redos, etc) but I did want to look into it before giving a solid answer.  I thought I was pretty clear that I was only thinking about it, not that I was for sure going to do it and that the whole thing was very much up in the air still.  Obviously, I'm not super comfortable with doing a wedding or I wouldn't be here asking for your ADVICE.
> 
> ...



You should have taken those wedding jobs then you would have experience shooting weddings. Its hard at first but gets easier the more you do it. You have to start somewhere and this is an opportunity. 

Gear list:
two bodies
wide angle (ex 11-16mm f2.8)
mid range zoom (ex 17-50mm f2.8)
Telephoto zoom (ex 70-200mm f2.8)
Flash
lots of batteries for flash and camera bodies
extra memory
2nd shooter if you can afford it. 2 heads are better then one. 

Alternatively you can add some primes in the mix there and if you shoot full frame the mix of lenses could be different like a 14-24, 50, 70-200 and some flash and two bodies.


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## DiskoJoe (Oct 30, 2012)

MLeeK said:


> photosbydanij said:
> 
> 
> > Wow, and here I thought I might actually get a little bit of support around here.  I asked a simple question, not for reply after reply of basic berating.  I turn down weddings every day; the ONLY reason I told this particular person that I would look into and get back to him is because I know that it will be very low-key and I personally know most of the people who will be in the wedding party.  I have some event experience, but I do try to avoid it.
> ...



I actually heard this from a wifes coworker. Her dad upgraded and gave her his xsi and a kit lens. She did not read the manual and did not know how to turn to flash off but then shot a maternatity shoot the next week and a wedding. I have not seen the pics but I can imagine they were bad.


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## Tee (Oct 30, 2012)

I shot my first wedding recently.  ZOMG- I never informed TPF beforehand of this!  I've been meaning to do a write up of my experience and share it for other people who are venturing into this.  Maybe this will give me the incentive to do so.  Stay tuned...


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## photosbydanij (Oct 30, 2012)

MLeeK said:


> Don't let our answers get under your skin too much. We see posts every day where it's "I bought a DSLR and now I am shooting a wedding on Saturday, what should my settings be." And then they shoot the wedding and come back and we get the post "My shots are blurry, how do I fix that?" Your post is NOT the norm.
> It's kind of like Pavlov's dog... We respond based on what we've learned over the years.
> We also hear about all of the lawsuits from those who aren't doing their homework first and it affects those of us who do shoot weddings greatly. Just like everything else we're worried about the state of the industry and what may happen next, how it affects our bottom line and life's blood..




After I replied with my second post, having taken offense to what I'd read, I took some time, got my kids and we went to the playground for a bit.  While I was there, I likened my question (and your responses) to a pregnancy forum I was in when I was expecting my first.  There are only so many times you can nicely answer the question, "Am I pregnant?" without cracking a whip and telling the girl that your Magic 8 ball is broken and she'd better just go buy a test.  I'm not proud of my response and I do appreciate all of the feedback.  Hopefully I can stick around here and learn some more.  I still have a lot to learn and it would be nice to have a community where I can do so on more of an interactive level.

Oh, and I agree with you- my group shots are not great and I am in desperate need of some improving in that area.  Thank you, mLeeK, for taking the time to look through some of my work and give your feedback.  I appreciate it very much.


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## MLeeK (Oct 30, 2012)

photosbydanij said:


> MLeeK said:
> 
> 
> > Don't let our answers get under your skin too much. We see posts every day where it's "I bought a DSLR and now I am shooting a wedding on Saturday, what should my settings be." And then they shoot the wedding and come back and we get the post "My shots are blurry, how do I fix that?" Your post is NOT the norm.
> ...



Stick around. You'll do fine. Just remember it can get REALLY cut throat here, but once you get  used to it-we're not a bad group. 
It's kind of like having siblings. You can tell them that they are every foul word you can think of and tomorrow they'll be your best friend. We reserve the right to hate each other at any given point for absolutely no reason if that's what we feel like doing!


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## photosbydanij (Oct 30, 2012)

MLeeK said:


> It's kind of like having siblings. You can tell them that they are every foul word you can think of and tomorrow they'll be your best friend. We reserve the right to hate each other at any given point for absolutely no reason if that's what we feel like doing!




I have 8 siblings, so I guess we're good


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## MLeeK (Oct 30, 2012)

Oh, dear God. You poor child.


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## kathyt (Oct 30, 2012)

photosbydanij said:


> Thank you.  I really am not looking to get into weddings at this time, but if I ever decide that it is something I'm interested in, I will find a local wedding photographer to work with until I am comfortable on my own.  It really is something that feels too high-risk for me, but I did want to know what it would take to do a wedding should I ever seriously entertain the idea.  Thank you for your thoughts.  As far as this particular wedding, I will be telling them that I cannot do it.  The equipment I would need to rent would drive up my fee far past what I would be comfortable asking, given the situation.  I have a very high standards and I criticize my own work far more than anyone else every could, which is why I needed to make sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I could do a wedding and have it be amazing.  I am not at that point right now and seeing all of the extra equipment I would need really drives that home for me.



I was going to add that if this was going to a smaller, more casual affair, would you have time between now and April to get in there and possible second shoot for 2 or 3 weddings?  If this was the case, sometimes if your skill level is already fairly high then you might just need those 3 or so experiences to really put things into place for you as far as lighting goes and sequence of events.  I would not recommend this for someone you don't know, but this could be a great opportunity for you, and who knows you may really find out this is something you might love to do in the future.  As for gear is concerned, alot of rental companies have a package mainly for wedding photographers that includes all those basic lenses and such that you might want to rent that day at a reduced "bundled" rate.  You might not make any money in the end, but the experience might be worth it.  I am going to say that sometimes in life you have to believe in yourself, and if you feel strong enough about your skills and what you can bring to the table then put in the work and go for it.


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## MLeeK (Oct 30, 2012)

Kathy's got great advice. I have a wedding I am shooting in  your neck of the woods(Austin-Lake Travis area), but it's not till May. If you're still interested in trying it out a little then let me know and I'll be glad to have you come up and shoot with me.


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## photosbydanij (Oct 30, 2012)

Thank you both.  MLeeK, I will think about that a let you know.  I appreciate the offer.


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## kathyt (Oct 30, 2012)

Tee said:


> I shot my first wedding recently.  ZOMG- I never informed TPF beforehand of this!  I've been meaning to do a write up of my experience and share it for other people who are venturing into this.  Maybe this will give me the incentive to do so.  Stay tuned...



What does ZOMG mean?  I noticed you live in Mystic, Connecticut.  When I was in 5th grade, so a couple of years ago , my fathers company required him to travel to Rhode Island all the time so we got the luxury of getting a beach house for the summer in that area as a perk.  I remember a restaurant called Jackos, I think I spelled it right, they had the BEST clam chowder EVER!  Does that name ring a bell and is it still there?  Just curious.


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## Tee (Oct 30, 2012)

ZOMG- it's an over exaggerated way of saying OMG but in a teen, shrilly kinda way.  Jackos doesn't ring a bell.    

BTW, I posted my experience about shooting a wedding for the first time in the General Shop Talk forum.


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## manaheim (Oct 31, 2012)

Anecdotally, there will always be able people who can say "I shot a first wedding and it was fine" and they can point to circumstances of the tolerances of the couple, or skill... or luck.  however, regardless of these things "a wedding" is a very significant event for a lot of people, and an incredibly complicated event to shoot from both technical and logistical perspectives.  It is really not something anyone should take lightly, and the reality is that anyone who comes on here and posts questions like "What kind of lens should I use?" is demonstrating a level of ignorance that is frankly terrifying, given the circumstances.

Yes, everyone has to start somewhere, but as people who are relatively "in the know" we would be completely irresponsible in not attempting to reasonably discourage people from trying their hands at weddings when they clearly don't have the knowledge, equipment or supervision necessary to have a good chance of pulling it off.


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## DiskoJoe (Nov 6, 2012)

manaheim said:


> Anecdotally, there will always be able people who can say "I shot a first wedding and it was fine" and they can point to circumstances of the tolerances of the couple, or skill... or luck.  however, regardless of these things "a wedding" is a very significant event for a lot of people, and an incredibly complicated event to shoot from both technical and logistical perspectives.  It is really not something anyone should take lightly, and the reality is that anyone who comes on here and posts questions like "What kind of lens should I use?" is demonstrating a level of ignorance that is frankly terrifying, given the circumstances.
> 
> Yes, everyone has to start somewhere, but as people who are relatively "in the know" we would be completely irresponsible in not attempting to reasonably discourage people from trying their hands at weddings when they clearly don't have the knowledge, equipment or supervision necessary to have a good chance of pulling it off.



My first wedding came out okay but......

It was for friends that I had know for over a decade. I knew their families too. It was outside during the day. And I had been shooting for years and done plenty of portraits. but was it perfect or something that was stellar, not really. but it was nice and they liked it.


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## fractionofasecond (Nov 6, 2012)

Just do it if you feel confident.  Everyone has to learn somehow.  You explained to them that you have never done a wedding and you should also explain you can't guarantee perfect results.  If you know most of the people there, I am sure they will completely understand.  I am sure you will do perfectly fine and it will be a good experience.  I hate how everyone just puts you down to it when the only way to learn is to do it.  Some people might not get the "luxury" of being a second shooter and should take on the challenge themselves.  I am in no way a professional, but if you have done proffesional work before, I think it is good to be positive about it and be over-prepared.  If you are professional, you can take great pictures, I say go for it.


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## fractionofasecond (Nov 6, 2012)

And by the way, if your friends want you to shoot their wedding, they must be pretty confident in you and your work.  Just sayin'.


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## Steve5D (Jan 31, 2013)

SCraig said:


> I know even fewer who shot their first alone and were successful.




I fit into that group. I've shot one wedding, and was quite successful.

Would it have been considered by a so-called "professional" wedding photographer? 

Hell, I don't know, and I don't really care, because it doesn't matter. The clients (friends) were over-the-moon happy, and that's the _only _thing that matters.

It's the only one wedding I've ever shot and, since I'm battin' a thousand, I see no reason to screw that up...


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## Steve5D (Jan 31, 2013)

MLeeK said:


> Kathy's got great advice. I have a wedding I am shooting in  your neck of the woods(Austin-Lake Travis area), but it's not till May. If you're still interested in trying it out a little then let me know and I'll be glad to have you come up and shoot with me.





photosbydanij said:


> Thank you both.  MLeeK, I will think about that a let you know.  I appreciate the offer.



Man, that's a Helluva' offer!


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## Steve5D (Jan 31, 2013)

rickardbriggs said:


> I really am not looking to get into marriages presently...



Me neither... Considering I just got out of one...


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## SJphoto (Feb 4, 2013)

I would suggest you get a wedding photography book or two and skim through them. See if it's for you. You'd need a professional full-frame DSLR like the MkII or D900 to get started. Bring some back up. Bring a wedding contract or agreement. Lighting...make sure you have an f/2.8 lens. Canon's 70-200mm f2.8 IS USM is a great one for weddings. Rent it out if it's too expensive (retails at over $2500). There's an entire procedure to shooting weddings. I'd say look at some books if you want to get it right. Bill Hurter is a good place to start.


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## jwbryson1 (Feb 4, 2013)

OP, I'm originally from San Antonio and one of my good friends is David Sixt. He's a full-time pro in San Antonio and he's the best of the best.  Extraordinary work and he's booked 18 months in advance because he's that good.  You should look him up and see if there is anything he can do to help you.  No promises, but he's local so...

Good luck with that.


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## Raian-san (Feb 6, 2013)

I shot my first wedding without prior experience  

One thing I learned from here is don't post up a thread on how to shoot your first wedding. But I shot quite a few wedding film before so I know how weddings goes. If you know how to change settings on the fly and know how to use flash and you have the gears, I'm pretty sure you can do it. How good it will be depends on how good you are. One of the most important part is preparation. Go venue scouting to see the church and reception lighting. Go look for places with good scenery, lighting to take pictures of the bridal party, bride&groom. Bring a friend along, and use them as test shot. You most likely want to go about a month or 2 weeks prior so the time of the lighting is about the same. Some church doesn't allow you to go pass a certain point so of course go to the church and ask the rules. Bring the lens and see which lens you're gonna need. Check the reception to see how high the ceiling is, if it's low you can bounce your flash on the ceiling, if not you'll have to use a diffuser or use off camera flash. 

I would bring another photographer too as doing your first wedding alone is hard. Another shooter will have a different angle, and more images. GL!


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