Wedding Photography

[button]

I'm doing a friend's wedding this coming weekend, and I have never done anything like this before. I've only had my DSLR about ten months and I haven't even practiced much the past few weeks. Honestly, I'm starting to freak out a little bit. Are there any helpful tips ya'll can offer? I have a Nikon D-90 and two lenses, no external flashes, I do have a tripod. I am getting paid to do this, so I really want to do a good job.

[Niresangwa]

Max, is that you?

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by Niresangwa

Max, is that you?

What he said....

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by oldwolf

What he said....

I take it this is a bait post?

[graciousness]

Dear OP,

You'll find that the responses above may seem sarcastic and even negative, but there is a good reason for this.

You are taking a job that is out of your depth.

There are photographers that have been at it for years and they know that it takes one big gut to do wedding photography. It's a huge day, it's exhausting, and most of all, this is one of the most important days of their lives.

You can't afford to stuff this up for them. It just wouldn't be fair.

Now in regards to your gears - you simply don't have enough. You need at least a flash with ten million battery supplies, same for your camera, a lot and i mean A LOT of memory cards, and a shoot plan so that you know when and where you are going to be during the day.

You don't seem to have any of that.

If I haven't freaked you out yet, well, guess what, YOU SHOULD BE VERY SCARED. You aren't prepared for this and don't seem to have attempted to prepare seeing that you haven't done much shooting for weeks, plus attempted to actually seek help a lot earlier than a week before the wedding. Not a good thing.

You will ruin someone's day if you don't deliver some decent photos.

So read up, read everything that you need to know about shooting without flash indoors with low light, how to pose couples, how to take group shots and ensuring everyone is focused, how to expose for ambient light if it's too much or too little, etc. And if you have plan B should something happen to your camera.

If I were you, I woudl talk to the couple and NOT charge them. It would only be fair being that you don't knwo what you're doing and well, they're your friends. Call it a present. Also, set their expectations so that they are not expecting professional quality photos because they are not going to get that. Hope that you can get some good snap that they can be happy with.

Go. Panic. You need to catch up on practice and reading before the event.

[Meatshield]

I'm with everything graciousness said.

However, should you choose to continue, GET A FLASH!! And don't use any of your lenses close to their limits.

I just did my first wedding, I messed up most of the shots. I got enough good ones to get by though, and I used gimp on the rest. I'll find out in a day or two when they get back from honeymoon if I survived or not, but the experience is definitely going to make me think twice before offering to do anything like this again.

You just rock up and take some happy snappies, right? Wrong

[zona5101]

Awww man. Don't listen to the naysayers! I mean, really, what's the worse that can happen? It's not likes its your wedding...and they'll probably get divorced anyway. Have fun! Spend more time at the bar having free drinks...It will save on the number of bad shots you take. Win-Win I think! Bonus: lots of hotties to hit on!

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by zona5101

Awww man. Don't listen to the naysayers! I mean, really, what's the worse that can happen? It's not likes its your wedding...and they'll probably get divorced anyway. Have fun! Spend more time at the bar having free drinks...It will save on the number of bad shots you take. Win-Win I think! Bonus: lots of hotties to hit on!

LOL.

Sorry. I shoot weddings and it's a tough job but I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read this or it would've come out of my nose. Thanks for the early morning laugh.

Not everyone has $3000 to spend on a photographer.

But then again, if you spend $500, don't expect the photos to look as good as a more expensive photographer.

So don't stress it.

[bhursey]

I would like to see Buttons work before saying if it can be pulled off or not. ALL I have to say is at your point I would not do it. It was literally 4 years after I really got into photography and 2 years after stating my business when I shot my first wedding and it was hell literally hell. they loved the pictures but every wedding I shoot stresses the heck out of me.

I would say the bare minimum kit would be for me.

2 camera bodies, 2 flashes, 28-75 or 24-70 f2.8 lens of some sort on 1 camera and a 85, 100, 200mm fast lens like a 1.8 or 2.8 on the camera 2 and allot of cards and batteries. That would be the absolute minimum, but that does not cover like inside group shots or anything. I bring an strobist package with me for off camera lights.

Even if you got all of this it sounds like you do not have the proper experience to use it.

What are you charging them and what are their expectations? Shooting friends and families weddings can some times ruin your relationship with them so be capful.

So give you an idea this is a small kit I brought to my last SMALL wedding I shot lats month.


Wedding kit for today. by Brian Hursey, on Flickr