First wedding this weekend - have I missed anything?

[graciousness]

I am doing my first wedding this weekend in Tasmania. Took me 8 months to prepare for it. I think I've got *almost* everything, but need to quadruple check from you guys to make sure that I have covered everything. I can never be too sure....

Wedding Scene:

Beach, 2 hours away from Hobart, Tasmania (Swansea)
Ceremony: 5 pm on deck
Cocktails: 6:30 pm
Reception: 9 pm
Sunset: 8:42 PM

Venue: Beach for ceremony, Rented retreat with glass walls all around

Bouncing flash will be tricky.


GEARS:

2 x Camera Body - Canon 30D and Canon 40D
2 x flash units - 550EX and 430EX
1 x Canon Transmitter (for flashes)
1 x wireless shutter trigger
1 x convertible umbrella and stand
1 x mini softbox (Photoplex Quantum Litedome XS)
1 x tripod
10 x 8Gb Sandisk Extreme III
2 x 4 Gb Sandisk Extreme
2 x 2 Gb Sandisk Extreme
UV and CPL filters (just in case)
8 x camera battery plus charger

Canon lenses:
24-105mm L
50mm f/2.5
17-40mm L wide angle (borrowed)
100-400mm L (just in case)

About to purchase:
16x Batteries for flash unit
Black Rapid RS-W1 strap

Alcoholic Beverage: CHECK and plenty

Really wanted to get rechargeable batteries but the Maha Powerex plus 16 powerex batteries are out of reach now after buying all those memory cards. So will have to be non-environmental and buy stupid lithium batteries. Should I kill someone and take their money, though, and try to get the rechargeables? Does it really make a big difference in regards to recyling time on my flash? I'm only getting 6-7 seconds at the moment with my batteries.

Shoot Plan: CHECK

Nerves: There and CHECK

Assistant: None Only me. Because it's out of town and remote, couldn't find anyone to help me.

Since the wedding is in Tasmania, I will only get the chance to check the location the day before wedding.

I don't have a laptop to upload the images to, but then I don't have time to do that during the wedding and we leave very early the next day to go back home. I hope my cards will be ok after airport kerpuffle xrays, etc.

I think...I THINK I've covered everything that I think I need. Been practicing and improving my shots for 8 months. The only thing I'm deadly worried about is the group shot of 60 people. Never shot anything that big.

Have I missed anything? Any further advice is most welcome!

Cheers,

Grace

[Rentham]

Ten 8 gig cards? Eight camera batteries? Is this wedding go to last a week?

[graciousness]

By the way, this is a friend's wedding and they weren't going to use any photographers. Not a formal wedding, they don't even have any bridesmaids, etc. So they came up to me because there were no available photographers in the area and were not going to have a photographer until they thought of me.

Not doing this wedding for free as they have paid for my accommodation and flight which totalled $1K.

I thought it was an opportunity I should take and hard to pass, esp we couldn't afford to go to the wedding on our budget.

By the way, this is the breath-taking venue:

http://www.avaloncoastalretreat.com....ageName=videos

[graciousness]

Originally Posted by Rentham

Ten 8 gig cards? Eight camera batteries? Is this wedding go to last a week?

I know

I went for overkill on those because I couldn't afford to have any corrupt cards or batteries, just in case. Wanted to be over-prepared. Esp I got the memory cards for such a damn good deal.

Yep, major overkill on the batteries and memory cards. Last wedding I shot I used 2 batteries and about 50GB of flash memory, but that was with my 5DII.

Rechargable batteries have a lower internal resistance, and should refresh your flash faster. With NiMh, my 580exII refreshes in about 2 seconds from full power. With NiZn, it's about 1 second at full power, which is about the same as using a batter pack for your flash.

Good luck and have fun!

[Hill Country Hack]

Havw fun and good luck. Is it possible to copy our cards and mail the copies to yourself?

[graciousness]

Don't know how I would copy cards, but mailing it, I'd get h ome first before the copies Wedding is on saturday night and we leave at a painful early hours of the morning back home Sunday.

Trying to find out if I can use iphone or iPad to keep the raw files there....

8 hours of shooting you'd think I would have some time to save files....maybe.

I'm just more worried about the 60 people group shot. I am just hoping I can pull it off with a super narrow aperture and 6 pm summer sun. But apparently it's partly cloudy so that may do me favours.

There's always the roof I can shoot from.....

I've just ordered the Maha Powerex MC9000 plus 12 rechargeable Powerex 2700 NiMH. Got some lithium on the sides as spare........can't wait to get them and charge them up when they get here.

[Woody]

Originally Posted by Hill Country Hack

Havw fun and good luck. Is it possible to copy our cards and mail the copies to yourself?

No take a photo of the cards and email the photo.

or

better still burn to a cd and fax the cd...................


Whats that about?


Cheers,

John W


Grace,
The CFor SD cards will be OK.

Just make sure you format them in the camera before and do some test shots before you go to Tassie and number them. Have a small note book and pen in your pocket. It will come in handy.

Just have fun. I'll send you a link to my sons wedding at Coogee last year. Just used the 450d, 18-135 lens and 430Ex. No tripod and no other junk. Keep it simple and fast paced and not have to keep a worried eye on your camera bag and gear in the corner.

JW

[RichardTaylor]

Got your airline tickets?
+smile

[graciousness]

Originally Posted by Woody

No take a photo of the cards and email the photo.

The CFor SD cards will be OK.

Just make sure you format them in the camera before and do some test shots before you go to Tassie and number them. Have a small note book and pen in your pocket. It will come in handy.

Just have fun. I'll send you a link to my sons wedding at Coogee last year. Just used the 450d, 18-135 lens and 430Ex. No tripod and no other junk. Keep it simple and fast paced and not have to keep a worried eye on your camera bag and gear in the corner.

JW

Cheers, John! Great tips for the CF - didn't think of doing that with the new ones even though I do it all the time with the ones I've got already! Will do that tomorrow when I charge my camera batteries

Also, didn't think of marking the CF cards - fab idea, too!

Would love to see the wedding link - I'm sure the photos will be fab and I'll smile endless when I look at them.

Richard - cheers! After I submitted this thread, I checked on the tickets and only realised then that I got the times wrong of when we leave, etc. But you reminded me to check in since I do have luggage. Hehe, thanks