First Photo Assignment PLEASE Help

[rickp1]

I just got a call from my girlfriend's niece and she wants me to shoot her engagement event. From what she told me it's not a party or a big event, it'll just be her and her boyfriend in some nice areas like the beach and a tropical garden.

I would appreciate any suggestions or tips you guys might have. I just got the call 15 minutes ago and I'm already nervous. LOL. I want to do a perfect job for them, so anything no matter how trivial you think it is, please share.

FYI, I'll be shooting with a 5D2 and I have a 24-105mm, 70-200 f2.8 and a 85mm f1.8 prime. I have a tripod and a 5 in 1 reflector with a stand. Along with this I have a few Singh Ray filters that i can benefit from.

Thanks
R.

[RecurrentNerve]

Well, you've got a good selection of lenses there to start with, so use them to get a variety of shots. I would think you'll get the most use out of your prime for portraits. Unless your 'client' specifically wants posed shots, I'd try and go candid; there'll be plenty of people enjoying themselves that you can capture. Remember to take a few of each shot and don't delete any until you've seen them on the computer screen; you might throw out the best shot you take all day.

You might need to use a bit of fill flash here and there to get rid of facial shadows. Don't stress yourself about it too much; your girlfriend's niece knows you're not a pro (I assume) and presumably has seen some of your previous stuff so she should know what to expect. If not, well, you're doing it for free so she can't complain!

[rickp1]

Hey Recurrent,
Thanks for the reply.
You're right she knows and has seen other pictures I've taken of the family and we both agree about keeping things natural, like I'm not even there.
I never delete anything until I get home, sometimes a shot might not be great as a full frame but might be perfect if cropped.

Sometime next week i'm checking out some possible locations like the beach, parks and gardens.

Right now I'm thinking of asking them to do it in the late afternoon. This way the sun is a bit lower in the horizon and softer and we might be able to benefit from the sunset if at the beach. What do you think about that?

R.