Wedding in bad lighting...help?

[Stina3246]

I shot a wedding about a week ago. (Luckily I was the second on this one) I did get some GREAT shots (these are NOT my best...just examples to show lighting) but as you can see from these, the lighting was difficult. How would you have shot this, what settings, different angles?
Like I said, I was the second so I was mainly there for audience reaction and/or to catch anything different from the photographer who booked it. I had no say in location, time of day etc. I just shot what I got. What would have made these shots better?




I used a variety of settings trying to get it right but the ones shown were mainly shot this way:
I was shooting with my nikon D50 with a 55-200 Nikon lens
1/125
F5.6
ISO 400
Auto white balance
External speedlight 600 flash

[jdepould]

Expose for the highlights, tone for the shadows. There's enough light there that bringing up the shadow detail in post won't introduce a ton of noise. I probably would've used a faster shutter speed, and maybe lower ISO, to keep the whites from blowing out.

[zona5101]

Geepers, that's some difficult lighting indeed. My first instinct would have been to use flash...

[Stina3246]

Originally Posted by zona5101

Geepers, that's some difficult lighting indeed. My first instinct would have been to use flash...

I was using a flash, a speedlight 600 cranked all the way up. I was quite a distance away too. We couldn't use any type of umbrella flash or anything like that. My partner was right up on them but I was a good 50-80 feet or more away at best. I was moving around a lot (shot from both sides) but trying to stay out of my partners shots.

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by Stina3246

I was using a flash, a speedlight 600 cranked all the way up. I was quite a distance away too. We couldn't use any type of umbrella flash or anything like that. My partner was right up on them but I was a good 50-80 feet or more away at best. I was moving around a lot (shot from both sides) but trying to stay out of my partners shots.

the distance worked against you but what are ya gonna do? You had your role and you executed to the best of your ability and equipment. My first thought maybe to get a sb900 or something bigger but at the 80 feet distance you would still be having a tough time filling in the shadows.

[SusanH1970]

One of my favorite wedding photographers of all time deals with lighting situations like this all the time. On another forum she posted images she'd taken (wish I could link to the images; they've since been replaced by more recent sessions) in very similar lighting situations. What she had done was come in early to scout, looked for one pocket where she knew there would be open shade in that area at the time of the wedding and set up so she'd focus on that one area. She literally had seconds to shoot in perfect lighting in between the wedding party going through a patch of good light vs. a patch of dappled/bad light. The photos were brilliant!

Now, I'm not a wedding photographer, but what I learned from her was to learn to read light where it is, and where it will be. I know I still can't do it nearly as well, but it was an eye-opener for sure, and I hope this helps.

[pjflan7]

how did #1 do? Did you ask him or her what they did or would have done?

[Stina3246]

Originally Posted by pjflan7

how did #1 do? Did you ask him or her what they did or would have done?

He told me he used the lighting to his advantage. He was much closer then I was and was able to move around to avoid the harshest light. I asked him what his setting were and yes his photos did come out good....well, I haven't seen them all but the ones he showed me were good. His flash is about the same as mine and settings were similar, I think just that he was closer made a difference.
Susan: I wasn't able to scout the area first(it was out of town and I drove down just before the wedding) and wouldn't have been able to sit in one spot to get the good lighting. If I were the primary photographer then of course but since I was the second I had no contact with the bride or groom before the wedding, no access to the park (It was a park you had to pay to get into) or anything like that before hand, just had to show up and shoot. I'm mainly there as a back up and to carry equipment. When I'm not doinbg that I shoot.