"It's just a casual affair......"

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

That is what my girlfriend said when she asked me if I would photograph her son's wedding and then she proceeded to tell me that there would be 4 bridesmaids and 3 flowergirls! EEEKKKK!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I've read all about the problems that come with photographing weddings and no I don't want to make a living out of it. I've barely moved out of the point & shoot masses so I'm under no illusions whatsoever of my capabilities but what could I say?

Now's the time to throw in the "oh that's so sad" card.

The father of the groom has been diagnosed with a serious cancer, the outcome of treatment, when it starts, is unknown. The couple were due to be married later next year but have brought forward the wedding(Nov 5th) so the father can be involved with the wedding and see his son married (they have 2 sons & this is the youngest and the first to be married, both are in there mid 30s)

They are on a tight budget (with 4 bridesmaids & 3 flowergirls I'm not sure the bride knows the meaning of the word) and weren't going to have a photographer at all. That was until my friend said "I'm sure FlyingKiwiGirl will take them!" And so this is the price I pay for flicking off my "great" shots to family & friends over the last few years.

Although I am extremely nervous about the whole experience (I have 2 months to prepare)I'm not as worried about taking the photos as the equipment I have. It is what it is. I have a Sony a350 with a 18-250mm kit lens. That is it. Built in flash, no fancy lens or lighting equipment. Just the camera's own little flash. I could hire equipment, if we had somewhere to hire gear from. We don't. At the moment I can not afford to buy anything, although I would have liked a speedlight flash, it's just not going to happen so I have to make do with what I have. I do have a tripod, not a flash one just a standard hold the camera steady, angle up or down and click. And I also have a helper (my daughter-in-law has offered which I'm very grateful for)

The wedding is outdoors at 3pm in November (late spring Downunder) and the venue is actually in a very photogenic location. I am a person that has to be overly prepared and then some(some would say anal), so I have already been scouting out the location and another park that they are wanting to have photos taken at. I've already taken quite a few photos, testing settings and composition etc and I'll be definitely revisiting closer to the date to check on the sun's position etc. Luckily both locations are within 2kms of me and in fact the park is just a short stroll through by garden and across the rail lines. I've read and have saved a large number of threads from DPS regarding weddings etc, I've also started a notebook with various comments and notes as things pop into my mind.

I know I'll be annoying the hell out of DPS members as I think of things to ask but first off, would anybody like to comment on things so far, any really good tips (and not "don't do it!", I already ignored that bit of advice ) Do I have a head start with the venue, or in fact is all that water and blue sky going to be a hindrance? I've checked the tides and it will be high tide, so that is a bonus as there are mud-flats out in the harbour.

I'll post a few photos of the venue, the restaurant is on the ground floor of an apartment/boat stack complex with a narrow marina running alongside the restaurant. There is a public walkway & overbridge that crosses over the boat stack entrance canal. The building is also beside a public boat ramp and has amazing water views towards Mt Maunganui; a NZ icon (an extinct volcano cone) and one the couple want to include in some of their photos. And suggestions of good spots for a photograph from well trained eyes?

This is where the ceremony will take place (there will be approx. 100 guests) You can look down into this area from the overbridge-


This is the view from the overbridge, those are the public boat jetties and there will quite possibly be boats pulling up to them on a Saturday afternoon so that's another thing I need to allow for-


I can see the B&G on here, but I'm worried about the brightness, exposing for the blue water and the brides dress and getting the detail of the couple, yikes! I can also see the flowergirls falling in.


The overbridge and canal-


Sorry the post is so long but I felt I needed to give the background, thanks for looking and thanks in advance for any suggestions however small or big they may be. I'll post photos of the park venue soon, I have a few queries about there too.

[zona5101]

Grab your daughter in law and get over there and practice. Review, adjust and shoot some more. Watch for under and overexposure situations and learn what you need to do to fix it whether it's exposure comp, spot metering or some combination. Shoot. Analize. Adjust. Shoot more.

[BigFuzzy]

Bruce gave some good advice. I'd also add to practice with your flash. Get to the point where you can use it for a bit of fill flash (as that's about as good as it'll be) without having that "flash" look. Learn your cameras "flash compensation" settings, if it has one. I know the canons can do flash compensation to make it stronger/weaker.

Start shooting with thinking of where the sun is going to be in relation to the subjects during the ceremony and other relevant moments (first kiss, ring exchange, first dance, etc). I really wish you could get/buy/borrow a hotshoe flash because those lighting conditions, even if it's a nice blue sky can be really harsh (ie raccoon eyes).

Do you have a relfector or a large white paper board to use for the more formal portraits? Have you spotted good areas of open shade?

Know any 2nd shooters that are willing to do "detail" shots for the experience? I say this as in they can take photos of the guests during ceremony, take details shots of flowers, etc while you're doing 'main' shooting? This will also help you relax so you can focus on doing your part right. Just make sure you can trust this person.

But as you noted (and I always scream), be prepared. Know your conditions and your camera so you can adjust on the fly. Have tons of ideas already in your head for those instances you can do planned shots. I'd even consider a 'practice' shoot with them at the location at the same time as the ceremony so you can get some practice.

And most of all, have fun. Prepare as much as you can NOW so you can relax and have fun then. Good luck.
Oh, and post results so we can praise/redicule accordingly!

[Doug Sundseth]

What they said.

And definitely bring along something you can use as a bounce card. Three or four pieces of foam core (the ones I like are white on one side and black on the other) can be used for impromptu shade (if only to keep dappled sunlight off the subjects) or to bring in a bit of light on the shadow side of their faces.

You can scout now to get some idea of the location (it looks like you've done that to some extent), but the light will be very different in three months. Make sure you do some serious scouting in the last week at the time you expect to be shooting.

Wear comfortable shoes and carry water and high-energy snack foods.

Oh, and have fun. You're doing something nice for people on a very happy day for them. Take advantage of the mood to keep your own mood up. If you're happy, you'll have more energy and your subjects will feel that too (which will, incidentally, help the photos).

[Gulf Coast Girl]

Not sure if this will be any help, but check out this: The Golden Hour Calculator / Sunrise and Sunset information for photographers

You can click on the map to get to your location, then click in the little square boxes below to find the Date and then the little display shows the position of the Sun for every hour of the day, including indicators when the Golden Hour begins and ends.

Again, not sure if that will help at all with your planning, but I really like the site so I thought I'd post a link. Also, I had better luck drilling down on the map for New Zealand when I switched the Base map from the default of VE over to the Google Hybrid option.

[autofocus]

All good tips already mentioned by the folks above. Use of some sort of reflector by someone who has experience using the reflector could save the day for you when faced with difficult backlit lighting situations...and that will be often with a bright sky and water in your scene. I know you said you can't invest too much in equipment, but a decent large multi finish reflector can often be found and bought for ~$40 US, and it is something you will use often on future shooting applications. But, if you do get one, you'd want to have your assistant practice with it...you can easily overexpose a subject with it...one of those things that a little goes a long way. For your interior shots you also may want to consider a little diffuser for your on camera flash to soften the light..again, not too expensive to buy. A nice shot from an elevated position (as on the bridge you mentioned) is to shoot down on the subject(s)...with a wide enough lens, you often can gather up all the guests into a great shot of all that attended. Just keep all the key players in front and in the middle of the group of all. Shooting down like that also somewhat reduces your DOF/focus issues on all the subjects. Depending on the light, you probably can get good focus on all when shot around f/7, and their faces looking up will be well lit from the sky light. Obviously, just make sure this setup will not have them looking directly up into a bright harsh sun...so timing, and sun location will have to be considered.

[autofocus]

Oh, one more note. Along with your concern of bright back lighting, it looks like the area has what could amount to a lot of background clutter..so pick your shot locations with that in mind. Simple is always best.

[Mulski]

I know exactly what you mean. I was faced with a similar situation and ended up being volunteered by my daughter to become their friends 'official' wedding photographer for the first time ever as they just couldn't afford a professional. I was really worried the photos would look awful (but couldn't tell them that) and the one thing that really helped me was holding a pre wedding shoot, just with them and no one else. It doesn't even need to be the same location.

I found that by doing this - a couple of weeks before the event - I could spend time getting to know the type of shots that 'worked' for them and got a better feel of what type of photo's they wanted; formal, relaxed, humorous etc. It also gave me the opportunity to try different compositions, backgrounds, DoF etc. The hour I spent with them helped me enormously and gave me range of shots that I could look at in my leisure afterwards and prepare for the day. Interestingly, they also commented when I took the final portfolio round that the pre shoot actually helped them to relax as they already had a feel for what I needed from the them on the day.

Whatever you do, enjoy it - good luck.

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Oh wow! Thanks so much guys for your advice. It was like Christmas morning opening the thread this morning.

Originally Posted by zona5101

Grab your daughter in law and get over there and practice. Review, adjust and shoot some more. Watch for under and overexposure situations and learn what you need to do to fix it whether it's exposure comp, spot metering or some combination. Shoot. Analize. Adjust. Shoot more.

Thanks Zona, good advice. I've been there twice already and taken a lot of photos to get a feel for the area and I certainly intend to take a whole heap more closer to the date. I've been doing a Project52 & a Project365 this year and having my camera in hand every day has certainly helped me gain a lot of confidence with all my settings so I'm very used to analyzing, adjusting & reshooting.

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

Bruce gave some good advice. I'd also add to practice with your flash. Get to the point where you can use it for a bit of fill flash (as that's about as good as it'll be) without having that "flash" look. Learn your cameras "flash compensation" settings, if it has one. I know the canons can do flash compensation to make it stronger/weaker.

Start shooting with thinking of where the sun is going to be in relation to the subjects during the ceremony and other relevant moments (first kiss, ring exchange, first dance, etc). I really wish you could get/buy/borrow a hotshoe flash because those lighting conditions, even if it's a nice blue sky can be really harsh (ie raccoon eyes).

Do you have a reflector or a large white paper board to use for the more formal portraits? Have you spotted good areas of open shade?

Know any 2nd shooters that are willing to do "detail" shots for the experience? I say this as in they can take photos of the guests during ceremony, take details shots of flowers, etc while you're doing 'main' shooting? This will also help you relax so you can focus on doing your part right. Just make sure you can trust this person.

But as you noted (and I always scream), be prepared. Know your conditions and your camera so you can adjust on the fly. Have tons of ideas already in your head for those instances you can do planned shots. I'd even consider a 'practice' shoot with them at the location at the same time as the ceremony so you can get some practice.

And most of all, have fun. Prepare as much as you can NOW so you can relax and have fun then. Good luck.
Oh, and post results so we can praise/redicule accordingly!

Thanks BigFuzzy, that's one whole heap of excellent points. Yes, my camera has flash compensation and I'm used to using it too so closer to the time I'll do some test shots and find out how much I'll need to adjust it. Unless it's a cloudy day the sun is going to be just over high noon(2pm height because of day light saving), it was 1pm in the photos above and the sun is coming in from the right. I'll need to check where they will be standing once I meet up with them. I wish I could get a hot shoe flash too but I very much doubt it. I'm definitely going to look at getting(and practicing) a reflector of some sort. Thanks for that.

Open shade is going to be an issue as there are only a few small trees and the grassed area where the wedding is taking place. The sun will be directly shining into the courtyard and the end wall which is one huge expanse of white. There are large trees in the park but they are quite open and create dappled shade. This will be another problem as they are wanting some photos under one huge pohutukawa tree in particular.

This is the tree,


Good advice about a 2nd shooter, I have someone in mind, I'm just hoping she is not going to be away as she does a lot of travelling, she is also a friend of the groom's family so will know a lot of guests.

And yes I'll certainly be posting some of the results for you all to laugh at. I'm sure I'll be breathing a huge sigh of relief so it won't matter either way if you like them or not! I think my mantra up until then will be "hey, remember they weren't going to have any photos"

Originally Posted by Doug Sundseth

What they said.

And definitely bring along something you can use as a bounce card. Three or four pieces of foam core (the ones I like are white on one side and black on the other) can be used for impromptu shade (if only to keep dappled sunlight off the subjects) or to bring in a bit of light on the shadow side of their faces.

You can scout now to get some idea of the location (it looks like you've done that to some extent), but the light will be very different in three months. Make sure you do some serious scouting in the last week at the time you expect to be shooting.

Wear comfortable shoes and carry water and high-energy snack foods.

Oh, and have fun. You're doing something nice for people on a very happy day for them. Take advantage of the mood to keep your own mood up. If you're happy, you'll have more energy and your subjects will feel that too (which will, incidentally, help the photos).

Thanks Doug, I'm onto a reflector of some sort as soon as practical. I'll be visiting my local camera shop this coming week and I also may pay a visit to another company that run classes; they have a lot of hobby photographers( and professional) involved and may have some of the equipment I need. I've done a couple of their classes and know the owner but I'm not sure she'll be receptive to me beg/borrow or stealing stuff. It can't hurt to check it out though.

Thanks for the tips about shoes, water & energy bars. Especially the shoes. I read that in another thread, I think it was Ambrosia who has just taken her daughters wedding photos. Happy you reckon? I'm usually a very happy person but somehow I don't think happy and nervous go together too well. I'll have to work on that one!

Originally Posted by Gulf Coast Girl

Not sure if this will be any help, but check out this: The Golden Hour Calculator / Sunrise and Sunset information for photographers

You can click on the map to get to your location, then click in the little square boxes below to find the Date and then the little display shows the position of the Sun for every hour of the day, including indicators when the Golden Hour begins and ends.

Again, not sure if that will help at all with your planning, but I really like the site so I thought I'd post a link. Also, I had better luck drilling down on the map for New Zealand when I switched the Base map from the default of VE over to the Google Hybrid option.

Thanks Gulf Coast Girl for the link, I've had a quick look but will spend a bit more time looking at it tomorrow, took me awhile to locate the Google Hybrid option. Looks a good site.

Originally Posted by autofocus

All good tips already mentioned by the folks above. Use of some sort of reflector by someone who has experience using the reflector could save the day for you when faced with difficult backlit lighting situations...and that will be often with a bright sky and water in your scene. I know you said you can't invest too much in equipment, but a decent large multi finish reflector can often be found and bought for ~$40 US, and it is something you will use often on future shooting applications. But, if you do get one, you'd want to have your assistant practice with it...you can easily overexpose a subject with it...one of those things that a little goes a long way. For your interior shots you also may want to consider a little diffuser for your on camera flash to soften the light..again, not too expensive to buy. A nice shot from an elevated position (as on the bridge you mentioned) is to shoot down on the subject(s)...with a wide enough lens, you often can gather up all the guests into a great shot of all that attended. Just keep all the key players in front and in the middle of the group of all. Shooting down like that also somewhat reduces your DOF/focus issues on all the subjects. Depending on the light, you probably can get good focus on all when shot around f/7, and their faces looking up will be well lit from the sky light. Obviously, just make sure this setup will not have them looking directly up into a bright harsh sun...so timing, and sun location will have to be considered.

Originally Posted by autofocus

Oh, one more note. Along with your concern of bright back lighting, it looks like the area has what could amount to a lot of background clutter..so pick your shot locations with that in mind. Simple is always best.

Thank you autofocus for all your great tips too, especially the group photo and where to place everyone. I've added that to my list of photos to capture. Although I have a feeling they're going to facing directly into the sun if I'm at the centre of the bridge. Perhaps I'll be able to move to the end (which is slightly lower(maybe I need my step ladder). I need to check that out closer to the date.

And yes there is a quite a bit of background clutter, the courtyard is quite a narrow site. Moving to the park after the ceremony will allow for photos of just the wedding party and not have all the guests in the background too. This photo is of an area in the park with the Mount in the background (which they want to include in a few shots). It'll be quite a large party; 10 adults & 3 flowergirls(I haven't heard if there are any page boys yet) and I'm wondering how to compose the shot without the Mount overpowering the shot.

Originally Posted by Mulski

I know exactly what you mean. I was faced with a similar situation and ended up being volunteered by my daughter to become their friends 'official' wedding photographer for the first time ever as they just couldn't afford a professional. I was really worried the photos would look awful (but couldn't tell them that) and the one thing that really helped me was holding a pre wedding shoot, just with them and no one else. It doesn't even need to be the same location.

I found that by doing this - a couple of weeks before the event - I could spend time getting to know the type of shots that 'worked' for them and got a better feel of what type of photo's they wanted; formal, relaxed, humorous etc. It also gave me the opportunity to try different compositions, backgrounds, DoF etc. The hour I spent with them helped me enormously and gave me range of shots that I could look at in my leisure afterwards and prepare for the day. Interestingly, they also commented when I took the final portfolio round that the pre shoot actually helped them to relax as they already had a feel for what I needed from the them on the day.

Whatever you do, enjoy it - good luck.

Thank you Mulski, very wise words and ones I intend to follow, I will be making it a priority to get together with the couple very soon. I keep telling myself that at this stage the family think I do great photos, so all I need to do is produce shots of equal or better quality and they'll be happy. Yeah right......

[ravncat]

if you're going to practice - I recommend having her wear all white, and get someone else to wear black - or have her wear a white top and a black bottom - so that you can practice not just exposure, but dealing with exposure and the dress.

Keeping good skintone, and not blowing the highlights and still having a good exposure is harder than just a good exposure in everyday clothes. (provided it's white dress and black pants )