First wedding. Technically prepared but....

[NathanO]

I was asked by my brother in law to photograph his wedding at the end of summer. It's going to be very small and very cheap. They are getting lots of stuff for free (rings, church, rides, flowers, ..., and now--photography). Both ceremony and reception are going to be at a church.

I have been studying people photography, wedding photography, photoshop and digital workflow to ensure that I am as prepared as I can be. I feel that if the wedding were bumped up to tomorrow, that I would be ready. I have shot lists, plans, backup plans.... Even though I'm not being paid for this, I'm wanting to make it better than most professionals would provide given the venue.

Now, why am I in this thread? I'm interested in hearing about your first time..... photographing a wedding. What did you do to prepare? How many photographs did you have under your belt before the event? How many pictures did you take and in what time interval (500 pictures / 3 hour wedding)? What was going through your mind (before and during)? Those kinds of things. The articles I have been reading are all from experienced photographers. I've read what can go horribly wrong during a wedding, what has gone perfectly, what they forgot to bring.... but I haven't heard of anyones first time and what they went through.

Thanks ahead of time for any stories.
-Nathan

[stitchbug]

OK, stick with me here, this may get long!

I just shot my first wedding this past weekend. I am, by no means, a pro!
It was my sister's wedding.

Here is what I did:

READ!!! Read as much as you can.
Get pose ideas (including rings, flowers, etc) and write them down, so you dont forget.
Buy GOOD batteries for your flash, and bring an exra set, just in case (I used the Energizer lithium AA batteries and they were FANTASTIC! 600 shots later and they are still going strong!)
Fully charge you camera battery and spare
Clear and format memory cards

You MUST go to the rehersal. Practice taking pictures in the church (don't forget to find out if the church allows flash photography! If not, you'll need a good low light lens)

What went through MY mind? I was scared to death! I didn't want to ruin her wedding photos! There is NO retake! LOL (she knows I'm no pro! and I actually begged her to hire someone)

I was very nervous.
Now at the actual wedding, I only took about 500 photos or so (and my arms and legs are still sore!) She had a very short wedding-ceremony and dinner only. No actual recepetion.
I took pictures of her getting ready and the ceremony, and after the ceremony I took group shots and shots of the flowers, rings, etc.
I was NOT prepared for how dark the restaurant would be. I had a really hard time there, but after a fwe shots, and a bump in ISO, it was all good!

All in all, this was a great experience for me. It was hard as hell!! But it gave me a huge boost in confidence, and made me realize I DO want to pursue this. Maybe not weddings, but other stuff.

The set here if you're interested! =)

[kencaleno]

OOOOH, let's go back in time to my first Wedding.....1962, black and white was the vogue then-I was very apprehensive, because a couple of weeks before a friend of mine who also photographed weddings,had just come unstuck in a very big way-he only had one camera - a Yashica Minister D 35mm rangefinder, and halfway through the ceremony, his shutter stuck......To make a very long story short, he had to re-
mortgage his home, so that all attendees at that wedding,could come from their various locations, worldwide,for a re-enactment of the wedding at a later date. from this, I learned never to photograph a wedding unless you have at least two cameras,two flash guns,enough batteries,etc, Saint Murphy, the patron saint of wedding photographers,can strike when you least expect,which is usually at an inopportune moment. regards, Ken

[AnnaV]

Originally Posted by kencaleno

Saint Murphy, the patron saint of wedding photographers,can strike when you least expect,which is usually at an inopportune moment. regards, Ken

lesson learned

[mholt]

Originally Posted by NathanO

I was asked by my brother in law to photograph his wedding at the end of summer. It's going to be very small and very cheap. They are getting lots of stuff for free (rings, church, rides, flowers, ..., and now--photography). Both ceremony and reception are going to be at a church.

I have been studying people photography, wedding photography, photoshop and digital workflow to ensure that I am as prepared as I can be. I feel that if the wedding were bumped up to tomorrow, that I would be ready. I have shot lists, plans, backup plans.... Even though I'm not being paid for this, I'm wanting to make it better than most professionals would provide given the venue.

Now, why am I in this thread? I'm interested in hearing about your first time..... photographing a wedding. What did you do to prepare? How many photographs did you have under your belt before the event? How many pictures did you take and in what time interval (500 pictures / 3 hour wedding)? What was going through your mind (before and during)? Those kinds of things. The articles I have been reading are all from experienced photographers. I've read what can go horribly wrong during a wedding, what has gone perfectly, what they forgot to bring.... but I haven't heard of anyones first time and what they went through.

Thanks ahead of time for any stories.
-Nathan

It's all in this thread... the WHOLE story... plus results.

First the engagement photos... now the wedding photos

[kbanks]

So...I have the same camera you have, with the lens kit the camera came with....I'm shooting an outdoor wedding in October - any lens suggestions?? I want something with zoom....I think?

[habed]

I've done like 10 weddings so far. The first one was actually very easy because it was one of my best friends'. I didn't go as a photographer per se, but just one of the guests. I felt very free and it was very easy to get people to pose and all. Of course everybody knew me.

My first wedding as a photographer was a mess. I got very nervous, I was very shy to ask people to get together for group shots. But at the end it turned ok.

Before my third wedding I decided I just was going to be me. I love to talk to people, I'm a jocker so I make people smile and sometimes laught. That works great because it gets people more loose. From then on I decided that my aproach was going to be always the same. I meet almost everybody in the wedding. If there's time I ask the couple to present me to their parents and brothers/sisters. Everytime I can I get to them and ask them to to introduce me to more people. By then I'm not introduce as "The Photographer" but as Humberto. People react better to that, they take me as just another guest with a couple of cameras. LOL

One thing I do too, is..... I go to the couple and their parents and always complement the whole event "Food was great" (Do't know about in the US or other countries but me and my video assistan are always invited to seat and eat) The music, the place, everything. They love that you tell them that. When I get sitted to eat I do it with other guests and talk to them. The last thing I say is what I do (Which is obvious anyway) but I don't want them to feel I'm trying to get business out of them while they are eating. I talk about the wedding, the food, etc.... and when we're ready to continue is when I give them a business card.

There are 2 other things I do that I know are against popular belief.

One is, everytime I give a business card I ask them to send me an email and I'll send them all the photos they are in. I don't sell them. But with the pictures I send my flyer and have gotten probably 4 or 5 more events from doing that. PLus I now have a huge data base.

The other thing is..... I help around. I see somebody trying to move the cake table, I help. Somebody is looking for the bride or groom, I'll go find them. I even had been master of ceremony for a couple of minutes to organize the bouquet trown or other rituals.

None of those take me much time so I can go back to what I was hired to do and so far I've had a wonderful response from everybody.

I just posted that this next saturday I'll have my fisrt one on one with a bride and I'm very nervous about it, believe me. But I got great responses and advices from a lot of this forum members and I feel much better prepared.

Ahhh!!! Almost forget. It wasn't until my 7th or 8th event when I remember I had a zoom lens and started to use it. So I have one camera with the kit lens and the other with the zoom. It's a whole new world. Now I like using the zoom better than the kit lens.

Still get very nervous on the churches and any other low light situation, though

Sorry for the lenght.

[Serephinex]

I'll be doing my first wedding this summer as the granddaughter (my grandmother is getting married again. :]) and I'm a little bit nervous about it as well.
I've got a Nikon D80 with the built-in flash and an 18-135mm wideangle lens and a telephoto lens which won't be of much help here, I suppose... Any suggestions?

[GlimpseofLife]

The pictures of your sisters wedding were beautiful! I started doing weddings with a small 8 mega pixal camera, just for friends and others that could not afford a real pro. It has been 4 years since I started and have progressed with greater ease and much trial and error. All weddings are going to be a challenge, you just need the confidence and the stamina (working out is a must for all photographers in my opinion). Now I have weddings booked all year, some good pay others just to bless! of course not every beginner photographer can get that perfect shot. But in the end most brides love their pictures! I will post my recent wedding... keep up the good work.