guys,
can you give me some tips on shooting this kind of event?
my mom commissioned me to shoot for her "kanang kamay's" wedding on the 11th.
i have my d70.
2 lenses, one 35-105mm and 28-300mm.
meron rin SB27 flash unit.

how can i maximize my gears sa wedding?
thanks!

are you covering your mom's kanang kamay's prep rin or the wedding ceremony and reception lang? :D

Dex

im no pro.. but here's some stuff you may want to consider...

> charge your batts! the worst thing is to stop shooting in a middle of an event because you dont have power on your gear
> bounce your flash.. this would eliminate harsh lighting (esp when shooting women)
> clean up/format your memory cards ahead of time (bring a laptop or image bank if necessary)
> ALWAYS check your ISO and WB settings (esp if you're not shooting RAW)

----

now to the more important things...
> communication - this is key to all event coverage.. remember its 95% talking/coordination and 5% shooting
> stay calm - most people panic during such event.. so dont join them:Grin:
> enjoy and have fun!!:Grin: :Grin: :Grin:

1. If you are not the main photog, enjoy the event and just take pictures of fun stuff. Remember not to get in the way of main photog. He is charged to produce the real stuff.

2. If you are the main photog, start going to church and saying novenas now. If you've never done it before, now is a good time to learn. Wedding photography is never easy. The reason why it looks easy with the pros is because that is their job. To know what is involved, here are some words of wisdom from Uncle Dick: http://www.knotzke.ca/weddings/

Have fun and good luck. :D

regarding your gear, i think the 28-300 will be your main lens due to the wider zoom range. you can keep the 35-105 with you but i doubt if you'll need it.

i don't think the SB27 and D70 will work in TTL mode so you might have to be more conscious of your flash settings. the nice thing with using an external flash is that it doesn't drain your cam's batteries. with the D70, i can shoot for a whole afternoon on one charge. it follows of course that you should have spare batts for your flash.

correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems like the sb27 can't be tilted up for bouncing. try the built in diffuser to help soften the flash.

weddings can be really fun to shoot. people are all dressed up and "game" for a picture. sometimes, it's like shooting sports. you have to anticipate where the action will be. ;)

have fun and good luck!

Hi Danna,

First of all, I hope you are 100% comfortable with your gear. If not, please read your manual and understand what all the buttons are for. You would need to know how to shoot in manual not just av,p or any other automatic setting. A wedding is the most challenging event in photography. You will encounter all sorts of lighting challenges, personality challenges and demographic challenges. Also, there are no retakes. That is what makes it the toughest part and adds pressure.

Here are some tips,

1. Have an assistant. Helps you with carying your gear, watching your gear, downloading, changing lenses, ect. (pls train him prior to event)

2. Bring lots of memory cards. Batteries If you dont have much, borrow.

3. Scope the place out prior to the event. You need to know what challenges you may have and you will want to be prepared.

4. Make sure your camera sensor is clean and free of specks/dust prior to event

5. Try to do test shots of a scenario before taking too many shots. Ex, table hopping, portrait ect. ( you might be under or over and that would suck!!)

6. Talk to the bride and groom and see what they like...

7. If you are documenting the preparation of the bride, arrive there a min of 3 hours before the wedding time.

8. Dont "chimp" too much ( staring at the lcd of the camera) You may miss valuable moments.

9. You must learn the flow of the wedding. You must know where to be positioned during the exchange of rings, communion, ect.

10. Try to have fun!!!!! Good luck and let us know how it went.

are you covering your mom's kanang kamay's prep rin or the wedding ceremony and reception lang? :D

Dex

all of it actually.


thanks!
it'll help...

all of it actually.


thanks!
it'll help...

Then get some rest the day before and expect it to be physically draining! :D in an exciting way. I just did my friend's wedding last weekend, my first time too, and whew! it was a loooooong day! :)

enjoy the wedding! :D

Dex

Then get some rest the day before and expect it to be physically draining! :D in an exciting way. I just did my friend's wedding last weekend, my first time too, and whew! it was a loooooong day! :)

enjoy the wedding! :D

Dex

thanks!
i'll start to charge my batts now.
:Grin:

Not to mention the post processing yet.....

dba Dex???!

OT: hehehe lone, I haven't even started yet. :RedEye:

Not to mention the post processing yet.....

dba Dex???!

hirap pala talaga sobra ng wedding.
i gave up (well almost)...
pinasa ko na ung camera sa dad ko nung sa traditional bouqet tsaka garter throwing...

hay...
but am glad, i've experienced one already. at least sa susunod alam ko na gagawin.

Hi Danna,

Post your shots here or upload them onto a web gallery and post the link here para the masters can comment on your work. having your work critique is a good way to learn. :)

hi jaime,

i will post them soon. meanwhile, you can see some of my shots here: http://dannakatrina.multiply.com

thanks!

Hi Dana,

Here are some practical tips that may not be too technical but can help you during your first wedding photoshoot.

1. Try renting a back-up camera, flash and lens or borrow from your friends. You can maximize your gear but what if something goes wrong? Always have a back-up unit so that you can continue capturing those deicisive moments or the moment of truth under all conditions and in an unpredictable environment. . You can rent an extra Nikon D70 from John Tronco.

2. Eat well before the event and bring your own snacks like a sandwich, some chips, crackers, a bottle of soda and mineral water. I'm always one of those people to eat last in the event. I only eat when I am given the go signal by the bride and groom or their parents. I always allow the guests to eat first. If you want to, you can ask the head waiter to prepare a plate for you separately so that you are guaranteed of a decent meal at the end of the day. There are some weddings who ran out of food because eating time is the most important part for the guests.

3. Bring extra tissue and alcohol to clean your hands after eating so that you can continue shooting and not put any liquid or oil in your gear.

4. Always bring an extra shirt. You'll never know on what's going to happen on the weather.

5. Don't forget to bring medicine tablets like Immodium just in case something goes wrong with your tummy or the food gets spoiled.

6. Make sure that you have the necessary shooting permits. In Sanctuario de San Antonio Parish in Forbes Park, it is now a requirement for the official photographer to have one to identify him and protect him from the so called "Head Hunters or Fly-by-Night Photographers" who are not commissioned and yet make a sale by shooting the bride and groom, eating at the reception and selling them the CD proof and images after the event.

7. The best way to learn is to imitate the pros. Attend a wedding and watch how the pros do it. Observe where they position themselves and get the best angle of view, days in advance.

8. Part of your gear is not only your camera but your mode of transporation. Make sure that it is in good working condition. You don't want to be late.

9. Don't forget to bring your camera and lens cleaning kit. If you don't have one, I suggest you buy one since there are some elements like playful children who will be playing with your camera and lens while you are shooting. You don't want to have fingerprints on your lens. I experienced children running towards me after I've taken their photos and they all want to see what they look like in your LCD.

10. You can maximize your gear and accessories by asking for a token of appreciation like an allowance or pocket money so that you don't have to spend on something that you are not getting paid for.

Hope you learned some tips. Happy Shooting and Good Luck.

good advise again pilar =)

my two cents worth; try to have a good mix between posed shots and candid ones for interest and balance =) you dont want to be int he way of the ceremony too much by always directing the show...

i think they call them traditional and journalistic approaches to wedding shoots..

I don't know where to post this but it's still a tip for wedding photographers :)

I attended a wedding just recently and saw some photographers taking photos of the bride and groom before the reception started.

There were two instances where I wanted to bump the head of the photographer with a plastic ball so that some common sense will get into his head.

He asked the bride, who was wearing this super calado gown, to sit on the grass which was moist due to the light shower that happened before the pictorial. The bride had to tell him "eh di madudumihan yung gown ko" - ( HELLO ???? )

Another one of his boo-boos is that he was forcing the bride to allow the groom to carry her ( she's a little chubby compared to the groom ) and you can see from the bride's face that she was getting so upset na. She kept saying no and the wedding photographer kept forcing her. Finally just to let him stop embarassing her she made payag to do it but you can see from her face na she wanted to cry na. The groom had a hard time carrying her and she got embarassed in front of all those people watching the pictorial (What a stupid way to ruin a very important celebration in a persons life).

Hope I don't hurt anybody's feelings with what I posted here but I think these are very basic things that photographers should think about :)

Why hasnt anyone asked her how many CF cards and how many pics can she shoot with what she has? Thinking of shooting everything in small jpegs? Wedding pics are minimum M to L for any quality 4R+ or larger images. How many can u shoot in ur CFs before u need to waste time pulling them out and continuing to shoot? Do u have someone to help you? How many sets of flash and camera batteries do you have? How many flashheads do you have? Do you have a backup camera just in case something fails? (your lenses are fine BTW if you are shooting all with flash). Carry a point and shoot incase you dont have a spare SLR body. Any camera is better than none..

I don't know where to post this but it's still a tip for wedding photographers :)

I attended a wedding just recently and saw some photographers taking photos of the bride and groom before the reception started.

There were two instances where I wanted to bump the head of the photographer with a plastic ball so that some common sense will get into his head.

He asked the bride, who was wearing this super calado gown, to sit on the grass which was moist due to the light shower that happened before the pictorial. The bride had to tell him "eh di madudumihan yung gown ko" - ( HELLO ???? )

Another one of his boo-boos is that he was forcing the bride to allow the groom to carry her ( she a little chubby compared to the groom ) and you can see from the bride's face that she was getting so upset na. She kept saying no and the wedding photographer kept forcing her. Finally just to let him stop embarassing her she made payag to do it but you can see from her face na she wanted to cry na. The groom had a hard time carrying her and she got embarassed in front of all those people watching the pictorial (What a stupid way to ruin a very important celebration in a persons life).

Hope I don't hurt anybody's feelings with what I posted here but I think these are very basic things that photographers should think about :)

This is an inexperienced wedding photographer and clearly someone who hasnt done too many weddings. Unfortunately.. a dime a dozen but everyone has to learn at some point :) I guess he was cheap :D

I don't know where to post this but it's still a tip for wedding photographers :)

I attended a wedding just recently and saw some photographers taking photos of the bride and groom before the reception started.

There were two instances where I wanted to bump the head of the photographer with a plastic ball so that some common sense will get into his head.

He asked the bride, who was wearing this super calado gown, to sit on the grass which was moist due to the light shower that happened before the pictorial. The bride had to tell him "eh di madudumihan yung gown ko" - ( HELLO ???? )

Another one of his boo-boos is that he was forcing the bride to allow the groom to carry her ( she's a little chubby compared to the groom ) and you can see from the bride's face that she was getting so upset na. She kept saying no and the wedding photographer kept forcing her. Finally just to let him stop embarassing her she made payag to do it but you can see from her face na she wanted to cry na. The groom had a hard time carrying her and she got embarassed in front of all those people watching the pictorial (What a stupid way to ruin a very important celebration in a persons life).

Hope I don't hurt anybody's feelings with what I posted here but I think these are very basic things that photographers should think about :)

Tina,

There are photogs like that. And I will not be surprised if this one is even a Veteran!

The problem is not in experience or in the no of weddings covered. The problem is lacking sensitivity and common sense. I've seen many photographers who are so into their shots or into the posing thing that they forget to "see" the feedback from the faces or body movements of their clients.

It's like they have this agenda in their heads, a plan, that even if it will ruin the dress or endanger the couple, they will proceed thru it.


I take a minimalist approach and check the faces and body language of my subjects. Are they tired? Irritated, scared? Nervous? etc? Then make adjustments. Also, the better shooters make the photo-op fun or exciting, something to try or something they've never done! And it will show in the pictures. Of course, you can't have this all the time (I've had a couple who are very too "serious") but a good shooter is not just a good photogrpher. He is also a good psychologist. Or a person with high EQ, not just IQ. He/she can shave the "seriousness" a lot and even if it's not the same as your other couples, the shots will be much better.

As to the groom lifting and carrying his heavy bride, if he were smart, he'd have it the other way around!!!:Grin:

Just kidding there!!:D



-Mel
l

I totally agree with Mel. Even vetarans are doing it. I've seen this very common with big studios. The photographers assigned to the wedding have a must-shot-list and they must deliver it no matter what. Their album designers would look for it during production.

Many brides also admire those wonderful posed shots but never realize that sometimes it's difficult to do or will be shy during the actual photo shoot. It became now a conflict between what the bride initially want and what she doesn't want to do in the actual photo shoot.

assuming that you've mastered the basics, you have to love photography to be able to shoot a wedding. weddings are back breaking jobs so you have to enjoy what you're doing. otherwise, you'll just end up miserable.

knowing a good masseuse is another good tip.

:<)

I believe that people do need to start something somewhere sometime.

My take on the subject is that photogs shouldn't be afraid to try things, i do however agree that we must always use common sense and practicality in the execution of our art, most especially if we are being paid to do it.

However, again, regardless of the price of our services, i believe we must be careful not to label each other as cheap or stupid or any other degrading term as sooner or later we might be at the receiving end of the whip.

Everybody commits mistakes, even at the most delicate of moments sometimes people just do because nobody is perfect after all. So many factors affect a person.

Honestly, I'd hate to have some of you witness my errors; i can only imagine the things you'd say :Scared: :(

assuming that you've mastered the basics, you have to love photography to be able to shoot a wedding. weddings are back breaking jobs so you have to enjoy what you're doing. otherwise, you'll just end up miserable.

knowing a good masseuse is another good tip.

:<)

i know what u mean. I often lose track of my posture during shoots... and end up regretting it at the end of the day...

Yup a really good massage does help...