Hello all! First time poster here. I am also a newbie to wedding photography. I have only covered two weddings to my credit as a principal photographer and have assisted two times too.

I am also an admirer of the great works of a lot of wedding photographers there in the Philippines. To name a few: Lito Sy, Rene Gaviola, Fol Rana, Dino Lara, Karl and Mimi, and of course, Ms Pilar Tuason (by the way ma'am, I couldn't find your website). I'd like to be someday as good as these people are now.

I am covering another wedding this coming October. My problem is, it's not the usual "first-time" wedding. It's for a golden wedding anniversary. I have looked through most of the websites of almost all wedding photographers here but I have yet to find one that have this kind of coverage in their portfolio. Well, except for Ariel Javelosa.

I am in a lost here because there are a lot of artistic shots that we can do with a young bride (and groom) that are not applicable to old people. I want this coverage to be good and produce memorable photos not just for the couple but for their families too.

Are there prepartion shots in this kind of coverage? How about formals of the bride and groom? Do we already have formals before the ceremony? I don't even know what other questions to ask or where to start.

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi Marco,

I am a location photographer, but I sometimes do weddings for friends and relatives. Recently, I did a 50th one with my assistant.

Just be ready with that once in a lifetime shot when the man starts to pooh in his pants after the dinner and the wife will rescue him, and the sons and daughters will be nowhere to be found and the hotel personnel will start sprinkling that powder thing and getting the vacuum cleaner get working. Good luck.

Hello all! First time poster here. I am also a newbie to wedding photography. I have only covered two weddings to my credit as a principal photographer and have assisted two times too.

I am also an admirer of the great works of a lot of wedding photographers there in the Philippines. To name a few: Lito Sy, Rene Gaviola, Fol Rana, Dino Lara, Karl and Mimi, and of course, Ms Pilar Tuason (by the way ma'am, I couldn't find your website). I'd like to be someday as good as these people are now.

I am covering another wedding this coming October. My problem is, it's not the usual "first-time" wedding. It's for a golden wedding anniversary. I have looked through most of the websites of almost all wedding photographers here but I have yet to find one that have this kind of coverage in their portfolio. Well, except for Ariel Javelosa.

I am in a lost here because there are a lot of artistic shots that we can do with a young bride (and groom) that are not applicable to old people. I want this coverage to be good and produce memorable photos not just for the couple but for their families too.

Are there prepartion shots in this kind of coverage? How about formals of the bride and groom? Do we already have formals before the ceremony? I don't even know what other questions to ask or where to start.

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Just cover it like any regular wedding. Do what you normally do. Now here are some caveats:

If it's a catholic wedding. Don't expect the bride to be given away. The couple will walk together to the altar. This will surprise you if you are not prepared. Remember, they are already married, and this is just a re-do of that vows 50 years ago (or 35 years ago - also considered "golden"). There is no bride to be "given away" here. Besides, even if there were, I very much doubt if their own mothers and fathers would still be alive at this time! ;-)

Your best man, groomsmen, maid-of-honor, bridesmaids, will likely be their sons and daughters. ring bearers, flower girls, etc their grandchildren.

Technique wise, soften your flash and light. Lots of creases on faces due to age. Be mindful of your close-up shots. Post processing might be required to soften it further, but watch out for direct flash lights and other light sources, as it can add to the wrinkles. If you control it at the shoot stage, your postprocessing will be easier.
Don't try to be too cute with your shots. Meaning, try not to make them jump or do unnatural poses. You don't want the wake/funeral to start and the wedding be cancelled. And they will get tired quicker, so do your formals quickly. But don't try to make them models or acrobats. :-)

In the photo-ops, you will not be hearding just the regular entourage. There will be apos. Have the apo shots with them too. Then aside from the traditional "Barangay Ginebra" shots, your wide angle lenses will be taxed to the limit when the entire clan including grandchildren and even great grandchildren are all lumped into one shot. That is a challenge to your prowess to arrange all those people and some of them might be crying (children) or running about impatiently.

Other than these, treat it like any other wedding depending on your style.
This is all I can think of, off the cuff of my head:-)

-Mel

Thanks Mr. Mel. I really appreciate your fast response. Your answer was very good. I'll try not to have them do acrobatics... :-)

How do you soften the flash? I am using an omni-bounce on a SB-600 flash.

It is more like a family reunion with the parents (or grandparents) as the stars! for their portraits, aim for more classic shots (solo and together) and a couple of kissing shots. If their is a garden and if they are up for it, some nice holding hands looking at each other and walking would be really cute for them. If they are tired and not up to it, just make it quick and simple wherever you can (hopefully whith some nice available light). Take paparazzi shots of them kissing and having in the reception since I am sure they will be asked to kiss. I have only covered this one time and off the top of my head, this is all I could remember. HTH.

Hi Marco,

Aside from using the Stofen-Omni Bounce, you can also lessen the power output of the SB-600 by pressing the mode button of the flash then going down to your desired level using the manual override and TTL. It will also save you batteries and prolong the life of your flash.

If there is not enough available light on the reception venue like at the Peninsula Manila Rigodon Ballroom, I suggest you offer to the client renting additional studio lights at least 600 watts each complete with softbox and umbrella, background support system and canvass to get more details on group shots and avoid shadows.

The classic way of taking photos from the old school is talking to the subject to achieve their natural smile. This is how Jericho Rosales poses infront of the camera, he talks to the photographer. Adding humor is also helpful but you have to know first the subject to do this. You can do this during your pre-production meeting wherein you will discuss the type of coverage they want . They might prefer well composed shots and less on candid shots. Another thing to take into consideration is to ask them the important people to be taken photos of. Sometimes, we get carried away by shooting more on distracting subjects like the beautiful bridesmaid, niece or guest celebrities. There might be family members that they haven't seen for a long time and it would be best that you know who they are so that the event will become a truly memorable one.

It is also prudent to get another photographer so that everyone in the reunion will be included in the photoshoot. My rule of thumb ratio is 1:100 = 1 photographer for every 100 guests so if they have more than 100 guests, it is safe to work as a team complete with two-way radios just like what they do in the tactical team of the special forces. Remember also to treat them with utmost respect in your speech and your dress code.

That will be all for now. If you are shooting here in the Philippines especially in the Churches of Manila or in Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, I recommend you do your ocular inspection and get the necessary shooting permit in advance. Until then. Good Luck and Happy Shooting.

Thank you Ms Pilar and Mr Dino for your very insightful suggestions. I never thought that I could get advise from famous and busy photographers such as yourselves. It was a God-send for me to have found this forum. I was actually just Googling Ms Pilar's name because I cannot find her website and was brought to this site.

Mr Dino, about your suggestions of having studio lights, etc, brought in and having another photographer with me: the wedding is a low budget one and I guess photography is one of their least priorities. With the price that they are paying me, it would be hard to follow this. But all your other advises I will take to heart.

I also have yet to meet the couple as it is their daughters that are arranging this for them. I don't even know if I will meet them before the date. This Sunday, hopefully, we'll be signing our contracts. And we're going to meet only at a neutral location, a shopping mall, and not their house. Do you think I should insist that we just meet in their house so I can meet their parents? And what if they don't want to? Or maybe they don't live with their parents anymore. I guess they are not anymore because they're in their mid-30s already and one is married. I also don't think their parents would want to go to the mall considering their age. I know talking to the couple and being comfortable with them and them with me is a very important part of wedding photography.

Thanks again.

By the way, the wedding will be held in a Catholic church here in New Jersey. I'm not sure yet where.

As everybody said, shoot it like a normal wedding.

I may sound morbid but for practical purposes, add a simple solo headshot of the couple. That shot maybe their tombstone shot. Just hope they don't use it in the near future.

I had that request and I feel uncomfortable doing it but that's practical.

hi, i did several anniversaries already, and from what i noticed, family members will all be part of the whole entourage. a couple will light the candle and another to put them off, same with veil and cord having diff couple to put them on and to remove them. plus other family members will also be part of the offertory. make your formal portraits quick and easy. daddy or grand dad will be tired and uneasy in a few moments....

Hi Marco,

Well, I'm not famous like Dino Lara and Pilar Tuason who are both WPP Members, I am a simple humble free-lance photographer but I have experience shooting abroad and in all types of social and corporate events. Having the photoshoot in New Jersey is a different thing. If it is expensive to rent studio lights there, you can at least hire a video light man with his own lighting equipment. I'm sure they will have less than 100 guests since the event will be done in the United States. Social gatherings there don't go beyond the 100 headcount unless it is already high-end. You should also know how many guests will be coming so that you won't have a hard time. If the reception venue will be at the parish center hall then you can shoot all by yourself.

Don't worry about paying for the other photographer if the reception venue will done in a hotel because the client will pay for it and not you. No. 1 rule of thumb in doing business is to never use your own personal funds in advance. Better be prepared since you are dealing with Filipinos and they normally come in groups unless you can shoot with both hands with two (2) cameras and be in two (2) different places at the same time. I'd rather loose an account rather than being caught unprepared with my pants down.

A good friend of mine and a priest told me that people are willing to pay extra if we will explain to them that they are paying for good quality service. If you are seriously considering photography as a good business venture and a career, then integrity and a good name in the industry is important to establish. Getting substandard materials and cost-cutting on your basic equipment will only tarnish your image and destroy your name through negative feedback. You can suggest to the daughter to ask her other brothers or sisters to pitch in if they are short of funds. There is no low budget, they just want to save their hard earned money but you will also give them your best service so you deserve to get paid well. Photographers in the United States get paid between USD 3,000 to 5,000.00. You can charge at least half the price since the event will only take half the time of a normal wedding photoshoot including the reception and formal shots.

Regarding meeting in the mall, you can do that but right after your meeting, try scheduling an appointment with the parents after you have signed the contract and received a downpayment. One of the possible reasons why they don't want to discuss and sign the contract in the house is that it is going to be a surprise and they don't want their parents to know how much they are paying. There are other ways of maximizing their resources but Photography and Video is something that should not be taken for granted because it is one of the most important things in any event coverage. You cannot go back in time and repeat what has happened. If you will do a headshot as what Dino Lara suggested, make it a half-body portrait with formal dress and a happy face. That is where humor comes in.

Until then. Best Regards and Happy Shooting

hi

try shooting it like the way they did in the 80's...lots of formal poses etc..then add a modern feel to it by shooting a lot of candid....if they don't get your joking punchline's ...you have to wait for those moments when for sure they will smile like during speeches....then add lots of black and whites and sepia....


pat

As everybody said, shoot it like a normal wedding.

I may sound morbid but for practical purposes, add a simple solo headshot of the couple. That shot maybe their tombstone shot. Just hope they don't use it in the near future.

I had that request and I feel uncomfortable doing it but that's practical.


Oh my gosh!! that is morbid:Shock: I wouldn't know how to react to that request. I mean the guy could have just said...hey please take a nice solo portrait of my parents.... no need to ellaborate on the future possible purposes.

Thanks all for all your inputs! I am really glad to have found this forum.

What follows is out of the context of this thread. I just want to share a great experience with you guys.

I had an on-the-spot wedding coverage yesterday. It was fun because me and my family were just getting ready to leave the beach when I saw this bride. I planned to watch the wedding and see how their photographer will cover the wedding. I was surprised when I came to the beach and the only party I saw was the bride, the groom, the minister and I think a couple of their friends. No photographer at all!

Seeing this as an opportunity, I approached the bride and asked where's their photographer and she said they don't have one. It's just their friends (with P&S cameras) that will take their pictures. I told her I'm a wedding photographer (or trying to be... he he he) and I could take their pictures. Well, she agreed and this is one of the photos I got from that wedding:

http://www.f3mphotography.com/images/CapeMay/DSC_3889-high.jpg

I know this pic needs more work but that I guess needs to be a topic on another thread in Photoshop Forum.

Again, thanks all!

Hi Marco,

Nice shot except for that red reflection of the sun between the bride and the groom. Just want to know if you are using a multi-coated UV lens filter? When shooting towards the main source of light, it is advisable to use a multi-coated UV lens filter or Circular Lens Polarizer to remove any reflections. That's all. You can also add some highlights to the subject using Photosho CS2 in your post-production work. I'm sure you will become a good wedding photographer soon. Wedshooter.com is a good source of tips from the pros like Joe Buissink, Kevin Kubota, Yervant and Corbell who are all world-class wedding photographers. Until then. Happy Shooting.

Hi Marco,

Nice shot except for that red reflection of the sun between the bride and the groom. Just want to know if you are using a multi-coated UV lens filter? When shooting towards the main source of light, it is advisable to use a multi-coated UV lens filter or Circular Lens Polarizer to remove any reflections. That's all. You can also add some highlights to the subject using Photosho CS2 in your post-production work. I'm sure you will become a good wedding photographer soon. Wedshooter.com is a good source of tips from the pros like Joe Buissink, Kevin Kubota, Yervant and Corbell who are all world-class wedding photographers. Until then. Happy Shooting.

Thank you very much Eric for saying that. And yes I did use a polarizer on this shot. Actually, my main problem is the sun. When viewed on a bigger size, there's a white part there that looks like a cat's eye. I don't want to present this to the client unless I'm able to fix that. Nakakatakot eh. Wedding pa man din. (Sorry for the Tagalog... best way to express what I was thinking.)

You're welcome Marco, what's good about what you did is that you were able to book the client on the spot. This is one of the skills needed to be successful in marketing yourself as a photographer. Whatever happens to our shots, Adobe Photoshop CS2 is the answer. Best wishes for more business to come. By the way, it would help if you apply as member of WPPI. Membership for 1 year is only USD 99.00 and you get good support from the organization. You will also be included in their on-line directory of professional wedding and portrait photographers, get discounts and priority seating at the annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.

anniversaries are usually simpler to shoot because shoots start in the church. and the no of couple portraits are just a fraction of what newlyweds get. what makes it even better is the fact that they end much earlier.

i love golden weddings. nothing like picture of smiling grandparents who've managed to last in this age of anullments.

:<)