My First Wedding Advice Please!

rusticalex

rusticalex

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Alex
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Hello all

I've been asked by friends to shoot their wedding this weekend, at very short notice! Just to put the wedding into context, it is taking place largely because he comes from Iran originally, and he wants to go back for a visit with his partner and their children, but they can only go if they are married, hence the wedding. It is going to be a relatively casual do, with the service at the registry office, and the reception at another friend's house, hence they have asked me, a proficient (ish!) amateur photographer, rather than a professional wedding photographer. And they have taken all the pressure off me by saying just do the best you can.

Of course, I want to do the best I can, so I'm just looking for a few pointers about tricks of the trade, as well as settings and anything else like that.

My gear for the day is:

Nikon D7000
Nikon SB-700 flashlight (borrowed off a friend, and not used before!)
Tamron 18 - 250mm lens
Nikkor 85mm f1.4G lens
Tokina 11-16mm
Spare camera

Any advice at all is appreciated!

Many thanks
Alex
 
I went to my step sisters wedding and left the camera battery in the charger at home, that could be a good tip of something not to do.
 
Have a good mooch online for some ideas for the couples shots and have a rough idea of any group shots they want before hand, these can take a while if everyone's running off to different places! Certainly worth getting them at the registry office before everyone parties too much.

Enjoy it also :) if you're relax and have a good time I'm sure you'll get some great shots.
 
Briefly, don't be surprised if there's no photography allowed during the ceremony and/or signing the register, and remember that the officiating registrar is god. He/she says, you do. Full stop.

If you're asked to do any group shots, get the best man or someone who knows the people required to round them up for you. Don't try and do that yourself. Weather and time of next wedding at the RO permitting, you're probably best doing these straight after the ceremony.

For couple shots, given the circumstances you've described, I'd simply aim for one good formal posed shot of the couple on their own and one with the kids, then after that just go with anything informal you/they fancy. Avoid the temptation to spend ages snapping cute pictures of cute kids unless that's what the couple wants.

Try to remember that it's not a photoshoot, that you're only doing what you can as a favour, and that if it comes to it, capturing the "feel" and emotion of the day (hopefully there'll be some) is more important than techical quality.

Have fun! :)
 
Thanks all - excellent advice which I will pay attention to.

Does anyone have any tips about using the flash, please (although the forecast is pretty good, so I'll try to use natural light wherever possible)?
 
rusticalex said:
Does anyone have any tips about using the flash, please (although the forecast is pretty good, so I'll try to use natural light wherever possible)?
Click to expand...

Diffuse it and bounce it.
 
Download the manual and read it, practice with it. If your going to bounce it if the ceiling isn't too high make sure that it's white. If it's cream or any other colour your going to get an unpleasant cast. A general rule of the thumb is never use any kit on a wedding you are unfamiliar with.
 
TTL it and bounce behind/over your head. Don't get obsessed with shooting wide open with your 85. Get the formals out the way at the register office then have fun at the reception. Have a wander around trying to pick a few candids off of guests and special moments. Any chance the person you borrowed the flash from has a 35 or 50 prime aswell?
 
My rule of thumb for flash, if it's fill use AP and FP sync, if it's the main light, use Manual. But always iTTL and adjust your flash compensation.

Look up 'dragging the shutter' it's the technique we use indoors with flash to stop it looking like you're shooting in a cave.

And everything Dan said to keep the pressure off.
 
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