Photographing a couple.

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Mossberg

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I have some friends getting married in Gretna Green. There will only be the two of them and I have volunteered to go and take some photos for them. They get a number of photos with the marriage package but I thought it may be nice if they can have a few more.

They fully understand that I am a total novice and if I can get some nice images it will be a bonus, so no pressure.

As its only the two of them could you give me opinions which of my lenses would be most suitable. They like the bokeh effect so please bear that in mind.

My camera is a Canon EOS700D, so a cropped sensor.
Lenses are:
Yongnuo 50mm f1.8 prime
Canon 18-55mm f4.5
Canon 85mm f1.8 prime
Canon 75-300mm

I am open to your advice and wisdom of which may be most suitable. Also any other tips would be welcome.

They are getting married at 1.30 pm next Wednesday, ceremony up to half an hour, then photos outside after that.

Many thanks for your help and advice.

Mick
 
Bokeh is simply out of focus.

The longer the lens and the wider the aperture, the thinner the depth of field and the more that will be out of focus. On that basis, the 85mm f1.8 will give the least depth of field while still being usable in relatively confined areas. The 75-300mm at the long end will give even less depth of field but you'll need even more space to work in.

For this to work well, your best bet is to have the focus on their eyes.
 
I've been to a wedding at Gretna Green, it was indoors and that gives a couple of issues, light levels and how far you can back up to frame your shot. Will you be taking many pictures indoors?

Of the lenses you list I'd normally go with the 50mm f1.8 but that's going to be 80mm equivalent on your APS-C Canon which could be getting a bit longish if you want a shot which is less tight and that leaves the 18-55mm which I assume is f3.5-5.6 or something like that?

I can understand you liking bokeh but with thin DoF you could struggle to get a couple sharp. Also it might be an idea to watch the exposure if the bride wears light coloured clothing and the groom wears darker suit. I think I'd have the zoom mounted on the camera if space is going to be tight and I'd have the 50mm in my pocket just in case the light is poor and the ISO creeps up too far but remember that wider apertures equal less depth.
 
You are gonna struggle for light indoors with the 18-55mm zoom but on an APSC body your 50 and 85 are going to be too long.

Maybe skip grabbing any photos until you can take them outside after the ceremony. The 85 will give you the best bokeh and strongest isolation from the background.
 
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The 50/1.8 is going to be your best bet I would imagine.

I shot a friends wedding last month and it was mainly 35/1.4 with some outside with the 85/1.8 - and that's on full frame.

The 85mm is not going to be very useable in relatively confined areas! And the zooms aren't going to let in enough light for indoors I expect.

As Tommy said, I would concentrate on the outside stuff afterwards - I would imagine the wedding package photos will be just the ceremony anyway.
 
85mm is my weapon of choice, and Sigma one is definitely one, pun intended.

Do however watch out for things getting out of focus at these apertures. With that body I would be checking after each shot.
 
When we shot weddings on crop, the 85mm was our favoured portrait lens.

That doesn't mean it's the best lens for ceremonies, but where you're taking control it's fab.

And just to add -isolated subjects with silky smooth bokeh is definitely a 'look' but there's also the consideration that you'll want some shots with a wider DoF to show where they were. No point in going somewhere unique if the surroundings aren't visible in any of the images.

Also egg sucking instructions, the image is made as a combination of subject, environment and light, so when you're posing your couple remember that their relationship to the light is key
 
Many thanks folks. Thanks so much for all the advice. I will take it on board and try my best.
I agree about the bokeh effect not being the only way to as surroundings help to make the image, but it's something I want for a few of them so need to have the wider aperture.
 
I got married at Gretna, some of the indoor spaces are quite tight. I think I'd be inclined to take everything except the 70-300.
 
I have never photographed a wedding, however if the light is really poor and you have high ISOs software like Topaz or DXO raw can help a lot.
(I have photographed birds and animals in deep shade).
 
Mossberg said:
Many thanks again folks.
Just to add to the mix, I have borrowed a Canon EOS5D mkIII and a Canon 24-105 f4 lens.
Click to expand...

I would use your 50 f1.8 indoors with that body and the 85 for bokeh out of doors. Bokeh is very much about the quality of out of focus areas, rather than just being OOF.
 
50mm even on FF could still be tight depending on the environment and how far you can back up if there'll be couple or group shots and the possibility that the bride at least will want full body shots. Full body and couple or group and landscape orientation could be a problem with 50mm let alone 85mm.

To clarify, I'm not and never will be a wedding photographer, I've taken a lot of pictures with 50mm on FF and all I'm saying is think practicalities first, start at the end image and work back to decide the kit and the settings.
 
Mossberg said:
Many thanks again folks.
Just to add to the mix, I have borrowed a Canon EOS5D mkIII and a Canon 24-105 f4 lens.
Click to expand...


Not sure how similar the 5D is to your own body but it's worth practising with the 5D so you're VERY familiar with it and can react quickly without faffing for settings.
 
woof woof said:
Also it might be an idea to watch the exposure if the bride wears light coloured clothing and the groom wears darker suit.
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and if it isn't obvious - if its a choice of getting the Bride's dress or the Groom's Suit exposed correctly - GET THE BRIDE RIGHT, because, honestly, nobody oooh's and aaah's over the blokes suit... :)
 
Many thanks folks. I did my best and whilst it was far from what I suspect you more experienced guys would get, I got some images that the couple were happy with. Some quite candid type shots with laughing and fun poses.

I certainly need to get some experience and would certainly have benefited from more understanding of the controls.

The suggestion to use the 50mm was a good one. Even with that it was difficult to get far enough away on the eos5d, though some of this was the photographer being in the view. He was using a zoom so further forward than myself.

Outside I used the 85mm as I could use my distance to get the image. I tried to vary the f stop and again I would have benefited from understanding the camera controls more.

So overall, yes it could have been better but thankfully I got enough images that the were happy with.

Thank you all for your help.

M
 
Mossberg said:
Many thanks folks. I did my best and whilst it was far from what I suspect you more experienced guys would get, I got some images that the couple were happy with. Some quite candid type shots with laughing and fun poses.

I certainly need to get some experience and would certainly have benefited from more understanding of the controls.

The suggestion to use the 50mm was a good one. Even with that it was difficult to get far enough away on the eos5d, though some of this was the photographer being in the view. He was using a zoom so further forward than myself.

Outside I used the 85mm as I could use my distance to get the image. I tried to vary the f stop and again I would have benefited from understanding the camera controls more.

So overall, yes it could have been better but thankfully I got enough images that the were happy with.

Thank you all for your help.

M
Click to expand...

Thanks for coming back to tell us how you got on. If the B&G are happy then that makes it all seem worthwhile.
 
The last person that I saw trying to video a "couple" got caught and arrested! :)
 
Mossberg said:
I have some friends getting married in Gretna Green. There will only be the two of them and I have volunteered to go and take some photos for them. They get a number of photos with the marriage package but I thought it may be nice if they can have a few more.

They fully understand that I am a total novice and if I can get some nice images it will be a bonus, so no pressure.

As its only the two of them could you give me opinions which of my lenses would be most suitable. They like the bokeh effect so please bear that in mind.

My camera is a Canon EOS700D, so a cropped sensor.
Lenses are:
Yongnuo 50mm f1.8 prime
Canon 18-55mm f4.5
Canon 85mm f1.8 prime
Canon 75-300mm

I am open to your advice and wisdom of which may be most suitable. Also any other tips would be welcome.

They are getting married at 1.30 pm next Wednesday, ceremony up to half an hour, then photos outside after that.

Many thanks for your help and advice.

Mick
Click to expand...

I see from the date you posted your topic, and your mention of when they will get married. So I guess, I'm too late for to give you some advice and wisdom, but just in case for the future, I thought to give some wisdom...

Never mind what camera and lens you have, great photos do not come from great cameras.

It's you.

You need to relax, be yourself, believe in yourself, and look around. If you see the couple with a great background, and you think "This would make a good photo." Then go and take a photo.

Photographers need to make do with whatever camera kit they have available and improvise.

You may be a novice, but you should tell yourself "I can do it."

Don't worry about not having a great kit, and don't worry about your lack of experience, just make do with whatever kit you have, and build up experience by having confidence in yourself.

The photo you posted above, looks really good. Just tell yourself "I did it."
 
Thanks Major. To be honest I had a great time. It was intimidating whilst the official photographer was there, but then I wasnt too worried as I assumed he would be doing a great job anyway (which he did). However I took quite a few shots and the couple were really happy with what I managed to get, but I think some of that was they were relaxed with me and so they could be themselves. They were also coming up with ideas and it just worked.

Thank you for your words of encouragement!
 
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