Wedding photography - help please!!

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suze23

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suze
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Ive been asked by a friend to do her friends pics...im not going into the reasons why im doing it, but i want to keep costs down...(they cant afford a pro and im not crap so i was asked!) :)

So... i have a nikon d5000... kit lens and a 70-200mm

which is all good. except my big issue. im absolutely terrified of;

1. my camera breaking on the day..... (therefore i need a spare body - where??? and its the cost :( )

2. loosing all the pics (i was going to be buying some new memory cards and taking my laptop to regularly upload....and use several cards)

sooo for point 1.... what do i do?? ideally i would love to buy a 2nd cam anyhow....but its the ££ as i recon i will profit by £100 max from the day!

(like i said dont ask but im giving you an idea of the costs - but to me £100 is well over my student wages!)

so TP over to you.... help!....:thumbs:
 
Ask for a volunteer in a similar position to you, who would like some experience in wedding togging to be a FOC second.....

Ask very niceley to borow someone elses from here....

Buy a second from Jessops on a credit card the day before, and take it back on the monday after not opening the box (OOoooooh Argos may be better)....
 
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The chances of your D5000 which is a fairly new release going into shtter failure would be 1 in say 20,000 weddings ? If it was an older model that's been round the clock i'd say it's a possibility.
As for cards use reliable Sandisk Ultra or Extreme about 2GB minimum and maybe use one for church and one for the reception :)
 
if you need help , send me the date if i can i would be willing to help you.
dependant on loction and of course the date.

PM me if yuo want help

Cheers Steve
 
Where in Cheshire are you? or should I say, where is the wedding and when?

edit:

PROFIT? are you charging for this? because that opens up a whole can of worms, for instance, insurance, that's £400-500 on average.
 
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Harvey_nikon said:
Where in Cheshire are you? or should I say, where is the wedding and when?

edit:

PROFIT? are you charging for this? because that opens up a whole can of worms, for instance, insurance, that's £400-500 on average.
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Why does the OP need insurance and insurance against what? ... She's doing it for a friend! even if she's earning a bit from it, so why?
 
If you pay that much for insurance to cover yourself to shoot a wedding, I'd be looking for another quote.
 
You might want to seriously consider a flashgun (plus 4sets of AA batteries - estimate) so that you can bounce it and maybe some form of diffuser for it.

Maybe a Nikon 50mm f1.8 should also be in the bag.

EDIT - extra camera batteries too


Ive only ever shot Canon so I can't really recommend anything as such, but used the equivalent Canon setup for my cousins as a guest shooter.
 
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Realistically, you've got a d5000 and a couple of lenses. If you had the money to buy another body you would have upgraded already.

Don't fret.

Nothing is going to happen to your camera.

It's not the Royal wedding, just get in there and enjoy yourself.
 
Splog said:
Why does the OP need insurance and insurance against what? ... She's doing it for a friend! even if she's earning a bit from it, so why?
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Wasn't there a thread recently about shooting for friends and a large number of people said they had in the past and it went wrong.... The point of PI insurance is it covers your butt if a client / friend goes to court to sue for bad photos. Also there are some venues that insist on seeing PL insurance, no insurance - no photos (although I'm never sure how a venue could police this)

Not saying the OP should or should not do the job; Im staying out of that ;) Just simply answering your question :D
 
A few venues do ask you to be insured for PL. They police it by asking to see your insurance certificate/policy.
 
NigelPaul said:
A few venues do ask you to be insured for PL. They police it by asking to see your insurance certificate/policy.
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What I meant was what about the guests with big cameras like Uncle Bob; how would a venue distinguish between UB & Pro and who should have PL? The last wedding I was at UB had a Garry Fong on his flash so certainly looked the part yet was a definitely a guest.

I have PL, PI, & EL along with £20k of kit cover costing me £480 a year and have copies of certs & CRB in the bag at all times so not worried personally.
 
NigelPaul said:
If you pay that much for insurance to cover yourself to shoot a wedding, I'd be looking for another quote.
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My insurance was around the £360 mark, and covers PI, PL and all my kit up to the value of £6000 and was by far the best quote I could get at the time for all 3.

Splog said:
Why does the OP need insurance and insurance against what? ... She's doing it for a friend! even if she's earning a bit from it, so why?
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As pointed out, many locations require it. If she isn't taking money for it she is simply a guest doing a favour and they shouldn't need it. Not to mention the number of times I've seen friends fall out with togs of the stupidest of things, even when they've been great friends. If the op doesn't take any money and for some reason the B&G end up getting ****y and look at getting legal they have less of a foot to stand on if no money was changing hands.

The legal system would see that an exchange of money as a contract of quality.

I've got absolutely nothing against the op shooting the wedding, don't get me wrong on that point, but the exchange of money complicates things and I wanted to bring that to her attention.
 
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I attended a wedding blessing last weekend Suze. It was so nice to just sit as a guest and not be the pro photographer. I recon I have been to a couple of thousand weddings as a pro in the last 30 years but never been to one as just a guest!

When I saw the photographs the grooms mate had taken with his slr they were no better than the ones others had taken with their pocket digi cameras, its not the camera its what you do with it. I would just borrow a pocket digi as a spare if I were you

No disrespect to yourself but if you have not shot a wedding before do not expect fantastic things. It takes a lot to stand up in front of the guests and be the pro. THE MOST IMPORTANT thing for you to do is to explain, and I mean fully explain to your friend what she should expect from you.

If you are profitting by £100 on the day then you are charging a commercial fee. Do you earn £100 a day at the moment? £100 a day is double the minimum wage and above the average wage. Your friend needs to understand what she is getting and what she should expect. Make her expectations low and then exceed them. You know that pros charge anything from £2000 to £10000 but she doesn't!

Truely I am not having a go at you, enjoy yourself but do not lose friends over trying to do a favour

And as far as insurance is concerned you cannot get professional indemnity insurance. They will take your money for it but if something goes wrong you are not a pro and will not be covered.


stew
 
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I'd say getting someone to partner you was the best value for money backup but I think you're really going to need a flash especially with those slow lenses.
 
whoa how many replies....

firstly... thanks for replying.

I have insurance. I pay my fee to cover my camera and i also have liability insurance as i do a lot of horse photos - albeit to mostly friends but i have charged before and i dont want any comeback on me!!!

For the camera - its 12 months old in april. Is there such thing as a camera service i could do before the date? just in casee!!

I have a cracking little compact camera that naturally i will be taking with me!.....

I will also be requesting the bride/groom to sign a contract to state that any photos lost/damaged etc - i will not be held responsible.


To those who asked about money - the £100 was a figure. might be more. might be less. Either way its fab practise for me...... but i just dont want to mess up the brides big day.

For those who asked about 'carrying bulk'.... my mother has very kindly volunteered herself to carry my tripod/laptop (to keep uploading the pics up onto as a backup!) and my driver (i do drive but would be nice to let someone else go park the car while i stand outside the venue!) :D

As for flashes - when/where? prices etc?? ive never used one, so wolud really appreciate some help with that??

Thanks for the replies.
 
Hi Suze

I know cash has been mentioned here and although I don't have any issues with cash earned here I would possibly spend more than I earn here.

I recommended a flashgun (and batteries) earlier on and also a fast lens like a Nikon 50mm 1.8.

I'm sure you want to do the very best for your friend and I would recommend those two items as a minimum.

If you are unsure on how to use a flashgun or understand exposure you may need to budget in some cash, not only for the hardware but maybe some training books or dvds - libraries, online resources or youtube even.

So you won't earn a penny and will be out of pocket with my suggestion (which I am not saying is the only way to go) however you will gain experience and that itself my help offset any additional cost incurred.


That is only my suggestion of course.....lets see what the others say..
 
andy - thanks :)

really appreciate that advice. Whateve i buy now - flash/lens will be used in the future anyhow - so the weddings in july - therefore i can start saving now and hopefully get a few more jobs in -between to get some more cash together!!

can you point me in the right direction on the type of flash i will need??

as for the 1.8 - that pees me off as i have to buy the af-s version which is aournd £120? more than the af hahah :D buttt cant be helped and i know its crackinglens :D
 
I don't know enough about Nikon gear to give a qualified suggestion:thinking:

A quick browse shows maybe a SB-600 - check Amazon but you might be able to find them cheaper.

You will find that third party options are cheaper like Nissin or Metz, Jessops or Yongnuo. These could be all you need however if there is going to be a professional requirement it maybe better in the long run to go with Nikon or at least the better third party alternatives.

Thats the view I hold, others will be happy with a cheaper flash yet if it fails or overheats you wish you had opted for quality in the beginning.

Best thing to do is wait for a Nikon guy or gal to recommend the best kit for you. Maybe if you could indicate a apprx budget you would be willing to spend if any?:lol:
 
suze23 said:
Ive been asked by a friend to do her friends pics...im not going into the reasons why im doing it, but i want to keep costs down...(they cant afford a pro and im not crap so i was asked!) :)

So... i have a nikon d5000... kit lens and a 70-200mm

which is all good. except my big issue. im absolutely terrified of;

1. my camera breaking on the day..... (therefore i need a spare body - where??? and its the cost :( )

2. loosing all the pics (i was going to be buying some new memory cards and taking my laptop to regularly upload....and use several cards)

sooo for point 1.... what do i do?? ideally i would love to buy a 2nd cam anyhow....but its the ££ as i recon i will profit by £100 max from the day!

(like i said dont ask but im giving you an idea of the costs - but to me £100 is well over my student wages!)

so TP over to you.... help!....:thumbs:
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I shot a wedding before. U don't really have to be scared of all those things in my opinion. But I would suggest u to get a good memory card, and some extra batteries for your flashgun.
 
To be honest there are no cheap Nikon flashes but the plus side is that they hold their money really well, a used SB800 would be my choice of weapon I think. You might want to go out and try shooting with your camera in lowish light and see how far you dare to push the ISO before you're unhappy with the noise after a bit of Photoshop.
 
Suze, I'm not 100% certain but I don't think the 50mm f/1.8 lens will AF on a D5000 - you'll need the f/1.4 version (or Sigma equivalent) to retain AF and you'll get an extra bit of light gathering capability as well. Maybe rent on from StewartR @ lensesforhire.

Get a list of required shots from the bride and groom and don't overindulge on the booze until you've got 'em in the bag!

Enjoy the experience and learn from it. Good luck!
 
ok thanks all :)



I plan to meet them a month before the weddin and get their opinions of the shots they want

on the day i also plan to get tons - i live by the saying "you can never take too many pictures"...right? :)

i will also be firm but polite when i ask for photos with specific people -e.g bride and family - etc.... as i know people tend not to listen

but obviously do exactly what the B&G want.... then tons of extra shots :)
 
suze23 said:
ok thanks all :)

I plan to meet them a month before the weddin and get their opinions of the shots they want

on the day i also plan to get tons - i live by the saying "you can never take too many pictures"...right? :)

i will also be firm but polite when i ask for photos with specific people -e.g bride and family - etc.... as i know people tend not to listen

but obviously do exactly what the B&G want.... then tons of extra shots :)
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And practice on your lens changing skill if u have some spare time! :p I had to do this one wedding once, it was my cousin's. And I was on my prime shooting candid shots, then some random guests came up to me and ask me to take a photo of them. I was abit shocked since I don't have any room to step back. I had to change my lens on the spot. And they had to wait for me because I was very careful back then :p
 
no experience to offer on the wedding side, something i'd never want to get into.. but how about a 35mm f1.8 its a cracking lens and will AF on your D5000
 
thanks guys ^^

oh and yes im genuis at changing each lens over........ as well as holding onto a psychotic spaniel and holding my expensive (to me!) camera!! :o

:D
 
I don't have any experience to offer other than that I got married a few weeks ago myself. It seems to me that most of the skill level in successful wedding photos is not in technical ability/expensive kit but more in spotting the shots that will look good. With that in mind, I would spend a lot of time pouring over some examples on the net (Will happily send you a private link to our own if it would help).

You need to put a lot of planning in as well so that you know what is happening when so that you're in the right place to take the shots you plan. With that in mind some investigatory trips to the venue and lengthy dialogue with the important people involved would be well worth it.

In terms of gear and technique, I think a lot of practice in low light is what's needed. The D5000's low ISO is not amazing (I try to avoid 3200 at all costs) so I think a flash is going to be necessary.
 
thanks ^^

if you could send me a link that would be so helpful :) thank you .
 
gad-westy said:
It seems to me that most of the skill level in successful wedding photos is not in technical ability/expensive kit but more in spotting the shots that will look good.
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There's absolutely no point in having an ability to see a shot if you don't have the matching technical skills (and in some cases kit) to pull it off.

If the photographer at your wedding was any good then you wouldn't have even noticed his tech input, apart from staged shots and lighting set up (if there were any).
 
DemiLion said:
There's absolutely no point in having an ability to see a shot if you don't have the matching technical skills (and in some cases kit) to pull it off.

If the photographer at your wedding was any good then you wouldn't have even noticed his tech input, apart from staged shots and lighting set up (if there were any).
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I fully agree but I think there are many more people who can take a correctly exposed, in focus image than those that can take exceptional wedding pictures. I think what I was getting at is that knowing how to work a camera is not enough on it's own, decent kit or not.
 
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