Weddings preparation and back up equipment.

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jpwone

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Given the number of posts were people are contemplating shooting their first wedding and some of the basic questions regarding equipment required I thought it might be useful to give a little insight to a large wedding I did yesterday.

The venue was a large and long priory. I know it well and knew that I needed a second shooter to get the coming back up the aisle shots. I also knew I needed a second shooter to get the arrival shots if I was to get the coming down the aisle shots and be in position for the ceremony. I had also spoken to the vicar and attended the rehearsal so knew exactly when I could photograph, where I could photograph from, when I was allowed to move positions and when I could use flash. This preparation meant I could properly brief the second photographer and my assistant on who was doing what and where we would all be at which times.

The weather forecast was not good so we also took along three large stylish wooden framed umbrellas. As it happens we did not need them but we had them if required. These are not expensive and take up next to no room in the car but can make the difference between a sodden bride and groom or some fun shots which reflect the moment.

The second photographers flash failed (a 580EX) within 2 shots. A backup 430EX kept him going. Backup equipment is not a luxury, it is a necessity. If you are doing a wedding you need two of everything at least.

Straight after the ceremony and before the stage group shots I wanted to change lenses on the 5d and picked up the 17-85 E-FS instead of he 24-105 L (stupid mistake and I still don't know how I did it but I did). End result is I promptly knocked the focus screen out of the 5D and put it out of action. Back up plan and the 17-85 went on the 50D and I carried on whilst the assistant packed away the bits of the 5D. The second tog was also set up to do the group shots if necessary so we were very well covered. We also had a further 2 spare cameras between us (a 1DIIN and a 1DIII) as well as a a range of lenses.

Got to the reception and a battery pack lead had disappeared (found it when I got home under the lining at the bottom of the camera bag). Got one from another flash (all my flashes are modified to use 6V SLA battery packs) and was able to carry on. I could have also reverted to standard AA batteries if I had needed to.

I had visited the reception venue and knew that it was going to be very difficult to get 'atmosphere' shots so concentrated on people shots with very wide apertures (would have loved to have the 5D working at this point) to get very blurred backgrounds. Lighting was poor so flash was needed but the ceilings were so high the best I could hope for was a tad of fill from the flash at best or I would have to shoot direct flash. Quite a bit of shutter dragging and second curtain sync to get some atmosphere and sharp clear subjects. Visiting the venue beforehand meant I was prepared for this and could quickly adopt a shooting style which would suit the venue.

We had over 40 GB of memory and used just under 24 GB. No mixing up of memory cards. Every used card went into a separate bag carried by the assistant.

The end result is the bride and groom were not aware that we had any equipment issues and we had no downtime. You may be thinking that the chances of a camera getting broken, a flash failing and a piece of kit going missing all on the same day are pretty remote but that is exactly what happened to us yesterday.

When you take on a wedding (I try not to do too many but seem to be getting more booked) you take on a huge reponsibility. The couple are looking to you to guide them at many stages (even simple things like how to hold the knife for the cake cutting). What should be a recording of a fun filled day of joy can quickly turn into a disaster for the photographer.

If you don't have the kit or the experience than get it before you do a wedding as the only person to blame when things go wrong is yourself.

John
 
Great Post - Thanks for sharing with us - think this is the first wedding post I have read that gives a feel for just how hectic the day can be!

Nice touch with the umbrella's, I would honestly have never thought that the photographer would include these is his kit bag!!!!
 
Yep, keep two large white ones in the car. Great for diffusion too :)

Thanks for posting that John. The closest I've come to a problem was a battery failure (It was cold) right at a crucial moment in the ceremony. Didn't stop a thing as I had the second camera slung over my shoulder, Carried on shooting with that and changed battery in under 10 seconds. Again, absolutely no interruption.

Hope your 5D is OK!
 
jpwone said:
Straight after the ceremony and before the stage group shots I wanted to change lenses on the 5d and picked up the 17-85 E-FS instead of he 24-105 L (stupid mistake and I still don't know how I did it but I did). End result is I promptly knocked the focus screen out of the 5D and put it out of action.
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Great write up & confirms everything about extra kit as i found out last week.

Newbie question - how did the wrong lens knock out the focus screen?
Is it a fitment issue?
 
Yes, the Canon frame cameras don't use EF-S lenses only EF. The EF-S sits further back on the mount and can damage FF cameras. Unfortunately for John.
 
Some (although not all) EF-S lenses protrude further into the camera than EF lenses.

Edit - apparently Ali got there first!

Incidentally, where did you get the wooden framed umbrellas from?
 
The_Bulb said:
Nice touch with the umbrella's, I would honestly have never thought that the photographer would include these is his kit bag!!!!
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one white one and one black one in the back of the car always. They can make a big difference on the day and only cost about a tenner on evil bay

Hugh
 
AliB said:
Yes, the Canon frame cameras don't use EF-S lenses only EF. The EF-S sits further back on the mount and can damage FF cameras. Unfortunately for John.
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Thanks for the explanation :thumbs:

How much will that cost to put right or is it now bin fodder?

Apologies if off topic.
 
I'm all ears on the wooden frame umbrellas .....
 
Great post, hugely informative, and much better written than a lot of posts recently about wedding photography! I don't understand how people can even try to argue than backups aren't a necessity when earning from photography! Good stuff :thumbs:
 
It shows the importance of proper planning and being prepared.
I hope the camera doesn't cost too much to fix John.
 
The umbrellas came from a local shop 'Superbuys' and cost £4.99 each! Two maroon and one blue to add a bit of colour. I also have some large white lighting umbrellas which I can also use as diffusers if needed. They are the kind of thing you just have to keep your eyes open for whenever you go shopping, which is not very often in my case :)

The 5D survived. I got it home and popped the focus screen back in (was a bit fiddly but managed it one the third attempt) and reset the mirror which was locked down. Have taken a few test pictures and all seems ok but will give it an extended run this week before the next wedding on Saturday.

In my pocket I always keep a spare memory card and a camera battery when shooting a wedding. It is a long day usually and what set off as a fully charged good to go camera can become something you are nervously looking at and thinking 'just one more shot,please, one more shot'.

There can be periods during the wedding day (not the wedding itself) when you have a little time to yourself (usually when everybody is eating). This is your chance to grab a bite and re-check the kit and prepare for the next bit. It is a little like a waltz 'quick, quick, slow, quick, quick, slow'. You can tell I am not a dancer :lol:

The other thing with this wedding is it involved three venues (not unusual). The brides house, the church and the reception venue. I try to envisage what I will need at each location and I have a tick-off check list to make sure everything is in the car. It is surprising what you can forget. The check list includes change for parking :)

When using two photographers it is important that you sync the time and date on the camera bodies. This can save you a lot of time in post processing. Mine are all synced to my PC time and then I use one of these to sync the 2nd togs.

In my camera bag I also have a bottle of water and a large bar top type towel. It does not matter how cold it is once you are in the church and the clock is running I find I need a quick wipe of the forehead occassionally.

I also keep a travel pack of paper hankies in the bag. At this last one it was not the bride or the groom that needed them but the best man!

Once the action starts you are running against the clock all the time and it really is hectic. There are times when you have to be charmingly forceful to keep everything on track and there are others were you just have to run to keep up.

Pleased you all enjoyed the commentary. Hopefully, it will serve as a reminder to some that a wedding is an event that the bride and groom have put many months (sometimes years) of preparation and savings into and we have a duty as the chosen photographer to give them the very best we can. This is usually the most they will ever spend on photography in their lives and I feel that I have to ensure that their trust and confidence in me is well placed.

I read a post by swanseamale this morning and I get the feeling that he along with others on this forum (AliB to name one more) have this same sense of responsibility. I am sure there are many more and apologise for not mentioning you personally but just picked two regular posters who I feel have similar values. It is not a day about photography but the bride and grooms day which we have to photograph and allow them to relive that day through the images we capture. It can be a fun day for all (including the photographer) but at the end of the day we are not guests but paid professionals who will deliver come hell or high water.

I did not mention in my original post but will now that a few weeks ago I slipped a disc and have to take some serious pain killers just to walk. If I had to hire someone to push me around for the day I would. If I had felt that I could not do the job I would have promoted my 2nd tog to primary (he is an excellent wedding tog in his own right) and got another 2nd tog as well as speaking with the couple and assuring them that the chosen photographers would not let them down.

I assist Rod when he needs me and he assists me when I need him. We don't play the ego game, whoever is the lead photographer calls the shots and the other follows. If he sees a shot he can get without interfering with the primary he will get it otherwise he will suggest it. I do the same when I shoot as his second. We have a small fee which passes back and forth between us and it works well.

A part of wedding photography as a business is about your relationships with other photographers, the couple, the officiant, the location managers and the guests. It all has to gel or you have to work around it.

I think it was AliB who recently said that working as a 2nd tog is not half the responsibility but 1/10th. This is my own view as well. It is a huge step up in the responsibility department from 2nd to lead. Learn your craft and then learn the business and you will be a professional photographer.

I've managed to turn what was meant to be a quick reply into another long post and probably raised more questions than answers I have given.

Going through the images now and I think the bride and groom are going to be very happy.

John
 
jpwone said:
Pleased you all enjoyed the commentary. Hopefully, it will serve as a reminder to some that a wedding is an event that the bride and groom have put many months (sometimes years) of preparation and savings into and we have a duty as the chosen photographer to give them the very best we can. This is usually the most they will ever spend on photography in their lives and I feel that I have to ensure that their trust and confidence in me is well placed.

John
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Thank you John - that's one of the most sensible comments on Wedding photography I've read in a while

:clap:
 
Thi thread should be a sticky and all potential new wedding photographers should be made to read it before posting the "what compact camera for shooting weddings?" question :)
 
Good post there.

Another thing a good photographer will take with them is a NICE PEN. The one the vicar produces for signing the register will invariably be something ordinary, functional,but not entirely elegant. I did have one once where the Vic provided a very nice Cross pen for them to use, but most times it is along the lines of Pilot fineliner....not what you want in your register shots.

I have just bought a very nice Parker 75, my 3rd one (I still have the others). It is a 1964 Florence version in solid sterling silver with 18kt gold lines and tassies and clip - very swish I know, but it looks much better in the pictures than a plastic "biro".

I have been after one of these two coloured 75s for a while. My others are a plain silver "Milerais" and a Cisele model from 1972. Both very nice pens but the Florence is a rare bird and I go tit at a snip at £80. I have seen these fetch £220 and this one is mint an dits original box, everything.

I will get slagged, I know, but it is these details that DO matter, because they set you apart. It shows committment, that you care and that you are prepared. It also lifts your pictures and the spirit of the couple - just another little piece of the day made special.

White golf umbrellas work well too - I also have some lacey ones, parasol type, just for effect and also on bright, sunny days you have ready made shade wherever you are - white ones and ivory ones (don't use white with ivory dresses, it makes the dress look dirty!)

PS. If you are worried about your pen spilling ink on your shirt, her dress or the license...then take it dry. Just flush it out with clean tap water, or if you are particularly fussy distilled water, and let it dry out. With no ink in it, it will be useless for the signing, but brilliant for the pictures.
 
Good tip on the pens - I suppose you don't even need them to be working just act as a prop.

My own perosnal tip is the wooden coat hanger - so many bridal gowns appear on cheap plastic hangers. If you bring yorr own wooden coat hanger can realyl make the difference.
 
I always take a spare attractive female in a wedding dress with me to weddings just in case the bride isnt as photogenic as i want her to be.

Some common sense being written nin this thread, and it is always good to have backups.
But for some it is an impossiblity financially, certainly at the beginning of your "career" to have a second photographer, second body, assistant, so really you just need to make sure it is all working and you know where everything is.
Things like memory and batteries are the main problems, so as long as you have enough of them its fine, though todays cameras (my 5D2 for example) can take at least 1500 shots with one charge.

I now have 2 bodies for eases sake and i just make sure im in the right point at the right time and make sure no one moves without me saying so. Sounds really rude and bossy, but sometimes thats what the B+G are looking for ... a bit of direction. Being where yo ushoudl be isnt hard. You know you have to take the shot when the G puts the ring on, then after thart, signing, then up the aisle, anything else is extra, so get your plan ready. After you have taken the signing, make sure you can get up the aisle before they do.

Just use common sense and enjoy it, thats my theme.
 
FetchMeMyTools said:
Some common sense being written nin this thread, and it is always good to have backups.
But for some it is an impossiblity financially, certainly at the beginning of your "career" to have a second photographer, second body, assistant, so really you just need to make sure it is all working and you know where everything is.
Things like memory and batteries are the main problems, so as long as you have enough of them its fine, though todays cameras (my 5D2 for example) can take at least 1500 shots with one charge.
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why is it an impossibility, and should you be doning weddings without enough kit? - they're enough togs out there who take what they are doing seriously enough to dig deep & make sure they have suitable kit, insurance & support.

As John pointed out, people have saved & planned for considerable periods of time for their wedding. Things go wrong with kit - it happens like any high end electrical kit, but yu owe it to your customers to be able to deal with that from day 1.

Another, purely selfish way of looking at it, is as most wedding business comes from word of mouth - do you really want to be the tog who is known for messing up a wedding because you were too tight to buy enough kit.

Hugh
 
When i started out i was doing it as a favour to get a portfolio, now i have the experience and want to make a go of it i have bought a second body and extras.

Are you saying people cant do weddings if they havent got a second body ?

I agree in what you are saying about people spend alot and want decent photos/service, but there is something wrong with you if you spend alot on a photographer if its their 1st or 2nd go at it.
Ususally when you start you do it for free or as a favour cheaply, then you build up the money and experiece to be able to buy more stuff.

Batteries and memory cards are a given. Second bodies, second tog or an assistant are for those who are already earning alot and so the B+G should expect that.
 
technique before kit.......you can overdo the kit too. Forever changing lenses and fiddling - a good standard zoom, a flash on a hot cable, you can get 90% of what is needed.

There is a term used in shooting regarding safety: the most dangerous time is changing state. This is referring to firearms and changing state is either loading, unloading. The same is true of photography - changing state could refer to swaping ISOs all the time (learn to shoot with a steady hand and you won't need to crank it up, then forget when you go out of church in a hurry inot blazing sunshine and wonder why you have got f22 at 1/4000!) Changing lenses, changing cards etc......if you leave it alone it will probably work fine!

You would be amazed at the shots you can get with a standard zoom and a bit of ingenuity and imagination. Less changing of lenses the better. Use nifty footwork to yur advantage.
 
FetchMeMyTools said:
When i started out i was doing it as a favour to get a portfolio, now i have the experience and want to make a go of it i have bought a second body and extras.

Are you saying people cant do weddings if they havent got a second body ?

I agree in what you are saying about people spend alot and want decent photos/service, but there is something wrong with you if you spend alot on a photographer if its their 1st or 2nd go at it.
Ususally when you start you do it for free or as a favour cheaply, then you build up the money and experiece to be able to buy more stuff.

Batteries and memory cards are a given. Second bodies, second tog or an assistant are for those who are already earning alot and so the B+G should expect that.
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Doing weddings on a non charging basis or for favours are a different matter, but as soon as you charge anything at all then that means you are doing it as a pro and you need to be equiped to deal with that &, to me, that means back up kit.

Its not just high end weddings that the B & G need to save for, and again, to me, it makes no difference if they are spending £5k on the tog or £200, they are paying their hard earned for that service and the tog needs to be able to deliver at the end of the day.

Sure, I realise that the £5k guy is going to produce something very different from the £200 guy, but that doesn't change that both have agreed to supply photos and both have a duty to do so.

As its a word of mouth business I don't think either can afford to fail to deliver.

I think it interesting that togs seem to think it ok to go to paying jobs without proper kit - if I went to a garage to fix my car I'd expect them to have enough tools to do the job reagrdless of having been around for a week or 10 years

Cheers

Hugh
 
FetchMeMyTools said:
Are you saying people cant do weddings if they havent got a second body ?
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No, but I will say they shouldn't.

It's just far too risky. Even if you have to beg, borrow or hire a second body there is no way you should be charging for a wedding without having adequate backup. One thing goes wrong and where is your plan B? You are right royally stuffed and if you want the expense of a complete reshoot (and it has happened where togs have been sued) and you think the risk is worth it?

I don't.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Thi thread should be a sticky and all potential new wedding photographers should be made to read it before posting the "what compact camera for shooting weddings?" question :)
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:plusone::plusone:
 
I am genuinely surprised that anyway would think, professionally, of shooting a wedding without a second body.

L
 
Headless Lois said:
I am genuinely surprised that anyway would think, professionally, of shooting a wedding without a second body.

L
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A lot do Lois , either they don't think or can't afford to have it .

personally i don't think it is wise to tackle a wedding if you don't have back up kit ...


Good post John .. just showing how much can go wrong .. and how to overcome it ..

We take so much kit with us just in case .. only got one umbrella at the moment though , but the last wedding we did the Brides mother has 5 that she said we can have ,When we take the Album round .. Pens great idea .. My wife noticed at one wedding that the Bic didn't look the part .. luckily we had a better one and used that , we still need to get some nice ones ..

Another thing we take is cloths pegs , great for holding things in place if you have a windy day :thumbs:


Rog
 
second body - always have something as an emergency. Back in the days of medium format we used to carry a 35mm as a back up. Now if you only have one expensive digital body you could always carry a cheap film body (and have film with you) if that is all you can afford. The last thing you want to do is let a bride down due to a broken down camera. The second worse thing would be to stand up in front of 100 guests and admit your camera has broken so thats the end of the photographs

stew
 
artona said:
second body - always have something as an emergency. Back in the days of medium format we used to carry a 35mm as a back up. Now if you only have one expensive digital body you could always carry a cheap film body (and have film with you) if that is all you can afford. The last thing you want to do is let a bride down due to a broken down camera. The second worse thing would be to stand up in front of 100 guests and admit your camera has broken so thats the end of the photographs

stew
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Exactly. If you have no second body, what would your back up plan be? Borrow a camera from a guest?

L
 
Just looked on ebay and there is a canon F1 and a 50mm F1.2 going at the moment for £140! 2 hours to go, that camera with that lens for under £200....fantastic

stew
 
It isn't just weddings though! Anything you shoot that isn't staged where you are being paid, you should have back ups in place, be that sports, weddings or a community event.

One other thing to bear in mind is that it isn't only bodies that can break, lenses can too, so a full back up is needed.
 
Another wedding today and another case of the 5D taking a hammering. It was fitted with one of the cheaper ebay flash rotators and had a flash and a 50mm f1.4 lens attached when it was knocked off a high table (about 4 feet). As the 50mm has quite a deep front recess I shoot this without a hood. If i had a hood attached this would have been the point of impact and would have probably broken the lens or the lens to camera mount. It actually landed on the under side front of the flash rotator (with sufficient force to bend the bottom plate of the rotator). My assistant was getting the spare camera ready when I thought I would at least test the 5D before putting it back in the bag. It worked as if nothing had happened.

The rotator I use is linked below and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is simple and solid and cateers for gripped or ungripped cameras and it saved my camera today.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Flash-Bracket...id=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|293:1|294:30

Ok, I did not need to get the backup out but that was just luck really. I could have been sitting there with damaged camera and lens very easily.

Two weddings in two weeks and mishaps at both. Anyone who is not now convinced that they need back up equipment to do weddings never will be. It is not a case of being able to afford back up equipment it is a case of not being able to afford to be without it.

Please, those who have tried to argue that you have to do a few weddings to be able to afford the back up equipment have another think about this.

I do a lot of prep for a wedding (any shoot really) and care for and take care of my equipment and yet I still have mishaps and faulty equipment. I happen to have had two mishaps in a row and the chances are good that I wil now have a period of no mishaps and no failures but I cannot rely on chance and I will still make provision in my preparation and planning for whatever is thrown my way. I don't know what it will be but I do know that it is unlikely to stop me finishing the job.

John
 
On the other hand, if someone knows you're handy with a camera, knows you're not a pro, and wants to save money and asks you to shoot their wedding, you wouldn't necessarily have back up and might still do it.

L
 
So they want to save money Lois, I get that but........and here is the but.........as soon as so much as a penny changes hands you are into a commercial situation whether you like it or not. That means that the expectations have changed and so have your obligations. Some venues, for instance, insist on seeing your PL insurance before they will allow you to work there. They don't want to be liable for your actions.

As for the couple, they thought you were handy with a camera, they paid you money and exactly what are you going to do if you have a problem and can't deliver?

Just to add to John's point. I shot a wedding yesterday with a fellow tog. Last weekend she dropped her 5D and 24-105mm. The lens is battered and the camera is now developing faults. No matter we still had 4 cameras between us yesterday and I have a spare 24-70mm she can borrow while her's is fixed. So she borrowed my 5D because she familiar with it and we carry on as normal.

The B&G are completely unaware that there was any kind of problem with any of the equipment because we take that in our stride. It will be repaired ASAP and in the meantime, it's business as usual because we help and support each other.

It's really simple in my book. No backup, no wedding. Hire it if you have to.
 
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