Normal for wedding photography?

[drummerJ99]

I'm a amateur newbish photographer, I attended a wedding this weekend of my wife's friend. Can't find the size of the reception hall but it says it seats 200 and I think that'd be pushing it. Probably closer to 150 with room, so it wasn't a huge place. The were 2 photographers. Each had a hot shoe flash (which I'm assuming was a master) but then they also had 5 flashes setup on stands. The lighting wasn't great so I of course they'd need a hotshoe flash. However with both photographers it was light strobe lights going off constantly. It was annoying me and the rest of the guests at my table. It seemed a bit overkill to me because they'd be on the complete other side of the room and the flash facing right at us would of course still go off. My question is, is that normal? I've never seen that many flashes setup like that.

Jeffrey

 

[FastGlass]

It depends. But yes I agree with you. Seems a bit much. Especially if both had radio controllers to set them off. A few fellas here that do weddings set up something similar but I don't feel to that extent. Most weddings I've attended the photographer had either a hot shoe flash or a flash bracket that held both camera and flash. To me, you have to consider the overall impact your producing being there. And I would try and be low key as possible.

 

[Blade Canyon]

When I've seen this done before, the remote flashes are usually pointed up to bounce off the ceiling. Are you saying the remote flashes were pointed straight at your group?

 

[drummerJ99]

When I've seen this done before, the remote flashes are usually pointed up to bounce off the ceiling. Are you saying the remote flashes were pointed straight at your group?

Pretty much. We were all seated at tables and they had the flashes about 2-3 feet away the ceiling pointed down on top of the tables. I could understand bounching the light off the ceiling. I don't know just seemed weird to me.

 

[JackStalk]

Our team usually only uses them for that "silhouette look" pointed at the dance floor. I'm sure the photographers had some idea in mind but I personally would never be using that many remote flashes unless I was going for a specific uplighting effect, and then they would be pointed at the ceiling. You only really need a bounceable hotshoe flash 90% of the time but it's personal preference.

 

[kevy73]

Sounds like the gear exceeded the ability. But who knows.

I have done something similar only once - The reception was in a cave. I set up only 2 speedlights at each end of the cave pointing up. This meant no matter where I was in the cave, I could shoot and still have a decent quality of light as the light bounced up and around the cave. But yeah, 5, pointing at people not bouncing is overkill and/or useless - especially seeing as they also had a hotshoe flash on too...

 

[skater]

No wedding I've been to has been set up that way. I've seen a few that had lights set up either to help light the church for the group shots, or in a "booth" setup at the reception, but not lights set up aimed at people's table.

I'm going to a wedding that apparently cost $60K later this year. So I'm sure the photographer will have all of the toys. I'll be on the lookout for stray light rigs. (I'm a little bitter about this wedding - it will cost us over $1000 just for airfare, rental car, and hotel - of course, the wedding couldn't be in a city with an airport, nooooo, it needs to be at a resort an hour's drive north of the nearest airport that has commercial flights. I think the bride's parents are behind the wedding plans. And they apparently have some money. To burn.)