Scott Murray
Senior Member
Reception here.
Preparation for wedding photography
- Thread starter Scott Murray
- Start date
Scott Murray
Senior Member
Sunset is 7pm so still plenty of light.
rocketman122
Senior Member
Oh those places.. I shot a wedding last week there
pfew, still light till 7 so i think u can get some fabulous pics of them together. I was very worrried for you.
Scott Murray
Senior Member
Oh those places.. I shot a wedding last week there
Haha was just showing you the layout, it does get windy there so that may help in some flowing shots.
rocketman122
Senior Member
HAha. Looks like an awesome place. Nice shots of the bride with 16-35 and veils come to mind with the wind. Can get some killer shots with her dress blowing in bw. Fingers crossed u have nice weather.
Scott Murray
Senior Member
It will be summer time in Western Australia which = HOTTTT!!! Yay lol
There are also some railway tracks which I have in mind for a shot. Cannot wait to scout out the location in person, am arriving a few days early.
rocketman122
Senior Member
Im so psyched for you! My mind is racing thinking of wgat id do first. Photo ops like this, i feel Like a kid in the candy store.
rocketman122
Senior Member
HAha. Looks like an awesome place. Nice shots of the bride with 16-35 and veils come to mind with the wind. Can get some killer shots with her dress blowing in bw. Fingers crossed u have nice weather.
Scott Murray
Senior Member
Well I found a great video on you tube (it goes for 1.5hrs) about wedding photography. And it has made me feel alot better about the ones I have done and the one coming up. Definitely a must watch if you ask me.
I just booked my first wedding, so I read this entire thread. All the techno-garble about light setups, lenses and whatnot... then this video at the end, making all the worrying about lighting setup float right out the door. Natural light. LOL. Not that I won't bring some light, but wow... what a shift in perspective. What an amazing photographer this guy is. I really like his approach, and even though perhaps his photos are not technically the best, he has great emotion and captures great emotion, and in the eyes of the clients... what really matters more? A technically perfect posed shot or a perfect moment with warts? Which one are they going to put on the wall? Apparently Joe's got it figured out... the emotion is what people really connect with. I really connect with this guy will take this video as affirmation that the passion I have for doing this will server me better than the technical expertise with the gear. Of course I'll still need to know how to use my gear, but this video has given me a drastic boost in confidence and some great ideas. Thanks a lot for posting [MENTION=9753]Scott Murray[/MENTION]
Oh, and for any wedding photographer (current or prospective), I highly recommend the above vid.
Happy shooting,
Keen Ai
(Bryan)
Oh, and for any wedding photographer (current or prospective), I highly recommend the above vid.
Happy shooting,
Keen Ai
(Bryan)
Keen Ai I watched that video this morning and then dug out the photos I took at my daughter's wedding last month. All were destined for the bin until I saw this video and revisited them.
Guess what?
About 90% are keepers!!!
And they are so different to the normal run of the mill. I am going to surprise the apple of my eye with them.Thanks to [MENTION=9753]Scott Murray[/MENTION] and of course Joe
rocketman122
Senior Member
good video. didnt seen it all. there's nice info there, but it wont speak much to seasoned pros. I dont agree with some things he says. and thats ok because what will work in the US might not work in different countries. have heard Joe talk about this stuff before. for all those looking to get into wedding photography you should also see masters of wedding photography. I would also highly recommend the fstoppers video on getting into commercial wedding photography. its a no frills movie without much fluff. it tells it like it is.
natural light is always best. even when I have to shoot backlit burnt out backgrounds, I never turn my flashes on. I add EC on the fly and get them exposed properly.
dance floor and night, you need flashes. its exactly the opposite. there is not much available light. and its erratic if im shooting iso 4000 at f4 1/125 and getting muddy flat pictures you need flash. always bounced up, and always have 2-3 flashes with slaves. 2 with gels. yellow and one red. lighting looks amazing. with the gels painting people, it looks like a dance floor, it adds to the feel. you can only shoot to a certain level without flash. then your pictures suffer. you have to give great exposure at the compromise of grain and chroma noise and keeping the feel natural. its always a balance.
I started with film years back, even worked in a lab as a printing technician and developed film. many times by hand. it gives you a whole new sense of lighting color and seeing it from the other side. I like this and that and I think this and that, and thats great, we can all talk about whats great and what you should do but how your work comes out is best. being at the wedding and delivering is what counts. I shoot 12 hour coverages from makeup till the guests have gone. before my gear was stolen I was doing around 90-110 weddings a year. I dont know how many full weddings most do but all the talk matters so little. when youre there sweating and nervous you want to crap your pants standing there in front of a group of people while they wait for you to take their picture and youre changing a card or battery or even a lens and all that talk goes out the windows. theory is great, but how you deliver is the final test. reminds me all those who are more interested in the gear than photographing.
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Scott Murray
Senior Member
Keen Ai I watched that video this morning and then dug out the photos I took at my daughter's wedding last month. All were destined for the bin until I saw this video and revisited them.
Guess what?
About 90% are keepers!!!
Thanks to @Scott Murray and of course Joe
Glad it has helped you see that not all photos have to be perfect as the saying goes "there is never a perfect photo but a perfect moment" and the way I see weddings is that you want to capture that moment for the couple so that they can re-live it for years to come. Not all people want staged photos but some do, as it is said in the video if someone likes the style of your photography they will hire you. This is exactly what has happened to me, so I can stay with what I know and do and they will love them. I am now more concerned about being able to capture the moment for them then anything else. You need to know your camera gear in and out with out hesitation. I am usnure of using P mode as he suggests but then again I have never tried it with exp lock etc. I might look into it but not this time. I know what I am doing and I think its just a matter of being in the right spot at the right time with out getting in the way. You also need to be respectful of everyone around you. If anything this video has eased my nerves and I feel more confident that I will be able to offer the couple photos that they will cherish for a life time.
rocketman122
Senior Member
Yes, me and my friend are about getting the moment. I had a discussion with a videographer who said his point was that using a 70-200 2.8 at the chuppa was a compromise. he said, why arent you using primes? I explained to him, that first as wedding photogs (yes, you Scott, you have the touch and the 6th sense) we are there to capture the shots. document it as best we can under the lighting and constraints we are given. THATS OUR MAIN AND PRIOR JOB. its the base. then comes into the equation, quality and art. we also try at the same time to add art and quality to our pictures. meaning, first capture then quality and then art. art is the hardest because its at the compromise of documenting it as it is. boring and correct. quality also takes a HUGE toll on documenting it boring and correct. when youre using a prime youre limiting yourself because in many situation you will not have space to capture and document and then you say to yourself, is it better to lose the shot because I wanted the best quality and capture art into the image.
as pros we do all three all together because we are veterans. so you know how to anbticipate and know when you can use primes and when its dangerous chance to lose shots. in the chuppa, its SO STRESSFUL, you cannot even imagine. all you plan for and all your expertise youve gathered from years never gets you ready for things that happen. its happened a few times where I missed the groom breaking the glass. a little girl passed by excatly when I shot, people crowding the chuppa, and the most recent I had was when I was setting my D3 for CH mode to get rapid succession shots, broke the glass before finishing his prayer.
now getting back to compromise and using the 2.8 zooms. they are a compromise. they offer flexibility, they offer piece of mind when you know you couldnt have captured the best you could have if you have used primes. when youre under stress in demanding situations that require that you absolutely must have specific shots. I told him for chuppa, a 17-35 is a must on one lens and the other with the 70-200. 24-70 isnt enough in certain ceremonies I did because people crowd the chuppa so much that im practically standing in there with them. it gets really hectic at times. but the zooms offer very quality and flexibilty that allows us to capture the moment first. my style is some posed and some dont bother candid/snipping shots as well. at the dance floor im right there in the middle and I also go out a bit and shoot people dancing without them knowing. when I do BG shots, its a mixture of both. for instance, Ill pose them for shots and between different areas we walk to, I shoot them as they are. if theyre walking hand in hand and talking to one another. stuff like that.
See how crowded the chuppa gets. and thats not even crowded. sometimes people are standing on the left and right sides. there are seats but man we get weddings with 300+ people like nothing. trust me, if Joe came here, he would have a difficult time. Ive shot quite a few US weddings... easy peazy. everything is orderly and peole are very well mannered. everything is on time. here? its like a barbaric jungle here.
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Scott Murray
Senior Member
Dont really know what a 'Chuppa' is but I do kow that if you have a wedding with 300'ish people it would be crowded. My friends wedding will be low key, but at the ceremony everyone will be standing. Luckily for me I already have an idea about getting up higher or I can sneak around the sides lower I just have to be careful not to twist an ankle or the likes. I know its going to be alot of fun and that is what it is all about. I am meeting my friend the bride a few days before the wedding and we will discuss ideas and places. She has given me an idea of the 'posed' shots she would like but there is nothing in concrete and we will play it by ear. It will be alot of fun. The reception is out the back of an old brewery so I am hoping its not too busy as there are some great places inside there that we can get some great shots. Here is a quick link shwoing the outside - https://littlecreatures.com.au/venues/1-fremantle-brewery
rocketman122
Senior Member
P mode is ok. I use A, and I use M, and many times I use auto ISO as well. I tell it go up to iso 5000 indoors and outside, even up to 3200 in dark areas and cloudy weather. shutter speeds no less than 1/60 in auto iso. Scott the only thing you can do to be safe, is take tons of photos. like a machine gun. not kidding. shoot 2 pictures, move a bit, refocus, then 2 more. keep doing that. focus, 2 pics, refocus, move a bit with you head or take a step left or right and shoot 2 more. it will absolutely promise a sharp photo. (whether they close their eyes or make a funny expression is something else)
I do staged and PJ style. its a must. if youre not active in posing and "helping people" to stand in a correct way youre at the mercy of what will be will be. for instance. a groom who wears a suit will lift his arms around people to hug them when hes taking a pic with them. the jacket will raise and the coat will open and it will look bad. tell them always to hug at the waist and lower back. much more aesthetic.
you must lead them Scott. why? because this is their first wedding. they are nervous and anxious and arent aware of whats right and wrong. you have to pay attention because they arent. you have to guide them and help them so the photos are the best they can be. when youre doing formals pay attention to those that slouch. pay attention to the dads whos ties are undone and doesnt look right, or the second part of the tie is slipped in the back loop to hold it nicely. womens dresses have to be adjusted because of cleavage. before I raise my camera, I give them a quick look over and adjust them as I need to. I joke with them and there's always the ones who speak when im trying to get their attention, so I joke a little and say "dont speak guys or theyll hear you in the photos" you need to be assertive. dont be passive. there are tons of things I can tell you, but most of all, open your eyes. you also have to understand your photo. no time for juggliing with settings. but the most effort you will put is not into the 1/60 of a second shot but paying attenttion to the subject youre shooting. people have no idea how stressful and intense it can be. yes, you see pros work and it seems like no big deal. but thats why we are pros. after years of working not much phases us. we are aware of our surroundings. we have confidence and know how to react to situations. we are calm and do things without and stress and it looks easy but we are controlled inside.
dont be passive Scott. openb your eyes, shoot like crazy. some might be embarrassed or feel awkward they are shooting so much, but dont give a crap. there is a huge weight on your shoulder and you must do whats needed to get the shots. take some protein bars with you for energy get a bottle of water cause who the hell knows when youll have time to eat.
notice Joe, he is not only the photographer but he also needs to know how to speak with people, to calm them, guide them, help them along so they have no worries when it comes to the photography part. they know when im there they can feel confident im doing my best for them. its all for them. and people dont realize this till its said, but the photographer is the one thats their buddy for the whole day. Im the one thats with them from the beginning till the end. pretty much from when they wake up, till the guests go home. im usually the last ones leaving the venue. my job is to lead them and help them and guide. im their best friend in their day. im there for their best interests. im there in their most intimate times capturing amazing emotions that comes once in a lifetime. not the dj, the event, nothing, just me. its the hardest job in the whole wedding industry but the most satisfying that you can give something so special to a couple.
Scott Murray
Senior Member
I think I still will be using A mode as I know how that works and what settings to use. I will also be looking at using Auto ISO most of the time with max set at ISO 5000 and min set to Lo1. Min shutter speed will be 1/200 for when I am using my 70-200 although I have managed sharp shots slower so I may change this yet.
Scott Murray
Senior Member
I arrive in Fremantle on the 18th February, the wedding is on the 20th, I fly home on the 21st. Have a studio apartment booked with Spa so I can relax after the wedding before I fly home.
In saying what I did up there regarding auto ISO I will probably change that to ISO 100 when using flash at the reception as I will have more light and walls/ceilings to bounce off.