question on taking photos on wedding

[sohwayne]

just need some advice on taking wedding photos on ROM and AD.

which lens to used or what kind of lens? the most budgeted one of cos...

would EOS 450D able to do the job?

[NeTHaCk]

of course a 450d would suffice. a 17-40L would do just fine. you'll survive the entire shoot + a flash please.

though im a nikon user, a wedding photographer who shot my cousin's weading was using the 17-40 all the way .. with flash too

[SilverPine]

If you are not the only photographer on the wedding, your 450D + wide + tele + external flash + a lot of CF cards + extra battery should be enough. Shoot as much as possible to capture the moments.

Cheers

[sohwayne]

Originally Posted by SilverPine If you are not the only photographer on the wedding, your 450D + wide + tele + external flash + a lot of CF cards + extra battery should be enough. Shoot as much as possible to capture the moments. Cheers

swee !!!

Originally Posted by NeTHaCk of course a 450d would suffice. a 17-40L would do just fine. you'll survive the entire shoot + a flash please. though im a nikon user, a wedding photographer who shot my cousin's weading was using the 17-40 all the way .. with flash too

17-40L = wide angle?

L lens not cheap de rite?

[Jaybaokong]

hi,

just to tap on this tread, since it's created with the title which i wanted to create ..


Just wanna check, is there a "standard setting" that is used for wedding photos while taking table photos during the dinner? the reason for asking is that, I noticed that the photographer did not seem to set his camera before taking the photos, and just went round snapping.. He's just controlling his lens..

Is controlling the lens sufficient ? How come no need to check on light exposure?

My apologies if the question sounds noob.. but trying to understand better..


Bro SohWayne:

My apologies for hijacking your thread... Hope you dont mind..

Thanks!

[jkaiser]

most of time if lighting conditions stay constant, u can just shoot on manual after u make ur settings.. the experienced shooters can just look @ the lighting condition and almost accurately make a prediction on the required setting.. after that if over or underexposed, just adjust accordingly.

My experience, don't go lower than f/8 for table shots. Play with the shutter speed and flash exposure to nail ur exposure correctly.

[Headshotzx]

I'm not a wedding photographer, but I'm an event photographer (that has yet to be paid, shooting for school / friends etc).

Firstly, you get what you pay for. A S$300+ lens will probably give you a lot more drawbacks and problems that a S$2k lens won't. Hopefully you're not the main / hired photographer for the day if you're really going budget.

Flash is the most important of all. I regularly shoot with two cameras, with 17-40L and 85mm 1.8 on either, both with mounted flash (and their respective diffusers / bounce systems). No flash? Go rent one for that day and hopefully you'll know how to use it.

There is no standard setting. Lighting will always vary, but if you didn't see the photographer fiddling with the settings at all, it's very possible that he was using M mode (keyed in his own settings before the shoot) with flash set to E-TTL. That's what I usually do, including manual-flash if the lighting doesn't change.

Cheers,
Zexun

[synapseman]

Originally Posted by sohwayne just need some advice on taking wedding photos on ROM and AD. which lens to used or what kind of lens? the most budgeted one of cos... would EOS 450D able to do the job?

No. Only the EOS 1Ds Mk.III can do the job.


Or really:
Any kind of DSLR with any kind of kit lens will do the job, lah. See what kind of skill you have only.

If you are not being paid for this, then you really don't need to worry about anything. Built-in flash also can.

[Jaybaokong]

okie! thanks all for your help.. will take note of it..

[David Kwok]

Originally Posted by sohwayne swee !!! 17-40L = wide angle? L lens not cheap de rite?

In your 1.6 crop factor, if I'm not mistaken on 450D, 17-40 is not wide. It gives an FOV equiv to approx 27 - 64. it falls under medium zoom. Pretty good enough for event.

[HaimE]

Actually the reason why the cameraman is so trigger happy without switching the setting much bcos of only this.. ( Auto iso SET ) .. thats all .. using good set of camera with good lens probably a F1.4 / 1.8 can do the trick ...

[calebk]

Originally Posted by HaimE Actually the reason why the cameraman is so trigger happy without switching the setting much bcos of only this.. ( Auto iso SET ) .. thats all .. using good set of camera with good lens probably a F1.4 / 1.8 can do the trick ...

Not necessarily. When I am shooting indoors, unless light levels fluctuate a lot from spot to spot in a room, my settings are hardly ever changed. This is because consistent light does not necessitate changing of exposure settings, auto-ISO notwithstanding. Does that make sense?

[afrodizziact]

noob question: auto-iso setting is for the 1D equivalent models only ?

[sohwayne]

auto-iso should be in for all models but depend on models .. setting min. and max. varies... correct me if wrong..thanks

[pro_FHM]

I've always feel that wedding is a couple's one in a lifetime thingy, so extreme planning must be done in advance.

i feel u need at least 2 bodies, just in case one **** up. one body can attach a wide angle lens, the other body attach to a zoom lens for those candid/ natural shots.

flash is a must esp for dinner & AD indoors.

quite a few CF cards would be good, instead of relying on just one 16GB card. what if the card kenna problem?

remember to charge all ur batteries the nite before.

treat it like ur own wedding & i think u'll do a good job.

[sohwayne]

Originally Posted by pro_FHM I've always feel that wedding is a couple's one in a lifetime thingy, so extreme planning must be done in advance. i feel u need at least 2 bodies, just in case one **** up. one body can attach a wide angle lens, the other body attach to a zoom lens for those candid/ natural shots. flash is a must esp for dinner & AD indoors. quite a few CF cards would be good, instead of relying on just one 16GB card. what if the card kenna problem? remember to charge all ur batteries the nite before. treat it like ur own wedding & i think u'll do a good job.

TOTALLY AGREED on the part of one's a lifetime

[synapseman]

Don't always blame the photographer if he (or she) is ill-prepared, inexperienced, etc.

If your own mother needs to have her gall bladder removed, and you go and hire a vet or butcher to do the job, really what do you expect?

If the couple is willing to hire someone whom they know is obviously new at this (because he is cheap and/or a friend/relative), then they themselves must be aware of the possible risks and if the photographer messes up, then they have no real right to be angry with him. In such cases, the onus should be on the couple to ensure that they themselves come up with a back-up plan. You can't just ask for favours from photography enthusiast cousin Joe, and suddenly heap all the responsibilities on his shoulders to deliver. The photographer is also human, and he would be naturally acutely aware of his responsibilities. No need for us to remind him about this, and we don't have the right to tell him not to take up the job. If don't start somewhere, how to learn?

So to the total newbie wedding photographer: If you have been tasked to shoot a wedding, first, make clear to the couple your level of experience. If they are okay with it (because some couples are really chin-chye type), then go for it. Don't burden yourself with getting extra gear that you don't have and/or cannot afford. Unless of course, you WANT to buy extra gear, then by all means get them. Otherwise, if you need a back-up plan, just use a digital compact.

Anyway, I observe that most of the time when newbies ask "is my gear enough for wedding photography", whatever it is they own, for their level, it is ALWAYS enough.

[NeTHaCk]

Originally Posted by synapseman Don't always blame the photographer if he (or she) is ill-prepared, inexperienced, etc. If your own mother needs to have her gall bladder removed, and you go and hire a vet or butcher to do the job, really what do you expect? If the couple is willing to hire someone whom they know is obviously new at this (because he is cheap and/or a friend/relative), then they themselves must be aware of the possible risks and if the photographer messes up, then they have no real right to be angry with him. In such cases, the onus should be on the couple to ensure that they themselves come up with a back-up plan. You can't just ask for favours from photography enthusiast cousin Joe, and suddenly heap all the responsibilities on his shoulders to deliver. The photographer is also human, and he would be naturally acutely aware of his responsibilities. No need for us to remind him about this, and we don't have the right to tell him not to take up the job. If don't start somewhere, how to learn? So to the total newbie wedding photographer: If you have been tasked to shoot a wedding, first, make clear to the couple your level of experience. If they are okay with it (because some couples are really chin-chye type), then go for it. Don't burden yourself with getting extra gear that you don't have and/or cannot afford. Unless of course, you WANT to buy extra gear, then by all means get them. Otherwise, if you need a back-up plan, just use a digital compact. Anyway, I observe that most of the time when newbies ask "is my gear enough for wedding photography", whatever it is they own, for their level, it is ALWAYS enough.

well said.

2 days old thread .. sorry to bring it up again.

firstly, let me tell you my story. i never had any formal knowledge in photography. i just shoot and shoot. play around M, A, P, S, AUTO.

i wasted a hell lot of film when i was using my minolta SLR. then i switched to a fuji s5500 prosumer. it was there that i got a little serious. using my minolta, i took some shots of my cousin's wedding .. extra extra only.. turned out.. pathetic . maybe 10 out of the 100 shots were great.

then i moved to my d50. my friend's wedding in june last year. i took as a backup photographer, as the photographer he hired was at the girl's side ..and i took shots in his side. turned out better than expected. though back then my style was still shoot .. and shoot.. i only used up 3gb of memory. RAW+ Jpeg shots. i was blessed to with a friendly photographer who taught me a little or two.. tips and gave me way to shoot too. but he used WA lens, and I didnt. after some editing and all, i dare say maybe this time 1/4 of the shots were better- the rest were candid, NOISY or OOF.

then came my cousin's solemnisation at Mosque. i was actueally there on behalf of my dad, representing him since he was working on that day and by chance, there was NO OFFICIAL photographer. i took the shots. it was after friday prayer and i happened to bring my gear.

this was better.. 3/4 of the shots were good.

then came my cousin's wedding quite recently.. again i was blessed with a good photographer crew.. gave me tips, and shot backdrops at her house gave tips lots of it.. gave me some way and even told me a thing or two about wedding photography.

one of the advices he told me .. " Everyone wants to shoot a wedding.. but nobody wants to edit the pictures."

quite true.its more of a pain in the *** to edit than take the shots.

for this wedding.. 90% of the pics were good. IF you asked me waht gear i used... surprise surprise..

im not using a 450d, which is NEW to the market.. im using a d50+d70 + KIT lens . YES kit lens 18-55 with my sb-600 . certain shots were shot in Aperture priority. the rest in M mode.

no fancy gear. and d70 is by far, noisy compard to your 450d. even my d50 and d70 are much older models.

what im tyring to say is.. it boils down your skills.

If you're gonna do this for your friend.. show him what you have. if they dont mind, then its good luck to you. If i was in your shoe and he made me photographer and I have no experience.. 0 experience, i'll find somene to do it, and shoot with him/her and learn at the same time. wedding is once in a lifetime... the shots u missed cannot be retook.. neither can the entire wedding