shooting a church wedding.. which lens?

[how33]

will be helping a friend out at the end of the month.. currently have a 400D, 550EX and for lenses - kit lens, 50mm/f1.8 and the tokina 24-200.

also have a friend who's willing to loan me his 17-40L.

i was wondering if the big bros here have a recommendation of which lens to be the primary one. most likely, i'll only have one body.. or rather no time to change lenses..

prob be shooting the church ceremony and the group photos..

TIA!!

 

[tchern]

Use the 17-40L. good enough to cover most shots... loan/borrow a 2nd camera (with tele lens F2.8 preferred for indoors) from someone/friend... for capturing the heart warming moment from a distance - so won't interrupt by being close up. The rest is up to your OWN shooting style... try Black and White too...

 

[fotoudavid]

if like that, better use 17 to 40, then remember pump iso higher, and remember, in church, try asking ard whether flashes allow or not, also, ask pastor how close u can get to the subject, couples. What is the do and duns.

 

[how33]

thanks for all the suggestions guys!! really appreciate it!

was wondering if i should shoot a direct flash or use the omnibounce?

for 1. ceremony shots
and 2. group shots

the ceiling is pretty high and i dun think i'll be bouncing off that.. any suggested settings?

 

[westwest2]

thanks for all the suggestions guys!! really appreciate it!

was wondering if i should shoot a direct flash or use the omnibounce?

for 1. ceremony shots
and 2. group shots

the ceiling is pretty high and i dun think i'll be bouncing off that.. any suggested settings?

a suggestion, try shooting amibent lighting.

 

[fotoudavid]

or pump higher iso, and shoot using ambient ligthing. Remember, u need speed.

 

[Dithiolium]

17-40 with flash sounds really good.
As recommended, ambient light shooting requires fast lens f/2.8, preferably with IS
= EF-S17-55 f/2.8 IS USM, $1480. Perhaps borrow one.

Cheers.

 

[ortega]

ambient light + fill flash with the 17-40L

 

[catchlights]

ceiling high, you will be better off with using a bounce card, justboucne or thebetterbouncecard are fine.

if the ambient light is low, you can't shoot with handheld speed, better forget it, (standard but sharp focus) shots with flash are far better than no (motion blur, hand shake, underexpose etc..) shots.

big formal group photos, shoot at least two shots, direct flash is good enough, have to work very fast, everyone want to go and eat something, no time to wait for your flash recharge.

 

[how33]

cool! i guess i kinda figured out the 'easiest' part (equipment) already.. now the difficult (actually shooting it) part..

any other suggestions from the pros and big brudders here will be much appreaciated..

in the meantime, i will be 'studying' the wedding portfolio gallery for inspiration..

 

[Goldenstars08]

If you got the EF 17-40 F/4 L.
You only need to rent the EF 70-200 F/2.8 L IS.
With this two lenses is good enought for that day...

 

[Artosoft]

... try Black and White too...

:nono: :nono: :nono: .

Don't play around in such important even.

It is better you take good picture than trial and error. Or, do black and white in post processing.

Regards,
Arto.

 

[blazer_workz]

Check with ur fren the flow of events going take place..be at the location early to check the lighting condition..

 

[ortega]

try to know what is going to happen before it happens and be ready for it

In position and ready to fire

 

[synapseman]

Is this your first time?

Honestly speaking, there are MANY things to consider when shooting any wedding. If you're unfamiliar with the flow of events, it can get quite stressful, so the last thing you should worry about is gear. External flashgun, kit lens is enough. Just do all the safe shots first, fancy stuff later, so the 18-55mm is more than enough. I know of a pro who started with a film SLR with just a 50mm. Keep everything as simple as possible first. P-mode, auto everything.

However, if you've done this before, here's what I suggest:
Find out about the venues, get as much info as possible. Then visualise what kind of shots you're going to take, the kind of effect you want, and then choose a lens that will allow you to achieve your shots. And this in turn, depends on your personal style. Some photographers have a very good eye for detail, so they may pack in a 50mm or 85mm prime. Some are "big picture" people (like me) so they may choose an ultra-wide 10-20mm zoom, for example.

 

[Deadpoet]

will be helping a friend out at the end of the month.. currently have a 400D, 550EX and for lenses - kit lens, 50mm/f1.8 and the tokina 24-200.

also have a friend who's willing to loan me his 17-40L.

i was wondering if the big bros here have a recommendation of which lens to be the primary one. most likely, i'll only have one body.. or rather no time to change lenses..

prob be shooting the church ceremony and the group photos..

TIA!!

thanks for all the suggestions guys!! really appreciate it!

was wondering if i should shoot a direct flash or use the omnibounce?

for 1. ceremony shots
and 2. group shots

the ceiling is pretty high and i dun think i'll be bouncing off that.. any suggested settings?

cool! i guess i kinda figured out the 'easiest' part (equipment) already.. now the difficult (actually shooting it) part..

any other suggestions from the pros and big brudders here will be much appreaciated..

in the meantime, i will be 'studying' the wedding portfolio gallery for inspiration..

This is your first time right? I sincerely hope that you are not the primary or only photographer. If you are it, you really should decline the request.

Shooting at a wedding is very stressful work. You need to know what is happenning, and going to happen, anticipate, and improvise as you go. If you are not comfortable with your equipment, and you did not even have a good idea what lens to you, you will be up to a hard time.

 

[how33]

strictly speaking.. a church wedding is my first time.. a traditional one i'v done before.. i couldn't decline coz he's a good friend.. and on a REALLY tight budget.. this is kinda pro-bono.. i've done quite a few church weddings as a coordinator and am quite familiar with the flow of events..

i'm just trying to cover my bases as much as i can by studying into it as much as i can.. all the advice here is much appreciated.. all taken into serious consideration..

i'll be trying to familiarize myself with the 17-40 F4L throughout this week.. shoot as much as possible.. in the meantime like i said.. checking out all the wedding portfolios.. get an idea.. and some inspiration..

 

[noob117]

strictly speaking.. a church wedding is my first time.. a traditional one i'v done before.. i couldn't decline coz he's a good friend.. and on a REALLY tight budget.. this is kinda pro-bono.. i've done quite a few church weddings as a coordinator and am quite familiar with the flow of events..

i'm just trying to cover my bases as much as i can by studying into it as much as i can.. all the advice here is much appreciated.. all taken into serious consideration..

i'll be trying to familiarize myself with the 17-40 F4L throughout this week.. shoot as much as possible.. in the meantime like i said.. checking out all the wedding portfolios.. get an idea.. and some inspiration..

IMO
u shud go to the church the before the event and check the lighting out and see for your self what settings you need for that day.

but kit lens(natural light) is ok if you are not shooting to for dam sharp pictures to enlarge across the screen. but then again it depends on which church n the lighting

but i suggest u go for F2.8s to be safe(if u r doing natual light)

 

[how33]

get the F2.8 part.. been shooting on the 17-40 F4L and i'm amazed at the pin sharp images.. anyone got any views on:

[Tokina 24-200mm AT-X 242 AF vs Canon 17-40mm F4L]

the added range seems tempting but the flash prob couldn't make it that far depending.. will the F4 really make a lot of different.. have seen the church and the lighting will prob be a lil lacking to medium brightness depending on the lights they have on..

stress...

 

[radedward]

Just make sure your friend knows that you are doing this the first time.
Better manage his expectations first.

On second thought, better manage the wife's expectations first. She's the one most likely to kick up a fuss.