my friend throwing a 50 table banquet some more .... busy man ... just table to table will take me how many shots le ...
digital wedding photography - first time~!
- Thread starter beivied
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if you a back up photographer, then it is OK. However, if you are the main photographer, my advice is to persuade the bride to engage a pro, or else you may be a big disappointment to them when they see the photos. Remember that there will be no replay!! You got to get it right there and then. Ultimately, you may be risking your friendship with them.
From the questions asked and inadequate equipment you have, i can conclude quite confidently that you may not have the experience for the wedding.
Hope this is not too late.
From the questions asked and inadequate equipment you have, i can conclude quite confidently that you may not have the experience for the wedding.
Hope this is not too late.
50 tables... :what: you got enough storage?? anyway, the wedding shoot I did on sunday got 1 "D.O.P" auntie! ;( A lot of people with compact digital cams, but I just ignore them, when it's important shots, I'll tell them to excuse themself. got kiddy with HP cam, kena told by me go one side and not to hog the couple.
For you info, "D.O.P" means Director of Photography. So I told the auntie I'll pass her the camera and she shoot, she :embrass: then stop the "Directing". :devil:
For you info, "D.O.P" means Director of Photography. So I told the auntie I'll pass her the camera and she shoot, she :embrass: then stop the "Directing". :devil:
Forget to add, after I tell her that, I tell her it's my job to take photos mah so I'll do my best with whatever location I'm in. her job is to sit down and yum cha.
reachme2003 said:
Not to be a wet blanket, but i have to agree with what he said. The stress can be tremendous for the main photog. Maybe it's better to gain a bit of experience as a backup first.
i don't doubt your skills as a photog, but there are other things involved besides photography skills. The wedding cannot be repeated; the main photog MUST deliver. Backup body, backup lenses, backup flash, backup batteries, backup memory, backup harddisk, and in case of unforseen circumstances, backup photographer. Plus experience to know which shots are must-gets, ability to shepherd people, ability to anticipate events to be at the right place at the right time. Plus ability to juggle all these logistics, guard against loss or theft, plus being able to change batts, cards/film at the right time, etc. You get the idea.
Anyway, if you really feel up to it, go ahead, but maybe should invest in some extra gear or at least borrow. i think you're still going to go ahead and do it, so here's wishing you all the best.
thanks for the advice. these are all that i have considered. i have told my friend the risks that she is getting by asking me to be the main photog. cant really persuade her and if i dont do it, she will just have another one who is using compact camera. if you were me, would you do it? got a backup photog liao le la, thankfully..
mjjphoto said:Wah...That's a good line to remember! But I think I'll use it only sparingly. Scarly the auntie thick skin and say 'ok loh!'
This only applies to those "D.O.P" who are very hardcore!! ever encounter one from hell, stand besides me nevermind, keep asking me this shot take, that angle good, wa liao eh!!! whole day my head pain. even the videographer also never spare!!! wa liew, that video guy was damm piss off. That time the "Force" is not strong in me, so kena from those "D.O.P".
It's ok. brace yourself and do it.beivied said:
Many people discourage 1st timers from being main photog at weddings.
They say that newbies shouldn't ruin other people's once in a lifetime event and all sort of discouraging remarks.
My friend who is on a budget for his wedding did not hire a wedding photographer, I was actually his invited guest and not the photographer.
Fortuanately or unfortunately, he got to know that I am into photography and asked me to do it.
I was initally reluclant but if I refuse, his "Official" photographer will be a one using a Coolpix 3100 w/o external flash.
I did told him frankly that I am a novice and had never done it before and if he still willing to ask me to do it.
He agreed and said his expectation is not high.
Though it's for FREE. (I did say he was on a budget)
I did get a friend to be a backup. I did told my friend it is a FREE thing... and it's more for exposure rather than pay. He was kind and agreed.
We split ways and I covered the groom in the morning following the bridal car while he covered the bridal makeup at the bride's house.
At the end of the day, the groom found our shots to be okay and said that he would not have captured so many "moments" if we had not been there.
We passed him abt 700+ pictures in 3 CDs.
If you never try you will never know.
If you are charging for your time as the wedding photographer as in making a living, or are doing it for strangers.
People will naturally expect you to perform, after all they become the customers when they pay you.
I treat it more like a friendly gesture w/o charge and they also learn not to expect pro-level pictures.
"You pay peanuts, you get monkeys"
So since they didn't pay, they should be lucky to even get monkeys. hee hee, j/king lah...
Winston said:
thank you Winston, for your encouragement, really .. thanks ...
i partly agreed cos if i dont, she dont even know what kind of camera the other person whom she was thinking to ask has. only know that person has camera nia.
and espn is very kind to be my backup and help me along lo... i know the responsibility is on the main la. vader and avatar also helping me lo on advice and gear part. really appreciate all the generous help that i am getting .. so touched.. :cry:
and ya, she is not paying me, haha, good line winston! :bsmilie:
vader said:No problem, we all start somewhere mah. right??
arigato arigato.. thanks for sharing... owe you one ^_^
Don't worry, just go with the flow, once bitten twice shy, I think your friend is opting for candid and not-so journalistic shots. So just be daring to shoot and then be daring to direct.
Everything will be ok.
Everything will be ok.espn said:Don't worry, just go with the flow, once bitten twice shy, I think your friend is opting for candid and not-so journalistic shots. So just be daring to shoot and then be daring to direct.
mm *nods* and i really appreciate your help too ^_^ thank you thank you thank you ..
vader said:
i am worried i talk too soft you see... end up like mousing squeaking at the side.... bring loudspeaker
just be polite loh, like, "ok hello everybody it's time to snap some shots with the couple for remembrance". or "hello, you are blocking my view and I'll need to use this angle for the shots". One thing i find is the couples usually walk very fast when they do the 1st march in. try to tell them to relax, walk slowly, then you got more time to snap the shots. ask them to concentrate on you and don't mind the people throwing those shiny stuff on their head.
yo beivied!
good luck man, we all start somewhere, if i'm sure u have RELENTLESSLY communicated to your friend that you aren't pro, don't expect too much, etc etc, but will do your bestest best so help you god and i do i do i do... okok sorree abit tok cock liow.. :sweat:
btw.. is it "i do" or "i will" nowadays? :think:
okok anyway, i don't mean to be all banal, but like yourself i was once a shitting in my pants first timer doing my fren's wedding, but as backup. 3 full weddings and 2 ROM shoots later, i'm STILL not pro, still using a non dSLR and still loving the challenge. i'm also starting to charge an "ang pow" for each shoot, and when i get my D2H (okok actually it's just a D100, but i like to dream) then i will go market myself and freelance and use all the previous shoots as portfolio, even as official photog. too early for me to be official? bah, look at urself, u're doing it at first go! now that's guts. you've laid your cards, the "opponent" has picked them up, and the "game" starts. i dun see anything wrong.
of course this topic has been discussed many times, that it is important to capture all those moments of a once-in-a-lifetime event properly. and if a photog fails to do so, the couple is gonna spew and be totally upset. it really depends lar, i mean in ur case, ur friend isn't expecting high, if not they would have hired someone who's more experienced to do so. again, there are all kinds of pple in this world, and friendships have been broken over this (not that i know of actually, just read about it here) but i seriously question wat type of friends they are in the first place if they fall out with me over something i already told them countless times that i'm not the best person for the job but cross my heart i'll do my best BECAUSE of the friendship?
and oh, btw u have a very capable assistant too!!!!!!!!!!! (espn u can pay me a BCM at next seed - can't make tomorrow's one liow got last min dinner appt! :blah: )
ok.. one thing about someone mentioning 1/30 shutter speed or something? i dunno about those more experienced photogs, but i try not to go slower than 1/60, not becos of camera shake, but becos of motion blur. especially candid shots, i've done 1/30 many times and get undesired motion blur. if they're just waving their arms or something maybe still ok, but if laughing out loud tilting head backwards, i dun think their head/mouth in a blur is very nice. also at 1/30 the tea ceremony (while passing the cup around) will have motion blur also, if u want that effect or like it then good, but doesn't work for me.
table shots yes, 1/30, f5.6, got low ceiling for bounce flash best, but usually ballrooms aren't that nice to us photogs, wat with tungsten lighting and high, badly shaped ceilings that may not even be white. i dun usually do table shots as backup, but if i do, i would fire off 2 or 3 shots in continuous mode in case someone blinked. just hope u got enuff memory. also 50 tables not that small, be mindful of the time u spend walking around, sometimes there's "hold ups" when the bride/groom need to talk and catch up with their guests this and that, u need to be assertive sometimes to get them to move along. we all know this type of photography isn't all about light, it's alot to do with interpersonal skills too.
aiyah... anything ask espn, he'll have an answer for u!
last but not least, post some of the pics if possible/allowed, let us ALL learn from you too! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
good luck man, we all start somewhere, if i'm sure u have RELENTLESSLY communicated to your friend that you aren't pro, don't expect too much, etc etc, but will do your bestest best so help you god and i do i do i do... okok sorree abit tok cock liow..
:sweat: btw.. is it "i do" or "i will" nowadays? :think:
okok anyway, i don't mean to be all banal, but like yourself i was once a shitting in my pants first timer doing my fren's wedding, but as backup. 3 full weddings and 2 ROM shoots later, i'm STILL not pro, still using a non dSLR and still loving the challenge. i'm also starting to charge an "ang pow" for each shoot, and when i get my D2H (okok actually it's just a D100, but i like to dream) then i will go market myself and freelance and use all the previous shoots as portfolio, even as official photog. too early for me to be official? bah, look at urself, u're doing it at first go! now that's guts. you've laid your cards, the "opponent" has picked them up, and the "game" starts. i dun see anything wrong.
of course this topic has been discussed many times, that it is important to capture all those moments of a once-in-a-lifetime event properly. and if a photog fails to do so, the couple is gonna spew and be totally upset. it really depends lar, i mean in ur case, ur friend isn't expecting high, if not they would have hired someone who's more experienced to do so. again, there are all kinds of pple in this world, and friendships have been broken over this (not that i know of actually, just read about it here) but i seriously question wat type of friends they are in the first place if they fall out with me over something i already told them countless times that i'm not the best person for the job but cross my heart i'll do my best BECAUSE of the friendship?
and oh, btw u have a very capable assistant too!!!!!!!!!!! (espn u can pay me a BCM at next seed - can't make tomorrow's one liow got last min dinner appt! :blah: )
ok.. one thing about someone mentioning 1/30 shutter speed or something? i dunno about those more experienced photogs, but i try not to go slower than 1/60, not becos of camera shake, but becos of motion blur. especially candid shots, i've done 1/30 many times and get undesired motion blur. if they're just waving their arms or something maybe still ok, but if laughing out loud tilting head backwards, i dun think their head/mouth in a blur is very nice. also at 1/30 the tea ceremony (while passing the cup around) will have motion blur also, if u want that effect or like it then good, but doesn't work for me.
table shots yes, 1/30, f5.6, got low ceiling for bounce flash best, but usually ballrooms aren't that nice to us photogs, wat with tungsten lighting and high, badly shaped ceilings that may not even be white. i dun usually do table shots as backup, but if i do, i would fire off 2 or 3 shots in continuous mode in case someone blinked. just hope u got enuff memory. also 50 tables not that small, be mindful of the time u spend walking around, sometimes there's "hold ups" when the bride/groom need to talk and catch up with their guests this and that, u need to be assertive sometimes to get them to move along. we all know this type of photography isn't all about light, it's alot to do with interpersonal skills too.
aiyah... anything ask espn, he'll have an answer for u!
last but not least, post some of the pics if possible/allowed, let us ALL learn from you too! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
hi hi joho... thank you for being encouraging too. i was talking to my friend last night la, and she was really taking this thing much much lighter than i am ... she was very surprised that i went to the extent of gathering all road heroes (direct translate in chinese) so that i can absorb as much essence of you people's skills for her wedding as possible, haha..
jOhO: Mai extra lah you, trying to advertise or suan me? :hammer: quickly get ur D2h today tested the new SB-800 on my camera, rocks Btw today SEED was at Funan not PP so no BCM, and it closes so early!!!
beivied: Don't think so much, it's still a whole month away, just keep shooting, we all started with zero experience. Just build up as you go, experience is common sense, what you blunder, excel when trying something becomes experience. So just chill out.
today tested the new SB-800 on my camera, rocks Btw today SEED was at Funan not PP so no BCM, and it closes so early!!! beivied: Don't think so much, it's still a whole month away, just keep shooting, we all started with zero experience. Just build up as you go, experience is common sense, what you blunder, excel when trying something becomes experience. So just chill out.
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