wedding setup

[thenomad]

hi all,

i'll be covering my cousin's wedding, not as the main photographer, but sort of like a family photographer

i have a few questions and thoughts in mind, and hopefully the wedding sifus here can give some advice

currently i only have 1 body, the d90. thinking of getting the d40 as a second body. any thoughts on a 2nd body? my reason being the d40 is cheap yet capable as a backup, 6mp is what i intend to shoot at

i have the tammy 17-50 and nikkor 85 1.8. thinking of attaching the 85 on the d90, and the 17-50 on the d40. the 17-50 comes with a built-in motor. 85 for the candid and expression shots, and the 17-50 for atmospheric and group shots

i won't be using flash, as i prefer natural light, and the venue will be sufficiently lit

i know my setup is kind of like a budget setup :bsmilie:, but i hope is still good enough

any tips from the pros/sifus here, like what to keep in mind, what to prepare beforehand?

this will be my first "proper" wedding assignment, though not as the main professional

thanks

 

[musicpls]

As much you can, natural light will always be good. But don't die die not to use flash as there are times when fill-in flash is definitely required, flash can also produce very nice results. It's the know how.

Pushing to high ISO >1600 can results in noisy picture especially with D40. I believe D90 can handle noise much better.

Since you are not the main photographer why not aim to capture nice moments with just 1 camera. I can cover most of the event with just the 50mm lens. I love fast lens and also the results from prime lens. Zoom definitely give you more flexibility, the Tamron 17-50 is a good lens to use.

My thoughts is to save money on the D40 for better accessories like fast prime lens or a good flash. Or shoot with what you have now, 85 and the 17-40, It's more than adequate.

 

[lamergod]

why do u nid a second body LOL

 

[PrimePhotog]

why do u nid a second body LOL

So you dun have to change lenses...Alot of shots are wasted when you don't have the right lens on and I think it is essential in important events like weddings.
To TS:You setup is pretty good already though I would definitely go for a 135mm/105mm f2 or a 85mm f1.4 instead of the 85mm f1.8 if budget permits.For the D90 with the 17-50, you may need an external flash as weddings rarely have sufficient light for group shots at f5.6/f8.

 

[jimbok]

Agree that if you are the family photographer, don't really need to have a backup body, that would be overkill. Try to focus on one body and concentrate on composing your shots.

 

[thenomad]

As much you can, natural light will always be good. But don't die die not to use flash as there are times when fill-in flash is definitely required, flash can also produce very nice results. It's the know how.

Pushing to high ISO >1600 can results in noisy picture especially with D40. I believe D90 can handle noise much better.

Since you are not the main photographer why not aim to capture nice moments with just 1 camera. I can cover most of the event with just the 50mm lens. I love fast lens and also the results from prime lens. Zoom definitely give you more flexibility, the Tamron 17-50 is a good lens to use.

My thoughts is to save money on the D40 for better accessories like fast prime lens or a good flash. Or shoot with what you have now, 85 and the 17-40, It's more than adequate.

i did thought about using only one camera, but i wanted to capture group shots and also candids, love the bokeh. maybe i can do it with one body if i have a 24-70 2.8, but i don't :bsmilie:

i think using the 85 1.8 will be a little easier to capture expressions than the 50 end of the 17-50, plus with 1.8 will produce a nicer bokeh

just curious are you using a DX or FX? i find the 50mm a bit tight for DX, so capturing group shots will be a bit tough

 

[thenomad]

So you dun have to change lenses...Alot of shots are wasted when you don't have the right lens on and I think it is essential in important events like weddings.
To TS:You setup is pretty good already though I would definitely go for a 135mm/105mm f2 or a 85mm f1.4 instead of the 85mm f1.8 if budget permits.For the D90 with the 17-50, you may need an external flash as weddings rarely have sufficient light for group shots at f5.6/f8.

that's what i have in mind, to capture group shots and candids. changing lenses back and forth during the event will be quite troublesome

maybe you're right, need about f5.6 for group shots. just wondering, if they are standing side by side straight, will f4 be enough DOF? :bsmilie:

some of the weddings that i've been to actually have enough lighting for the group shots, e.g. in large function room, it was well-lit, but thanks for the advice, i will keep this in mind

 

[Fujiwara]

hmm... i doubt the pro who is goin to shoot the wedding will carry 2 cameras ....

Cheers
Fuji

 

[tkbonz]

If you don't already have an external flash, invest in one now, either the SB600/800/900. Very useful for bounced flash.

 

[thenomad]

Agree that if you are the family photographer, don't really need to have a backup body, that would be overkill. Try to focus on one body and concentrate on composing your shots.

thought of that too

as i said from my prev posts, wanted to capture group and candid shots, and find changing lenses back and forth rather troublesome

another thing is, just to give me some experience as a main photographer, i'm sure i can learn from this :bsmilie:

to all the posters, thanks for all your good advices, appreciate them

 

[thenomad]

If you don't already have an external flash, invest in one now, either the SB600/800/900. Very useful for bounced flash.

ya bro

dunno why but i just like natural light

guess i'm being stubborn, but i'll have to read up on them and see which one is right if i were to purchase an external flash :bsmilie:

but dont you think using a fast lens and a flash kind of defeat the purpose of getting a fast lens in the first place? although i agree that there are some situations where even a fast lens won't help

 

[sherchoo]

Personally, I would just hold on to 1 body + 17-50mm with a flash permanently attached. You can get excellent candid at 50mm too.

Natural light is nice but you dun want to loose shots due to camera shake.

 

[jeremyteocx]

something to consider if you're not the main photographer. instead of thinking of the equipment, mayb u wanna think bout the shots u wanna take. as suggested, mayb u shud juz use one cam and go for creative shots. leave those group and normal shots to the main photographer. in fact, creative shots will be more fun and interesting. do note that if u also wan to take the group shots/conventional event shots, u may get in the way of the main photographer. as such, instead of providing an extra pair of hands to have more shots of the event, u actually affect the good main shots

 

[Cartman2000]

Ok, if you're not the main photographer and need another body just for this event, maybe you could consider renting a d300 or something else? I don't think you will be using 2 bodies much unless you cover a future wedding anyway.

 

[musicpls]

i did thought about using only one camera, but i wanted to capture group shots and also candids, love the bokeh. maybe i can do it with one body if i have a 24-70 2.8, but i don't :bsmilie:

i think using the 85 1.8 will be a little easier to capture expressions than the 50 end of the 17-50, plus with 1.8 will produce a nicer bokeh

just curious are you using a DX or FX? i find the 50mm a bit tight for DX, so capturing group shots will be a bit tough

I am using FF, so 50mm is just nice for many situations. I do have the 24-70 f2.8 but even so, i use 60% 50mm and 40% 24-70 or the 85.

You do have the Tamron 17-50 on the DX which is almost equivalent to the 24-70. It's wide enough for group photos and zoom enough for portraits. And if you want a 50mm FF equivalent, you can consider the 35 f1.8 which is a good lens too.

If you insist of not using flash, I am sure there will be alot of situation you will not have good light. Even my D700 pushing it above 1600, I can see noise appearing at 100%. Blown to 12" size for album printing, i can already notice the IQ do drop and I cannot stand noise oo human skin or eyes area, back ground is ok. Maybe I have low tolerance for noise.

I don't see a reason for buying D40 for 2nd body especially for natural light photography. You want quality picture not quantity right? If you want, going up the ladder board with a D300 or even another D90 then go downward.

IMHO, Get a good flash (compulsory item) for almost any occassion or invest in another accessories is better than buying a D40 just because it's cheap.

The best part of being the 2nd photographer you enjoy the priviledge of capturing artistic moment than focus on delivering main photo like group shot which can be repetitive and boring.

Have fun and enjoy shooting.

 

[synapseman]

If you're a second photographer, then you are free to experiment and challenge yourself. I personally believe that as a beginner, ANY DSLR set-up is adequate, even if it's just a single body with a single kit lens.

Just stick with your one body with the 17-50 and try to make the best shots you can with such restrictions. If you're not very experienced, fumbling with all the equipment will detract from your enjoyment and learning process. There's no need to attract attention or try to compete with the hired pro on how much equipment you have.

 

[soeypixels]

i think is a good set up .. ready to go
shoot whatever the main photographer is NOT shooting

 

[clioboy]

yeah..and get out of his/her hair..90 degree pls..

 

[thenomad]

thanks all for the advice

after reading them, ok i think i won't be getting the 2nd body, won't be renting also, so i'll just stick to my d90 with the 17-50 attached

i was reading a little bit about flashes, i'm not completely new to dslr, been playing with it for a while, shooting mostly outdoors, but quite new to flash photography, as previously i've always preferred natural light

i'm looking at the sb-600 or sb-800, feel that the sb-600 is adequate for my needs

bounced flash seems to give a much more natural looking light, but if there are no walls or ceilings to bounce off from, should i use a diffuser instead? will it give a natural looking light when the flash is pointed directly at the subject?

 

[ortega]

go for your d90 + 17-50 + SB900 ( i believe you they have stopped making the SB800 already )
bounce the flash - do some test shots first and check the ceiling height
use the flash as fill in and to light the background
use the built in white card to add a little catchlight to the eyes