weddings

[photoshots]

i have a friend who ask me to take pics on his wedding. Frankly I am a beginner.. I do take shots but just for fun. I haven't tried weddings...

Is there a way for me to know even basics? Could you guys show some samples so that I could have an idea.. thanks

[Greg Lockrey]

Weddings with large format camera...he must be rich.
:)

[munz6869]

Would I be right in saying that weddings are the most stressful photographic task there is? So much pressure - so many vested interests, so many setups that simply must be captured well with little ability to control environment, mise en scene, or timing. I know some folks have used large format for weddings (speed graphics et al), but I'd wager you would need to have a very good relationship with the marrying couple to be able to set these satisfyingly.
I have shot a few weddings, on frustrating 35mm, and more satisfying 6x4.5, and the things I realise are:
1. It is important to plan the day like a military operation - where you need to be and when, how long you have to get the photos, and who "needs" to be in them (groups of family, friends, bride, groom, bridal party, etc etc)
2. The right equipment and amount of film stock, for outdoors and in, with backups - can film be re-loaded quickly (it is very worth having a friend along to do this, and to help manage/crowd control who's in the photos).
3. Flash gun - powerful enough to bounce, or mounted high above the camera on one of those things that swivels so it is always high above, whether landscape or portrait - so you can avoid nasty side shadows and "red eye".
4. What the couple want at the end - basic prints with the negs, a full album, digital copies? All this is best budgeted and planned beforehand so you can give a realistic assessment of how long this will take and how much it's gonna cost

Hope that helps!!
Cheerio, Marc

www.marcmorel.2ya.com

[GPS]

An old typical topic. Your friend wants to avoid paying a pro photographer. Avoid doing this service to your friend. You must have a prior experience from this kind of photo or you need to be with a prof to do this. Very stressful, I agree with munz. I was doing many weddings and never found it easy or even pleasant. Have you thought about the consequences when you have to say to your friend - sorry, it didn't work, I forgot ... (add a thousand of reasons)?

[Juergen Sattler]

Photoshots - are you for real or just in the wrong forum? are you REALLY planning on shooting a wedding with Large Format equipment? I suspect that you won't. If that is the case you should post your question (and get ready for some brutal but honest replies) on the wedding forum over at photo.net.

For what it's worth - don't shoot that wedding if your friend matters at all to you. After all - for many brides (all of them?) this is their most important day and 99% are very unforegiving when it comes to crappy pictures.

[Walter Calahan]

The most important thing is to NOT make the mother-in-laws look fat!

That said, just go with the flow. You've got to put your storytelling hat on to make pictures of all the "classic" moments. Like shoving the cake into each person's face.

Remember to drink A LOT so you can say you really don't remember what happened, and why your pictures are out of focus. Grin.

And whatever you do, only shot 8x10 or larger, any smaller format is for amateurs. Double Grin.

But seriously. Shoot digital or color negative 35mm, and you'll be fine. Bring lots of film and plenty of batteries.

Remember, this is for a friend. The photos are your wedding gift, so if they don't like them, they can always return them for an exchange. Triple grin.

Relax and have fun.

[Frank Petronio]

I did one with a 4x5. Just got one shot though. Long exposure...

[darr]

I did weddings professionally for 15 years. My average 24 page album retailed for $2,500 and that was in the '80s. Some advice: medium format, negative film, fill flash, softar filters on the bride (and mother-in-law ;) ), at least 300 snaps, 100 portraits and do not do friend's weddings!

[Mark Carney]

Run.

MANY years ago I was best man and the photographer. That was a hoot.

If you are trapped into doing this for whatever twisted logic might present itself, go digital. A D70 or something with a decent flash. Make your friend aware of the quality differences between what you would do and a pro. However many people doing weddings and portrait work are using the digital approach with similar cameras. So instead of quality it might be more experience being a major difference.

Establish a shot list far in advance and keep the suprises to a miminum.

Make sure he realizes that he gets what he paid for.

Mark

[Ted Harris]

You can do the posed formal portraits of the bride and groom with LF but NOTHING else. All the other advice you have is right on. If necessary be sick or join the Foreign legion but don't do this unless you are reasonably sure you don't mind losing this friend.

[Dave Parker]

I do weddings as part of my photography business, and I never recommend doing a friends wedding, that is unless you don't mind loosing a friend. Wedding can be the demise of a good friendship..

That said, if your going to use LF gear, do as Ted said, then grab either a 35mm or a compact MF body and shoot lots of film.. or digital depending on what you have.. and make sure you are up to snuff on lighting techniques.

Good Luck.

Dave

[David Beal]

We did weddings (35 mm and MF) until a couple of years ago. As others have noted, they are incredibly stressful, must be planned as if you were going into battle, and are complex. By that, I mean that 50% of the job is pure people skills, 25% is salesmanship including contract law, and 25% is photographic technique:eek: .

My partner and I made each other a promise that the only way we would ever do a wedding was if someone wanted to pay us to shoot it "retro:" b/w, LF, strictly with flash bulbs. So far, no takers.

And even if you have the right equipment, don't shoot a friend's event of any kind. I made that mistake, and lost a good friend. Never again.

/s/ David

[Photomax]

I shoot weddings professionally and I agree with most of the thoughts put forth here.

How about this as a suggestion: Make it crystal clear that you will NOT be responsible for professional wedding photography. The only way the couple will get professional results is to hire a professional. Period. What YOU can offer is picture taking as your wedding gift. You present the couple with some nice pictures you take at the wedding instead of buying them a blender. You will be more relaxed by not having the pressure of being "the guy." If things go wrong with some of your pictures there will be no hard feelings. Its not worth loosing a friend. You may have a good relaxed relationship with your buddy but you MUST consider the bride and her family: they will be expecting quality photography. If your images fall short you are going to feel bad for a long, long time. Its just not worth it. You are doing them a bigger favor by saying NO to this responsibility.

So keep it light, but bow out of the main responsibility. Take a ton of pictures, edit them and make a nice album as your gift. Odds are your images may be nicer than the ones taken by the pro. But being "the guy" is a pressure packed responsibility almost unequaled in professional photography...

I did casual gift photography for all my college friends before taking on a paying job. The difference in pressure when you are being counted on is immense.

Good luck!

Max

[Armin Seeholzer]

I do it still as my parttime job and do it also for friends but do it only if you are really sure on the photog part, and it seems you are a beginner.
I did so many thad I do it without any troubles, but do it with 35mm, MF and also Digital today, with the last its almost like a dream!
Talk to them thad you only do it if they don't care what comes out, otherwise they have to pay for a professional!
Tell them best would be to hire a pro for all the important things 3-4 hours an you do some snaps all the time!
My 2 cents after some 100 weddings!
Armin J. Seeholzer

[Downix]

For fun, a friend of mine is getting married, and was not planning on any pictures at all. So, I offered to take a short movie of her service and to do some posed pictures for her, as my wedding gift. Yes, I'm using my LF camera, and for the movie I'm using my Super8 cameras... talk about a wild extreme. 8)

But it's being done as a gift, and I told her not to expect professional results.

[David Luttmann]

I do it still as my parttime job and do it also for friends but do it only if you are really sure on the photog part, and it seems you are a beginner.
I did so many thad I do it without any troubles, but do it with 35mm, MF and also Digital today, with the last its almost like a dream!
Talk to them thad you only do it if they don't care what comes out, otherwise they have to pay for a professional!
Tell them best would be to hire a pro for all the important things 3-4 hours an you do some snaps all the time!
My 2 cents after some 100 weddings!
Armin J. Seeholzer

Armin, I converted all my wedding and portrait work to digital gear a while back and I would never go back to the hassle of using MF again. A lot of people like the so called photojournalistic look and that is troublesome with the slow handling of MF.

[Padu Merloti]

I have covered 2 or 3 weddings in the past for friends and relatives, but I don't go as the main photographer. I insist that they hire a professional, or if they don't, to please assume that no picture will be taken.

There's one care to take if you're the second photographer. Be in synch with the first photographer in regards to where you will be at all times, and if he's using an assistant with slave strobe, that you won't interfere with his job. As it was mentioned here, when you're the pro, you've planned the thing very carefully, and the last thing you need is this stupid guy draining the batteries of your slave flash unit.

All that said, I will cover a friend's wedding in November (yeah, 9 months away) as a second photographer. What I plan on doing is much more than wedding photos. I will edit a small book (apollo and asukabook are two good options) with not only photos of the wedding, but some other photos I will take of them in my studio (probably using LF) and some places outdoor. Additionally, the book format allows for non-photo content, as for example some nice bio written by their parents with infancy photos illustrating the text.

They will have their traditional wedding book with the boring formal poses (which I don't care to take), but I plan on more creative photos and plenty of nice candids (what 12GBs of CF cards can do huh?). I'm sure they'll like the book better than the blender ;)