Ok, hold the laughter ...ME a wedding photographer!???

[ddt0725]

I didn't watch the video / show Denise, but was he talking 50mm on a FF body or a Crop Body?

Good point, he was I assume referring to his ff bodies although he didn't specifically point that out.

[clemmb]

I apologize for beating a dead horse with what has turned into a VERY lengthy thread here but I thank you guys for putting up with me! Even my daughter said she doesn't want to talk to me if I am going to talk weddings ...LOL! And it's still a month and a half from the big day!!

First off, I haven't heard from the B-T-B since I sent her three days ago few questions to gain more insight of the wedding and sent her a couple options showing what could be available to her that are within her budget.

Presuming that she has been too busy to respond, I do have a few main concerns now that I have watched the day-long seminar.

#1 - Is the f/2.8 of my Siggy zooms really going to be enough?? Bumping the ISO to like 3000, 4000 on a 7d doesn't sound very appealing to me since I usually toss most of the photos I take if they are higher than 1000! Should I go with my Canon primes for the wedding and use the 50mm 1.8 II and 135L 2.0 and lose IS which may also cause more leg work and possibly cropping? Mr. B stated that you really shouldn't shoot people with wider than 50mm anyway.

#2 - This is sort of tied to #1 above. How close is ok to get to the ceremony without being too intrusive and where is best for me to be. Obviously, I can't cover everything! So, facing the back of the room and getting shots of the bridesmaids etc. & her coming down to the aisle, getting the back of her and his expression when he sees her, being close enough when the father hands her over to the groom ..."I Dream of Jeannie" & "Bewitched" comes to mind! The most I may have my daughter covering from the sidelines is stills of sitting guests and the wedding party during the ceremony. I don't think I have the skills that Mr. B has of slinging two cameras on me and switching back and forth as needed! Plus, he actually walks down on the side of the aisle with his assistant and uses her white shirt to continuously bounce flash off of!

Denise,
#1 - I shoot with my 24-105 @ f4.5 hand hold in Av ISO 800 or 1,000 on my 5D and 1DmkIIn. In most churches it works just fine. Your 7D will have more noise but not by much. I think ISO 800 will work. Use a tripod if you can. I somtimes i use mine like a mono pod. Yes, a headshot that fills the frame, shot with a 50mm will often make their nose look bigger. A 50mm on a 7D will not be as bad but I prefer an 85mm or 135mm for headshots. For full length a 35mm or 50mm work great.
#2 - I usually will be near the front as the Bride is escorted down the isle. I take a few flash shots from hear then move to just behind the brides mades to get the father giving her away. After that I move more to the back of the church center isle. I'll work my way up one of the side isle during the cerimony if possible. I have been to a few churches where I can get behind the alter without being seen. This makes for some great shots when I have the oportunity. My wife is usually in the balcony with the other camera on tripod.

Try to get in the venue with lighting like you think it will be and test, test, test to see what you think will work best for you.

[ddt0725]

Denise,
#1 - I shoot with my 24-105 @ f4.5 hand hold in Av ISO 800 or 1,000 on my 5D and 1DmkIIn. In most churches it works just fine. Your 7D will have more noise but not by much. I think ISO 800 will work. Use a tripod if you can. I somtimes i use mine like a mono pod. Yes, a headshot that fills the frame, shot with a 50mm will often make their nose look bigger. A 50mm on a 7D will not be as bad but I prefer an 85mm or 135mm for headshots. For full length a 35mm or 50mm work great.
#2 - I usually will be near the front as the Bride is escorted down the isle. I take a few flash shots from hear then move to just behind the brides mades to get the father giving her away. After that I move more to the back of the church center isle. I'll work my way up one of the side isle during the cerimony if possible. I have been to a few churches where I can get behind the alter without being seen. This makes for some great shots when I have the oportunity. My wife is usually in the balcony with the other camera on tripod.

Try to get in the venue with lighting like you think it will be and test, test, test to see what you think will work best for you.

Thank you, Mark! This is very helpful information on how you handle it and it sounds doable with my original plans of my zooms for the ceremony. I really wish I could move on with the realities of this but I hate to contact her yet again! Since this isn't in a church lighting may not be so bad! I am not going to sign or even present the contract until I have had a chance to see the the inside and decide if this is even possible for me to obtain the results she is expecting ...that is, if she is even expecting anything from me anymore!

[Kombi]

I apologize for beating a dead horse with what has turned into a VERY lengthy thread here but I thank you guys for putting up with me! Even my daughter said she doesn't want to talk to me if I am going to talk weddings ...LOL! And it's still a month and a half from the big day!!

I think it's fantastic- you are doing all the legwork and pooling a large knowledge base on wedding photography all in one thread. Keep beating that horse (sorry SPCA)

By next wedding season I might try and be a second shooter, and will be referring back to this post.

[ddt0725]

I think it's fantastic- you are doing all the legwork and pooling a large knowledge base on wedding photography all in one thread. Keep beating that horse (sorry SPCA)

By next wedding season I might try and be a second shooter, and will be referring back to this post.

End of Sept. is a ways away! Maybe by the time it gets here, I will be able to turn this thread into "An Amateur's Guide To Shooting Their First Wedding" best seller!!

[Steve U]

I will be putting myself through a great deal of stress I know but I will walk away with some experience in wedding photography, contracts and pricing, post-processing, spending time on an assignment with my daughter and allowing a couple to have some lasting memories from their big day that they obviously would not have been able to do otherwise. IMO, all of this priceless!

So, yeah I am ok with it! Would I like to be making more $ from it, sure! But it is what it is and since I am not doing anything else, the most I am giving up is chilling on here with you guys (sigh ) on the evening of September 29th and I will be editing their photos instead of my own afterwards of which I can use for my own benefit in the future.

As much as I could use more of a financial benefit from doing this, sometimes you just have to look at the non-monetary value of something.

Just catching up on this epic thread and I re-read your response here Denise and I think your thoughts and feelings are spot-on and will work to making the day pefect for the bridal couple and yourself.
Having been in business for quite a few years, I never charge a client for my own on the job training. If I am improving my own skill set, I don't charge for my time and sometimes not even for materials as I look at these experiences as a piece in the big picture.
Business relationships can become strained even with the best contract and it pays to be flexible and understanding, especially on a stressful wedding day. This couple could end up being your best marketing investment. A stepping stone to a career and an income from one of your passions. And it doesn't get better than that.
I watched a female wedding photographer shoot a wedding the other day as I was snapping sunset shots at Cleveland. She was only tiny, by herself, but she was a little dynamo, great personality, encouraging, guiding and it made me think of you.

[clemmb]

End of Sept. is a ways away! Maybe by the time it gets here, I will be able to turn this thread into "An Amateur's Guide To Shooting Their First Wedding" best seller!!

Maybe thats where you will make your $$s
Look forward to a signed copy from you

[ddt0725]

I watched a female wedding photographer shoot a wedding the other day as I was snapping sunset shots at Cleveland. She was only tiny, by herself, but she was a little dynamo, great personality, encouraging, guiding and it made me think of you.

Awwww ...that's me, a little dynamo!

[joksamalina]

Take care about wedding mistakes, read more about that thing on this blog also http://www.longlivestartas.com/bigge...ding-mistakes/ may be it could help you

[ddt0725]

Take care about wedding mistakes, read more about that thing on this blog also http://www.longlivestartas.com/bigge...ding-mistakes/ may be it could help you

Welcome to the forums and my wedding saga!! Oh, I am sure I will make plenty of mistakes! Hopefully, not disastrous ones and hopefully I learn from them!

Well, to give an update ...I was beginning to worry since I had not heard from the B-T-B since I sent her a few questions on Friday and a couple package options on Saturday! Today, she did email me and said it is a definite go and wants to meet with me next week to go over details, the contract & hopefully see the venue and do some practice shots at the same approx. time the ceremony will take place. She has decided to go with the first option I presented to her and also wants an additional hour! I told her I couldn't possibly add another hour of shooting for the $400 budgeted amount and that an additional hour would be $75. I know, on the cheap side but the most stressfull part of it, we will have already gone through so this extra hour will be easy ...right??? Anyway, she bought it so now it's 4 hours for $475.