Beginner looking for a few tips for family wedding

batman1

Hi,

I have a family wedding in a few weeks which I would like to photograph. I am hoping someone can give me a few tips or pointers as to the best way to set up my camera for doing shots of people at the wedding. I am a beginner with my DSLR and am slowly but surely getting the hang of it, with a little help from here.

I have a Nikon D3000 with the18-55 kit lens. I also have a 55-200 lens but I'm thinking this wont be needed?

I also have the sb400 flashgun. Someone told me to get a diffuser for it to soften the shots. Is this correct, and would I use it (the diffuser) in all shots, considering most of them will be portraits/people?

What are the settings I should be putting into my camera for this type of event? I know the basics but I don't want to be fiddling around all day trying to get it right. I have a few weeks to practice on a few people to try and get the hang of it.

Apologies if it's a bit long-winded but I couldn't find any threads suitable.

Fenster

*sigh*

/fenster

Quip aside, I think the first commandment for a wedding photographer should be know thy equipment; your post gives me the impression that you are unsure as to what your equipment can and can not achieve, and I don't know what to say what's a great tip other than 'learn your kit!' So uh, learn your kit! You'll need it on the day as you will not have a second chance to capture many moments. It is first time or never. #flamemeifiamwrong

SetOverSet

Read this

alexlyons

are you taking the photos in any official capacity? If they're not just a few snaps and they're as close to the professional as you're they're going to get, you need to be very confident in going right up to people and being practically in there face taking the photos. Obviously don't be rude about it, but you are going to be very conscious about being in peoples way and looking like you're disrupting by walking around. If you do this right (not hard, just don't be banging around) then you are going to get far superior shots than if you hang back and hope. I've done a few weddings and in one of them I was the official photographer (long story, I'm not professional) and getting up behind the altar was one of the best decisions I made all day.

So be confident, deliberately take each shot, don't try to hide the fact you are taking the photos, take more than one of each if you can. Oh, and learn... your... kit

Even if you're not any sort of official photographer, follow those steps but try not to get in the way of the official photographer. Have a chat with him/her and see if you can get any tips.

batman1

Thanks. I must get lots of practice beforehand. I am not looking to make a masterful wedding album, I am only taking the shots for myself/family of the day and evening. They have their own professional photographer booked. I will just be taking some shots of random people enjoying themselves on the day. I am going as a guest and plan on enjoying myself too, not taking photographs all day. I have a new camera and have found a hobby which I enjoy and was hoping someone a bit more experienced could point me in the right direction. Is that not what forums are for?

thebiglad

Get out there and practice with the camera, make sure you have plenty of batteries and spare memory - don't want to run out;)

alexlyons

batman1 wrote: »

Thanks. I must get lots of practice beforehand. I am not looking to make a masterful wedding album, I am only taking the shots for myself/family of the day and evening. They have their own professional photographer booked. I will just be taking some shots of random people enjoying themselves on the day. I am going as a guest and plan on enjoying myself too, not taking photographs all day. I have a new camera and have found a hobby which I enjoy and was hoping someone a bit more experienced could point me in the right direction. Is that not what forums are for?

I was in the same boat a year or two ago, and then started going and getting paid rather than as a guest, even for family weddings. It is hard to draw a line and decide when to photograph and when to have fun, when I'm getting paid I don't drink a single drop all night, regardless of who it is. If your just doing a few random ones every so often the you don't have much to worry about. The biggest factor of every single photograph is lighting, get that right and your not far from at least a decent photograph. Bounce your SB400 if you can, although portrait shots with that can't be bounced towards the roof, which is a small problem, but nothing that you cant work around. I don't use a diffuser, they are handy, but I find if you can bounce the flash right they can looked pretty damn well! This obviously isn't a pro's guide i'm giving here, just a bit of experience!

Get out and photograph everything you can, people,animals, landscapes, cityscapes, night time, dark rooms, people in dark rooms, churches if you can (very difficult if you're not close and have never done it before) literally go everywhere you can, and then try a few places you can't go

Loads of batteries is key, if you run out, you're screwed. If the SB400 starts running dry, the recharge times will get horribly long. Also, as the other poster said, memory cards. Work out how many photos you can take, and how many you plan to, and make sure you have twice the capacity! you always end up taking more. shoot raw if you want really good quality and much better post processing ability, high JPEG is fine otherwise.

Grow up, kids

Fenster wrote: »

*sigh*

/fenster

Quip aside, I think the first commandment for a wedding photographer should be know thy equipment; your post gives me the impression that you are unsure as to what your equipment can and can not achieve, and I don't know what to say what's a great tip other than 'learn your kit!' So uh, learn your kit! You'll need it on the day as you will not have a second chance to capture many moments. It is first time or never. #flamemeifiamwrong

Funniest post of the year, considering this.

smelltheglove

If you are not the main photographer then dont be stressing. Practice as much as possible to learn your settings. Why not try to concentrate on some spur of the moment shots, guest shots, more reportage style rather than the firmal images taken by the pro? Often the main photographer will not get around to photographing the guest enjoying themselves as he/she will be off photographing the couple.

I recently designed an album for a lady, a family friend had given her a disc of images from her wedding day and it meant so much to her that she wanted them in an album. They were mainly more natural images, focussing on the bridal party minus the bride and groom and some natural guest shots too. It wasnt a wedding I had covered so I'm not sure what her main album was like but she was delighted with all the extra images.

AnCatDubh

A good thread/post here - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055184390

Fenster

Grow up, kids wrote: »

Funniest post of the year, considering this.

I recognize just comeuppance when I see it. I learned my lesson from that situation/post, and now I eagerly serve as an example so that others can avoid my mistakes.