ACK! Last minute request for me to shoot a wedding reception (my first!)

Dittomarks

I survived! I started a diary in another thread. . . . . man I needed a better flash .

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I'm an SLR beginner. My first love is shooting wildlife and landscapes (I've done well at local competitions with some of my photos with my older super-zoom) and I've only been toying with shooting people for about a year now. I've had my new camera (Rebel XTi) for 1 1/2 months and am in no way familiar with it.

My cousin's fiancee called me Thurs night to ask me if I'd shoot their reception (I'd already refused the ceremony when she asked this past summer, pre-new camera). I couldn't refuse, as the wedding is TODAY.

Any advice on settings to use in low light? I have the kit lens and a 75-200 mm lens.


Shots I'm looking for:

Entrance/Arrival of Bride and Groom
Cake
Cake Cutting
Toasts
First Dance
Bouquet Toss
Garter
Mother-Son Dance

Father-Daughter Dance

mmroden

Yikes. I hope they'll be satisfied with what they get, if they ask you the day of. Do you know the venue at all?

First, I'd use the wider lens. The 75-200 lens you have will work well for single shots of people, but a wide lens can get the dance floor (especially for the various dances you list there) and so forth.

Here's some tips, since I really think new equipment is out of the question (if you could rent a flash, it might really help):
1) do not be afraid of pushing people out of the way. You're an Official Photographer now, and people will respect that, because they know you're doing the Bidding of the Bride, and no one wants to mess with a bride on her wedding day. Don't be a total jerk about it, but you can gently indicate to people that you're there and you need them to move.
2) Don't be afraid to move around the place. People will forget you're there after a little while.
3) On-camera flash can be both a blessing and a curse, because you'll get red eye and serious flash shadows, but on the other hand, you'll get much more light with which to take the shot. If you feel tricky, try to make an aluminum foil cup to bounce the flash off the ceiling or something (but you'll definitely need to practice first!)
4) Mix tall aspect ratios with wide ones, using your best judgement. All one aspect ratio, either tall or wide, can be constraining, I think. Wide ones for crowds, tall ones to isolate people and cut out the crowds.
5) If they want you to take a group shot (and they probably will), get an assistant. The assistant should be, ideally:
-- Female. Orders from women at weddings are almost always accepted, so long as she's not too strident. And sometimes, even then.
-- A member of the family. People are more willing to accept direction from a member of the family than a total stranger
-- A good sense of aesthetic. You'll want her to rearrange people so that they will look good in the final shot, that their heights will be arranged, no one has a tree coming out of their head, etc.
With your longer lens, you shouldn't suffer too much distortion, but if you think you will, then try to get women, especially women with strapless dresses, off the edge of the frame. Wider shots tend to be barrel distortion, which will make their arms look about 2x wider than they actually are. Move men to the outside, women to the inside, if possible.
6) If you have a tripod and know how to use one (I suspect you do, if you're doing landscape shots), then set it up. Use it for prearranged shots, like the dances, and so forth, so that you can take shots at 1/100th of a second at 200mm. Still fast enough for a slow dance, but probably not fast enough for handholding in low light.

Those are the tips I've learned from shooting only a few weddings now. Good luck!

Art Scott

Dang i didn't get on here until now....Use the kit lens (hopefully it is a 28 -70 or 18 - 50 / 70....use the flash I prefer aperature prioriry...shoot several of everything to make sure you get it....bracket if possible..shoot LOWEST ISO possible also..stay as close as you can (10 -15 ft but try not to get over 20) to subjects....use f5,6 to 8 nothing smaller unless you want to darken the background....

hope this helps...on my way out to shoot ice storm here in wichita...

good luck

Seneca

With large groups that you set...shoot at least 3 frames...this will ensure that you don't get eyes closed. I always tell my large groups that I will be shooting 3 frames so please don't move.

The comments before mine are excellent. Good Luck -you'll do fine...the first time I shot a wedding I felt confident.

Take care,

Dittomarks

Seneca wrote:

With large groups that you set...shoot at least 3 frames...this will ensure that you don't get eyes closed. I always tell my large groups that I will be shooting 3 frames so please don't move.

The comments before mine are excellent. Good Luck -you'll do fine...the first time I shot a wedding I felt confident.

Take care,

Thanks everyone! I went out this afternoon and shot some pics of the reception arrangments etc. The venue is the local country club which I know by heart, but not as far as shooting it goes. I know the lighting will be different (daylight vs dark) but I picked out some spots that will be good for posed shots. Unfortunately, the head table is set up along one ENTIRE wall and has dividing walls (cut out like restaurant booth dividers) in front. I have no clue how I'll get the shot of all of them and still see them. Even doing a photostitch will be weird.

I did go to the church this morning and get some shots of the bride and her party getting ready. . . uploading those now.

Dittomarks

I'm home. . . . .exhausted and with sore feet, but home.


I got all of "the" pics . . . have a few challenges to address with PSP, but that's going to have to wait.

Thanks all!

Scott_Quier

Dittomarks wrote:

I'm home. . . . .exhausted and with sore feet, but home.


I got all of "the" pics . . . have a few challenges to address with PSP, but that's going to have to wait.

Thanks all!

And so ... where're all the pictures? It's been 9 hours since your post?:D

Seriously, really looking forward to seeing some of the shots and/or the gallery!

Dittomarks

Scott_Quier wrote:

And so ... where're all the pictures? It's been 9 hours since your post?:D

Seriously, really looking forward to seeing some of the shots and/or the gallery!

I've been doing some touch up work. . . thank goodness they're family and this is a gift for them. So far I have one shot ready to go . This is going to take forever!!!!

kathynmeg

Cannot wait to see the results. I shoot my first wedding in June....:wowYikes!!