First Wedding Lighting Question - Help!

Jeff Fillmore

I got recruited to do a family wedding in a few weeks and am a little nervous- particularly with the formal portraits as this is not my forte. I am meeting with the couple this weekend to discuss the particulars of the event and what they are looking for and expecting. I have already had the I-am-not-a-professional talk with them but they are a young couple paying for everything out of pocket or on a credit card and on a serious budget.

Here is what I know- Ceremony is at a small country church early afternoon- reception is at the hall at the church. Couple has suggested portraits outside because they will not have access to the church until 2 hours before the ceremony and are worried about timing- which I think is a bad idea. Florida in August is a little hot- plus direct sun- etc. I am going to try to convince them to move indoors if possible- even if it means taking some shots after the ceremony.

Here is what I have for lighting now – 1 SB-800 and a Gary Fong Lightsphere (I am so NOT a studio type guy- sorry.)

Here is what I have coming from B&H 2nd Day Air so I can start messing with it this weekend – (2) SB-600 Speedlights, (2) 45” Convertible White Satin Umbrellas with Removable Black Backing, (2) 9 ½’ Air-Cushioned Heavy Duty Light Stands, (2) Swivel Mount and Flash Shoe Umbrella Bracket and (1) Neutral 3-Tone WB Target.

So aside from reading The Strobist some more than I already am- what advice can you guys offer? Any serious suggestions will be very appreciated.

pathfinder

Jeff,

I think the trick is to know how to balance and control strobe versus ambient lighting, so that you can control the contrast ranges and decide which light source will be your main light - the ambient sunlight or the flash.

When you shoot in Manual Mode, you can control the amount of flash by changing your aperture, but ambient lighting is controlled by your shutter speed.

Read Shay's posts here on dgrin about flash - he is the master at using flash to create lovely images without that "flash in your face look"

If you can control your flashes with them off the camera ( I know SOME of the Nikon DSLRs can do this) that is an even better thing to work with.

If you're reading and doing the exercises on the Strobist, you are way ahead of most amateur shooters. Good luck and have fun.

One tip from shooting my niece's wedding on a golf course, shoot a WHiBal gray card or equivalent. There is a LOT of green reflection on the white dresses from the grass. SHOOT IN RAW!!

Appoint the Maid of Honor or some other trustworthy person to gather the family members to you for the portrait settings. Do not try to run them down yourself - set up and have the folks brought to you - it will go much faster, work better and easier, and you'll have a lot more fun.

Marc S

Hi Jeff,

I think Pathfinder did a real good job of explaining what you need. Especially when it comes to flash and shutter. One thing to remember: your shutter speed will control the amount of ambient light...not the amount of light coming from the flash. If you want more of the ambient light, let's say coming from the background, then use a slower shutter speed. HOWEVER: too slow of a shutter speed will allow blur if there is any movement. For formals, I've used a speed of 40-60 and get nice results.

There is one thing that is missing in your list of equipment: A FLASH METER.
You ordered some lights but buless you plan to do a bunch of tests during the formals to get the right f/stop then you willl need to get the meter. Since this is your first wedding, you will not have time to experiment. A flash meter will allow you to get the right f stop each and everytime. Simply plug your PC cable to flash meter, put the meter near the wedding dress with the white dome of the meter pointing toward the lights, and hit the button. That will set off the flash on the umbrella and give you an f/stop reading. If it's a 4.0 then put your f stop on 4.0. That simple.

And one other tip that's easy to forget: If you shoot in a dark church, then you will probably push your ISO up to lets say 800 or even 1600. REMEMBER to put it back to 100 for the formals.


Have fun and post some pics!

Marc S