My first wedding -- gear.

joshhuntnm

I have my first wedding in a little over a month. I am thinking through my gear and wondering if there is anything on the "must have" list. This wedding is basically free, so i don't have a lot of money to work with. This is what I have:

Canon xti
backup camera: original xt
28 - 200 lens
monopod (on the way
580 flash
2 430 flashes
2 umbrellas ( i thought i would use these at the group shots)
4 gig card
2 gig card for backup

anwmn1

joshhuntnm wrote:

I have my first wedding in a little over a month. I am thinking through my gear and wondering if there is anything on the "must have" list. This wedding is basically free, so i don't have a lot of money to work with. This is what I have:

Canon xti
backup camera: original xt
28 - 200 lens
monopod (on the way
580 flash
2 430 flashes
2 umbrellas ( i thought i would use these at the group shots)
4 gig card
2 gig card for backup

You may look into a wider lens for group shots and different perspectives. Since you have 2 bodies and multiple flashes you can just shoot 2 cameras.

I would suggest renting the 10-22 lens (cheaper than buying). Maybe have some one there to assist you with gathering the people for family & group shots, checking flowers, hair, etc.

Jeff_Milo

I prefer using off camera flash to my 580ex for weddings, expecially in a dark reception hall. I use a metz cr60, its older but lights up a room pretty well. I always bring my 70-200 f2.8 and rent a 24-70 f2.8. I also use my 12 to 24 from time to time on the wide shots. Most importantly dont use anything less than f2.8 glass.

The biggest problem I see with your list is the memory. First, on average I go through 20 to 30 gig of memory at a wedding (preporations to end of reception). The first wedding I went with 18 gig, ran out of cards and had to recycle and ended up accidently deleting some pictures fortunatly I had simmilar shots on my 2nd body and lost nothing to important. From then on I have lived by the "there is no such thing as to much memory" rule. Second, a very wise photographer once told me that when shooting weddings to stay away from anything over 2 gig. All of my cards are either 2 gig or 1 gig cards. Yes you have to cary more cards, but if something should happen and one gets corrupted you are limiting your losses to a portion of the ceremony or reception and not the whole thing.

I have brought both tripods and monopods to weddings and have never used them, but probably not a bad idea just in case.

good luck!!!

HiSPL

You'll want a wider angle lens. There are several good options from sigma/tokina/tamron. Get something that starts in the 17/18 mm range. Also go for something in the f2.8 range if you can swing it.

Put a lens on each body and wear both so you don't have to swap lenses all the time.

You will also want mucho more memory if you are shooting raw (which you should be)....


Good luck,
-=Tim=-

Elaine

Not that I have much experience in wedding photography, but I would agree about adding more memory, especially if you're shooting RAW. It would be much better to have too much than too little, and it's not that expensive right now. Last September, before I began shooting RAW, I was a second-shooter at a wedding and easily filled 8 gigs with JPEG (on a 6mp camera).

I'm not familiar with your lens, but having a lens with an aperture of 2.8 sure would be nice! And something wider than 28mm on a crop body would be nice, too.

Awhile back, I asked for some advice regarding putting together a wedding bid (which I'm doing this week). There was some great advice shared in that thread that I think deserves another read, especially on the second page.

http://www.digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=80497

All the best!

mercphoto

More memory for sure. Shoot RAW, you'll need a lot of memory for that. Unless you are really, really good at nailing white balance I'd strongly recommend shooting RAW. And you will probably really want faster glass than you have. 24-70/2.8 would be great (get the Tamron if $$$ are tight) and a 70-200/2.8. Have one on each body ready to go. Personally I don't see the 28-200 as being a lens to use in a wedding.

Scott_Quier

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of these posts. So, to help, I've started a thread and filled it with all my (very limited) wedding photography wisdom.

Check it out.

Scott_Quier

joshhuntnm wrote:

Thank you so much for this thorough help! I also took the liberty to copy your list of pics from your web site (hope that is OK) to my bride.

Let's talk about batteries, both for flash and the camera itself. I have two for camera. Is that enough? The Flash uses double As. I assume 2 or 3 sets of batteries for the flash?

If it's on the web - any can have at it. Just remember that you won't be able to get them all done in a day or two let alone in time for them to get to the reception.

Batteries:
I would strongly recommend you have at least on backup battery for each camera, in addition to the one in the camera. I go a little over-board, I have three cameras, the two primary cameras each have a battery grip (two batteries in each grip) and my kit contains another 4 or 5 batteries. If you think you might want to purchase some more, check out SterlingTek (link). Their batteries are much less expensive than the Canon and they seem to last much longer. YMMV.

Flash Batteries:
I would strongly recommend getting NiMH batteries, as large a capacity as you can find. I have had good luck with MAHA POWEREX 2700 mAh AA NiMH Rechargeable Batteries from Thomas Distributing (link). Look for their "specials" as you can sometimes get two or three sets as a group cheaper then you can if you buy them as individual sets of 4. I have also had good luck (so far) with their charger.

Jeff_Milo

I have had good luck with Quantry rechargables for the flash. They seem to last a long time.

Shima

I have two sets of duracell rechargables... but plan to get a third set for my flash (husband went out and bought me an 8 pack a while back for it). Rechargeables are definitely the way to go with your 580.

Also agree with everyone else on here about the extra memory. I have three 4 gigs, one 2 gig and 1 one gig that I bring with me. I have easily done 10-12 gigs in raw on my XTi

Also agree w/ the 2.8, if you don't have it you'll be wishing you did.

glhphotos

I agree with both Scott and Jeff. The Sterling Tek batteries I have bought have been very good - lasting roughly 1.5 times the Cannon equivalent. They cost less as well. I presume that you will be inside for both the wedding and the reception although given you are from NM I could easily be wrong. Inside you will want a faster lens as has been pointed out. Fast with IS would be even better. Unless you are going to do this type of shooting on a more regular basis I'd suggest seeing if you could rent the 70-200 2.8 IS. I like the 24-105 IS as well and you can crank up the ISO to around 1000 or so without much difficulty and do OK. Be sure to touch base with the person conducting the ceremony and see if he/she has any problem with your shooting during the ceremony. They probably will not but it does not do any harm to ask and show you respect their church and their responsibility. Others have already suggested a wide angle - wide and fast is best although on a cropped camera wide is relative unless you can afford or can rent something like the 10-22. I would also suggest that you buy, if you don't already have, a card wallet. One way to use this is to put the empty cards face up and the filled cards face down in the wallet.

Finally, set the clocks on the cameras to the same time. Be sure to charge your batteries the day before and to reformat the cards. Otherwise have a good time.

jeffreaux2

If I were renting a lens, I would look at the 17-55F2.8IS.

Sterlingtek batteries are good....and cheap!!

I handle my cards by rubberbanding all of my empty cards and holding in a pants pocket. If I remove one from the camera, it goes in shirt pocket, and is dropped into camera bag at soonest opportunity.

Sit with bride a few weeks in advance and make a list of "must haves". Bring the list with you. Have her to assign someone the resonsibility of getting the right folks together for grouped shots.

Borrow a spare camera that is compatable with all your gear.

You are covering a ,hopefully, once in a lifetime event. Remember that a noisy image is better than no image. Do not be afriad to use a high er ISO to get handholdable shutter speeds. The ceremony is crunch time. The reception will be a breeze. A well exposed high ISO image beats a blurry or poorly exposed one anytime.

TRy to attend the rehearsal, and ask them to set the light as it will be during the ceremony. Here you can take sample images, and expose for the skin tones while trying not to overexpose whites. Take notes. The light won't change during the ceremony, and using manual settings will serve you best.

Get another shooter to shoot with you if at all possible.

SloYerRoll

Not to beat a dead horse..
If the xti is 10.1MP and your shooting RAW @ 10MB per shot. 4GB card will hold around 300 shots. Around 175 for your 2GB card. Total 475 frames (ish). YMMV. Below is a quick reference for file size if you don't shoot RAW.

Depending on how prolific of a shooter you are. You can easily take 1k shots. If you really go at it. 2-3k (which is overkill IMO)

Use these numbers to gauge how much memory you need. You should have at least 2GB more memory than you'll think you need. Cuz you'll use it.

I'd also dump the brolly idea for the groups. It's great on paper. Unless you have an assistant (that knows what they're doing) you won't have time, resources, or energy to set up brolly's.

The monopod will just slow you down as well.

Shooting a wedding for free eh? Never heard that one before...


JMO.

-Jon


(1) Large/Fine: Approx. 3.8MB (3,888 x 2,592)
(2) Large/Normal: Approx. 2.0MB (3,888 x 2,592)
(3) Medium/Fine: Approx. 2.3MB (2,816 x 1,880)
(4) Medium/Normal: Approx. 1.2MB (2,816 x 1,880)
(5) Small/Fine: Approx. 1.3MB (1,936 x 1,288)
(6) Small/Normal: Approx. 0.7MB (1,936 x 1,288)
(7) RAW: Approx. 9.8MB (3,888 x 2,592)

jeffreaux2

I respectfully disagree about the monopod. I am pretty proficient with mine, and rarely shoot without it......anything without it. It doesnt slow me down in the least. and definately helps to stabilize the camera....a point that cannot be argued.

I also don't particularly like two cameras around my neck. So one around the neck and the other mounted to the pod. I lay the pod down on the floor to shoot with the second camera.

I use a ballhead on my monopod. It is a breeze. Easy peazy!!

And except for the posed family shots I think a tripod would be a waste of time.

CarnalSigh

Back when I first started doing portrait work I used my tripod all the time. Now, I never use it....it just gets in the way. I will never buy another one, and instead will simply use my cheapo for doing family pose shots in a studio setting. If I was doing a wedding, I certainly would not want to be lugging around a monopod or tripod, as well as 2 bodies and a bag of all the other crapola you need. Lastly....30 gig of cards??? Holy cow!! Why would u feel it necessary to take over 2000 photos at a wedding? If what you really want to end up with is around 200 or so good shots, why not take 600 good shots and whittle them down to 200-300 to finish and sell? To each his/her own I rekkin. As for me, I'd prefer to pack light and be creative. I'd be interested in knowing how many shots scott quier takes in an average wedding.

PeterGar

Get a light modifier for your 580ex. I've had great success with both the Lightsphere and Flip-it and alternate between the two depending on the location and my mood.

I think the umbrellas are pointless if you use your strobe and/or natural light well. If you want to soften and disperse the light on a large group, maybe, but I prefer the Lightspehere here.

Having plenty of memory and batteries is important. I take 20GB (5 x 4GB) to weddings and shoot RAW. I've never run out of battery juice, but I take a few spare sets for both my bodies and flashes. I also bring a 15-minute AA recharger with me in case I'm using my strobes a lot... I have yet to use the charger during an event. My spare sets of AAs last me all through the day. But on a real long day (10 - 12 hours), I know I'm pushing my luck toward the end of the reception.

Here's what I consider to me the most important gear, especially if it's going to be a long day for you:

• Comfortable shoes (when your on your feet all day, this helps)
• A few bottles of water (gotta stay hydrated)
• A few nutrition bars (even if you are being served a meal, it might be 8 hours until you get to eat, if at all).
• Cash (you never know when you have to pay for parking or a toll)
• A Thomas Guide or GPS (how do I get from the ceremony to the reception?!?!?!). The last thing you want is to get lost!
• Business cards to hand out if asked

Good luck!

Jeff_Milo

CarnalSigh wrote:

......30 gig of cards??? Holy cow!! Why would u feel it necessary to take over 2000 photos at a wedding? If what you really want to end up with is around 200 or so good shots, why not take 600 good shots and whittle them down to 200-300 to finish and sell? To each his/her own I rekkin. As for me, I'd prefer to pack light and be creative. I'd be interested in knowing how many shots scott quier takes in an average wedding.

The weddings I shoot are usually 12 hr affairs from getting dressed to the end of the reception so on average I end up taking around 1800 to 2400 pictures. I also shoot in bursts of 4 to 6 pictures at a time looking for the maximum expression from the bride & groom. Yes I end up with a lot of pictures of the same shot but it allows me to pick the one with that certain look in their eye or look on their face. Yes it does add a lot to the post processing/workflow process but I dont really mind the extra time if my clients are happy. I also dont set picture limits. I never go in saying I am going to produce X to Y number of images to finish & sell, my goal is to provide the B&G a complete photojournalistic account of their day however many images that is (my average is 550 to 700 provided on the DVD).

My only caviot to this is that I don't do it full time so I tend to take a little more time on the ones that I do shoot. If I were a full time wedding photographer shooting a wedding every weekend I would more than likely try and reduce my workflow to a more managable quantity.

Scott_Quier

FlashPhotoBoy wrote:

I also dont set picture limits. I never go in saying I am going to produce X to Y number of images to finish & sell, my goal is to provide the B&G a complete photojournalistic account of their day however many images that is (my average is 550 to 700 provided on the DVD).

With supplying the photos on DVD, do you run into clients that can't read it? I've delivered both DVD-R and DVD+R and it would end up that a client couldn't read the disk though it was fine on every machine I tried it on. Then, when I burn the same image to the other format and sent that, all was cool. So, now I just deliver the photos on CD-ROM, as many disks as it takes. But this way I know that they will be able to read it the first time, every time.

So, what's been your experience?

Jeff_Milo

Scott_Quier wrote:

With supplying the photos on DVD, do you run into clients that can't read it? I've delivered both DVD-R and DVD+R and it would end up that a client couldn't read the disk though it was fine on every machine I tried it on. Then, when I burn the same image to the other format and sent that, all was cool. So, now I just deliver the photos on CD-ROM, as many disks as it takes. But this way I know that they will be able to read it the first time, every time.

So, what's been your experience?

Funny you should mention that Scott. I just recently ran into that same problem for the first time. I have found that people with just "DVD" drives and not DVD burners (older computers) have trouble reading DVD's with data on them (drive will only read +R or -R). So in the pre-wedding planning stage I try to find out how they will access the jpeg images and adapt my delivery from there. I had one client who only had a lap top and requested the images on a flash drive. If I can give them DVD's I much prefer it as it takes 4 CD's to equal what I usually provide in images (around 2gb).

I have not had any problems with my DVD slide shows. I use a program called "Memories on TV" (same program Shay uses). When you format the disk it will work with any DVD player, including Bluray & HD-DVD players.