| Pat... I feel your pain and know exactly how you feel. I can't say I ever had a wedding that seemed to go as wrong as yours did, but I have had my share of problems, which is why I rarely, and I do mean RARELY, shoot weddings these days.
You have to remember that you are responsible for the photos and the B&G are responsible for "the stage". If the stage is unsuitable for photography, you just have to do your best to work with it. HOWEVER, if the stage is as bad as yours was, even few experienced wedding photographers could get a high percentage of keepers. I really hope you pointed out the the B&G how bad "the stage" was and that it would affect the quality of the photos.
Addressing the lens. If it was giving me that much trouble I would have decoupled focus lock/shutter release and shot manual. In low light, you can judge better than the camera sometimes. Same goes for the flash. Turn it onto manual and figure things out the old fashioned way (distance and intensity).
Now, to look at things a little more positively. I'm sure you got more and better shots than you think you did, and as Clicker said, many of the marginal ones might be saved with some careful PP. Best of luck and we look forward to seeing some samples. |