[tjk911]

I've looked through them all really briefly and, damn, nothing special if you get what I mean. The photos felt more like I was simply documenting than creating. It'll take awhile before I can go through them properly, class starts early tomorrow and I've a bunch of assignments to hand in too.

Question though, do people generally shoot with wide or medium-telephoto for weddings?

Maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better, but I personally like to shoot medium telephoto. I'm more comfortable and at ease composing with a tighter crop and longer focal length, but I read that wedding photographers should go with a normal lens (17-50/24-70).

It was easy to take those "everyone photo!" shots with my 1650 but I didn't really know how to make "compositionally" creative photos with that lens.

[Rory]

Well, there are a lot of times wide angle is needed. Ceremony (especially in a large wedding), post-dinner reception, exit of church, exit of reception, larger group shots. A 70-200 (or equivalent) will be used during the ceremony to get close-ups without imposing; however, that is really the only time I can think of a need to go longer than 85 (mainly for staged shots), and most of the time I'll prefer a 16-35 range.

[Ash]

Good you came out of that 'assignment' in good spirits. It can be heart-breaking, not just stressful.

A variety of lenses are used for weddings to capture the moments and the little things that make the wedding unique and valued to the couple.

You will be quite critical on your own results, but there is a lot to learn from your first 'serious' wedding. Think about it as a photographic documentation of events, and be weary to ensure all the essential shots are arranged and taken.

In any case, just see examples of others' work, particularly the pros, and see what works and what doesn't in comparing your own work to theirs. Of course, it's also important to have your own style of photography, so learning from the pros is for your benefit.

[George Lama]

I've looked through them all really briefly and, damn, nothing special if you get what I mean. The photos felt more like I was simply documenting than creating.

This is where your shooting style comes in. I usually shoot to document but my mind is always thinking "what can I do with this photo" once I get it in Lightroom or Photoshop. Eventually it becomes easier to think that way, just takes practice.

Question though, do people generally shoot with wide or medium-telephoto for weddings?

Depends on the venue and the photographer. Some swear by primes and multiple cameras, others by zooms. I tend to go hybrid -

• For ceremonies, usually two or three cameras, one with 10-20 or 12-24, another with 16-50 or 24-70, the other with the 70-200.

• For receptions, usually two cameras, one with 10-20 or 12-24, the other with 16-50 or 24-70.

Maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better, but I personally like to shoot medium telephoto. I'm more comfortable and at ease composing with a tighter crop and longer focal length, but I read that wedding photographers should go with a normal lens (17-50/24-70).

There are no absolutes. In a large church, you will be able to make use of just about any focal length. In a very small venue, you might struggle with anything above a 50.

It was easy to take those "everyone photo!" shots with my 1650 but I didn't really know how to make "compositionally" creative photos with that lens.

Just want to point out that not every photo has to be creative. Sometimes the photo really is just about capturing a moment.

[MRRiley]

Congratulations on surviving the wedding. I hope your friends enjoys they shots but if not, they have only themselves to blame. I am assuming that you told them you had never shot something like that before and they still wanted you to do it. This makes them responsible for the results. It's really sort of strange... no one would expect the average driver to be able to get around the track in one piece at the Indy 500 yet they expect that anyone with a camera can shoot a wedding. As for the missed shots, well that was the risk they took.

Mike
another EX wedding shooter

[cwood]

Maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better, but I personally like to shoot medium telephoto. I'm more comfortable and at ease composing with a tighter crop and longer focal length, but I read that wedding photographers should go with a normal lens (17-50/24-70).

It was easy to take those "everyone photo!" shots with my 1650 but I didn't really know how to make "compositionally" creative photos with that lens.

Composition is easier when you take tight shots so don't be shy about it. As you gain more experience you will find ways to shoot a little wider and get nice shots but they are definitely more tricky. As you go wide - you start to introduce more "distracting clutter" and difficult lighting into the photo and in a high-stress environment that can be tough to manage. On the other hand a 200mm lens will get fantastic emotional images of people crying and smiling and laughing and all that good stuff that happens at weddings.

I am shooting 2 weddings this weekend and in both cases my second shooter will be carrying a 70-200 for the ceremony while I shoot a 35mm (on a FF body) and and 85mm for Saturday's indoor wedding and my 24-105mm and 135mm for Sunday's beach wedding. At the reception my assistant will swap her 70-200 for a 50mm prime and I will shoot my 35mm and 85mm lenses.

[tjk911]

Depends on the venue and the photographer. Some swear by primes and multiple cameras, others by zooms. I tend to go hybrid

Just want to point out that not every photo has to be creative. Sometimes the photo really is just about capturing a moment.

Yeah thanks for the reminder haha. I've just seen so many wonderful wedding photos that I feel... intimidated to say the least.

I tried getting a second body just for that wedding, and then decided that I couldn't justify plopping $500 for another body. I've been selling stuff just to pay-off summer class textbooks lol, really not much to spare.

I did have a friend with a Kx that I was hoping to get from her for a day, but that fell through. I was hoping that if I had that, I could use my 1650 on the Kx (faster focus) and my Vivitar S1 70-200 on my K20D.

Congratulations on surviving the wedding. I hope your friends enjoys they shots but if not, they have only themselves to blame. I am assuming that you told them you had never shot something like that before and they still wanted you to do it. This makes them responsible for the results. It's really sort of strange... no one would expect the average driver to be able to get around the track in one piece at the Indy 500 yet they expect that anyone with a camera can shoot a wedding. As for the missed shots, well that was the risk they took.

Yeah they knew perfectly well. I think they just wanted a free photographer for their wedding. I didn't mind doing a favor for a friend, but it was helluva experience. I was also a tad bit unfamiliar with western weddings, so that sent me off-course for a fair bit.

A photojournalist I met here was recently complaining (yesterday haha) about how amateur wedding photographers are ruining the wedding photography market because they take lousy photos and charge low prices, making it unsustainable for most average wedding photographers. Made me wonder for a bit.

off topic side note: I love those F22 shots you have on your website.

[tjk911]

Composition is easier when you take tight shots so don't be shy about it. As you gain more experience you will find ways to shoot a little wider and get nice shots but they are definitely more tricky. As you go wide - you start to introduce more "distracting clutter" and difficult lighting into the photo and in a high-stress environment that can be tough to manage. On the other hand a 200mm lens will get fantastic emotional images of people crying and smiling and laughing and all that good stuff that happens at weddings.

I am shooting 2 weddings this weekend and in both cases my second shooter will be carrying a 70-200 for the ceremony while I shoot a 35mm (on a FF body) and and 85mm for Saturday's indoor wedding and my 24-105mm and 135mm for Sunday's beach wedding. At the reception my assistant will swap her 70-200 for a 50mm prime and I will shoot my 35mm and 85mm lenses.

Okay, forgive me if these questions seem inane and silly but...

1. So in both cases, you carry two bodies while your assistant carries one?
2. I generally like shooting tight, so I'm not sure about this, but would a 35mm be able to easily cover the "everyone!" shots? I'm thinking moving back a little bit, but I'm not sure if there are situations where a 16/17mm is irreplaceable I guess.

[cwood]

Okay, forgive me if these questions seem inane and silly but...

1. So in both cases, you carry two bodies while your assistant carries one?
2. I generally like shooting tight, so I'm not sure about this, but would a 35mm be able to easily cover the "everyone!" shots? I'm thinking moving back a little bit, but I'm not sure if there are situations where a 16/17mm is irreplaceable I guess.

First of all I have just sold the last of my Pentax cameras yesterday and I'm now shooting on Full Frame bodies so my 35mm is the same as about 24mm on your Pentax. This is wide enough for pretty much everything although I have a 24-70 and a 15mm fisheye in the bag in case I need them.

Sometimes my second shooter carries 2 cameras and they will simply use 2 zoom lenses (24-70 and 70-200) but 4 cameras shooting a wedding is pretty drastic overkill. I keep my second shooter (who I trust very well) posted somewhere safe with a long lens to capture the key moments (first kiss, ring exchange etc) while I can maneuver around for more interesting shots and not stress if a head pops into my frame while I'm trying to catch one of those moments. If the second shooter has a second camera with a wide angle lens then they are probably just repeating shots I've already taken and they are creating more work for me to go through their pictures. I REALLY don't want to look at more than 100-150 pictures of the ceremony at the end of the day. In the end - the ceremony is a VERY small part of the wedding day and it is not how you will be judged as a photographer. Wedding photography is about everything else that happens on that day to create a visually stunning story.

[slip]

if you can, have a second photographer with you....
first because it is always good insurance to have backup shots in case something goes wrong with yours (example card error etc)
and second reason is that one photographer can do the "classic" shots while the other can do the informal shots behind the scenes. A lot of people are asking for both now a days.

cheers and good luck