[Mortimer]

Hi,

My wife's cousin is getting married soon.

They have hired a professional photographer. I have been asked, as a favor (which I am more than happy to do), to take my camera for candid photo's of the relatives and friends not in the wedding party.

I have at my disposal a Kx with the 18-55 & 55-300 lens kit. Also I have a 50mm f2 prime and the 43mm limited prime.

While I can use manual mode and get decent results, I am thinking that with changing light and the Auto ISO capability of the Kx I should use the Portrait mode for faster shooting. With manual mode I usually have to make a few adjustments which, for me, takes time and I don't want to lose a good moment because of it.

What do you think?

Am I missing something here that is vital?

I am by no means ready or willing to do this for money. But I want to give them a nice set of candid shots.

Thanks for your advice in advance.

Mort.

[dadipentak]

Sounds like fun--and good experience. I'd be inclined to leave the short zoom and 50/2 at home. Use the 55-300 as long as there's good light (for real candids, I like shooting in the 100-200mm range) and break out the 43 for low light situations. I tend to shoot in TAv but portrait mode should work just fine. Don't stress about missing opportunities-- you'll miss some and nail others (but be sure to take a spare battery and cards.)

[stevebrot]

I will argue the other way and take the street photographer's view. Short lens, pre-focussed, at relatively close range and close up is the norm for that genre. Put on the kit lens and set it at about 24mm. Auto ISO and straight P mode. Get close, grab image, and move on. After all, you know these people. It will be easy!


Steve

[Ash]

I'd have the 43 on full time, and only use the 55-300 in those circumstances when you can't get close enough to the action and the subjects are in good enough light to shoot. But the 43 will give you the most impressive results you can get on any setup.

[excanonfd]

It's a pity that the zooms that you have has no overlap in focal lengths, 18-55 might be a bit short but for informal shots of people mingling together, I'd want the option of having some wide angle capability for small group shots. As Steve says you know these people, you will be mingling with them - take lots of shots and have fun.

[Tonto]

I used a Kx in exactly this situation with a 18-55 as my wife had my slightly longer lens. My even was in a pavilion outside so was particular dark. I got alot of grain and the best shots were the flash ones. My advice would to get a wee diffuser for the flash and go for it.If you still want to go without flash then get a cheap 50 1.7. I use mt Kx alot with my 31 1.8 and still run into high ISO of above 1600 alot.
The issue with using the DA 55-100 is you will need to increase the shutter speed to compensate for hand shake - . also at longer range the on-board flash will be pretty useless.
However at 55mm it is quicker than the 18-55 so if it sits at 55 it will be slightly better.
My best shots tended to be a bit later in the evening when people have had abit of 'dutch courage' and they would freely pose for the camera and be less self conscious about it.

Edit: I totally missed the fact you had a 50 f2 and 43 ltd.
I concur with the above and go with the 43 with the 18-55 as backup I'll leave my text up for any others who have just kit lenses.

[MSL]

I'd have the 43 on full time, and only use the 55-300 in those circumstances when you can't get close enough to the action and the subjects are in good enough light to shoot. But the 43 will give you the most impressive results you can get on any setup.

That was my thinking. I'd hope that as your photographing the people who aren't on call all the time that you can do it under more relaxed conditions. That should give you the chance to get in close, which the 43 will do well. If you can take 3 lenses, I'd keep the 18-55 handy, just in case there are situations where the 43 is too long, but a lot will depend on the venue and whether there might be tight outdoor scenes or well lit indoor ones where this lens can work well.

[mysticcowboy]

Try shooting something else with the primes. Just walking around a mall would do it. If you can make that work then the wedding should be okay. Another option would be to rent a faster zoom lens for the wedding. When shooting for somebody else, it's best so practice or at least find out what lens combinations you're comfortably proficient with.

[Mortimer]

Thanks for the advice.

I have not used my 55-300mm lens much, though I can see the use of not having to get close. Most of the weddings I have been to in the past have not had the best light, and with the f4.0 aperture at 55mm I did not think that i get many shots that did not have a really high ISO.

Personally do not want to be carrying more than 1 extra lens so that I don't lose or damage them. I have a lowpro bag but that seems too bulky for a crowded reception hall.

I'm not sure that the carrying 2 primes be useful unless I had one on another body, which I don't have anyway. The other thing about that is I hope that I will not find it necessary to change the lens much.

Ideally I'd like to stay with just one lens, force myself to adapt. But the point of doing this is not just for me. I want to provide a nice set of photo's, maybe print the better ones into a small book for them.

While I am not new to photography, the Kx is my first DSLR. Sometimes what I think looks good after I take a shot and preview it, does not look so good when I bring them into LR4. (I still have a lot to learn)

As for having a flash diffuser, I looked up and found this one one amazon: Amazon.com: Gary Fong Puffer Pop Up Flash Diffuser - CANON/NIKON: Camera & Photo
If anyone has a better suggestion, I am open to it. I need to order by Monday and the wedding is next weekend.

Thanks again for the advice.

Mort.

[JimJohnson]

From my experience, the more 'pro' you look, the more people will expect you to pose them. Stick with the 43, get close (not much choice in a crowded place anyhow) and use the built-in flash. To soften the light a little without some big bounce panel, tape a single layer of white tissue over the flash (apply the tape to the sides of the flash of course, with just tissue over the flash lens).

You may get asked to shoot some impromptu groups of more than 3 people after the party gets going - something the pro may not even be around to do anymore - okay, grab your kit lens and wind it down to 18mm, get as close as you can, get the faces as close to a single layer as possible and shoot. By this point, nobody cares about how artistic your shots are - they just want something that triggers a fuzzy memory into better recall. It will be their memory they see more than your photo.

My last bit of sage advice (and worth its 2¢) is to not get too hung up on this task. If you aren't having fun too, your subjects will sense it and become more formal and posed. ...and hand your camera to somebody else (admittedly a trusted somebody else) and get on the other side of the lens once in a while. You are part of the party too.

[Marc Sabatella]

I would take the 18-55 on the camera, have the 43 with me just in case (how's the light?), and anything else would probably be left in the bag. A longer lenses would be useful for the ceremony itself, of course, but for candids, you'll almost always get better shots if shoot wider from closer in . If you need more than 55mm for the shot you are abut to take, you aren't close enough. These are, after all, not strangers - even if you don't know everyone, you are connected by purpose. People don't come to weddings not to be photographed.

[JimD]

I took my K5 to my son's wedding last June. I took exactly the type of shots you mean. When I was in some of the formal groups I gave the camera to my son-in-law and told him to just point and click.

Out of a couple of hundred shots only about a dozen weren't for keeps.

I was there to enjoy myself and although I wanted a lot of informal shots I was not going to let the photos or camera get in the way. So I had the camera set on Green Mode and I had my da 16-45 and da 55-300 with me.

My advice is:

1. You're going as a guest, not as a photographer so enjoy the day and don't get uptight about the shots. It'll show in your photos.

2. Stick the camera on the easiest, most idiot proof settings so you don't have too much to think about. Especially after a few drinks.

3. It's a wedding. Everyone expects to be photographed and some people will look at the camera, others won't. The variation adds to the interest of some shots.

4. Sometimes you need to be descrete and sometimes you need to get everyone's attention to get the sense of fun of the occasion. Mix it up.

5. Take hundreds. You can discard and crop to your heart's content aftewards

6. Keep it light and simple. When I do it again I'll take one lens only. My 16-45 covered 95% of the shots. I hardly used the 55-300. It was too long for most situations and spare equipment is an added responsibility and gets in the way

7. Enjoy yourself. Have fun. I did and got some great results

[Mortimer]

Thanks for all the advice.

I had a lot of fun and was able to get a few good (in my opinion, fwiw) shots in.

I learned alot. Such as don't underestimate how much lightroom can adjust the exposure. I upped the ISO by too much because the previews looked dark. I wish I had kept it down (as a result the photo's are have more grain than I would like).

If you are curious, here is an album of the some of the shot's I took. The wedding was cross cultural, so you will see 2 ministers one English and the other Cambodian. Some of the outfits at the reception give it away as well. :-)

Please feel free to criticize and critique, all of which are welcome.

The link: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/101488751433734839865/albums

Regards,

Mort.

[dadipentak]

Good to hear it went well. I'm not surprised it was a learning experience ;~)

[JimJohnson]

I had a lot of fun and was able to get a few good (in my opinion, fwiw) shots in.

Mort.

You were having fun and it shows in your subjects' faces. It will be that joy that the bride and groom see through the years rather than the grain you mention.