Advice for photographing an elopement?

pathdoc · 12-17-2016, 06:00 PM

Which 50/1.7 are you using? Not that it matters much; if it's not an A or later, you'll still have either full-manual or aperture priority to run with. The only thing I hate about the Super Program is that it lacks the manual X-sync-speed fallback position of the ME if the electronics or the batteries die. 15 seconds to 1/2000 is no slouch for its vintage.

Just one note on the Super Program. I have mine in front of me now, and the exposure compensation dial does NOT allow turning to the 1/2x or 1/4x position with ISO/ASA 3200 selected. Evidently the camera has its limitations.

**lithedreamer** · 12-17-2016, 08:21 PM

Originally posted by pathdoc

Which 50/1.7 are you using? Not that it matters much; if it's not an A or later, you'll still have either full-manual or aperture priority to run with. The only thing I hate about the Super Program is that it lacks the manual X-sync-speed fallback position of the ME if the electronics or the batteries die. 15 seconds to 1/2000 is no slouch for its vintage.

Just one note on the Super Program. I have mine in front of me now, and the exposure compensation dial does NOT allow turning to the 1/2x or 1/4x position with ISO/ASA 3200 selected. Evidently the camera has its limitations.

It's an A. The problem with the camera itself is I checked it, and the foam is a bit crumbly. Not terrible, but not sturdy enough that I'd trust it not to leak.

pathdoc · 12-18-2016, 04:00 AM

Oh dear. And not enough time to run a test film through and/or get the seals fixed. Oh well, it was a bonus. (How does a film teacher let their camera get in that state? LOL)

**lithedreamer** · 12-18-2016, 12:29 PM

Originally posted by pathdoc

Oh dear. And not enough time to run a test film through and/or get the seals fixed. Oh well, it was a bonus. (How does a film teacher let their camera get in that state? LOL)

To be fair, she's a Canon shooter, so I assume the numerous Nikon cameras, and the TLR, and all the other things she has floating around get neglected equally.

**lithedreamer** · 12-20-2016, 06:21 PM - **1 Like**

Update:

So everything seemed to go okay. No raging...anybody. I got paid, but since I negotiated an hourly rate and they ran through the whole thing in an hour before the bride got cold, it wasn't really worth my time (though the experience was fun and I learned valuable lessons, my wife ended up not getting paid at her day job to join me for the day as an assistant).

I had to rush my shots of the rings before the ceremony, so...those'll be a fun test of the K-1's raws to clean up in post. Everything else turned out okay, though, I was wishing for a 24-70 and a second K-1, so I wasn't constantly swapping to my wide-angle primes and back to my 70-200.

pathdoc · 12-21-2016, 10:00 AM

I think you'll find the lessons learned and the fact that you can put a (proverbial) notch on your lens barrel for a paid gig are worth far more in the long run than the less-than-Donald-Trump-sized fee you collected.

How did the film part of it go? And how did the reality pan out compared to the suggestions we all helpfully threw in your direction?

**lithedreamer** · 12-22-2016, 10:55 PM

Originally posted by pathdoc

I think you'll find the lessons learned and the fact that you can put a (proverbial) notch on your lens barrel for a paid gig are worth far more in the long run than the less-than-Donald-Trump-sized fee you collected.

How did the film part of it go? And how did the reality pan out compared to the suggestions we all helpfully threw in your direction?

Haha, thanks. That's a great way of looking at it.

Together

Everything went so fast. The whole thing was over in an hour, so I didn't even finish my roll of HP5, much less get on to my roll of Portra. My actual camera set up for film was great, using a Peak Design Sling + Capture Clip to carry my film camera and lenses, then a strap for my K-1. The wooded park looked darker than it actually was, and I was able to shoot my ISO 400 film at box speed.

I spent so much time worrying before the wedding that I wish I had spent looking around, thinking of poses for the bride and groom to take on. For this couple, group shots weren't something they were super interested in, but I still pushed to have a few taken...on B&W film, since that was the camera that had my wide-angle lens on. Hope those turn out.

Actually, it looks like I got some digital group shots. They just need quite a bit of work in Lightroom. The histograms look great, but they were shots I knew I wasn't going to get 'in camera', with blue mountains and waves in the background, and black suits and dresses in the foreground.

I only ended up getting about 15 minutes with the rings, including set up, so I didn't have time to take down my lighting gear. A lack of wide-angle zooms meant that -combined with taking group shots in the middle of the one hour shoot- there were lenses everywhere. These factors, combined with the fact that we were in a public park, left my second shooter watching gear instead of taking photos I wasn't physically in a position to take. She still got a couple that I missed, but not nearly as many as I would have hoped.

My K-1 and 70-200 ran most of the shots through the day, but I was really hurting not having a wide-angle zoom.

Sterby · 12-23-2016, 01:48 PM - **2 Likes**

I know this is not your fault but it irks my OCD to no end. The bride is not keeping a straight back, looks like she's hauling a lot of burden.
And Converse sneaker for a suit? Even though it's a quick and small circle elopement, some people just have no sense of style...
But at least you didn't have to break in your bulletproof west. Next one should be a shotgun marriage.

**lithedreamer** · 12-23-2016, 02:53 PM

Originally posted by Sterby

I know this is not your fault but it irks my OCD to no end. The bride is not keeping a straight back, looks like she's hauling a lot of burden.
And Converse sneaker for a suit? Even though it's a quick and small circle elopement, some people just have no sense of style...
But at least you didn't have to break in your bulletproof west. Next one should be a shotgun marriage.

They actually wore matching Converse sneakers. I'm not sure if that makes it better....

pathdoc · 12-23-2016, 03:19 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by Sterby

I know this is not your fault but it irks my OCD to no end. The bride is not keeping a straight back, looks like she's hauling a lot of burden.

The burden might be a congenital thoracic kyphosis for all you know; don't judge people by their posture.

---------- Post added 23-12-16 at 18:50 ----------

Originally posted by lithedreamer

They actually wore matching Converse sneakers. I'm not sure if that makes it better....

They're not rabid Doctor Who fans, are they?

The family that shoes together, woos together?

Adding to the "on the run" theme?

---------- Post added 23-12-16 at 18:52 ----------

Originally posted by Sterby

But at least you didn't have to break in your bulletproof vest. Next one should be a shotgun marriage.

I'm not sure any wedding needs to be shot in that sense, LOL.

Reminds me of a poem I saw once:

There was a little man
And he had a little gun
And his bullets were made of lead
He stood close by
With a fatherly eye
While me and my girl were wed...

**lithedreamer** · 01-02-2017, 11:50 AM

So I delivered the photos, and the bride was very happy with them, in fact she wrote this:

Oh, these are perfect. Thank you so so much for capturing all of the joy on that day. I know you're going to add these to your portfolio but is there anywhere online that I can recommend others to use you as a photographer? I'd love to be one of your first reviewers.

I've never heard of such a place, but I thought I'd ask around.

**csa** · 01-02-2017, 12:43 PM

Originally posted by Sterby

I know this is not your fault but it irks my OCD to no end. The bride is not keeping a straight back, looks like she's hauling a lot of burden. And Converse sneaker for a suit? Even though it's a quick and small circle elopement, some people just have no sense of style...

After all, it was their wedding, not yours; if they were happy, that's all that counts.

**csa** · 01-02-2017, 12:45 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by lithedreamer

So I delivered the photos, and the bride was very happy with them, in fact she wrote this:

Oh, these are perfect. Thank you so so much for capturing all of the joy on that day. I know you're going to add these to your portfolio but is there anywhere online that I can recommend others to use you as a photographer? I'd love to be one of your first reviewers.

I've never heard of such a place, but I thought I'd ask around.

Congratulations! That praise more than makes up for your small pay for the job! Sorry, I don't know where she could post online, recommending you; but it's sure nice that she wants to!

**BigMackCam** · 01-02-2017, 04:41 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by lithedreamer

Update:

So everything seemed to go okay. No raging...anybody. I got paid, but since I negotiated an hourly rate and they ran through the whole thing in an hour before the bride got cold, it wasn't really worth my time (though the experience was fun and I learned valuable lessons, my wife ended up not getting paid at her day job to join me for the day as an assistant).

I had to rush my shots of the rings before the ceremony, so...those'll be a fun test of the K-1's raws to clean up in post. Everything else turned out okay, though, I was wishing for a 24-70 and a second K-1, so I wasn't constantly swapping to my wide-angle primes and back to my 70-200.

Congratulations! As has already been said, the experience you've gained more than offsets the less-than-ideal pay. Everyone happy... can't ask for a better result than that

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12-17-2016, 06:00 PM	#16
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	Which 50/1.7 are you using? Not that it matters much; if it's not an A or later, you'll still have either full-manual or aperture priority to run with. The only thing I hate about the Super Program is that it lacks the manual X-sync-speed fallback position of the ME if the electronics or the batteries die. 15 seconds to 1/2000 is no slouch for its vintage. Just one note on the Super Program. I have mine in front of me now, and the exposure compensation dial does NOT allow turning to the 1/2x or 1/4x position with ISO/ASA 3200 selected. Evidently the camera has its limitations.

12-17-2016, 08:21 PM	#17
lithedreamer Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,799 Original Poster	Originally posted by pathdoc Which 50/1.7 are you using? Not that it matters much; if it's not an A or later, you'll still have either full-manual or aperture priority to run with. The only thing I hate about the Super Program is that it lacks the manual X-sync-speed fallback position of the ME if the electronics or the batteries die. 15 seconds to 1/2000 is no slouch for its vintage. Just one note on the Super Program. I have mine in front of me now, and the exposure compensation dial does NOT allow turning to the 1/2x or 1/4x position with ISO/ASA 3200 selected. Evidently the camera has its limitations. It's an A. The problem with the camera itself is I checked it, and the foam is a bit crumbly. Not terrible, but not sturdy enough that I'd trust it not to leak.

12-18-2016, 04:00 AM	#18
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	Oh dear. And not enough time to run a test film through and/or get the seals fixed. Oh well, it was a bonus. (How does a film teacher let their camera get in that state? LOL)

12-18-2016, 12:29 PM	#19
lithedreamer Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,799 Original Poster	Originally posted by pathdoc Oh dear. And not enough time to run a test film through and/or get the seals fixed. Oh well, it was a bonus. (How does a film teacher let their camera get in that state? LOL) To be fair, she's a Canon shooter, so I assume the numerous Nikon cameras, and the TLR, and all the other things she has floating around get neglected equally.

12-20-2016, 06:21 PM - 1 Like	#20
lithedreamer Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,799 Original Poster	Update: So everything seemed to go okay. No raging...anybody. I got paid, but since I negotiated an hourly rate and they ran through the whole thing in an hour before the bride got cold, it wasn't really worth my time (though the experience was fun and I learned valuable lessons, my wife ended up not getting paid at her day job to join me for the day as an assistant). I had to rush my shots of the rings before the ceremony, so...those'll be a fun test of the K-1's raws to clean up in post. Everything else turned out okay, though, I was wishing for a 24-70 and a second K-1, so I wasn't constantly swapping to my wide-angle primes and back to my 70-200.

12-21-2016, 10:00 AM	#21
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	I think you'll find the lessons learned and the fact that you can put a (proverbial) notch on your lens barrel for a paid gig are worth far more in the long run than the less-than-Donald-Trump-sized fee you collected. How did the film part of it go? And how did the reality pan out compared to the suggestions we all helpfully threw in your direction?

12-22-2016, 10:55 PM	#22
lithedreamer Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,799 Original Poster	Originally posted by pathdoc I think you'll find the lessons learned and the fact that you can put a (proverbial) notch on your lens barrel for a paid gig are worth far more in the long run than the less-than-Donald-Trump-sized fee you collected. How did the film part of it go? And how did the reality pan out compared to the suggestions we all helpfully threw in your direction? Haha, thanks. That's a great way of looking at it. Together Everything went so fast. The whole thing was over in an hour, so I didn't even finish my roll of HP5, much less get on to my roll of Portra. My actual camera set up for film was great, using a Peak Design Sling + Capture Clip to carry my film camera and lenses, then a strap for my K-1. The wooded park looked darker than it actually was, and I was able to shoot my ISO 400 film at box speed. I spent so much time worrying before the wedding that I wish I had spent looking around, thinking of poses for the bride and groom to take on. For this couple, group shots weren't something they were super interested in, but I still pushed to have a few taken...on B&W film, since that was the camera that had my wide-angle lens on. Hope those turn out. Actually, it looks like I got some digital group shots. They just need quite a bit of work in Lightroom. The histograms look great, but they were shots I knew I wasn't going to get 'in camera', with blue mountains and waves in the background, and black suits and dresses in the foreground. I only ended up getting about 15 minutes with the rings, including set up, so I didn't have time to take down my lighting gear. A lack of wide-angle zooms meant that -combined with taking group shots in the middle of the one hour shoot- there were lenses everywhere. These factors, combined with the fact that we were in a public park, left my second shooter watching gear instead of taking photos I wasn't physically in a position to take. She still got a couple that I missed, but not nearly as many as I would have hoped. My K-1 and 70-200 ran most of the shots through the day, but I was really hurting not having a wide-angle zoom.

12-23-2016, 01:48 PM - 2 Likes	#23
Sterby Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Tarján Photos: Albums Posts: 140	I know this is not your fault but it irks my OCD to no end. The bride is not keeping a straight back, looks like she's hauling a lot of burden. And Converse sneaker for a suit? Even though it's a quick and small circle elopement, some people just have no sense of style... But at least you didn't have to break in your bulletproof west. Next one should be a shotgun marriage.

12-23-2016, 02:53 PM	#24
lithedreamer Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,799 Original Poster	Originally posted by Sterby I know this is not your fault but it irks my OCD to no end. The bride is not keeping a straight back, looks like she's hauling a lot of burden. And Converse sneaker for a suit? Even though it's a quick and small circle elopement, some people just have no sense of style... But at least you didn't have to break in your bulletproof west. Next one should be a shotgun marriage. They actually wore matching Converse sneakers. I'm not sure if that makes it better....

12-23-2016, 03:19 PM - 2 Likes	#25
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	Originally posted by Sterby I know this is not your fault but it irks my OCD to no end. The bride is not keeping a straight back, looks like she's hauling a lot of burden. The burden might be a congenital thoracic kyphosis for all you know; don't judge people by their posture. ---------- Post added 23-12-16 at 18:50 ---------- Originally posted by lithedreamer They actually wore matching Converse sneakers. I'm not sure if that makes it better.... They're not rabid Doctor Who fans, are they? The family that shoes together, woos together? Adding to the "on the run" theme? ---------- Post added 23-12-16 at 18:52 ---------- Originally posted by Sterby But at least you didn't have to break in your bulletproof vest. Next one should be a shotgun marriage. I'm not sure any wedding needs to be shot in that sense, LOL. Reminds me of a poem I saw once: There was a little man And he had a little gun And his bullets were made of lead He stood close by With a fatherly eye While me and my girl were wed...

01-02-2017, 11:50 AM	#26
lithedreamer Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,799 Original Poster	So I delivered the photos, and the bride was very happy with them, in fact she wrote this: Oh, these are perfect. Thank you so so much for capturing all of the joy on that day. I know you're going to add these to your portfolio but is there anywhere online that I can recommend others to use you as a photographer? I'd love to be one of your first reviewers. I've never heard of such a place, but I thought I'd ask around.

01-02-2017, 12:43 PM	#27
csa Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Montana mountains Posts: 10,133	Originally posted by Sterby I know this is not your fault but it irks my OCD to no end. The bride is not keeping a straight back, looks like she's hauling a lot of burden. And Converse sneaker for a suit? Even though it's a quick and small circle elopement, some people just have no sense of style... After all, it was their wedding, not yours; if they were happy, that's all that counts.

01-02-2017, 12:45 PM - 1 Like	#28
csa Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Montana mountains Posts: 10,133	Originally posted by lithedreamer So I delivered the photos, and the bride was very happy with them, in fact she wrote this: Oh, these are perfect. Thank you so so much for capturing all of the joy on that day. I know you're going to add these to your portfolio but is there anywhere online that I can recommend others to use you as a photographer? I'd love to be one of your first reviewers. I've never heard of such a place, but I thought I'd ask around. Congratulations! That praise more than makes up for your small pay for the job! Sorry, I don't know where she could post online, recommending you; but it's sure nice that she wants to!

01-02-2017, 04:41 PM - 1 Like	#29
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,674	Originally posted by lithedreamer Update: So everything seemed to go okay. No raging...anybody. I got paid, but since I negotiated an hourly rate and they ran through the whole thing in an hour before the bride got cold, it wasn't really worth my time (though the experience was fun and I learned valuable lessons, my wife ended up not getting paid at her day job to join me for the day as an assistant). I had to rush my shots of the rings before the ceremony, so...those'll be a fun test of the K-1's raws to clean up in post. Everything else turned out okay, though, I was wishing for a 24-70 and a second K-1, so I wasn't constantly swapping to my wide-angle primes and back to my 70-200. Congratulations! As has already been said, the experience you've gained more than offsets the less-than-ideal pay. Everyone happy... can't ask for a better result than that