As a favour to my daughter in-law's family I said yes when they asked me to shoot her brother's wedding. I'm not a pro by any means but I have shot weddings for my two sons and a nephew. Always with a qualifying, "I'm not a professional and I'm doing this as a favour. So don't expect too much . . ."
Anyway, this is the first time I shot a wedding for what felt like strangers. I was nervous but with everyone understanding my limitations I proceeded with shooting about 550 pictures.
With my K20, 16-45 and 55-300, I think I had all I needed. I did use my 360 Flash as fill in and during the reception.
Overall I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm hoping the bride and groom feel the same.
Since this was the closest I've come to shooting pictures for non immediate family I'll share these thoughts:
1)
I Give clear notice that I was not a professional and doing this simply as a gift. I stressed this numerous times and everyone seemed to understand.
2) I had to be assertive during the actual formal picture taking. With everyone giving advice on who to take pictures of, where to take pictures, it's important to have a plan and stick with it. And if time allows for optional shooting, ask the bride and groom what "they" want.
3) Since everyone understood that I was not a professional, I tried my best to have fun and relax.
4)
Finally, I'll never say yes again. While the intent may be good in a "gift giving" spirit, and the recipients understand the inexperience of the volunteer photographer, it's way too stressful. So many things can go wrong and so many things missed. The "I should have done that" gets no second chance. Next time, if asked, I will say no, but will gladly be a side kick to a professional. Then my imagination can really let loose through my lens . . .
55-300 Lens @ 260mm | 400 ISO | F9.5 16-45 Lens @ 24mm | 400 ISO | F 4.5 16-45 Lens @ 16mm | 800 ISO | F 8.0 16-45 Lens @ 45mm | 400 ISO | F 6.7 16-45 Lens @ 40mm | 400 ISO | F 11
Peter