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wedding guests with same/better gear
Doesnt matter what you shoot with, the most important accessory you have for any camera equipment in about 3 inches behind the camera. if you don't know what your doing with the most expensive equipment you still won't get any better photos than with a phone camera. So talk yourself up and not everybody elses equipment. Jan 13 13 02:20 pm Link the groom and i were on the way to shoot the car outside (at the groom's request) closely followed by the bride when the maid of honor announced the garter toss. when the groom told me to follow him outside maybe i should have checked with the maid of honor first. no DJ on this one (so far on six weddings we've had one DJ plus a DJ at a pre-wedding party). i had also been told there wouldn't even be a garter toss on this wedding (but i can't remember who said that). i could have shot it with my 501.4 (in hindsight should have) but wanted my 17-40. my 2nd body had a 15mm fisheye and only goes to ISO1600. after changing lenses, i did manage to catch the garter catch but not the toss. i agree that being caught out is bad. maybe the moral of the story is don't listen to the groom. check with the ladies first. i did get the bouquet toss although e-ttl (how i hate that) went nuclear on me for one frame. the bouquet toss can be surprising. i had one bride on the top deck of a boat where she caught her own bouquet because of the wind and then quickly threw it underhanded surprising all the photographers. whoever says weddings are easy hasn't done one yet. not if you want to get all the shots. i think next time i'm not going to listen to the groom or will at least check with the maid of honor first. so far on our weddings the bride has been pretty much exhausted and just running on fumes. there were several times on this wedding where the groom steered me wrong relative to what the maid of honor had in mind. Good Egg Productions wrote: Jan 13 13 02:29 pm Link How long could it possibly have taken to change lenses?? 5 minutes? Tell the bride to wait. She WANTS these pictures. She will wait. Jan 13 13 02:35 pm Link The gear doesn't matter, it's the photographer that makes the difference. "Everybody" has some kind of great camera these days but it's the skill of the photog that makes the shot. By the way, you couldn't pay me enough to shoot weddings... Jan 13 13 02:37 pm Link less. i asked them to wait but they didn't. there were a couple times where they said they would wait but didn't. at one point they told me i could grab a bite (i was doing them a favor and staying beyond the paid for time) and then announced the first dance while i was chewing. there was bad or no communication between the bride, groom and maid of honor. in hindsight i should have tried to confirm everything with the maid of honor on this one. or i should have yelled "WAIT" but it was a big and noisy reception. the problem we've had is the brides just being a wreck and not really tracking anymore at the reception. they wear themselves out physically and emotionally before the big day. or the stress of the big day just gets the best of them. and the grooms are afraid to make a decision and upset the bride but she doesn't want to make any more decisions. aren't weddings fun? for the cake cutting i had to shoulder my way through at least 20 guests (all shooting) to get a clear shot. felt like an NFL linebacker. i used all of my 240 pounds. i really need a 2nd MK II (or maybe another fuji) so i have a two low light cameras around my neck. the MK I isn't so good for dark receptions. and i'm still learning how aggressive i can be at weddings without risking pissing someone off. i'm a lot more aggressive now than i was on the first one. but at the busier/noisier receptions it seems like they don't wait for anyone, even the hired photographer. i had one guest (a pinup model type) say that she had invited a student friend of hers to shoot the wedding as a gift for the bride (and i kind of got the feeling it was like "if she had shown up the bride wouldn't have needed you guys"). sometimes i feel like rodney dangerfield. Good Egg Productions wrote: Jan 13 13 02:39 pm Link What you really need to do is find out who's in charge and coordinate with that person throughout the event. That's usually the DJ because he has the mic. Sometimes it's a wedding coordinator. Rarely, it's a Maid of Honor or mother of the bride. Every once on a while, it'll be you. Your job is to get the shots. You can't do that if you are not in communication with the person running the show. Jan 13 13 02:48 pm Link made by the same paint and brushes   Jan 13 13 02:53 pm Link i think i need to follow the mic. our weddings seem like complete chaos and nobody (including bride or groom) ever seems to know what's going on when i ask or they manage to misdirect me. things just sort of happen spontaneously. like the thing with shooting the car outside at the last one. i didn't know about that until the groom said "let's go" and i said "i need to switch lenses, hold on" i can see why some photographers sell themselves as coordinators, too. it's in their own best interest. we've only had one DJ so far and he wasn't coordinating. the coordinators we've had have been associated with the venue and more concerned that people were blowing bubbles and someone might slip. maybe it's because we're working lower budget ($10K and under) type weddings? not sure. still trying to figure how to make sure i can get every shot and not miss anything important. Good Egg Productions wrote: Jan 13 13 02:53 pm Link twoharts wrote: Having worked as a wedding and portrait photographer, I've shot many weddings since back in the days when a photographers choices were "what film" to shoot. It was rare for anyone to bring a medium format camera better than mine to the weddings. Thanks to technology and pricing, now anyone can have a camera that takes decent ... even great pictures! Jan 13 13 02:55 pm Link twoharts wrote: I would agree with that. Jan 13 13 02:59 pm Link twoharts wrote: Second shooter. Jan 13 13 03:02 pm Link I've seen people with these  Two bodies, two lenses, 3 seconds to swap cameras. Jan 13 13 03:10 pm Link i'm always amazed at someone who can work solo and nail all the shots. now that's something! on a large event i think i'd like to even have a third person as assistant, gear-watcher and someone i could direct to take a few specific shots here and there. Kaouthia wrote: Jan 13 13 03:15 pm Link you look you're going into battle but i guess in some ways you are. i can definitely see the advantage of wearing two bodies lensed up differently although once you add flash it can be a lot to have on you. i have a single camera black rapid strap but it slips all around and drives me nuts so i don't use it much except when i'm doing 70-200 senior shots in the park. MKPhoto wrote: Jan 13 13 03:18 pm Link MainePaintah wrote: Ha, totally! I feel like I was run over by a truck at the end of a full coverage day. Im no spring chicken and my knees were already shot before I did events. Jan 13 13 03:21 pm Link I find more and more often hobbyists and amateur photographers around me having far better gear then professionals. This is because they have higher paying stable jobs in a different industry (especially IT) to fund their hobby where as most professionals are just getting by. I The difference is usually in the skill, quality and products being produced. was shooting weddings with 20D's/30D for a number of years before I upgraded to 1Dsm3. I've had someone assisted me who has only been shooting 6 months and owns a Nikon D3s and a H4 Hasselblad but could barely use the equipment correctly to get a good image. As a guest I've seen a wedding crew overseas use Canons Rebels and kit lens for photo/video producing absolutely remarkable work. They played an edited video during the reception and managed to produce and deliver the final video and magazine style album 3 days later. I don't think bride/groom gets to see any put in any more input in the time before its produced but they are well designed. Here it takes 3-6 weeks to get an album made from the supplier. I also know a popular wedding photographer here that always has 5 cameras strapped on him at shooting. 4 DSLR with different lens combos plus a MFD. He has 2 secondary shooters each with 2-3 cameras so its all overkill but probably for show to the guests. That put aside I do have a theory that pro wedding photographers also make great model photographers especially on location shoots. They can set up very fast, work with the model and get "the shot" and move on to the next look at a fraction of the time it takes for most. Jan 13 13 03:25 pm Link last night the wife was like "i should have drank a whole bottle of that wine!" (we don't normally drink at the reception but on this one she wished she had). i felt better after an ibuprofen and tylenol but i'm feeling it today. last wedding i snapped my shoe in half from bending down so much. why couldn't i have done this when i was younger? KA Style wrote: Jan 13 13 03:30 pm Link not exactly going to be a stealth photographer like that! here's my posse, ma'am. but i guess some guys like to put on a good show and are hired partly for that. and maybe the guests will give him some space. Chris David Photography wrote: Jan 13 13 03:31 pm Link I typically show up with my gear. The only thing I don't bring is my light kit. I also stay out of the way of the paid photographers though. Jan 13 13 03:32 pm Link twoharts wrote: Right. lol Jan 13 13 03:35 pm Link MKPhoto wrote: YUP ... I own this and a single sling ... even though the dual is convertible to a single .. Jan 13 13 04:25 pm Link twoharts wrote: Our wedding was over 10 years ago, the photographer used a medium format film camera, manual film advance, manual focus. He shot over 300 photos all day. I don't think I would ever be able to do that. Jan 13 13 04:35 pm Link Anthony J Deffina wrote: You sound like someone who has actually done this. Jan 13 13 04:47 pm Link Yan Tan Tethera wrote: twoharts wrote: Thanks for sharing on a model site. This is a model site? Jan 13 13 04:50 pm Link twoharts wrote: I'm thinking the phrase "Your camera takes really good photos" applies here. Jan 13 13 05:02 pm Link Things Uncle Bob doesn't have: Doing engagement and bridal portraits. A paycheck. Those big studio strobes to take those kick-ass formal shots. Radio triggers to steal your light. Three more speedlights to get cool reception shots. Extra cameras and lenses. Having studio experience with models and knowing how to light things quickly. Permission to walk around the auditorium during the ceremony. Getting to hang out with the bride and groom while they are getting ready. Knowing how to put together a nice professional photo album. Having fun while working your butt off to shoot non-stop for ten hours. And a million other things. A nice camera and lens doesn't make up for all of that. I dare Uncle Bob to keep up. Jan 13 13 05:04 pm Link fullmetalphotographer wrote: Pretty much sums up what any pro will say, and all they really need. Jan 13 13 05:10 pm Link As someone on the other side of this situation (I was a bride whose uncle and father-in-law had roughly the same gear as the photographer and his assistant, minus the external flashes). For me, I was happy that I was able to get photos from so many different paths. I happily paid for my photographer, as, at the end of the day, it as his job to capture the moments, and capture them well, while my family members were under no such obligations. But I loved that my family members were able to capture some high quality shots that might have gone unnoticed by the photographer. Jan 13 13 05:14 pm Link Luminos wrote: Yep. Jan 13 13 05:19 pm Link twoharts wrote: Been there, done that, and almost walked off the job. Jan 13 13 05:24 pm Link twoharts wrote: I use Carry Speeds camera sling along with a thinktank lens changer 3, I also have the dual rig but for weddings it's to difficult to rock two bodies and the lens changer bag. I feel I've shot enough plus having gone over the wedding schedule with planners (or bride) I know how the day will play out. It allows me to know which lens I need right then p,us over the next few mins. It only takes 15 sec to changes lens so I'm not to worried if I am out of position. Jan 13 13 05:37 pm Link twoharts wrote: Back in prehistoric times, I always worked solo. Jan 13 13 05:40 pm Link Ted Wen wrote: He really took that many??? Jan 13 13 05:45 pm Link Photosbycj wrote: + the current deficit!!!! They don't come any more rude than that. Jan 13 13 05:54 pm Link twoharts wrote: When a client hires me, they don;t hire my gear, the hire my skill with that gear and my style. Jan 13 13 06:33 pm Link that's the way i like to think about it. they are complementary. it's just that some of those guys can be really agressive and shadow you (or even box you out) to the point where you feel like "why am i here again?" but for the most part i like knowing that even if i have a spasm there will probably be someone (maybe 20 somethings. lol) catching whatever moment i missed. if i knew i was the only camera at the wedding and it was all on me i think my stress level would be high. i'm glad i taught the wife to shoot and got her the x-pro1 (she finally loves to shoot). Abby Hawkins wrote: Jan 13 13 07:03 pm Link it's an event but i guess you can still have a style in terms of how you shoot and especially how you post-process. some guys are really into the HDR, oversharpened to bring out detail and fisheyed, super-saturated look. but i think anything like that can get old if you see it too much. Eric Lefebvre wrote: Jan 13 13 07:05 pm Link it's not a dating site either but there are sure a lot of posts on that topic. i guess people like to talk about what interests them. Illuminate wrote: Jan 13 13 07:07 pm Link Consider this, anyone can buy a hammer, but not everyone can build a house, I have been a professional photographer for 26 years, back then no one could shoot a high school football game at night unless they knew their stuff, times have changed which is why you have to offer something the amature can't. Keep on doing what your doing, smile, and remember this, your the one that's making money living your dream. Jan 13 13 07:20 pm Link Herman Surkis wrote: We had a Chinese ceremony at home and a church ceremony, then the reception and dance in the evening. In between there were some shots with guests. I don't know how many rolls of film, but I think he was running low near the end. Compare to that digital is easy, a card can hold hundreds if not thousands of images and changing a card does not need any rewinding. And he had to do all that and try to keep up with the events. We didn't do anything crazy, like fancy lighting, but it was a long day. Jan 13 13 09:17 pm Link |
