Wedding photo (taking) tips

Or just getting people to stand in the right place perhaps?

Just as a caveat to my earlier post that’s going back 4 years, when u could actually generate income off shooting weddings.

There’s lots of people still making a decent living out of (mostly) shooting weddings.

Point is that everyone thinks that teachers only work when they’re in school and get get big fat breaks over summer.

I work in the private sector so a little different.

Or just getting people to stand in the right place perhaps?

Was that aimed at me? That is a perfectly acceptable answer as there is always more than one way to skin a cat. Some methods are more practical than others though.

There’s lots of people still making a decent living out of (mostly) shooting weddings.

Probably by charging bucket loads for doing and providing high quality pics, which as you know is not so easy.

Was that aimed at me?

No, the op. It’s a relevant technique at a wedding I feel 🙂

No, the op

OK. 😳

@ MightyMarmite – thanks for putting across just what’s involved from our side of things – I had wondered when this thread would descend into ‘**** me, how much’, as it has done on so many occasions before, and had planned to do as you did – put it facts and figures out there in out there in black and white (or sepia, or colour, sorry, NO spot colouring… 🙂 ) – bottom line for me is that my ‘Day Rate’ (when you take into account time taken – 4 days approx in total on meetings, pre-wed shoot, full day wedding, editing, client visits re: album design, and taking out over head and album costs etc etc) = around £200 a day, before tax etc etc. NICE! I hear folk say – maybe, if you’re working, and getting paid for a huge chunk of the year but, weddings are largely seasonal (that’s changing a bit as venues realise they can bring folk in off season at lower rates and couples are going for that – getting the ‘venue of their dreams’ for less and hoping for a ‘winter wonderland’ result!)

Put another way, my local plumbers and electrician charge a similar day rate and all they do is ‘push plastic pipe bits together’ or ‘screw wires into boxes’

Right, back top editing a shoot…. 😀

This has been a most interesting topic.

I wonder if people who are suggesting ‘just go buy a cheap big aperture lens’ have any idea how much some lens cost, or indeed the price of the cameras/lenses the pros generally use.

Just for fun some of the prices for some of the equipment (note if there is a 2nd shooter they will have additional kit) there will be lots of other gear in addition to this stuff and flashes can be several hundred pounds each as well:

Canon EOS 5D Mark II – body only, no lens included £ 1789.00
most photographers would have 2 of these or an even dearer medium format (I think those are around £8000 plus each).

Canon 50mm f1.4 USM Lens £ 309.00
(the 1.8 is much cheaper at under £100 but the plastic lens mount is unlikely to take heavy pro work)

Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM Lens £ 1069.00

Canon 85mm f1.2 L USM II Lens £ 1829.00

Canon 16-35mm f2.8L USM II Lens£ 1239.00

Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM II Lens £ 1999.00

Unfortunately, even with all that kit most wedding photos are disappointing.

A mate with a £300 camera can exceed expectations for free.

It’s not about the kit.

It’s about coming up with the goods in a pressured situation, dealing with people, managing setbacks, having a seamless backup plan for when things go wrong (which they will), making the experience an enjoyable part of the day for the happy couple… all that stuff.

The gear’s important to the extent that better kit opens up more options and delivers better results… but only if you know how to use it. Knowing when to hold the button down and when to squeeze off a single shot, understanding when to trust AF and when not, knowing the limitations of your lenses, being able to think on your feet and do all this while working with many people who regard you largely as a fly on the wall rather than an invited guest. You can’t buy that stuff. You have to earn it.

What’s that often-quoted statistic about the number thousands of hours it takes to get really good at something? Melting some plastic is no substitute for time on the job. Good wedding pros earn their fees, and then some 🙂

I wonder if people who are suggesting ‘just go buy a cheap big aperture lens’ have any idea how much some lens cost, or indeed the price of the cameras/lenses the pros generally use.

Um yes I do thanks. 🙄

(the 1.8 is much cheaper at under £100 but the plastic lens mount is unlikely to take heavy pro work)

Yeah but the OP isn’t talking about ‘heavy pro work’ is he.

A mate with a £300 camera can exceed expectations for free.

Maybe, but maybe not. If your mate’s £300 camera doesn’t work for some reason, or he forgot to charge the batteries last night, then what? Depends how important it is to you of course, but the idea of getting a pro and paying top whack is that they can pretty much guarantee good results in pretty much any circumstances.

while working with many people who regard you largely as a fly on the wall rather than an invited guest.

Surely as a pro that’s exactly what you are? Or are you just a really popular guy 😉

I like the few spot coloured images we have. I find it amusing that the pros on here who’ve mentioned it said emphatically that they wouldn’t do it. Is that because it’s a bit of a cheesy technique? Does it matter if your customer will like it?

I’ve no real interest in photography so probably would struggle to tell the difference between good and bad shots anyway. I suspect if they’re honest the majority of couples are the same. Perhaps I should put a couple of our pics up here for the pros to criticise 😆

Is that because it’s a bit of a cheesy technique? Does it matter if your customer will like it?

it’s crass, people who get a dodgy copy of photoshop like to show off their skills with this innovative technique.
but if your visually unaware customer desires it then it would be foolish to deny them.

I like the few spot coloured images we have

On that tangent, I thought the earlier shot of the colourised girl inbetween three monochrome ones was fantastic from an artistic and technical point of view, but diabolically bad as a photo I’d ever want to show anyone. “Yes, here’s a picture of me, with three unimportant people… no, I forget their names now…”

No disrespect to the photographer but why a client would ever request something like that is beyond me. Spot-coloured against a background sure, but against your family and friends? Arrogant much?

Is that because it’s a bit of a cheesy technique? Does it matter if your customer will like it?

I think most professionals wouldn’t like to put out anything that they don’t feel is up to scratch aesthetically, even if the client likes it.

most photographers would have 2 of these or an even dearer medium format (I think those are around £8000 plus each).

you are looking at£10-£20k for a digital back. another £10k will get you a body and 2-3 lenses.

I’ve not read any of the above but these are my thoughts having been asked to do a couple of friends weddings.

* Make sure they know your level of competance before hand. Without being rude you sound like you have a very basic understanding of photography. Show them examples of what you can/can’t do. At minimum you need to understand depth of field.

* Make sure you understand what type of photos they want, I’m not good at formal photos so avoided doing both.

* Make a list of all the photos they want and when and then be prepaired to struggle to get people to be there when you want them.

* Rope the Mrs in to taking some shots too, you can gurantee you will fudge one of the important shots, thats why you pay a pro.

* Take lots of shots, but dont get in peoples way.

* Use one wide to normal and one zoom lense. I’ve got a 28-70 and 75-300

* Be prepaird to not enjoy the day and spend hours after cropping photos etc to their best potential.

* Serach the web for a good album site, this can really make your pics amazing. Both weddings I did people thought the shots and albums were done by a pro…. although any one with a little knowledge could see the poor quality of stock lenses and built in flash.

Nice split between answers to my questions and general debate / high-hoorsery so at least STW is continued as usual.

Funkydunc, I’ve had the camera for about 4 years now and over that time have worked out a basic understanding of the principles although have never really managed to put it into practice successfully. As said above it’s a thing you need to learn and to do that you need to spend time practicing which is something I never seem to be able to do.

I love taking pictures of the family but they do get bored when I ask them to hold the pose for a 5th time while I try something else. I’m also not the most patient of people and for these reasons end up trying to snap pictures on auto that I hope will look nice in the electronic family album.

I won’t be buying any more lenses at the moment, I just can’t justify the expense for something that I’d like to do more of but in practice struggle to spend more time one.

I’ll take away some of these ideas and do some more research then subject the family to some practice sessions to try it all out I reckon.

while working with many people who regard you largely as a fly on the wall rather than an invited guest.

Surely as a pro that’s exactly what you are? Or are you just a really popular guy [/quote]

The point I was making is that it changes the dynamic in terms of the way people react to the photographer. In some ways for the better, in some ways not so much. A pro photographer can easily become pretty unpopular if they’re not careful. They’re there to do a job. Doing that job involves persuading people to accommodate the photographer’s wishes from time to time. When the photographer’s a pro and not one of the guests, that fact has an impact on how people respond.

I’ll take away some of these ideas and do some more research then subject the family to some practice sessions to try it all out I reckon.

Yay! A good result all round, then 🙂

When the photographer’s a pro and not one of the guests, that fact has an impact on how people respond

That’s what I was referring to about MF’s pics above, where the bride is grinning at the camera. She probably wouldn’t have reacted to a stranger the same way 🙂

That particular subject probably would – she is unreasonably happy. 😀