Help! I have to take photos at a wedding tomorrow....

[Pinky Floyd]

My friend is getting married tomorrow and they are on a very tight budget so he asked if I would take some photos for them. I said yes, with the caveat that I'm an amateur and have never done it before!

Anyway, I have a Sony A200 camera and am fairly familiar with it. I tend to shoot in aperture priority mode. I'm just going to take photos of people arriving, then the couple, then some shots inside the church, signing the register, coming down the aisle, that sort of thing. Then a few shots outside. I don't need to worry about any photos after that, short and sweet!

Can you give me some tips on getting good photos for a wedding? I can edit in lightroom afterwards.

I'm wondering about stuff like should I shoot with a wide aperture inside the church so I don't have to bother people with my flash?

When will my flash be necessary (like I say, I usually shoot in low light with a wide aperture so I don't need to bother with the flash)?

Is it ok to shoot in JPG or should I change over to RAW, or even RAW+JPG?

I'm sure there are other things I should be considering.

Just wait a sec while I hit this button over here...........

/presses panic button

OHHHHHHH SHIIIIIIIIIII..............

/DIES

[willo]

I imagine it will be pretty dark in the church so you will need to shoot wide open and crank the ISO up to compensate for little light, unfortunately cranking up the ISO is going to cause noise. What lens do you have?

Are you relying on you camera flash or do you have a dedicated one?

Yes I would shot in Raw+Jpeg as this will give you options.

[Pinky Floyd]

I have the A200 kit lens and only have the flash on the camera itself. Like I say, total amateur hour but if I don't step in and don't they won't have any pics of their big day which would just be such a shame

[willo]

I think your biggest challenge will be indoors, Churches aren't renowned for having great light. The camera flash won't have enough power to throw much light over a distance so you will have to keep close to what you shooting, have you been to the church? You should be okay outdoors though.

Good luck!

[Iccz]

Take a look at wedding photography on the internet, get an idea of what kind of things photographer take pictures of then write yourself up a list of the shots you want to capture... try get a ticklist sorted so you can tick them off throughout the day - try find out what relatives will be there so you can make sure you get pictures of them / them with the couple etc.

As there are a lot of people at the wedding try ask the couple or someone who is in charge of organising it if they can find someone to help you out a little, maybe one person from each side of the family so they can round members up easily etc and help organise the shot with you if needs be.

Group shots - get a couple if you can, an outdoor straight on one, maybe one from a balcony or even a roof high up if you can?
As above make sure it's organised and everyone is there, take a few as people always blink or look away and not everyone smiles etc, people need to be quite close together etc - no obvious gaps. Location needs planning etc, take multiple shots and if you have to tell the people how to pose - raised chins to avoid double chins etc, just basic posture corrections.

Small details make brilliant shots, a shot of the ring on a book, the brides shoe on a table, the flowers, cake etc.

Do you have friends with spare cameras/lenses you could borrow? Do you have friends who take photos you could borrow?! the more equipment/man power you have the better shots you can get. Also think about a tripd / remote shutter cable.

Remember to not get in the way or intrude, but don't let that stop you from capturing shots, try get positions where you can move to other positions and still get good shots from, and if you know what you want in a shot don't be afraid to ask (as long as it's not during a speech or readings).

If you can, go take a look at the location, scout out ideal positions etc and lighting if possible.

Shoot in RAW - it's pretty much a given for weddings, and never delete any shots, even if you think it's a mistake.

Be creative, try different angles etc.

Prepare - batteries, cards etc, to ensure nothing can go wrong have spares - ideally why it's a good idea for a spare camera.
Talk to the couple to tell them what they can expect and ask what they want.

[Pinky Floyd]

Brilliant advice there! I know the church and the Pastor well, it's the church I attend so no problems there

Love the tips about certain shots (ring on a book, probably a bible would look nice!).

Group shot is a must, there is a ladder round the back, better be careful.......

The church is small with big windows, good lights, shouldn't be too bad I reckon, it's a lot brighter than most churches I've been in.

[wack]

Ask if the pastor will allow the use of flash in the church most don't,make sure they have a nice pen for the signing of the register, weddings are 90% crowd control 10% photography so make sure you have someone to organize the group shots and don't be afraid to ask people to pit their cameras down while you get them,you need all the eyes looking at your camera
good luck

[Pinky Floyd]

Hey chaps, it was a very small informal wedding and I got the shots I needed so the couple can remember their day, thanks for all the help and advice.

Here are my 3 favourite photos of the day!

Rings

Vows

Flowers

[tonkie]

They look nice I'm sure the happy couple will be pleased with them and the rest that you have taken.

Well Done