Home Free Library Store
Free Catalog



Save with a Two Year Membership

To post in the forums see the Forum Guidelines.
Join or Renew Today.
New Benefits for all VU Members
Forum Guidelines and FAQ
Main Index Search Posts
Who's Online Log In



Home: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers:
My first wedding as photographer

 
First page Previous page 1 2 Next page Last page  View All


Postal Boy
Veteran


Jan 7, 2008, 12:09 PM

Post #1 of 36 (4193 views)
Shortcut
My first wedding as photographer Can't Post
It isn't anything fancy, but here was my first wedding as the photographer. It was pretty basic - no best man, no brides maides, no groomsmen, etc...so there are some family formals inside (it was way too windy outside, even though it was a pretty day), a 45 minute ceremony, and a 1.5 hour reception. The lighting was difficult because of the huge windows. If I exposed for indoors, then the windows were completely blown out. If I exposed for outdoors then the interior was completely dark. So, I used a flash bounced off of the ceiling. I would have liked to narrow the DOF so that outside was more blurred on a lot of them, but with the lighting I had to crank down the iris a lot, giving me pretty deep DOF.

Anyway,

Enjoy the view from Harpers Ferry...

http://postmavideo.com/clients/steer-carl/

-Postal


Scott Brooks
Veteran

Jan 7, 2008, 1:51 PM

Post #2 of 36 (4187 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
Very nice. I thought they came out quite good.

It was good to see a few of the formals taken at an angle of the fireplace as opposed to everything just dead center.

Are you making a change over to photography or just adding on to the current business?


Postal Boy
Veteran


Jan 7, 2008, 2:01 PM

Post #3 of 36 (4185 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Sparky] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
Well, if anyone around here wanted video I would do more of it. But they really don't - photography is more what they want. I am just getting started, but was amazed that I could get 160+ edited/finished proofs online within 3 days of the wedding, and have the album 70% designed within a week of the wedding.

With video I would almost be done capturing the raw footage by now Cool

I like the crispness of photo...the clarity and flexibility. I like the motion and storytelling of video. But to be honest, photography seems quite a bit easier to handle than videography, from equipment to venues. Granted, I had an easy first event. It was a fairly simple wedding.

I do have a question for you, though. I hang out in another forum or two as well, and people talk about prepping over 1000 images for the online gallery. I thought that 160+ was PLENTY for them to choose from. My wife mentioned that when she got married (first time) she had 50 images to choose from....(pre-digital)

I also tried hard to not do any "machine-gunning" and tried to "catch the moment" - not grab tons of moments to throw out. I ended up posting 167 out of about 650 images taken. How many do you end up taking at a wedding (mine was only about 4 hours start to finish)?

-Postal


Scott Brooks
Veteran

Jan 7, 2008, 2:44 PM

Post #4 of 36 (4182 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
I also tried hard to not do any "machine-gunning" and tried to "catch the moment" - not grab tons of moments to throw out. I ended up posting 167 out of about 650 images taken. How many do you end up taking at a wedding (mine was only about 4 hours start to finish)?

I shoot for 6 hours most of the time and there are two of us. After editing out the ones I don't like I end up with approximately 800 - 850. This figure is actually lower than it was 12 months ago. My target for '08 is going to be closer to 600 to 700. How many do we take? Probably about 1200+. We also shoot a lot of reception dancing when there's time.

One thing that really adds to the total ... I'm absolutely anal when it comes to altar formals. I will take four or five and my assistant will take three or more. I need to get more proficient.

I very rarely set my camera in anything other than single shot mode, but I do change over to a multi shot prior to the first kiss, exiting the church and other times that I know things are going to move fast (and I don't need flash).

I can come home after a wedding, download my images, edit the images I want to keep and make a backup file before going to bed. I can edit the images for exposure, contrast and white balance in one day - easy. I then make gallery files at 750x750 and upload.

Essentially I can have a DVD with their images in the mail and an on-line gallery/shopping cart prior to the end of the week. I love it.

I don't offer albums in my packages (actually don't have packages) because I like the way video was done. I hand them a DVD and I'm done. Now ... I do have albums and sell quite a few. The good thing here is that they usually just take my selection of photos and design and go with it, so I don't have to wait for them to get around to it.

I have one wedding to videotape this year and I only took it because I did her sister's wedding. I'm really hoping I can learn to say NO this year to anything other than our Basic Video Package which is an add-on to our photography package. I just want to be done with editing wedding videos.



Shadow
Veteran


Jan 7, 2008, 4:31 PM

Post #5 of 36 (4175 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
I just flipped through a few of them but what I did see was very nice, especially for a first go.

Well done, I'm sure they'll be thrilled.


Postal Boy
Veteran


Jan 7, 2008, 6:05 PM

Post #6 of 36 (4169 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Sparky] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
What do you use for a shopping cart and online gallery, Sparky?


Scott Brooks
Veteran

Jan 7, 2008, 7:10 PM

Post #7 of 36 (4161 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
In Reply To
What do you use for a shopping cart and online gallery, Sparky?
http://www.picturespro.com/pages/photography_shopping_cart/

Tim is extremely good at customer service. Anyone that knows me knows that I'm a computer idiot, so I really depended on him to help me get it setup.


Brackish
Veteran


Jan 7, 2008, 8:58 PM

Post #8 of 36 (4150 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
I've heard it mentioned elsewhere that some pros
who are delivering 350-400 images get a reaction
from the client that the client thinks that 350-400
is "a lot" of images - the client is more
or less surprised they get that many.

I've also heard the pros say that over 1000 images for the client to
sort through is overwhelming to the client and causes
frustration.

The sense I get is that most pros are delivering about
1/3 of the images taken so that's in the ballpark for you, what
with the 160 delivered for 600 taken.



------------------------------------------------------------
"still motion is who everyone else is trying to be like"

(This post was edited by Brackish on Jan 8, 2008, 9:41 AM)


Postal Boy
Veteran


Jan 8, 2008, 7:45 AM

Post #9 of 36 (4126 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Sparky] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
I have the paypal virtual teller - where I can enter the information and bill a credit card, but I don't have the automated "business" stuff...It says it does have the option to just send the form with the billing information on it.

Do you just compile the order and send it to the lab manually?

-Mark - er...Postal


Scott Brooks
Veteran

Jan 8, 2008, 8:15 AM

Post #10 of 36 (4123 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
I don't remember all the options he has, but in my case the order comes to me, I prepare the files and ftp them to the lab. From there I have them drop shipped to the client.

This is after I receive a notice from them that they've selected the photos and another one that says I received a payment from Paypal. So far it's worked out fine.


rodovideo
Enthusiast


Jan 8, 2008, 8:55 AM

Post #11 of 36 (4122 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
Very nice shots.... Now remind us all what camera(s), lenses, flash....
You could definitely get business from around here. One day... maybe this year, I'll attempt a wedding. Your use of bounce flash looked really good.

Thanks for posting
Mike R.

Look toward the Son, and you will not see the shadows


Postal Boy
Veteran


Jan 8, 2008, 9:38 AM

Post #12 of 36 (4108 views)
Shortcut
Re: [rodovideo] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
I use a Canon 30D with a 580EX speedlite flash for the ceremony and "candids".

The formals, well, I think I blinded people on the highway since I used the 580EX as the master (bounced off of the ceiling) and two 430EX flashes bounced off of the ceiling in different directions.

Outdoors the master flash wouldn't trigger the slaves (major problem with the Canon IR triggering system outdoors with bright light already present...need to get some radio controlled ones) so the images that worked out was just a straight on 580EX flash on the camera. All of the camera mounted flashes used "a better bounce card" ;) - a white piece of hobby foam that I put some velcro spots on to velcro it to my flashes (all my flashes have velcro attachment points on them for gobos, gels, etc...just slap what you want on and it sticks...when you take them off, the black velcro doesn't show up...)

Here is a raw edit (just shrunk) of the setup in the lounge...I think I need a wider lense Blush:




RustyB
Veteran


Jan 8, 2008, 11:21 AM

Post #13 of 36 (4081 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
Cool setup! That's more lighting than I see MOST wedding photographers use. I rarely see them use anything more than their camera-mounted flash. I think many use the trendy "photojournalism" buzzword as an excuse not to put any effort into the formals. Good job!



Faith Poison Wedding Films Blog
Intergalactic Award-Winning Epic-Cinematic Wedding New-Doc Style Indie Fusion Bridal Movies on Hi-Definition Blu-Ray Disc


Scott Brooks
Veteran

Jan 8, 2008, 11:29 AM

Post #14 of 36 (4078 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
Just curious ... when you're using that setup are your 420s on a manual setting or TTL?


Postal Boy
Veteran


Jan 8, 2008, 12:02 PM

Post #15 of 36 (4074 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Sparky] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
I use manual setting...and the master flash can control how much power they put out...I think they were at about 1/16 power.


Kenneth
Veteran


Jan 15, 2008, 12:00 AM

Post #16 of 36 (3937 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
Very nice. Overall your composition is very good. I would say next time go for some more abstract images,especially with the details, like the place settings, cake, etc.

It's clear you took most of them from a standing position. The one thing that I notice that clients like is when photographers shoot from bizarre angles, like down on the floor or from a 2nd story window.


http://www.photoreflect.com/...08S000249&po=249



Philadelphia Wedding Video
The Kenneth Stillman Blog



Postal Boy
Veteran


Jan 15, 2008, 6:03 AM

Post #17 of 36 (3930 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Kenneth] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
True...it was a very small venue (the one small, long room) with about 40 guests total. They did the ceremony and reception in that room. The lobby of the hotel is where the "formals" were taken. I have noticed, though, with proof prints, the copies I have adjusted are a little bit "flat", but a bump in saturation, focusing on the skin tones, has fixed that. Something for me to keep a closer eye on in the future. I will keep looking at "out of the box" types of thinking, with different angles and so forth.


Kenneth
Veteran


Jan 15, 2008, 6:21 AM

Post #18 of 36 (3928 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
From talking to photographers I can tell you that some of the photographers will do a fake depth of field by blurring the background slightly.

The photographer that took the picture in that link gave me a great tip and she called it the beauty blur. You can do this one time and record it as in action in Photoshop and then do it to any picture you want with a single click.

Dupilcate your layer. The top layer do a gaussian blur of 6-7 pixels, Then drop the opacity down to 30-35 %. TADA! THeir skin is now softer and they have slight halo around them.



Philadelphia Wedding Video
The Kenneth Stillman Blog



RustyB
Veteran


Jan 15, 2008, 7:37 AM

Post #19 of 36 (3922 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Kenneth] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
In Reply To
....she called it the beauty blur.....Dupilcate your layer. The top layer do a gaussian blur of 6-7 pixels, Then drop the opacity down to 30-35 %. TADA! THeir skin is now softer and they have slight halo around them.

Do photographers still do this? I thought it was a 1980's thing? Wink j/k....I admittedly do it to pics and video sometimes. I think I quit after watching a Magnum P.I. marathon on TV last year. Laugh



Faith Poison Wedding Films Blog
Intergalactic Award-Winning Epic-Cinematic Wedding New-Doc Style Indie Fusion Bridal Movies on Hi-Definition Blu-Ray Disc


RustyB
Veteran


Jan 15, 2008, 8:38 AM

Post #20 of 36 (3915 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
In Reply To
...the copies I have adjusted are a little bit "flat", but a bump in saturation, focusing on the skin tones, has fixed that. Something for me to keep a closer eye on in the future. I will keep looking at "out of the box" types of thinking, with different angles and so forth.

I personally wouldn't be worried so much with the "out of the box" shots yet....no shots taken from underneath the front row of pews...or shots taken hanging upside down from the rafters, until I was experienced enough in getting the basics at a wedding and proper exposure...exactly like you did. But who knows...I'll probably photograph a couple of weddings next month for free to see first hand how it goes. My main concern will be remembering to take the lens cap off. Laugh



Faith Poison Wedding Films Blog
Intergalactic Award-Winning Epic-Cinematic Wedding New-Doc Style Indie Fusion Bridal Movies on Hi-Definition Blu-Ray Disc


Postal Boy
Veteran


Jan 15, 2008, 6:23 PM

Post #21 of 36 (3885 views)
Shortcut
Re: [RustyB] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
Don't worry, rusty...someone will point it out to you about half way through the ceremony...Tongue


Kenneth
Veteran


Jan 15, 2008, 11:29 PM

Post #22 of 36 (3841 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
In Reply To
Don't worry, rusty...someone will point it out to you about half way through the ceremony...Tongue
Right, and when the camera stops recording images halfway through the parent dances it's probably because you forgot to put an SD card in the camera. Wink



Philadelphia Wedding Video
The Kenneth Stillman Blog



Postal Boy
Veteran


Jan 16, 2008, 6:07 AM

Post #23 of 36 (3832 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Kenneth] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
Ah...my camera has an option that won't let the shutter release if a card isn't in....something that I actually had to turn on since taking some family pictures - or THINKING I was taking some family pictures - a couple of months ago...


Jenn M
Veteran


Jan 30, 2008, 5:40 PM

Post #24 of 36 (3553 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
I'm a little late ... but I think you did a fabulous job! It's a little daunting (I think) to shot indoor formals. I much prefer outdoors - ya know, lighting and all.

Nicely done. Not sure how 'technical' you want to get with your approach when it comes to posing ... that may be my only critique - but still, what you delivered is as any good as any other digital photographer I've seen. You can get some good tips from reading different things on posing - basic stuff - turning a females' far shoulder away from the came to slenderize... etc. LIttle things - bride put her shoulders back so she doesn't look like she's hunched.

Here's to more!

-Jenn


(This post was edited by Jenn M on Jan 30, 2008, 5:42 PM)


Postal Boy
Veteran


Feb 1, 2008, 5:44 AM

Post #25 of 36 (3493 views)
Shortcut
Re: [Jenn M] My first wedding as photographer [In reply to] Can't Post
Thanks...as far as posing goes, I know (and my wife has LET me know) that it is a very weak point on my part. So I have gone out and purchased a few books on wedding and portrait photography/posing, and there are some good tutorials on the web if you dig for them.

Hopefully a little better each time.

-Postal

First page Previous page 1 2 Next page Last page  View All