I've been asked to take pictures at a wedding
Posted by: John Channing on 23 August 2006
And need some advice. My wife's sister is getting married for the second time at a small civil ceremony and has asked me to take some pictures. They are not expecting me to take formal set photographs, just record the event with some informal snaps. They have seen lots of pictures I have taken in the past, so their expectations are set at the right level.
The camera I intend to use is a Canon EOS350D and at present I have only the standard 18-55mm lens. I also have a Canon IXUS 800IS as a back up which can be useful in low light due to its optical image stabiliser. I'd like to know the following:
1) Are there any good books on the subject of taking informal pictures of people at an "event"?
2) Should I buy the battery pack/grip extension for the EOS350D. How many more pictures can I take with it?
3) What additional lenses should I consider buying, particularly for indoor shots where I have had poor results with the standard lens?
4) Which online service is best for printing the results?
John
The camera I intend to use is a Canon EOS350D and at present I have only the standard 18-55mm lens. I also have a Canon IXUS 800IS as a back up which can be useful in low light due to its optical image stabiliser. I'd like to know the following:
1) Are there any good books on the subject of taking informal pictures of people at an "event"?
2) Should I buy the battery pack/grip extension for the EOS350D. How many more pictures can I take with it?
3) What additional lenses should I consider buying, particularly for indoor shots where I have had poor results with the standard lens?
4) Which online service is best for printing the results?
John
Rio - bloody hell, I guess they were listening to that Michael Nesmith song. the one about Rio, not the one about lucy and ramona and sunset sam. 
John,
I'm a Pro Wedding photographer so perhaps I can add to the advice. I use Canon digital SLRs and typically use 2 bodies to save swapping lenses. 5D with 24-70 f2.8 or 24-105 f4 and 1Dmk2 with 70-200 f2.8. Most formal and informal shots are taken with the 24-70, but I have the 70-200 to hand for some longer range candids and informal shots.
I would recommend you stick to 1 lens and 1 body for simplicity. Stick it on aperture priority, f 5.6, make sure you've got the ISO high enough to avoid camera shake and get on with snapping away. I don't bother with tripods as I tend to work fast even when shooting formal groups. Hand holding the camera means you can move around more freely and interact with the guests.
If you use an on-camera flash such as 430 as recommended above watch out for over flashing the subject. I use 530EX and set the flash exposure compensation to approx -2 when outdoors. This avoid adding much to skin tones, but does add attractive catch lights to eyes. If you're shooting into the sun you may need to increase flash exposure compensation accordingly. Incidentaly when using flash indoors I set camera on manual 1/60, f4, ISO 400 and dial in +2/3 or +1 on flash exp compensation. Through trial and error I find this gives the best results.
For more control you could shoot RAW. But you will need a lot more memory than if you shoot jpegs.
Building a raport with the couple and guests makes for much more relaxed and natural shots. Try to get some natural relaxed shots in addition to the more formal shots to help tell the story of their big day.
If you know your camera controls inside out you can concentrate on taking great photos, rather than fiddling with settings and stressing over how the camera works.
Good luck and have fun
Graham.
I'm a Pro Wedding photographer so perhaps I can add to the advice. I use Canon digital SLRs and typically use 2 bodies to save swapping lenses. 5D with 24-70 f2.8 or 24-105 f4 and 1Dmk2 with 70-200 f2.8. Most formal and informal shots are taken with the 24-70, but I have the 70-200 to hand for some longer range candids and informal shots.
I would recommend you stick to 1 lens and 1 body for simplicity. Stick it on aperture priority, f 5.6, make sure you've got the ISO high enough to avoid camera shake and get on with snapping away. I don't bother with tripods as I tend to work fast even when shooting formal groups. Hand holding the camera means you can move around more freely and interact with the guests.
If you use an on-camera flash such as 430 as recommended above watch out for over flashing the subject. I use 530EX and set the flash exposure compensation to approx -2 when outdoors. This avoid adding much to skin tones, but does add attractive catch lights to eyes. If you're shooting into the sun you may need to increase flash exposure compensation accordingly. Incidentaly when using flash indoors I set camera on manual 1/60, f4, ISO 400 and dial in +2/3 or +1 on flash exp compensation. Through trial and error I find this gives the best results.
For more control you could shoot RAW. But you will need a lot more memory than if you shoot jpegs.
Building a raport with the couple and guests makes for much more relaxed and natural shots. Try to get some natural relaxed shots in addition to the more formal shots to help tell the story of their big day.
If you know your camera controls inside out you can concentrate on taking great photos, rather than fiddling with settings and stressing over how the camera works.
Good luck and have fun
Graham.