My First Wedding Photography Experience
May 6, 2008 | Filed Under Photography, Places, Portrait, Rough Times, Thoughts, Wedding
The Rings taken with the 35mm
My first wedding photography experience was a real one, meaning I haven’t gone to any other weddings to practice before-hand. Then again, I had ample time to prepare for it, but I haven’t had the luxury of the best equipments around. Initially, I was equipped and was ready to risk it all with:
- Nikon D60
- 50mm 1.8D (which wouldn’t focus automatically on the camera body)
- 18-55mm VR
- Speedlight SB-400 + four sets of two AA batteries
- DIY Flash Diffuser for my SB-400
- Sandisk Extreme III 2.0GB (x2)
- Tripod
More after the jump.
I was prepared to manually focus half the wedding shots with the 50mm, alternating with the 18-55mm VR which I would have used for the couple when they walk down the aisle (can’t risk that one). The lighting condition in the church was horrendous, SB-400 wasn’t strong enough for the shots I would be needing to cover, and the maximum aperture of the 18-55mm VR is just not high enough.
The Wedding Booklets and the Corsages taken with 18-55mm VR
However, just the night before the wedding, a friend of mine gave me the best news I need to hear - he offered his SB-800 for me to use on the wedding day. I was euphoric. Not only did he lend me his SB-800, he also lent me his diffuser and a 35mm 2.0D lens. Another offer of 12-24mm was given, but I politely rejected the offer. I simply had no time to change my lenses around that often. Thus, my final set of equipments were:
- Nikon D60
- 35mm 2.0D (which wouldn’t focus automatically on the camera body)
- 18-55mm VR
- Speedlight SB-800 + three sets of five AA batteries (my friend told me that a set would last approximately 500 shots. I found out later it was plain bullshit.)
- Diffuser for the SB-800
- Sandisk Extreme III 2.0GB (x2)
- Tripod
With the new set of equipments, I was ready to set aside my 50mm and use 18-55mm VR instead. The flash, I thought, would compensate the low maximum aperture of the lens. The 35mm 2.0D, although still needed to be manually focussed on my D60, is a better choice than the 50mm 1.8D that I have, providing me with better angles because the lens act almost like my eye-sight. No need for me to stand a couple of metres away from the subject, I could just get nearer and further away as I like.
The Flower Girl taken with 18-55mm VR
I ended up using the 18-55mm throughout the wedding service and reception, and with the couple’s photoshoot at a park, I had used the 35mm 2.0D that my friend had lent me.
How was the shots from the church?
This is where I commit the biggest sin of my entire life - absolutely disastrous. Let’s begin with the walking down the aisle bit. I was too happily snapping away, never worried about the SB-800 batteries as my friend had told me that it wouldn’t die until after more than 500 shots. He was wrong. I was wrong.
The Bride Arriving taken with 18-55mm VR
I was too damn wrong.
The flash died on me just when the bride was walking down the aisle with her mother. I was… stupefied. Horrified. Or should I say, FUCKED (pardon my French).
While my mind is going fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck, I was thinking of what to do. For some unknown reasons, I didn’t use the built-in flash, or should I say, it didn’t seem to be opening when I tried to use it. I had to keep pressing the shutter, shaking at every single shot that I had to take. The batteries were out of my reach, and I didn’t have time to change them anyway. By the time I figured out how to change the batteries and changed them, the couple were already seated. I was cursing my stupid self throughout the entire service. I had cold sweat. I took a quick glance at the pictures of the bride walking down the aisle when everyone was seated. It was dark. Very dark. And noisy too. More cold sweat followed. I thought my brand new $200 suit was drenched in sweat.
The Merc taken with 18-55mm VR
Anyway, the rest of the service went alright, and I was taking the most amount of photos in one hour. The SB-800 worked much better than my puny SB-400, but I still had wished that I knew how to use it other than the automatic mode so that I would had maximised its potential in that environment.
In that one hour, I had taken so many photos. So many that I had realised that I only had around forty shots left (including the other 2.0GB card) by the time all the group photos were done with. So many that I had only 1/3 bar of battery left for the photoshoot. Just when I thought my cold sweat was drying up, I started having cold sweat again. In the car, driving to the park where the photoshoot with the couple were to take place, I was cursing myself, wanting to cry so badly because of the horrendous job. My friend, who was the video person, had to listen to my rantings throughout the journey there.
The Exchanging of Rings 1 taken with 18-55mm VR
I ended up using JPG format instead of NEF in the park, and changed my 18-55mm to 35mm 2.0D in the park. After approximately 50 shots, my D60’s battery died on me. Time to go home, I say.
I missed the reception for about 30 minutes because I had to charge the battery and transfer the pictures of both cards into my laptop. It felt like the longest 30 minutes of my life. I was glad I didn’t miss much, and after some random photo-taking, I found some time to charge my battery again. The night went pretty well until I had to drive myself to the nearest petrol station to buy a couple more sets of AA batteries for the SB-800. I simply didn’t want to end up without the flash for the bouquet-throwing ceremony.
The Exchanging of Rings 2 taken with 18-55mm VR
L ended up getting the bouquet of 50 (or so) roses. But we’re not getting married anytime soon. How can that be? I had the laugh of the night, or should I say, was teased throughout the night, and L was not spared. After the reception and cleaning up, we went to the casino in Burswood and won ourselves close to $50. We went home close to 6am.
If there is another wedding for me to cover, I would gladly do it, only with the condition that the bride and the groom is not going to pay me anything (but perhaps the fuel and batteries) and does not expect me to cover every single shot.
The Newly-Weds taken with 35mm
If you are reading this in Perth and would like me to shoot your wedding, please do not hesitate to email me at rcws88@gmail.com and I will gladly cover your wedding shots for no charge (for my practice purposes), but with the conditions above.
Possible related posts..
Hello! If you like my entries, make sure you comment below and subscribe to my RSS feed!!
Comments
16 Responses to “My First Wedding Photography Experience”
Leave a Reply
Good try!!! Take it as experience. Now you know why we have lots of spare batteries (3 for camera, 25 for flashgun) and lots of memory (5x 4GB cards) and a spare body just for prime lenses. You might also want to consider a ‘fast’ card reader. Forget those alkaline batteries from the petrol station, get those rechargeable ones with high capacity, the recharge time for the flashgun is much faster.
Aiyah, if u were here, I would have loan you the D3 (poison).
terrence summed it all up really well!!
nice try!
my first wedding photography was also crap, so it’s totally understandable.
you learn along the way.
my second and third one was superb!! the church, the bride, the groom, everything! u’re lucky u’re not shooting an asian wedding!! i did once and it was tough - from the opening door, to the church, rush back home for tea ceremony, then tea ceremony at the other family’s place. doesn’t help when they’ve got big family.
i’d also say play around the white balance. try to find a good balance that gives u a feeling. and don’t use the flash too much - it becomes too bright and makes your pictures 2D (no depths). esp the last picture. and look at wedding photography sites and mags for more angles that give people the WOW factor.
think outside the box!! 
Good work i must say!!
Woi! no reply???
Thanks for blogging about it. I have learned a thing or two just from reading.
Thank for posting your experience. It’s not easy to admit your errors in public.
I get the impression that you haven’t photographed much or you were _very_ nervous since you run out of flash-card. Always remember that quantity does not mean quality.
I was on my way to a friends wedding couple of years back. About 2 hours before we were at the church, he called me that “You have a good camera, could you take pictures? We just realized that we haven’t booked anyone”. Hmm, bit of pressure. But I was very calm at the dimly lid church (only abou 40 people or so). I took about 50 pictures there from which about 40 were keepers. They were happily suprised when I mailed the postprocessed versions. They had quite low expectations:-)
Well, you tried. I would be nice to see more of the photoset. One thing to remember, normal AA batteries are not good enough for a flash, you need to get Energizer E2 AA Lithium batteries. One set of these puppies will last you the entire wedding. You’re gonna spend about 20.00 for 4, but it’s worth it, every time! Also, you need to shoot in Raw and you’ll need at least one 4 gig card if not two. I have 2 x 4gig cards and that’ll do about 1200 pics total. Don’t be afraid to shoot, shoot lots, you’re on digital. We could go on and on, but that’s a good start!
Alan Nielsens last blog post..20080405_Lori and Paul_0369 Finished from http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninelivephotography
Nice attempt! IMHO, it seems as though you had the right idea for some of the shots you posted.
My 1st wedding, I thought, went horribly bad. It was my cousin’s wedding, it was at night, it was outside and it was cold. I felt extremely comfortable with the equipment I had. But with low light, I required some faster glass…f/2.8 at least. But I could justify the purchase since I was not getting paid. All in all, she was hella happy with the pix.
Since then, Dec 2007, I have done close to 10 weddings and each one was better than the last. Partly because I have been able to pratice by going to churches, parks and beaches to practice shots; even though my only “bride and groom” were my daugther and son (4 & 2, respectively).
My advice, if you are serious about shooting weddings, create a list of shots. Everything from start to finish and everything in between.
If your interested, email me and I can forward you a few list that I managed to get a hold of that have saved my arse!
BTW - Terence nailed it with those simple suggesstions. I try to carry two bodies with me; one for wide angle and wide angle zooms and the other with a tele zoom. I also carry 4 camera batteries with two car chargers, a butt load of AA Eneloop rechargables for my flash, and about 30 GB’s of “digital film” (eleven 2 GB’s and four 4 GB’s). I carry my laptop with me and attach 2 high speed card readers if I find that I run out of “film”.
I apologize for rambling on but I love sharing my experiences, good and bad, and what I have learned from them.
Honestly, feel free to email me if you have any questions…That’s what you call networking
Regards,
DJL
daniel.lopez@rdmd.ocgov.com
This summer I’ll be shooting my first two weddings, both within a week of each other in August. As far as gear goes, I’ll probably only have a single digital body, and a film body to back up. Right now I have a Canon 40D, and I don’t have another $1,000 laying around for a spare. Having enough battery power is always a concern of mine, and after having read this, I’ll be sure to carry at least two spares and a rapid-charger for the camera, and many extras for whatever flash I end up getting before the events. I have two 2GB Extreme II CF cards which perform well, and can handle the 12MB RAW files pretty well, but I’m thinking extra CF cards will be necessary too. I’m comfortable with shooting natural light, but have little experience with flash photography. Did you know the couple that you shot first? I’m comfortable with my skill level, but am mortified at the thought of a paid gig as far as a wedding goes.. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you all for commenting and sharing all your experiences and tips.
Jussi, yes, I was very nervous because I ran out of flash, and then the card! Otherwise, I would be much calmer, I suppose =)
Alan Nielsen, I wasn’t afraid to shoot at all. I started to panic only when my two 2GB cards started to run out of space, causing me to use jpg instead of NEF/RAW. Would definitely need more than 4GB. Probably two 4GB cards would be just perfect.
dlomeister/DJL, your comment is so long that I can write a blog entry with it
And thank you for sharing with me your experiences. I got hold of a list of wedding photos to take and tried to follow it, but never had time to even look at it once the wedding started. I was basically trying to capture every single possible shot I could get throughout the day. It was fun and educational, overall. The not-so-fun bit was the editing. It was a very time-consuming thing and I didn’t really enjoy looking at over a thousand photos all day long.
Cliff Francoeur, whatever you do, make sure you have an extra battery for your cameras! The two 2GB CF cards you have may or may not be sufficient, but I say get at least an extra 2GB card. You never know you need it. Yes, I know the couple very well because they are family. I wish you all the best with your wedding shots, and do read up some wedding articles online. Make sure you get the wedding photo checklist so you know what shots you shouldn’t miss. Google it to find. If you can’t find it, leave a comment. I’ve seen your photos and I think you take great B&W street photography shots.
Thanks for blogging about this. I am shooting my first wedding for friends on the 24th. I have a Nikon D80 with 18-135 lens, and a 50mm 1.8 lense, SB-600 and the Gary Fong Lightsphere II which I test out this weekend after getting it and wow, it’s amazing.
I already started charging all of my batteries this weekend so I’ll have plenty for the event, even going farther and purchasing a few more just for the hell of it. I do also have to get a few more Cards for the event.
I’ve been researching the hell out of wedding photography and hope i’m able to do it very well.
thanks for the post!
Hi kevin, you’re most welcome. You seem to be pretty well equipped for the wedding, but I certainly hope that you’re ready for the wedding shoot. I’m no expert, but a checklist of shots to take would definitely be helpful. I hope you’ll do great! Have fun and do post your pictures up so we can all see =) Cheers!
I’m going to be photographing my first wedding and I am a little experienced with portrait and group photography. I’m quite nervous of how the wedding will go and if I can get through the day of taking photos. I own a Nikon D80 and Nikon D3. Nikon SB-800 flash, 70-300mm AF-S 18-70mm Af-S DX and last 18-200mm VRII DX lens. I was wondering what other lens should I purchase that I can use for all around, group photos and close shots. Since I will be using the D3 the most what lens would go extremely well with this camera?
Spc. Noyes 187th INF 101st AB
Thanks for sharing. My sister and I took our first two weddings earlier this spring. We prepared for six months, reading every book, and every technical manual we could get our hands on!!! Two hours a day, every day. And the actual wedding shoot taught us the most. It goes extremely FAST! We also had a problem with the bride coming down the aisle… my sister’s lens cap flipped up between her eye and the viewfinder on her Canon. She just clicked away. Thankfully, the camera was pointed in the right direction, the flash fired, and the focus was right. It was so dark in the sanctuary you couldn’t tell what was going on.
Live and learn. Most importantly, keep learning.
Thanks for sharing. I liked your pictures.
@Lori Fisher -
Have a lovely day.
Thank you for sharing too
@David N. -
I’m sorry David, I really am not the person to approach for this question. I would suggest you read up on wedding photography books/articles online/offline befre shooting the wedding. Good luck
@terence -
Totally agree with Terence! LOL! I’ve got the rechargable batteries in my external flash and I’m AMAZED at the difference. I was like you my first wedding (only thank goodness I’m OCD and paranoid and had packed like 16 extra batteries…)… changing batteries out all of the time. BUT, with the rechargable ones, I’m able to go the whole day without switching them, PLUS a couple more sessions. It’s fantastic.
Wedding photography DOES get easier.