Tips To Photograph Indoor Wedding

[Tibbiemax71]

A friend of mine has been asked to take some photos at a wedding, she has asked me to come along with my camera also, we both have a Canon 50D, I have a 18 - 200mm F/3.5-5.6 and a 50mm f/1.4. My friend has a 18 - 135mm I Think. I have a Canon 580ex Speedlight and my friend has the Canon 430ex Speedlight, I also have a gold/white reflector, thats about it for equipment. The bride to be is getting married in Feb next year, she doesn't want any outdoor pics as she doesn't want to get hot, the place she is getting married in and having the reception at is a pub, we went there yesterday to check it out and the place is very dark inside, she had an idea to use some stairs for some pics, we tried some test shots, bouncing the flash off ceiling, walls etc, but it didn't look very good, I gave up any ideas I had to use my 50mm like I planned, since its my fave lens, as I cant get far enough away from the subject to fit them in, the place will be rather cramped as they are expecting 80 guests. Any ideas or help would be much appreciated!! I can upload some of the test shots I took later today. She said they are not "photo" people and dont really like have pics taken.

[huga]

She is putting you and your friend in a really crappy position. I hate it when people say they aren't 'photo people', they are just trying to cheap out on hiring a professional.

Try turning the speedlight around so it fires over behind the back of your head. You will blind the people behind you, but I get the best results that way.

[Tibbiemax71]

Thanks Huga, my friend when first approached by her said she would be better to hire a professional, the Bride to be said no, she was happy to use my friend, she is just trying to get out if it cheap for sure

[tdierikx]

I'd decline taking official photos under those circumstances personally...

T.

[Ripley]

I wouldn't hire anyone who wasn't AIPP certified for one of the most important and cherished days of your life.

eta: AIPP - Australian Institute of Professional Photographers.

eta: I went to the wedding of someone who didn't want to hire a professional due to cost and asked guests to take photos. Because I had a DSLR I was expected to take a lot of photos. I don't like photographing people and prefer to take photos of wildlife and landscapes so I was a little put out to say the least when the emails hassling me for photos started arriving. I still haven't processed the photos as I have other photos of my own to do and we aren't in touch anymore so it's the least of my priorities.

I also know from my own wedding when a photographer hired by the resort (we eloped) who wasn't a member of AIPP yet had an SLR (film back then) and talked the talk in pushing his business up that region, took our wedding pics. I didn't like them one bit and they are all in a box. Bad composition, underexposed - the only semi decent ones were taken outside when he used off camera flash but no reflector for that (he didn't have an assistant) so there are shadows across our faces (photos were taken in the wet tropics in a rainforest).

I would spend money on a qualified professional and skimp on the flowers or not spend as much on the dress but everyone has different priorities.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Ripley

[Linda K]

would be hiring a 70-200 2.8, and a 24-70, and getting the bride to foot the bill for those, if you are going indoors you really need to use lenses that can be opened up as wide as possible, and 5.6 isn't going to cut it. But personally, I would not be doing it, if you are going to the wedding as a friend, you are not going to be able to enjoy it for worrying about getting the shots right, agree with all that has been said about her taking total advantage of you both. If you can't get out of it, would be getting all the terms and conditions in writing , esp that you can;t guarantee certain shots, nad get a list from her of exactly what she does want, how much editing / work she expects on the images, and what you will be giving - a person on another forum I use recently got married, and has looked at the photos, and has over 300 images she wants edited with liquify to her images - IMO you would not be wanting to give up your enjoyment at the wedding, and then be potentially stuck at a computer for hours upon hour editing images just as a favour, that is not my idea of fun. IMO RUN do not walk away from this idea!!!!

[kja]

hehe I'm not AIPP certified and I humbly think I do OK by my clients ;) but maybe others disagree.

I'd be very wary of doing this as it's a great way to have hurt feelings all around. If you want to take your camera and take some shots to share that's one thing but to be working towards planning stuff that the bride knows about it is a sure way to open the door to disappointment.

and the conditions sound sucky.

+pretty much all that's been said above!

good luck with whatever choice you make.

[~*Shell*~]

Don't do it. I did the same thing for a friend, was told they were hiring a professional and when I turned up on the day as a guest who would take a couple of photos because I had my camera there, ended up being "the photographer" because the girl they "hired" was actually just a friend with a 300D and a kit lens. The second the sun went down, she was screwed and she lost interest about 20 seconds in when she saw my camera gear so I got dumped with the whole thing.

The wedding was in may... I'm still having problems with the bride and groom whinging about photos. I'm so over editing and re-editing them and because of all the whinging and bitching they've done, I don't want to be friends with them anymore.

Even though I said no in the first place, I wish I hadn't actually gone to the wedding.

[Tibbiemax71]

Thanks guys, yes I think I will try and get out of it, I feel bad for the other girl though (she is my friend, not the Bride To Be) as she will be stuck with it on her own if I dont go and help her. If we do go ahead, I will try and get something writing to say we are not going to guarantee good photos and yes my friend has tryed to tell her to hire a pro but she wont have it, she just wants my friend to do it, said that will do

[helen]

Wow, some aweful stories there. It is true about the editing time too.

AIPP - It is a guide to choose a photogrpaher, but not all good photographers are members of the AIPP, so I would say let the photos talk. The photographer I admire most here in Geelong has been in the game for 20 years and has never been a member of the AIPP, has no interest in them, but takes brilliant photos, commercial, portait and wedding.

[whiskedaway]

AIPP - It is a guide to choose a photogrpaher, but not all good photographers are members of the AIPP, so I would say let the photos talk. The photographer I admire most here in Geelong has been in the game for 20 years and has never been a member of the AIPP, has no interest in them, but takes brilliant photos, commercial, portait and wedding.

Completely agreed, the photographer who did my wedding is now AIPP, though wasn't at the time, and I love my photos so much.

[:ange:]

Going to be another "don't do it"-er. It isn't worth it for you, your friend and the bride-to-be. I really don't understand either how people say "Oh we aren't photo people". Maybe do a bit of research for the bride yourself into photographers and give her a list? I couldn't bear the thought of not having quality photos of my wedding day. Our photographer was AIPP accredited and thankfully was one of the first things I was looking for when hiring a photographer. If I am a guest at a wedding I don't take my camera.. It is not my job regardless of who they have hired. I am there to drink, eat and catch up with relatives - like any other guest.

You don't have the gear to photograph a wedding - nor does your friend. What if your camera malfunctions right at the critical moment? Do you have a back-up body? What if you drop your lens and crack the glass, do you have another lens which can produce the same images?

A work colleague got married and had her brother photograph for her.. A few days after the wedding the bride asked if I would mind taking some portraits of her alone as her brother had not taken any of her alone with her dress. I agreed and now she is asking me if I would mind taking more photos of her husband and her in their wedding outfits "because our brothers pics aren't what we had hoped for". Re-creating the special moments from their day is tough..