Need pointers for wedding shots!

[Hosea]

You are not the main photographer, rite? This "standard" shot should be left to the main photographer. Ya, try not to stand in his way or just oppose him where you can be seen.

I will recomend a good tele zoom for candid shot. You won't block the main photographer and can snap w/o people noticing you. However, do be mindful of camera shake at long focal length.

If the couple is receptive to B&W, using them might be give them something different that the main photographer can't.

Good luck.

Ya, I might bring along my tele coz I knew it can give very good portrait.The only thing is the changing of lens might missed the moment.

 

[Hosea]

Actually, during wedding shoots, I prefer wides over zooms, do be careful of distortions.

Just go and enjoy shooting, don't have to worry about settings & workflow that the main has to, unless you're the main of course...

Thanks Kex and ESpn
Ya, maybe I should be relax and try to shoot some candid that are not duplicating.
Actually what do u think the assigned Photog ( pro) will think if he saw me also taking photos? :dunno:

 

[Hosea]

If I am in your shoes as a second photographer/amateur/backup/whatever photographer, here's what I will do.

Let your friend know clearly that you serve as a backup photographer to capture shots. And tell your friend who agreed to your shooting to tell the hired photographer of his decision. Greet the hired photographer on first meeting and explain that you do not intend to disrupt his/her work. Like the chinese saying goes, "Dou Dou Zhi Jiao". You are not there as an adversary to the main photographer. You are there for the fun of photography. Tell your wedding couple friend that you bring value to them as you will bring another perspective to the shoots, despite being an amateurish attempt or an advanced amateur effort.

As you are the 2nd cameraman, it is important to practise some photographer etiquette and not obstruct the main photographer or videographer, if any. A photographer and a videographer are already crowding the area. as the saying goes.. two's a company, three's a crowd. A 2nd photographer will crowd out the angle further. So stay clear if the space is tight and concentrate on the less-focused activity.

Bear in mind that the main photographer is paid to produce the goods. So do not catch an angle at the expense of blocking the main photographer. They are making a living or at least paid to produce. So do not disrupt their work, or at least minimise any chance of that happening.

Once you showed you respect the main photographer and not obstruct their work, I am sure the main photographer will have no problem with a second "amateur" photographer doing the candids. And maybe even give u a tip or two. I learnt a lot from a real pro that way.

on the other hand, a main photographer may find that you are co-operative enough and ask you to co-operate on some shots later.... apart from learning from his experience and knowledge.

my 2cents

Thanks for such a good advice. OK give u 5Cents 3 cents more :bsmilie:
Ya, good idea. I will greet the assigned photog.
My friend is the one to invite me to help along:bsmilie: :sweatsm:

 

[espn]

Thanks Kex and ESpn
Ya, maybe I should be relax and try to shoot some candid that are not duplicating.
Actually what do u think the assigned Photog ( pro) will think if he saw me also taking photos? :dunno:

Normally, I don't really get bothered with additional photographers, be it Ixus I users, A70, 3100, Sony P1 users etc. I don't care if I block them or not, and many a times I admit I do end up blocking them. They'll just have to live with that. It's not on purpose, but it's their job.

It's a common sight to see multiple cameras within 1 pose, I've seen like 5-6 compact DCs & 1 main photographer shooting in a church, thanks to the 5-6 DCs, the crowd & couple now looks at 7 different lenses, and the main photographer gets a shot whereby only 10%+ is looking at him.

The moment you point a camera at somebody, attention is seeked, so at all costs, avoid pointing when the photographer is framing a shot.

Seriously, you'd be better off just shooting for fun rather then worrying about the workflow for the wedding, even watching & learning is quite an experience already. Remember, you can only be a guest or helper or photographer, you can't be both, know what you want to be on that day. If you're a guest, shoot like one, occassionally, if you're a photographer, just shoot without getting in the way of the main photographer and don't grumble if he moves into your frame as you shoot, it happens pretty often...

 

[Hosea]

Normally, I don't really get bothered with additional photographers, be it Ixus I users, A70, 3100, Sony P1 users etc. I don't care if I block them or not, and many a times I admit I do end up blocking them. They'll just have to live with that. It's not on purpose, but it's their job.

It's a common sight to see multiple cameras within 1 pose, I've seen like 5-6 compact DCs & 1 main photographer shooting in a church, thanks to the 5-6 DCs, the crowd & couple now looks at 7 different lenses, and the main photographer gets a shot whereby only 10%+ is looking at him.

The moment you point a camera at somebody, attention is seeked, so at all costs, avoid pointing when the photographer is framing a shot.

Seriously, you'd be better off just shooting for fun rather then worrying about the workflow for the wedding, even watching & learning is quite an experience already. Remember, you can only be a guest or helper or photographer, you can't be both, know what you want to be on that day. If you're a guest, shoot like one, occassionally, if you're a photographer, just shoot without getting in the way of the main photographer and don't grumble if he moves into your frame as you shoot, it happens pretty often...

I agree with you and actually I rather wanna relax as guest but
coz my friend request me to help as standby .Anyway, I will be completely relax during the dinner, dont like shooting during dinner I wanna feast and chat with friends. :bsmilie:

 

[2100]

Just shoot PJ, wide angle. No worries about blocking and stuff. Take it as wedding street photography, really simple.
If you want, include 10-20% telephoto for some similar to portraits kinda shot with good DOF control. Change it too often and you will definitely miss shots.

 

[ckiang]

Use a 24-200? :devil:

If you have 2 bodies, you can have the flexibility of 2 different lenses (wide on one, tele on the other) without having to fear missing the moment due to changing lenses.

Regards
CK

 

[Hosea]

Use a 24-200? :devil:

If you have 2 bodies, you can have the flexibility of 2 different lenses (wide on one, tele on the other) without having to fear missing the moment due to changing lenses.

Regards
CK

Thanks CK and 2100,
I am excited of this experience....