Question and advice to you wedding togs

Schizophonic

Schizophonic

Schizophonic

Soldato
Joined
27 Dec 2006
Posts
2,911
Location
Northampton
Just looking for self improvement and need to other people's thought process into how they would tackle certain situations.

1. Church service.
The rev is quite strict, no or little movement allowed. Obviously no flash during the service except the signing of registrar. At the alter, your not allowed the stand behind the reverent to get the best few of the couple but to the side slightly behind the reverent and only get the face of the bride during the exchange of words.
Where else would you think of standing to get good photos?
Standing at the back is fine but getting the shots of the back of the bride and groom is not really the best option.

2 Champaign hour
As the bride and groom leave for the champaign hour to be greeted by family and friends, do you try and take photos of the side of the bride and guest when they hug and chat or do you stand behind / infront of the bride and get the shots of the back of the bride and the facial expression of the guest?

3. Reception
Can you successfully take photos of the environment without the use of flash during first dance? Assumption that the reception will be quite dim and poorly lit.
 
1)
Strict vic's etc. tick me off a little if I'm honest, but good you found out the ground rules in advance. Couples face each other during the important bit's, so you can get side profiles if at the back. Being at the back allows you to release the shutter more frequently, but you are more detached due to being further away from the action. Personally I would prefer to be at the front, but prepare to feel a little awkward with a strict rev every time your shutter clicks, so save them for the important parts.

2)
Both, add as much variety as is practical.

3)
With my kit, receptions don't need flash for the most part. However the room maybe pitch black by the time it comes to the first dance (as they usually turn the lights off), so you will need a flash gun to focus if your body doesn't have af assist, and you will likely need a flash to deal with excessive noise. Alternatively you could bounce a couple of video lights into a couple of umbrellas, and light the couple that way instead.
If you do this, be prepared to use high ISO's and the grain that comes with that. Some processing styles don't suit noise, which was a big factor for when I settled on my 'signature' processing style.
 
I have had "no photos at all" during the ceremony, except the bride walk up and down the aisle and posed register shot. Frustrating? You bet, can I do anything about it? Nope. Long as the couple know about it, it's fine, not that I can do much about it anyway.

2- it depends where they stand, but yes, both.

3 - it depends.
 
2 - What I'm not sure is about is that when I take pictures of the back for example of the bride hugging a relative for example, who the photos look as bad if there is lots of skin coving half the photo? I was at an earlier wedding and the bride was a bit 'curvy' and when she hugged guest and family to congratulate her, I couldn't help but notice all that skin top half back in the photo. Get what I'm saying lol

3. I've got enough wide lens to get the shots but its the issue where the camera cannot find spots on the subject to focus for example. Using a flash is the most obvious choice here but it creates that artificial light which I'm starting to get annoyed at.
 
Not a Wedding Photographer... but regarding the first point...

I can understand why a Vicar might not want a Photographer causing some distraction, but at the end of the day, aren't the couple's wishes what is most important? They are ultimately paying for the wedding, even if it is in a house of god.

Also what could a Vicar do to stop you taking photos?
Once the service is underway, I can't imagine he can do anything about you taking photos. Of course it might be an issue if you ever have to do a wedding in the same church.
 
@ Nexus
Worst case would be if the Vicar pauses the service, and asks you to go to the back of the church, or worse.. asks you to leave. Obviously this would kill the atmosphere and would probably be unlikely, but I have heard of, and seen some very grumpy Vicars.
Like I said above, grumpy vicars really tick me off, I'v had one talk down at me like I was trash.
At first I was worried that it was because of something I had done, but then she later started on the B&G themselves during the service, criticising their choice of readings before she read them etc.
At times she did make an effort to appear somewhat 'upbeat', but you could tell it was a struggle for her.
 
Every wedding I have ever been at the photog was constrained to th back of the church.
A 70-200 works wonders.
 
I think I was just looking it more from the perspective that a couple wouldn't be very happy if they had paid for a Photographer and a Church service for the Vicar to then say that the Photographer couldn't take photos. I'd be kicking up a fuss if it was my wedding.
 
^^^
Me to, (unless I found out on the day) I wouldn't even get married at that Church.

I find it's no different to school teachers, some are positive people you don't mind listening to, others seem like miserable sods that are bored of the little bit of power they have, and drain the life out of the occasion. I can't stand to be around them...
 
Nexus said:
I think I was just looking it more from the perspective that a couple wouldn't be very happy if they had paid for a Photographer and a Church service for the Vicar to then say that the Photographer couldn't take photos. I'd be kicking up a fuss if it was my wedding.
Click to expand...

It's not just vicars, it can be registrars, I've met some really relax vicars that let me move about, shoot as I pleased, and some really strict registrars.

An Exception said:
^^^
Me to, (unless I found out on the day) I wouldn't even get married at that Church.

I find it's no different to school teachers, some are positive people you don't mind listening to, others seem like miserable sods that are bored of the little bit of power they have, and drain the life out of the occasion. I can't stand to be around them...
Click to expand...

That's just people in general, miserable people isn't exclusive to vicars.
 
But you don't have to stand in a church all the time, talking about the sky monster and how it's all knowing :D

My sarcastic point being that everyone has off days, some people are gits for the sake of it, and some are ground down to the point where they no longer care about anything unless it's done by the rules. You've also got the people that set out rules and have had so many people taking liberties, they don't like deviation from that. I've met a couple that have been complete tools, and others that are the nicest people you'll ever meet.

It's the same across the planet no matter where you go. You'll always come across someone that's unhelpful, argumentative, rude, knows it all, or are generally unpleasant.
 
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