Hi all,
My apologies for not being more active, but its been an incredibly busy year. Between 4 family funerals in the past 18 months, including an extended illness that resulted in a dozen weekend trips so far in 2007, plus 8 business trips to Europe within the past 10 months...it has all resulted in being home on average for only 1 weekend at home per month.
I have this weekend "off" (2nd? one since mid-June), which really means a ton of yardword and housecleaning to get caught up on.
Be that as it may, next weekend is some happy news for a change: my God Daughter is getting married ... it was decided just this past Sunday! ... and my brother is scrambling to do all of the 'Wedding Planner' arrangements.
As such, I've been asked to be the Wedding Photographer.
There's three basic areas that I'm looking for advice for.
The first is ... which pieces of my gear should I take? I have a list (#1)below.
The second is ... I expect this event to be chaos; what important (big) factors have I missed? I've never done any wedding photography, but do recall the need for standard compositions of various group shots. See List #2 below.
The third is ... what factors have I already overlooked?
List #1 - Available Gear
P&S camera
SLR body - 35mm Canon Elan IIe (has built-in flash)
SLR body - 35mm Canon EOS 3 (no flash)
dSLR body - Canon 20D (has built-in flash)
Canon xxx Strobe - works on the Elan, probably also the EOS 3
Canon 420ex? Strobe - works on the 20D
Lens - 19-25mm f/3.5? zoom (Tokina)
Lens - 50mm f/1.8? prime (Canon)
Lens - 28-135mm IS f/4.x - 5.6? (Canon)
Lens - 75-300 IS f/4.5 - 5.6 (Canon)
1.4x Converter; only fits below
Lens - 70-200mm f/2.8 IS (Canon)
Other - two cheap, very lightweight tripods; one good Bogen monopod.
To be able to move fast, my general thoughts are to load up all three bodies and equip them as follows:
20D + (28-135) (effective 45-210mm) w/strobe
EOS3 + (70-200) w/strobe
ElanIIe + (17-35) [w/internal strobe]
The general rationale is that the 20D would be the workhorse rig, so it should get whichever lens I expect to use the most (28-135?). The 35mm's would then be relegated to cameo's and for extreme WA for larger group shots. Is this a fair approach, or are there better suggestions? For example, my initial thoughts were to put the 19-35 on the 20D (w/strobe), where it would serve as an effective 30-55mm which should also work reasonably well for group shots. Before commenting please NOTE the working conditions comment below.
List#2:
Location #1: Ceremony site:
Will be held at approximately High Noon next Saturday (8/18), out on the sandy beach (weather permitting) in front of my parent's house (very approx 38.92N 75.31W).
Good news: the tide is going to be rising High @ 1:22 PM), which will conceal the mud flats that are visible at low tide. The sand/beach waterline runs NNW to SSE, so at 'noon', I shouldn't have too many problems with sun angles if I want to use the water as a background...I hope.
Bad news: I'm afraid that the location out on the sand is going to be an obstacle to several older, less physically mobile, familymembers. Ditto if it is sunny and hot. My brother is thinking about getting some sort of 50ft wooden "matt" that makes for easier walking, but my main point in mentioning this is that I realistically have to expect that some folks simply won't be willing or able to walk out to the wedding site, so I'll have to manage having a split group, or to find someplace else to do the family group photos.
Other bad news: the beach very commony has biting greenhead flies, and DEET-type repellants simply do not work to repel them. Stronger winds can minimize them, but then there's wind to deal with.
Location #2: Reception site:
Standard indoor restaurant room. I won't see it before I get there. I'm assuming I'll need strobe for all photos. I will be able to reconfigure my lens/bodies combinations, subject to there being a need for change.
That's the basics, as best as I know them as of today. I expect to shoot print film in the cameras, as I can have it digitized at the same time as developing (can't do this for slides? will have to check for E6 to see if I might be able to use Velvia); not sure what particular film to use...will have to look in my fridge and then call the local shop.
-hh
Egads.
Just called my local photo shop. Phone#'s been disconnected.
A quick google...they closed business on July 28th.
I knew that things weren't going so well, with all the change to digital, but hadn't been expecting them to close shop...or missing it despite having been so busy. This marks the second "LANDMARK" small photo store that's gone under in our county within the past decade, both of them within the past 3 months.
I'll have to check my film today and get a rush order in with B&H tonight.
-hh
My apologies for not being more active, but its been an incredibly busy year. Between 4 family funerals in the past 18 months, including an extended illness that resulted in a dozen weekend trips so far in 2007, plus 8 business trips to Europe within the past 10 months...it has all resulted in being home on average for only 1 weekend at home per month.
I have this weekend "off" (2nd? one since mid-June), which really means a ton of yardword and housecleaning to get caught up on.
Be that as it may, next weekend is some happy news for a change: my God Daughter is getting married ... it was decided just this past Sunday! ... and my brother is scrambling to do all of the 'Wedding Planner' arrangements.
As such, I've been asked to be the Wedding Photographer.
There's three basic areas that I'm looking for advice for.
The first is ... which pieces of my gear should I take? I have a list (#1)below.
The second is ... I expect this event to be chaos; what important (big) factors have I missed? I've never done any wedding photography, but do recall the need for standard compositions of various group shots. See List #2 below.
The third is ... what factors have I already overlooked?
List #1 - Available Gear
P&S camera
SLR body - 35mm Canon Elan IIe (has built-in flash)
SLR body - 35mm Canon EOS 3 (no flash)
dSLR body - Canon 20D (has built-in flash)
Canon xxx Strobe - works on the Elan, probably also the EOS 3
Canon 420ex? Strobe - works on the 20D
Lens - 19-25mm f/3.5? zoom (Tokina)
Lens - 50mm f/1.8? prime (Canon)
Lens - 28-135mm IS f/4.x - 5.6? (Canon)
Lens - 75-300 IS f/4.5 - 5.6 (Canon)
1.4x Converter; only fits below
Lens - 70-200mm f/2.8 IS (Canon)
Other - two cheap, very lightweight tripods; one good Bogen monopod.
To be able to move fast, my general thoughts are to load up all three bodies and equip them as follows:
20D + (28-135) (effective 45-210mm) w/strobe
EOS3 + (70-200) w/strobe
ElanIIe + (17-35) [w/internal strobe]
The general rationale is that the 20D would be the workhorse rig, so it should get whichever lens I expect to use the most (28-135?). The 35mm's would then be relegated to cameo's and for extreme WA for larger group shots. Is this a fair approach, or are there better suggestions? For example, my initial thoughts were to put the 19-35 on the 20D (w/strobe), where it would serve as an effective 30-55mm which should also work reasonably well for group shots. Before commenting please NOTE the working conditions comment below.
List#2:
Location #1: Ceremony site:
Will be held at approximately High Noon next Saturday (8/18), out on the sandy beach (weather permitting) in front of my parent's house (very approx 38.92N 75.31W).
Good news: the tide is going to be rising High @ 1:22 PM), which will conceal the mud flats that are visible at low tide. The sand/beach waterline runs NNW to SSE, so at 'noon', I shouldn't have too many problems with sun angles if I want to use the water as a background...I hope.
Bad news: I'm afraid that the location out on the sand is going to be an obstacle to several older, less physically mobile, familymembers. Ditto if it is sunny and hot. My brother is thinking about getting some sort of 50ft wooden "matt" that makes for easier walking, but my main point in mentioning this is that I realistically have to expect that some folks simply won't be willing or able to walk out to the wedding site, so I'll have to manage having a split group, or to find someplace else to do the family group photos.
Other bad news: the beach very commony has biting greenhead flies, and DEET-type repellants simply do not work to repel them. Stronger winds can minimize them, but then there's wind to deal with.
Location #2: Reception site:
Standard indoor restaurant room. I won't see it before I get there. I'm assuming I'll need strobe for all photos. I will be able to reconfigure my lens/bodies combinations, subject to there being a need for change.
That's the basics, as best as I know them as of today. I expect to shoot print film in the cameras, as I can have it digitized at the same time as developing (can't do this for slides? will have to check for E6 to see if I might be able to use Velvia); not sure what particular film to use...will have to look in my fridge and then call the local shop.
-hh
Egads.
Just called my local photo shop. Phone#'s been disconnected.
A quick google...they closed business on July 28th.
I knew that things weren't going so well, with all the change to digital, but hadn't been expecting them to close shop...or missing it despite having been so busy. This marks the second "LANDMARK" small photo store that's gone under in our county within the past decade, both of them within the past 3 months.
I'll have to check my film today and get a rush order in with B&H tonight.
-hh