wedding/settings?

Question

What are some different settings some of you like to shoot weddings with? I'm shooting one today in a very big and old church (very excited about that!). I have my traditional settings i use but i wanted to get an idea of what others tend to shoot with.

TIA!

Thank you!

I have done several weddings already i was just wondering what people prefer.

You can view some of my work if you like:)
http://www.imagiyephotography.com

In reply to: "Also, it is impossible to tell how your wedding work really is from a few samples. However, if those were your best offerings, I am not surprised that you are asking for settings advice from YA. "

I didn't asked you to tell me how my wedding work is based on a few samples, i wrote "you can view SOME of my work".

As for the only offerings i have, since starting my business in the past few months i have shot 9 weddings so needless to say i have 100's of photos but don't think i should really be posting ALL of my work. The photos that i have posted on my site are ones that clients have had printed in doubles because they liked the results. Clients ask for sepia and black & white images otherwise i wouldn't be converting them. I am on the "cheap" end of the spectrum as i don't believe i should be charging as much as professional wedding photographers that have been in the business for years.....

I find i attract younger couples, clients that are having small weddings and those who can't afford high end over priced photographers and they'd rather pay someone like me who can get some decent shots instead of asking a friend or family member to take photos with their point and shoot camera's. And so far yes my clients have been satisfied but i don't think they expect "magazine" type images which with the fees i offer i'm sure they know what to expect.
And i'm not sure where i stated a "big DARK old church", yes i did say "big and old church" because i have mostly shot outdoor weddings and such and i was excited to shoot in a beautiful traditional church, which it was:)

Thanks for the negative comments though, i wouldn't expect anything less from SOME people on here. Of course no one has anything positive to say, they just think they're pros and can cut anyone up.

As for my original questions i was looking for different ideas and perhaps the question came out wrong...SORRY!

Answer 1

There are no settings specific to shooting a wedding, but if I were to shoot a wedding, I would just use the same settings I use to shoot anything else indoors. Use a fast standard zoom lens [f/2.8 or faster if able to help with low available light and a zoom range of maybe 28-75mm for focal length flexibility, and maybe a telezoom 70-200], shoot in the manual exposure mode, when using a flash set an aperture a few stops down from wide open [around f/5.6], and tweak your ISO to give a usable shutter speed with minimal flash power; when not using a flash shoot wide open and meter off your brightest reflection of light in the room you are in, and try to stabilize your shot by leaning against something or using a tripod or monopod, to get good lighting for group shots try to use an external flash, either on or off camera with an omni bounce diffuser, this will cast even diffuse light with no shadows, and try to shoot at interesting angles from different perspectives. That's all I've got, I'm not a pro or anything, these are just things that I have done while shooting different indoor functions, school recitals, dances, etc. I hope it can give you some insight, good luck.

Answer 2

I just came from browsing your web site. I know you didn't ask for critique, and I don't want to seem harsh, but when you post a website, it is sort of an invitation for comment. Your site is a mixed bag. Aside from your overdone sepia and heavy handed use of vignettes, you have some color balance and exposure issues throughout. But you are on the cheap end of the spectrum, so I suppose your clients are happy enough. Also, it is impossible to tell how your wedding work really is from a few samples. However, if those were your best offerings, I am not surprised that you are asking for settings advice from YA. It worries me to hear someone say they have "traditional" settings. I suppose that is all right, but what if the lighting is not traditional? On the other hand, I suppose we all have a few benchmarks that we use in evaluating the lighting situation.

Honestly, I think it might benefit you a great deal if you were able to assist a professional photographer for a few weddings. Just having a digital SLR and some lenses does not automatically elevate your work to professional standards.

Hope your wedding shoot goes well today. Use your fastest lens for the big old dark (?) church. If the ceilings are high you might have trouble bouncing the flash. Drag the shutter if it is pretty dark, and plan on using a tripod for the ceremony shots. Best wishes.

Answer 3

after "reviewing" your work I agree with Ara regarding exposure, the over usage of "sepia", also the digital black and whites arent working particuarly with the exposure problems present in the images.

you say in your intro something about education being good but your stuff comes from within? where does the exposure come from?

settings? whats traditional? use a fast lens and a tri/monopod indoors, use 3/4 to full fill flash outdoors. use flash indoors where you can.

if time permits try some ratio side lit images or something, .

my "basic" shot list for weddings has over 70 required images, getting the exposure and composition right on all of them is enough for me.

the best settings are the ones give the best depth for the image with maximum sharpness, maybe some education would be good?

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