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Archive 2016 · First Semi-Pro Wedding

  
 
PanS
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · First Semi-Pro Wedding


Hi guys, I usually shoot maternity/newborn and company events. Everyone in the company gets CC'ed for the photos but I was contacted and asked if I could shoot a wedding. I reluctantly accepted explaining I don't have much experience with weddings but I would give it my best.











Lenses - I brought more lenses than what was needed. Most important lenses to me ended up being
50% 24-70mm f/2.8G Was going to sell this before the wedding but it ended up being the star of the show. It also did decent macro!
40% 80-200mm f/2.8D (mis-focused or was too slow to track at times! 70-200mm f/4.0 AF-S G should be a good improvement...
9% 50mm f/1.8 CZ Slow to focus in dim light on the Sony body, but in day light really nails it.
I know why photographers stick to the 24-70 + 70-200 combo now. ... I'd want a 2nd body so I won't have to switch lenses and so I mass auto correct lens profile instead of doing it in small batches.

Flash - Always use this no matter how bright I think the venue is... less shadows for me to fill in post and made images look more evened and less contrasty/harsh.

Cards - Get faster cards . ... I hit that buffer limit and started using my 2nd camera with the fixed 50. I missed some important moments ... which brings me to my next question.
Question: Should I shoot RAW + RAW or RAW + JPEG?

I missed some important moments because I didn't stalk the groom or bride during the reception all the time. I felt bad for missing the first dance. I shot the 2nd dance with the parents but it was shameful.

Get more creative - My formal portraits were pretty straight forward and I didn't do enough "interesting" photos I felt. I lacked creativity when put on the spot.

Editing photos with this harsh sunlight was brutal. Shooting at f/2.8, I was using the D750 at 1/4000 for many of the shots.The casual outdoor wedding proved to be difficult to me than shooting indoors at hospitals or banquet halls.



Jun 15, 2016 at 07:35 PM
RSHPhotography
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · First Semi-Pro Wedding


Something to remember when you shoot in daylight is that you will lose contrast and images can look more flat than you'd like. So you have to bump it up in post and watch the skin tones. Probably tone down the green and yellow sliders a bit to balance it all.

Your skintones look pretty good. I would have bumped up the contrast a bit more to get more pop from the images.




Jun 16, 2016 at 12:02 PM
BSPhotog
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · First Semi-Pro Wedding


1) Two bodies are a must for the way that I work, but something like the 24-70 is probably a good tool with one body.

2) You might try AF tuning your 80-200. In the daytime, it shouldn't miss like you're describing.

3) Flash - Personal preference here. Every day and venue is different.

4) I shoot RAW + RAW for instant backup. RAW + JPEG seems pointless to me in this (or most) situation.

5) Moments. We all miss stuff, but you'll get a better feel for the momentum of the day and schedule as you shoot more. Well planned weddings should be able to supply you with a timeline before the wedding day so you know what to expect.

6) Creativity on the spot. The struggle is real.

7) Outdoors like this with ample light and some harsh bright light, I tend to shoot stopped down a bit (f/4 often). It cuts some light and corrects a lot of CA off the bat, while adding some DOF. Always wear a hood on your lens.

I agree with the above comments about the images looking a bit flat for my taste. I'd probably start with the "Camera Portrait" color profile in LR, apply a mild tone curve, recover some shadow and highlight, and crush the blacks a bit.



Jun 16, 2016 at 01:55 PM
PanS
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · First Semi-Pro Wedding


RSHPhotography wrote:
Something to remember when you shoot in daylight is that you will lose contrast and images can look more flat than you'd like. So you have to bump it up in post and watch the skin tones. Probably tone down the green and yellow sliders a bit to balance it all.

Your skintones look pretty good. I would have bumped up the contrast a bit more to get more pop from the images.



Thanks for the useful tips! Perhaps my eyes got used to seeing all the green during editing I thought it looked pretty normal but having a second eye is useful.



Jun 19, 2016 at 07:54 PM
PanS
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · First Semi-Pro Wedding


BSPhotog wrote:
1) Two bodies are a must for the way that I work, but something like the 24-70 is probably a good tool with one body.

2) You might try AF tuning your 80-200. In the daytime, it shouldn't miss like you're describing.

3) Flash - Personal preference here. Every day and venue is different.

4) I shoot RAW + RAW for instant backup. RAW + JPEG seems pointless to me in this (or most) situation.

5) Moments. We all miss stuff, but you'll get a better feel for the momentum of the day and schedule as you shoot more. Well
...Show more

Didn't miss so much as it focused on the trees behind. I thought the focus points were relatively centered but perhaps I missed.

I'm glad I'm not the only one struggling to get creative. It was extra hard because the bride was taller than the groom. They would do things like have her stand on a steeped slope during the ceremony. I didn't try to hide the height difference but I felt they were a bit conscious of their height during all the shoots.



Jun 19, 2016 at 07:56 PM





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