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DTPavlik wrote:
As the title suggests, I'm looking for advice for shooting a wedding. To be clear, I am not a wedding photographer and I did not ask to photograph this wedding. A colleague is getting married, is having a very small and casual event, and asked if I would photograph it for them. I resisted but they still insisted that I do it, even after I made it very clear this is not something I have much experience with. So, alas, here I am. They are not expecting top-notch professional photos, but I'd still like to do my best. I shot one other wedding in a similar situation with the Tamron 35-150mm but have since sold that lens.
Most of the photos they are requesting are group shots (Bride + family, Bride + friend groups, etc). I have the Sony A1 and the only semi-appropriate lens I have that might suffice is the Tamron 17-28mm. They said they would cover the cost of renting a lens as well. Maybe renting the Tamron 35-150 would be the wise choice since I already have a lens covering 17-28.
If you were in this situation and could rent a lens or two for this event, what would you do?
Thanks,
Dave...Show more →
I can offer a little advice here from past experience. Most wedding's I've done, the biggest reaction is from the couple remembering a moment. Nobody says, "gee I can count the stitches in the lace on her gown", but they will say "I remember that moment and you caught it perfectly".
So, with that thought in mind, I will say these should be your criteria of importance:
1) know your subject and what moments are important to them
2) don't be shy and let the crazy aunt with the cell phone block you from taking important shots
3) find out what the venue is like ahead of time (incandescent, fluorescent lights, big, small, will the preacher let you shoot from up close or during the ceremony, etc etc)
4) the answer to number 3 strongly determines what kit you bring. (I like a short tele prime for formals and a zoom for running around receptions. The 70-200GMII is great for the ceremony shooting from a distance... your wide zoom should be great for the reception and group shots.)
5) don't be shy. Yes, I said that twice, because its important, and the biggest personal flaw in myself I have to fight. You're the guy, so be the guy and don't let anyone stop you! (you don't have to be a rude arse either, just sayin',  )
6) ok, I know you asked about lenses, and I've skirted it a little because it's not super important as far as having perfect image quality goes, but I will summarize this based on my comments above. Because it's the "moments" that are important, the hardware needs to be up to the task of getting those moments, but enough is enough, it doesn't need to be over the top (reasonably fast A/F, reasonably fast max F stop for low light, and at least reasonably sharp in the center wide open and sharp at least to mid frame stopped down, etc).
So, renting the Tamron you sold sounds like a great idea since it would give you pretty much a 2 lens solution, using it along with your wide zoom, and the least amount of lens changes. It should do fine in low light and can give you some soft backgrounds wide open. A lot of people praise the lens for events, and you are familiar with it already. Hard to put enough weight on that aspect, experience is a good thing in a clutch.
Have fun, I had a love / hate thing with weddings. It all depended on whether you got Bridezilla or the Princess Bride.
Eric
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