Cross-posting with people photography to try and get more input. I shot a small wedding several years ago for an engagement client who really liked my work and was working with a small budget. I decided not to pursue further wedding shoots but enjoy doing occasional headshots and graduation photos, with an engagement every now and again. I occasionally do sports photography but I did much more several years back.
A close friend on an even tighter budget asked if I would be willing to shoot his 50-person wedding. Their expectations are low, a couple of young professionals paying for everything themselves, and it was either me or crowdsourcing from iPhones. I view it as a generous gift as well as a fun photographic experience and challenge. I'd appreciate any tips more experienced folks have!
Biggest thing I learned at the first wedding: master the schedule. Overall, the couple and I were both happy with the photos though it was a relatively ugly cloudy day.The one new factor is I'll be traveling with my gear cross-country to get to the wedding. So I am a little more limited in what I can bring. Indoor (chapel) ceremony, outdoor reception.
Does the below sound about right to more experienced shooters reading this?
Primary: Canon R5 with 28-70mm f/2.0
Secondary: Canon R3 with 70-200mm f/2.8
Wide: Fuji GFX 100S with 20-35mm
I know that's enough for everything if all goes well. Everything has a spare battery. I roughly have 2x as many cards available as I do slots (all relatively high capacity). For backup, I am thinking the 28-70mm is backed up by a Rx1RII (35mm f/2 full frame) and the 70-200 is backed up with the GFX 100S with the 110mm. The 20-35 is backed up by a Canon Powershot V1 (16-50mm equivalent). If I were shooting for pay, I'd be trying to get ahold of something like the Sigma 135mm f/1.4 or an 85mm f/1.2 for "halo shots," more backup, and more control over lighting. But I'd rather not spend a lot of money doing this. Probably will shoot Raw to one card and JPG to another to accommodate the CFexpress/SD card splits on Canon.
Lighting wise, I have 2x Canon 600RTs and a pair of Flashpoint 300 Pros. I also have a flashpoint iT32 mini flash that can be adapted to any system for $20. I'm half-inclined to bring one 600RT, the mini flash, and maybe one AD300. I have no flash stand that is small enough to travel with, so I guess I could just stand it upright or have somebody hold it if I need to light the chapel. Outdoors (in Southern California between 12 and 4) I will be working with direct sun. Besides a little bit of fill-flash, I don't think there is much more to be done.
I have thought about renting or buying a Godox/Flashpoint V100 for Canon. But other than the round head, not sure how much that adds over the Canon strobes I already have. Especially when I'd only be using it for family/wedding party photos and maybe, sparingly, in the ceremony.
Ask your friend if they know anyone who can work with you as your assistant. They would be very helpful to hold lights, gather people for shots, etc. Watch where you put your equipment. Sometimes equipment goes missing. Make sure to work out a shot list with your friend to get the obligatory photos what they want.
Speaking as someone who's shot hundreds of weddings for over 30 years, my first piece of advice to you, in your situation, would be to keep everything simple for yourself. More equipment means more stress in your situation. And it also takes your attention away from the event at hand if you're spending time working with equipment.
Don't over-think a lot of extra gear. Don't over-shoot it, either.
My guess is it's a simple, civil ceremony which will probably last 15 minutes and once the ceremony begins, the 70-200 will be your best bet.
With a total of 50 people, and four hours of coverage, you should be able to cover that quite well with 200-250 GOOD, unique images, max. You'll shoot more than that (duplicates/multiples) but edit down to the best. You don't need to give your client 1000 images.
Don't shoot just for the sake of shooting off frames... Make your shots count!
For the type of event you explained (outdoors), I'd travel light. Body/24-70 & 70-200/flash for fill.
Familiarize yourself with shooting high speed sync since you'll be shooting in full daylight.
I could go on and on, but in the end, keep it simple for yourself.
For formal pictures and groups, work on simple, clean poses with good backgrounds.
Look for examples online.
I am not into portraits or weddings, but just like you shot a friend's wedding once. And some kids (of friends) for their senior portraits. Others have given great advice. My 2 cents:
You mentioned one card RAW and the other JPEG. I'd say both RAW, you never know when cards get corrupted and you don't want to lose any ability to post-process. Just in case.
Of all the B&H videos I have seen over years, I found this the best in the context of weddings. If you have not already seen this, check it out. Jerry Ghionis is as good as any wedding photographer can get. He shared fantastic content about lighting for weddings & portrait photography. You will not be disappointed of these 2 hours.
