Steve C Posted March 11, 2010 Share #1 Posted March 11, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am retired and at my winter home in Hilton Head Island SC. My favorite college classmate ask me to shoot his grand daughters wedding. I don't do weddings. (Well only 2). So what do I do? I only have my pocket camera with me. A D-lux4. Ok, I have given so many seminars saying the equipment is not what makes the art! The pictures I took with my D-Lux4 were as good I have ever taken. What a great little camera. My reputation (what ever that is) has been saved. Will it replace my M8? Don't even think it! The lens on the D-lux with its speed is very good. I still do one shoot or two for my oldest client. (P&G). I might try a few pix with the 4 for fun. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 11, 2010 Posted March 11, 2010 Hi Steve C, Take a look here What do you do? . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted March 12, 2010 Share #2 Posted March 12, 2010 Don't do it. Decline politely and enjoy the wedding (provided the invitation isn't withdrawn ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveleo Posted March 12, 2010 Share #3 Posted March 12, 2010 listen to Andy . . . don't do it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve C Posted March 12, 2010 Author Share #4 Posted March 12, 2010 listen to Andy . . . don't do it. OK! I declined and will enjoy myself. I am not sure I have the skill set to do a big wedding anyway and I don't intend to develop any either. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lykaman Posted March 12, 2010 Share #5 Posted March 12, 2010 Hi, I was in the same position as you a few years ago, I declined the job as the No1 photographer but took my M6 (then) + 90mm and did candids, using my EOS 35mm I also took the regulation pictures etc.. The No1 photographer came up very short & the B&Groom used mine in their album.. The best thing was I was NOT under any pressure to "bring home the bacon" So take your DL4, a formatted card, a couple or three batteries, use a little fill in flash & you will enjoy yourself... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted March 13, 2010 Share #6 Posted March 13, 2010 Snipped: "Ok, I have given so many seminars saying the equipment is not what makes the art!" Correct!But you are being asked to do more than "art". You are being asked to 'work! You must understand the subtle difference. Maybe not so subtle. Long ago I lost count of the weddings I have shot with all sorts of gear. In latter years, I used exclusively Leica M's. Both film and digital. Previously, I shot medium format on Hasselblad. Fashion dictates a certain amount of such choices. Each camera type imparts a certain influence on your style of work. I found the Leica M cameras to best suit what I like doing. Today, if asked to shoot a wedding, I would only take it on the terms that I shoot in my style which will vary on the day reflecting what I see and feel. I want no commitment to supply a 'recipe of images'. I'm over that. My work at weddings when I have been 'just a guest', IMHO exceeded, what I produced under a 'recipe contract'. The work was infinitely easier and better. Not everyone's cup of tea. The short answer to your question is: shoot it your way within the limits of your camera choice and don't be committed to produce anything. Leave it to a paid professional, who needs the job anyway. The bonus is, you are free to enjoy the wedding. When you are working, you cannot relax to enjoy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve C Posted March 13, 2010 Author Share #7 Posted March 13, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Erl, I agree with all your points. I plan to take a few photos and enjoy. The mechanics of how you get the best out of the moment comes with experience. The recognition of when that moment occurs is a large part of the art. Almost every photographer I know has a shot or two taken with sub-par equipment that are very good. I think that most of us, at least on this forum, agree that the Leica rangefinder cameras gives us tools that allow us to extract the best out of the moment. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted March 13, 2010 Share #8 Posted March 13, 2010 If you're at the wedding as a guest then it's better not to have the pressure of also being the official photographer. I find you do need to be detached from the proceedings - the photographer is there to do a job after all - and you need to be quite assertive to get people together or out of the way as required. Of course it also depends on what the hosts expect - friends of mine chose not to employ a photographer but handed out lots of one-use cameras to guests and asked them to shoot everything and anything, in addition to receiveing some photos from those with their own cameras they put together a record of their day. It was a novel idea I guess, but not for everyone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexbo47 Posted March 25, 2010 Share #9 Posted March 25, 2010 As someone who has been on both sides of this, I say enjoy the wedding. It never bothered me to have "non-contracted" persons shoot whatever I was shooting since they would never see it the same way I did anyway, as long as I got my shot first, and they did not interfere with the flow of my work. If I'm in attendance at a wedding, occasionally I'm asked to take a few candids but I'm always cautious to avoid conflicts with the person whose livelihood depends on what he/she delivers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 25, 2010 Share #10 Posted March 25, 2010 The last sentence is the most important. I usually have chat with the pro and ask him/her how I can keep out of his way - after all, he has a family to support and (usually) has the skills to get it in an album in a way that is outside my competence. But on the other hand, as you know the guests and the undercurrents, you can get the shots a pro could never get. Concentrate on those. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveleo Posted March 25, 2010 Share #11 Posted March 25, 2010 i just recalled . . . . years ago, i was a wedding guest and brought my 111f along (there was a hired pro to do the real work) i was taking ocasional shots from my seat at my table (never walked around) and she noticed my Leica, came over, we chatted . . . . i continued to take snaps now and then but simply from wherever i was standing in a group. the pro, after taking her shots, would look around, see me and if i was ready to shoot, she would step aside ! ! we got a good few smiles together about that . . . she really was a confident pro. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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