gurtch Posted April 9, 2007 Share #1 Â Posted April 9, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) This weekend my wife and I are attending the wedding of a very dear friend's daughter. I plan on leaving my heavy artilliary home (1DSII, zoom, off camera flash, and over the shoulder wet cell Quantum One Battery). I plan on being inconspicious, and staying out of the pro's way. I never shoot what the pro has set up. I plan on taking my Leica M8 and shooting by available light only. Here is my dilema: I have not received the two Leica IR filters; further none of my lenses are coded. My initial thought was to shoot at high ISO RAW and convert everyting to black & white. Knowing the wedding parties' tuxes will show up as magenta, what are my options? If I attempt to use color with no IR cut filters, will Jamie's profiles do a believable job of rendering the tuxes black? Lenses available are 15mm CV (I doubt I will use it....too slow for indoor available light), 21mm f2.8 Zeiss ZM, 24mm f2.8 Leica ASPH, 28mm f2.8 ZM, 35mm f2 ZM, and 50mm f2 ZM. I am assuming the 35mm f2 would be the "normal" high speed lens I would use. The resulting pics will be as a family friend, not intending to compete with the pro. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Dave G. Beach Haven, NJ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 9, 2007 Posted April 9, 2007 Hi gurtch, Take a look here Wedding Advice needed. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
sisoje Posted April 9, 2007 Share #2 Â Posted April 9, 2007 Leave all the gear home (including M8) and have a great time... Do not confuse the wedding couple, wedding party and other guests... and especially hired photographer:eek: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dspeltz Posted April 9, 2007 Share #3 Â Posted April 9, 2007 Take the M8 or you will be sorry. Shoot in DNG only and prepare for b&w. They will be cool, and the photog will do the color. Â Can't leave a camera home! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted April 9, 2007 Share #4 Â Posted April 9, 2007 Buy one leica filter like a 46mm and just take those lenses and just shoot more for fun and the joy of using the M8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesphoto99 Posted April 9, 2007 Share #5 Â Posted April 9, 2007 Take only two lenses, three max. Otherwise gets too heavy, with too many choices and you won't enjoy yourself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted April 9, 2007 Share #6 Â Posted April 9, 2007 TAKE the M8 so you won't kick yourself later. Â Your problem won't be getting in the way. When I do this, because I am a friend of the family, I always get the candids where everyone looks just right (that is, nice and comfortable). Â So, your problem will be that when you give your friends your pictures, they will like them better than the pix from the pro, just because they were relaxed and related to you when you took their pix. Â Life is short: drink the good wine, first. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Sievers Posted April 9, 2007 Share #7 Â Posted April 9, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Shoot JPG BW with a wide lense. Don't look for posed shots. Pretend you are on the street. I guarantee yours will not overlap with the Pro/. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted April 9, 2007 Share #8 Â Posted April 9, 2007 I would go with one lens, probably the 28mm, and present the images as B&W not because of lack of IR filters but just to offer your friends something different. Take candid shots, don't just replicate what the pro has set up. I'd take most of the photos later, at the reception. You can enjoy it as you're not under pressure, have fun. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted April 9, 2007 Share #9 Â Posted April 9, 2007 I shoot weddings professionally and most of the pictures I make are intended to be in B&W. I think that your idea of working in B&W is an excellent one. I'd work in RAW and, yes, the 35/2.0 will likely see a lot of use. Â One of the things that's great about *not* being the official photographer is that you'll shoot what you want to and you may be able to do that with just one lens (or two). Have fun. I always appreciate it when other photographers stay out of the frame and out of my immediate area when I'm working, especially before, during and after the ceremony when the pace is intense. Â Cheers, Â Sean http://www.still-photo.net Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilliamsphotography Posted April 10, 2007 Share #10  Posted April 10, 2007 Weddings these days have so many cameras working overtime it's become a joke. Half the people are either taking pictures or chimping their LCDs. A stunned groomsman at a wedding I shot summed it up after 50 cameras were flashing away like Coven of Paparazzi ... "Jesus H, I feel like I was just in a lightening strike".  IMO, ... eat, drink, talk with friends, dance with your wife ... in other words actually experience your friends wedding rather than just observing it : -) Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/21071-wedding-advice-needed/?do=findComment&comment=224343'>More sharing options...
morffin Posted April 10, 2007 Share #11 Â Posted April 10, 2007 Shoot b/w..... stay away from the drunk fat chick..... other than that....youre on your own. Â Take the M8... you will be very glad you did... make a book for the couple at Shutterfly or from I Photo... it will be the best gift they get. Â I had to go to a couple of wedding for my wife's relatives recently and the only thing that kept me sane thought these wretched things was shooting with my M8 .... made books on I Photo and the bride and groom loved them! Â Go and have fun... youre lucky to own such an amazing camera... go use it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted April 10, 2007 Share #12 Â Posted April 10, 2007 Take the M8. That's why you bought it, to shoot. Crank up the ISO when necessary and remember, if you have a spare battery, take it. Otherwise, carry the charger and USE it during dinner to top up. You will shoot (literally) hundreds of pics with than machine. Keep out of the Pro's way and line of fire by keeping an eye on him/her. He/she will probably have short breaks in the shoot, that's when people relax and you go to work. Move around, don't shoot from the same place all the time. Try shooting from behind the subject. Sometimes that can be quite revealing! Â Have fun! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoMammabot Posted April 10, 2007 Share #13 Â Posted April 10, 2007 I recommend the 28mm 2.0 and a 50mm 1.4 or 2.0. That pretty much covers anything I need indoors and gives me some really nice candid portraits with distracting Backgrounds bokehed out. Â have fun and remember to drink. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted April 10, 2007 Share #14  Posted April 10, 2007 I have noticed two things: Jpgs (fine) from the M8 are really very very good; and the camera is impressive at ISO 1250. A 2 gig card will afford you lots of elbow room if you use jpg:s. DNG is for large pictures that you decorate rooms with—and only if your guests will sneak up to sniffing distance, searching for imperfections.  On an expedition like this one, I would carry two lenses, 28 mm for the spontaneous action and 50 mm for the considered shot. You will use mostly the 28. For the rest, it is spontaneity and the unconventional camera position that will give you that edge over the 'professionals'. Do take some potshots of them, too! They can occasionally be hilarious.  The old man from the Age of Tri-X Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted April 10, 2007 Share #15 Â Posted April 10, 2007 Whilst everyone (me included) can be full of advice on which lens set 'they' use, remember, it is you that is shooting this show, so choose your lenses according to how you work. After all the advice, trust your intuition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolo Posted April 10, 2007 Share #16 Â Posted April 10, 2007 You can shoot the whole wedding with one lens and for the M8 a 35mm would be a good choice. 28mm is also quite do'able. Â Shooting it from your own perspective will not be a problem to the Pro whereas being on his shoulder for the whole time might make you a nuisance for him, or the B&G. Â As a professional, I'd only be concerned about you interferring with the flow of my work, not what you shoot. My suggestion is that you seek to shoot it completely in a PJ style which will provide the B&G with events they missed, rather than a variation on what the Pro is shooting. Â A B&W album will also be a great present. Â Rolo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
avsearle Posted April 10, 2007 Share #17 Â Posted April 10, 2007 Go with the 35mm and make like Cartier -Bresson using hyperfocal distance so you would have lots of depth and no worries about focussing.Keep out of the pro's way cos I used to be one.( Boy have I accidentally crushed a few feet in my time when people deliberately stood behind me with total disregard for my problem of getting the job done.) Love the idea of a b/w album of "reportage shots" -as they are called in UK -as a present for the bride and groom.Good luck and enjoy the day! Avril Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillBrittain Posted April 10, 2007 Share #18 Â Posted April 10, 2007 I shoot weddings professionally and, like Sean, I target most of the files toward black-and-white. The occasional image in color is almost for "shock value" in the finished album. Â I've been using M8s almost exclusively for a few weddings now. With the exception of some long telephoto shots done at the ceremony, they get the job done and are a lot easier to carry for hours. Â Stay out of the pro's way or he'll bash you with his 30lb Nikon. Â One of my favorite things to shoot at the reception is shots of favored aunts and uncles taking pictures. As someone mentioned, they're thick as theives these days but eventually the B/G will receive a great image from that person, and they'll love it even more when you get a shot of the image being taken. Of course in your case you could end up being the subject so make sure your hair is in place! Â I tend to favor the 50mm lenses but to each his own. I normally have one camera set up with a Voightlander 28/1.9 and the other with a Leica 50/1.4. I don't even sweat the M8 at ISO 640, it looks great. 1250 I find tolerable. I use flash only when necessary but never at the ceremony. Â Don't forget to have fun. Weddings are full of happy, sentimental people and they make great subjects. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnwolf Posted April 10, 2007 Share #19 Â Posted April 10, 2007 Dave, Â I'd shoot BW with the 35 and go for something uniquie -- a collection the pro is NOT shooting. For example, a theme like joy, through just faces with smiles and laughter. Or maybe a distinctive portrait of each attendee, with short quotes of good wishes for the bride and groom from each person you shoot. Or maybe just the children. You get the ideal. Something thematic but different. Since you know them well, you can probably think of something meaningful. Â Give yourself a little project that keeps you out of the pro's way and makes it interesting for you, too. Then make them a hardcopy album. Â John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gurtch Posted April 10, 2007 Author Share #20 Â Posted April 10, 2007 Thanks all for not only the advice, but the encouragement. Nice thing is the wedding and reception are being held at the same place, with a courtesy shuttle running back and forth to the local motel we are staying at, so I will definitly being drinking plenty of Vino! I love the suggestion that I concentrate on family and guests, and shooting "reportage style" in B&W. I was intending on doing all the printing myself, but the suggestion of Shutterfly or I Photo making a bound album sounds intriguing----I have never used them. Do you send them your images on CD? My email balks at large photo files. Thanks again; my wife and I intend on having a "blast" Dave Beach Haven, NJ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.