Wedding with Leica

[Richardgb]

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Remember that, in the 'old' days, weddings were usually covered with a medium format fixed-lens camera (e.g. Rolleiflex), usually of 'standard' focal length.

 

Many have made suggestions about taking this lens or that, but only one has said get an extra body so as not to be held-up changing lenses. Your recce before the wedding is essential - and get the 'happy couple's' views - why did they choose that venue, for instance.

 

Having shot a few weddings 'for friends and friends of friends' I can only echo what some have said: keep it simple. A reasonably powerful flash is essential - far more than any super-wide or longer focal length lens.

 

Am I the first to advocate tripod, at least for the 'essential' group shots? Even if the light isn't low, you'd be surprised how the edge is taken off shots by minute shake. A wedding photgrapher does a lot of running around and organising, then has to stand still while pressing the button - not a happy combination. It will also make you look more professional.

 

The best wedding job I ever had was just to turn up and take the photos, then hand the rolls of film over the the bride's father - he ran a pro lab.

 

The worst wedding job I ever saw was at a family wedding where the 'pro' turned up only just before the bride arrived, very casually dressed, snapped away with his A/F Canon at anything that moved (or didn't), and then posted 800 (yes!) photos online for guests to choose from. And in the midst of this, he managed to miss some of the essential groups and made avoidable errors - plants growing out of people, guests' eyes shut... I didn't envy him either - he started early afternoon and finished mid-evening.

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[FlashGordonPhotography]

I shoot 30 wedding a year with my M9's as my primary cameras. I also use a small AF system to cover things like macro etc. I cary an extensive kit with 2 M9's and lenses from 12mm to 135mm. But 50% of my shots are with my favoured 50mm. My 21 and 135mm are my next most used. My 12, 75 and 90 do get used but not much.

 

I'd try to get something wider, even if it's the little CV 21mm f4, which is cheap and sharp. You can crop that to a 24 as well. the real trick is to use lenses you are comfortable with. One's you can "see". Not too many unless you really like them all. A medium sized hotshoe flash will be fine as long as it has bounce and swivel. Manual is fine if you're comfortable with that. set it to 2.8 or 4 and just shoot that when you need flash.

 

Try to find some whole weddings on the net to see what you need to shoot. Choose local if you can as coverage does differ from place to place, as does the day itself. Get a running sheet from the bride with a list of the required family photos. If you ask on the day, someone will get missed. If possible talk to the celebrant and get a running sheet of the ceremony.

 

Get lots of detail shots. The bride paid for a lot of stuff that's gone after the wedding. Get a good shot of the bride in the dress. Lots of family candids.

 

wedding photography is as much about working with people and solving little problems as taking photographs. So relax, keep your eyes open and go with the flow.

 

I wrote a short piece about what it's like to shoot weddings with the M9, if you're interested.

 

Central Coast Commercial Photographers - commercial photography - hunter valley - Newcastle - Sydney Flash Gordon Photography

 

Gordon

[gsgary]

I have the VC28F2 Ultron nice sharp lens

[iangee]

You have enough lenses. Do not spend hundreds or thousands on more. I suggest in the circumstances you need two flashes - a small one on the camera and a second slave operated one fired into a brolly and preferable held by an assistant. If this is not possible you will need a stand. As a veteran of over 1000 weddings I use old Vivitar 283s for this and a Mecablitz MC36-2 on the camera. Having an assistant ensures the slave is always pointing in the right direction and the flash itself is providing good modelling light.

 

What most of the above posters ignore is that wedding photography is 5% equipment and 95% knowledge. Operation of equipment must be second nature so you do not have to fumble or look to make adjustments.

 

Wedding photography requires that you are looking around you all the time - can you see the faces, the eyes you want, the background; will moving to right or left improve the picture; is that another picture coming your way from the bridesmaids, is that granny coming over. If it's a group TAKE CHARGE. Have everyone look at you at the moment of exposure. This is where the tripod comes in. You can watch them, and they can see your face without it being hidden behind a camera. Smile — and they'll smile back I guarantee.

 

You need to know the names and relationship of all family members and address them by name. You have to anticipate what is going to happen next - and prepare to improvise when it doesn't! You must brief the head waiter/toastmaster/best man to give you signals when important things are going to happen.

 

There is certainly no need to buy a Noctilux. Your present lenses are quite fast enough for good photographs. For years I used a Hasselblad in hotels with 160 ISO film @ 1/15 second 2 f2.8 (on a tripod) with just a small flash on the foreground and got superb pictures. At 800 ISO I'm in clover! If the ambient light in the background is too yellow for your taste_— it isn't a problem for me — put a small gelatine filter on the flash, one of the great benefits of digital.

 

As a professional photographer rather than a devotee of one make, I have always used the most appropriate camera for the job, from 8x10ins through 4x5, Hasselblad, Leica, (Yashica) Contax. Nowadays although I have a Nikon D800, Leica M9 and lenses from 15mm - 90mm. If asked to cover a friend's wedding (I have retired) I am minded to take my Fuji X100s and do it all on that because it enables me to do lots of big close ups and the 35mm equivalent lens is right most of the time with enough pixels to crop if necessary.

It enables me to concentrate 99% on the people, background, expressions,composition, lighting etc. an improvement on the second paragraph above.

 

As a professional I have always carried back-up equipment, altho' seldom necessary. In this case I would have a spare Vivitar flash, lots of batteries, cards and a Lumix XS1, Panasonic's smallest camera in my pocket.

 

Wedding photography is all about the people. Cameras are only tools. Be thoroughly familiar and comfortable with what you have. Practise using it until you do not need to look at it and do not waste time reviewing shots. While doing that you will be missing better ones.

 

Good luck

 

Ian

[Millberg]

Hi all

 

I thought I should give some feedback as the wedding was last weekend.

 

The newly weds will come and look at the shots on my big screen today (they've only seen a couple of samples on low rez before).

 

When I arrived to the location could I confirm that the light will be a problem. Not a surprise though. It is very dark in the northern Sweden mid February. Very dark. The wedding was at 4 pm and the sunset around 3 pm.

 

Another complication was that I forgot my 35mm at home and I felt super stressed as I realized that there wasn't any quick fix available around that specific issue.

 

On a positive note... at least managed to bring my flash and a Noctilux.

 

I started the day with accompanying the bride to the hairdresser and took some shots while she were getting ready. Took around 200 shots with the M + Nocti and some with MM + 90 Cron.

 

Around 3 pm was it time to be at the church. It was a kind of yellowish light and I didn't get any supporting light at all from the windows. I took a couple of sample shots and looked at them on the display. I couldn't get higher than 1/45 sec even with the Nocti wide open if I didn't bumped up the ISO to (imho) obscene levels. I didn't wanted to use flash in the church as it should have ruined the atmosphere. The solution was a Tripod.

 

After the church were we bussed to the location for the dinner/party.

 

I was seated in a good spot (corner) but again was the lightning a nightmare. I should have realized this but I couldn't anticipate how bad it would be. The tripod solution wasn't really an alternative so I started to use the flash. I managed to get some very good shots during the speeches and switch only to the Monochrom.

 

It felt really good to just go around during the dinner and party and take pictures of "strangers" without the feeling I sometimes get when shooting Street.

 

Key take aways:

1. Check and double check that all necessary equipment is working and in the bag

2. Bring 3 times more batteries (to the flash) than you'd expect

3. Relax and enjoy the wedding with your camera

4. Visit the site before and at the same time

5. Take a lot of pictures. A lot. I took over 1.200 and if I critically rate my shots I would say that app 150 is good

6. Don't underestimate the post processing time

 

All in all.. A great experience.

 

Lars

[earleygallery]

Tut, tut, on forgetting the 35! But it may have been a benefit in some ways, forcing you to work with just one lens on each camera and not having the added factor of deciding if/when to switch for the 35.

 

It sounds like it went well, 150 'keepers' isn't a bad rate. As long as the couple are happy that's the most important thing.

 

Any chance we get to see a shot or two?

[stuny]

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Congratulations. I too would like to see some of the photos.

[Millberg]

I think that the newly weds want to take the control over the pictures, but I will ask later today.

[Peter H]

How wonderful that in two adjacent posts we have the considered reflections of a veteran of over 1,000 weddings and a first-timer, equally fascinating in different but very closely related ways.

 

Congratulations to everyone involved.

[CaptZoom]

Thank you [Mention=2634053]Millberg[/mention] for updating us. It's wonderful to hear about your experience, soup to nuts. It sounds like you're looking forward to your next event photography assignment.