Wedding Photography Help....Please

A good friend has asked me to take pictures at her wedding, even though she knows that I am a wildlife photographer and have never photographed a wedding. (They don't have a lot of money and I am doing it for free).
Fortunately, I have several wide angle kit lens that should work. My plan is to run pics through PS then burn to a disc that she can use for prints. I will convert my raw files to jpeg, but my question is: what size jpeg files should they be? I don't use commercial printers, so have no idea what their requirements are.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'd ask her what size prints she is most commonly going to want and then I'd give her print files at that size and sharpened appropriately. If you size the images at 4x6 or 6x9 at 300 DPI & properly sharpened she can print them resized nominally and they will still work. If she wants any specific images to be printed significantly larger offer to get her individual print files for that size, such as 8x10 or 8x12 at 300 DPI. I prefer .tif files but jpeg files will work fine. If she wants any of the images cropped individually it would probably be better for her if you crop them the way she wants rather than leaving that to most print labs.

If you have the card space why not shoot RAW and large JPEG's. You may find the JPG'S good enough to avoid a lot of post-production on your part for her needs, and if you do feel an images requires post-production tweaking you will have the RAW file at your disposal.

Chas

Honestly, if you've never shot a wedding or similar event before, this is a really good way to lose a couple of friends. Depending on the location shooting a wedding is about fast lenses, creative use of on-camera flash and off-camera flash, knowning the timing of these events so you capture the decisive moments. All that being said, if you're going to do the shoot and choose to shoot RAW simply use Image Processor (Bridge/ACR/Photoshop) to convert the images to jpegs. Don't resize, quality 12. Those should be perfect for any printer she might select. You could shoot JPG, but I wouldn't recommended it. Especially since you're not accustomed to shooting weddings. You may need the exposure lattitude provided by shooting RAW. It's easier to recover an over/under exposed RAW than JPG... plus there's the issue of color balance. Things change constantly at weddings, don't be surprised by wide variances.

What do I base my suggestions and opinions on? www.rddeckerphotography.com It's what I do. ;)

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Originally Posted by Bob Decker

Honestly, if you've never shot a wedding or similar event before, this is a really good way to lose a couple of friends. Depending on the location shooting a wedding is about fast lenses, creative use of on-camera flash and off-camera flash, knowning the timing of these events so you capture the descisive moments. . . . .
What do I base my suggestions and opinions on? www.rddeckerphotography.com It's what I do. ;)

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Years ago I shot my sisters wedding and wish to this day that I hadn't. Even though I'd done photography for many years prior I had never done a wedding or event photography, I was in over my head and only realized it once I started shooting. Bob's advice is good.

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Originally Posted by James Graham

A good friend has asked me to take pictures at her wedding, even though she knows that I am a wildlife photographer and have never photographed a wedding. (They don't have a lot of money and I am doing it for free).

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Are you the main photographer there?

I've shot a couple of weddings years ago. Thank god I wasn't the main photog :)

James,
I have photographed many weddings, and never as an official or main photographer. I let them know two basic things: 1) I do animals, not people. 2) You get what you pay for.

Animals don't critique your photos! People do.

Set the expectations as low as possible if you go through with it, then they will likely be happier with the results. You didn't say what gear you have except a kit lens. Weddings, like others have said are often tough. I shoot raw+jpeg. If indoors, you need fast lenses and a camera with a large sensor.

Setup shots really need a soft box flash system. Do you have that? Best conditions I've had were outdoors with late afternoon diffuse light. Toughest conditions: dim light in churches and at receptions at night. Be sure to get photos of all the guests--you may not know which person will have special meaning. I do think wildlife photographers will have some critical skills and knowldege, that say a landscape photographer doesn't have. That includes the ability to act fast to get peak action. Lighting in changing conditions on faces. Eyes in best focus, etc.

Good luck (you'll need it ;)).

Roger

All good advice above. If you have access to Kelbytraining.com there are some good sessions there on wedding photography and using flash. Fast lenses and a modern camera that lets you run clean high ISO makes it easier. Stressful but can be rewarding - crowd management skills can be as important as camera management skills. Try and understand the couple's expectations. Under-promise and over deliver but I'm sure they will get more than they are paying for - it all depends on if they see it that way.

Thanks so much for all the help! Am thinking of leaving the country!

Don't do it....Watch a few episodes of Bridezilla if you need convincing....

Aloha,
I am a wedding photographer in Hawai'i, please feel free to ask any questions and I'll give answering them a shot.(apologies for the delay, only just saw this thread).

Your main question re output, shoot in raw, work in tiff (pro photo colourspace if possible) then output in jpg (srgb). If you can manage 240dpi on an 8x10 print then that is a decent sized file. When I shot a 20D I tended to get 2-3mb file sizes (jpeg with minimal compression 10/12 in PS). Now with 5D2's I get 8-10mb files. I retain the tiffs and raws if larger prints are required but most dont require over 8x10.

I'll briefly touch on the advice re not shooting it. Everyone has to have their first wedding, ideally it would be as an assistant or second shooter, but that isnt always possible and if you do your prep and are competant behind the lens then you should produce acceptable results. Not everyone can afford a pro and as a pro whilst I sometimes feel for people when I see 'uncle bob' shooting the wedding I do realise that not everyone can pay for it and if its between a competant amateur and no pictures I would much rather see the amateur do it and offer some advice. The first wedding I shot was my fathers and that was as the main shooter, it went fine. My second was as the main shooter for a friend in the worlds darkest church, again it went fine. They werent the most stylist shoots but they were competant with all the key events documented which is what you should aim for.

Some questions if you have time to answer might helpprovide more accurate advice, what time of day is it? what type of ceremony? what is the location? what gear do you have?


Some tips (sorry if I ramble, this is just a brain dump),
1 scope out the location first with your cameras at the same time of day. Get some shots and look at light levels. Also check out some places for portraits.
2 set aside plenty of time (approx 60 - 120 minutes) after the ceremony for group shots and portraits. Also get the groom and groomsmen there early and shoot some portraits. This will get you relaxed and into shooting, it is also a situation you have complete control over so they are banker shots. Your nerves will lessen during this which will help you greatly as you can go into the ceremony knowing you have a load of shots they will love. Same goes for after the ceremony, after the group shots take the newlyweds for a walk into some nice grounds or whereever and get loads more shots, posed and candid.
3 get the b&g to elect a marshall to get people in place for the group shots. I advise them to pick a 'loud' fun uncle or aunt who can boss people in good humour. Have a list of shots prepared with the b&g in advance to ensure everyone gets included.
4 get someone who wont be in many of the shots to take cameras from the people who brought them (everyone usually) who can stand beside you and after you get your group shot you and they can rattle through all the guests cameras. Some pros dont like this, but ****, the bride pays me by the hour, I dont mind making sure 20 or 30 cameras all get each of the formals because that way I dont have 30 people behind me distracting the group. have a copy of the group shots taped on the back of your flash and another to give to the 'boss'.
5 get a copy of the order of the ceremony, tape it on the back of your flash. know the ceremony backwards! you do not want to be at the side of the church with a 14mm on when the kiss comes. get shots of the venue empty beforehand. Often the photographer has to function as an on site coordinator, keeping people remotely near schedule. I was too nice once and they didnt cut the cake until 11pm. Sufficed to say I was tired after an 8am start with a medium format camera. The reception is the most likely time for things to slip, just politely remind them that if they can get speaches and the cake done before the kids start falling asleep.
6 table shots, make your way round every table and get a shot of everyone. Its a great way to ensure the bride has a picture of everyone there.
7 if you are in a church or similar get to know the officiant, invest a little time getting to know them. They have seen 1000 photographers and they know where they stand (and give you hints), they can also make sure you have access to any balconies etc. I have yet to find an officiant \ priest who wasnt warm and welcoming and who didnt enjoy taking some time to discuss their church. I also ensure if there are any nice shots showing off their venue they get a copy.
8 Detail shots, if you can have some time mapped out in the ceremony and the reception and a second body with a longer lens, get some detail shots of flowers \ rings \ the venue \ hats etc.
9 Don't laugh at this one! stick men drawings for posing. Sometimes I sketch out how I want certain posed shots to appear, down to hand positions. Dont be afraid to have a small notebook with you to refer to.
10 Before you leave in the morning, wipe all the memory cards so you dont have to do it during the ceremony and make a mistake and accidentally wipe ceremony shots. Make sure you have charged batteries including for flash (oh and make sure you have some form of diffuser for the flash), make sure you have contact numbers for everyone with you and a charged cell phone.
11 Do an engagement shoot for them. If will only cost you a few hours one afternoon and will give you a dry run. theyre also great fun!
12 If you are in a church, take along a model (anybody will do) and work out places to stand and which lens to use from where. Check for paths to walk around and the best place (thats safe) to leave gear and tripods.

Thats all I can think of right now, please feel free to ask away. Good luck!

Oh I forgot, chimp like crazy and take backup gear! I've seen some terrible wedding shots that could have been a lot better if the photog had checked the screen and seen exposure way massively out.
As for gear I shoot mostly with 5d2's, 17-40 24-105, 300 2.8. Depending on the site I might swap out the 300 for a 70-200 2.8, also often carry a 50 1.4. You dont need loads of glass, just decent glass. If your long glass is a 70-300 type 5.6 ish zoom then just ensure you practice in the venue, but as a birder Im sure you are more than proficient in tripod work \ long lens work. If I shoot film its a rz67 with assorted glass but thats rare these days.

James,

I found myself in a situation similar to yours several years ago. I would study Richy's excellent recommendations and make two of my own:

1) Make a "shot list" of images you/bride want to ensure get done at a minimum. Under the pressure of the moment, you may forget "must have" images and keeping a list can avoid a problem. Read some wedding photo books or do research on the web to create one and also talk to the bride about what she wants.

2) Enlist the help of an assistant. It may be a family member/friend of yours or someone from the wedding. They can help you keep on track, get equipment, help organize group photos, and generally deal with the wedding party and allow you to focus on the photography part of the event. I was fortunate to have one for the wedding I shot and it was a huge help.

Best of luck!