Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Hi good folks,

Ive been away too long from this forum due to my job (lots of travelling n stuff). However, I'm back and I managed to let a photographer take me along to one of her weddings as a second photographer. But there is a twist to this.

She made me aware that i'm not a good "people" photographer (yet). But she did also tell me that I'm pretty good with everything else (lol ?). So, my assignment for the wedding is to basically compliment her shots. She being the main photographer doesn't always get time to click objects in the surrounding as she is mostly concentrating on the couple. I'm better at that according to her after she saw my website http://gallery.sheroy.com/.

I looked up this post http://tpmg.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11461&highlight=wedding+photography but its mostly a Canon thing IMO. I'm a Nikon person.

I have a Nikon D90 and have a 18-105mm f/4-5.6 + 50 mm f/1.8 lens and am planning to use the 50mm the most at the wedding to get nice macro type shots of the shoes, cake, etc etc.
So here are the questions..

A. Should I be renting a better lens?

B. Any tips on what other inanimate objects I can click pictures of? I have a list : bride shoes, wedding rings, invitation, cake, setup tables, the church, and food.

C. Any ideas on how to make these interesting? Im looking up a lot of photographers websites to get ideas. After all my main purpose here is to learn learn learn!

I appreciate your feedback.

-- sh3r0y

the 50mm is a capable lens but you'll probably find your 18-105 f4 too slow

and the zoom definitely helps in situations where you cannot get in close enough, or you need a much wider shot

definitely rent a bette, faster lens

as a second shooter, you should be catching the moments the main photographer can't catch while they are busy with the couple
you can also offer a different perspective on the day.

Looking at your website you appear to be quite capable. I would suggest renting a faster zoom to complement your 50 1.8. Even though you are the second shooter I would also suggest having(renting) a second body "just in case" your D90 breaks (Murphys Law).

It seems you have the bases covered. Good luck.

flowers, rose leafs, hearts, etc come to my mind when you say inanimate objects

I would rent a 70-200 F2.8 VR.
Depends on your primary's requirement. what does he/she expect you to shot, candid people shots, un-posted portrait etc. One can only shot a few of the ring, shoes, flowers etc.
Your 50mm should be ok, the other one is a bit slow for wedding, especially during the reception.
my 2 cents.

Welcome back, I like your enthusiam and was wondering how you were faring. Seems you are making good progress

I noticed that you are very technical and organized and do things "by the book" which is great. However, you don't want to be a cookier cutter photographer. Instead of thinking "ok I need to go photograph the brides shoes now" try to think outside the box and find things that convey emotion and throw in a bit of your own creativity and style.

Check out some of the wedding photography groups on flickr if you want some inspiriation and ideas.

I never mentioned it but I was actually thinking of taking along the 70-200 f/2.8 VR. I used it a couple of times to get my gargoyle shots and its a flawless lens.

What do you peeps recommend - should I be in the front lines most of the time with my 50mm or should I move around the edges and use the 70-200mm. I think I will keep a balance but lean mostly towards the zoom so as not to get in the way of the main photographer.

@louiep83 : I totally get your point. There are only so many pictures of inanimate objects I can click. I definately will try some people shots because thats the end-goal.. to become a wedding photographer. Im only taking things a bit slow as its my first time.

@Delsorbo : Thank you. I can only look at other peoples pictures and imagine some shots I will get there. What will really happen is going to be a different story all-together. I will definitely keep my eyes open for some uniqueness.

p.s. as always this board never disappoints me!

All depends where she is right? I say take both if you have two bodies. Might as well take full advantage of this opportunity if you want to get your hands and feet wet with this type of photography, especially if the risk is very low, well, as long as you're not getting in the way of the primary photog.

I was looking up Vistek and apparently there is a new 70-200mm VR II lens out. Should I rent that or stick to the old one? This one seems heavier :S

they are both pretty expensive but great lenses. unless you are getting paid to do weddings every week, it may not be worth buying them yet. renting can be tough because you usually have to book waaay in advance esp for the fast zooms.

try it out first and see if you're comfortable with that focal range, otherwise it's a wasted investment. Also you can look at your current photos and see what focal length the majority of them have been taken in. If they are closer to the long end and you have felt you wanted it closer, you may get some good use out of it.

if you do use a 70-200, you may want to get a 2nd body with a wider lens to save you loads of precious time.

FYI: Your website didn't work for me using Firefox (3.5.5) on the Mac. None of the photos displayed. Using Safari 4.0.4, I could see the photos, but the "About" and "Contact" tabs didn't to connect to any page.

Yc

Much the same here with both Safari and Firefox on Mac, and Firefox in Windows. It looks like whatever is being used for the page, it will only work in Internet Explorer.

sorry i should mention. i only recently put it up. the other pages are under construction. i only have the gallery page active. BUT it should work on any browser... atleast it works on chrome, firefox and IE from home and from work. ill look into it. thanks.

@Delsorbo: I wont be buying any lenses for a while. What i will do is rent the 70-200 early in the morning around 8am since the wedding is at 3pm and then practice around a bit. Ill go over to the location and take some pictures of the church and stuff and maybe the setup crew and stuff. It may add a new perspective to the show.

Not working on my Firefox

Apparently it is a common problem with this flash album. Ill correct it with the new version. Till then IE and Chrome are the best options to view. If not then http://www.flickr.com/sh3r0y