Wedding photography advice and tips?
I'm new to photography, I recently purchased an entry level Nikon DSLR as an upgrade to my Nikon N55 and N65 and I've been shooting like crazy mostly family and some nature shoots and posting them up on my FB page. A couple weeks i got a call from a friend who's mom is getting married at the end of the month and she asked me if i could assist her as a second photographer keep in mind this is also her first weeding and I've been doing photography a bit longer then her but never a big event like this.
Any advice/tips you might have will help a lot i already watched all the youtube videos i could find lol and i feel pretty confident about it but really any advice will help.
i'm not charging her for my time there or editing of the photographs and she will get a photo CD and i might also create an album for her as a gift but in no way will i accept monetary compensation.
Thank you for taking the time to read all these.
Added (1). I have a Nikon D3100 with extra lenses, filters, tripod, monopod and lighting equipment.
If quality a serious concern for you and you're using it for the wedding, then I would recommend that you rent a camera online. The best in my opinion and the cheapest option would be the Nikon D7000.
Really depends on her camera too…
and the lenses available between you…
check out the venue for positions and limitations…
be considerate of the proceedings…
Personally I think the bride will probably be sorry in the end that she didn't hire a more experienced set of photographers. It is fine for you to be the second photographer at a wedding, (in fact, we're always advising people to do just that) but the lead shooter should have some experience and mad skills, which a new photographer will not have. Another complication is the bride is apparently the lead photog's mother? Recipe for disaster.
Here is my favorite link for first time wedding shooters:
http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Wedding101-page1.html
Email me if I can help with pointers or suggestions. Otherwise good luck.
You seem to be going in to this with a great attitude, treating it as a learning experience and watching all of the wedding photography videos you could find on YouTube. That's a great start. Keep searching the web for wedding photography content. There's more out there than you can possibly view in a lifetime!
Although equipment is important, good photography is not so much about the camera as it is about the photographer. In fact, sometimes too much equipment can get in the way, especially at a dynamic, fast-moving "live" event like a wedding. Don't go out and buy or rent new equipment. A wedding is not a good time to be experimenting with the a camera that you haven't had time to master. Stick with what you have, and just make sure you know it inside out and have lots of practice and experience using it in all kinds of conditions.
Make sure you visit the venues for the ceremony and reception at the same time of day the event will take place, and practice shooting there if you can. You and the other photographer (the bride's daughter, if I'm reading you right) should work out where each of you will be so you can shoot different angles and choose lenses so you each have a wider variety of photos for the bride. Don't stand side-by-side taking the same picture! Understand the timeline - what's going to happen when - so you can be in the right place at the right time.
Take lots and lots of photos, again working different angles and lenses. Working with a "second shooter" I'll create over 1, 000 images at a typical wedding. The bride sees only 300 or so of the very best, so 70% are edited out.
Good luck, have fun, keep the bride smiling and happy. You'll do fine.
George
Certified Professional Photographer
http://www.NYPortraits.com
The next time you are asked, smile, say you're flattered and then run like hell. Amateur wedding photography is like amateur brain surgery.