Wedding photography trouble. Can you give me advice?

I am an intermediate level photographer with non-pro equipment (ie no decent flashguns, entry level DSLR). I have been asked to shoot an afternoon wedding. I am quite proficient with my equipment but i am petrified of camera shake especially seeing as i am going to have to shoot pretty freely (no tripod). I need tips for this, and i also wanted to figure out wherei need to be at different times through-out the actual ceremony. Like ';try and be here, for this kind of shot'; type answers. Any other wedding photo tips would be much appreciated.





ThanksWedding photography trouble. Can you give me advice?
Advice - DON'T DO IT.





Wedding photography is a specialist area and not something you should be doing if a. you have no experience of it or b. you are not sure.





No bride wants her wedding pics ruined and no matter how ';competent'; you may be it is likely you will mess it up if you don't have experience of doing weddings.





拢Wedding photography trouble. Can you give me advice?
If you are worried about camera shake here are a few things that might help.





Some lenses, specifically Nikon since I'm a Nikon guy, have a vibration reduction feature in them that is extremely useful for shaky/fidgety hands such as mine.





Any flat surface you can find of course can be used. Resting the elbow that is controlling the lens on yourself is another way to keep stable. Also, a fast shutter speed will help as well, if you are working in low light solutions you could still manage to pull off some fast shutter speeds if you turn up the ISO a bit but that will get you some grainy pictures so remember that! Of course, if you are shooting in the dark having a flash is very helpful as you will not need to turn up the ISO as much so your pictures will not be grainy and you can still keep your high shutter speeds.





I hope this has helped some what.





-Don
The best advice I can offer is to ';Just say NO.'; You really aren't ready to shoot a wedding and you know that as well as I do. Tell the couple you're flattered but that you simply don't have the experience and equipment to do an acceptable job.





Their wedding day is the most important day in a couple's life up to the birth of their first child. Its no place for a wannabe amateur.





Just say no.
Unless you are trying to move in that direction and need the experience, you should NOT do it. This is a once in a life time event for the bride, and there are no second chance. And if the bride is a friend, that friendship could end badly. Or worse, you continue to be friends but have to face her all the time.





If you decide to do it here's an PDF you should read.





http://www.aljacobs.com/NEW%20WEDDING.pd鈥?/a>








Good luck...
We all shot our first wedding at some point. It is better, of course, to intern with an experienced pro. As an amateur pressed into service as a favor, your job is to prepare as much and as thoroughly as possible, and do the best you can. If there is a possibility of shadowing a pro at a wedding, then do so. Even one time would be a great help. Many people use amateurs because the budget simply won't allow for a professional. I am sure that a lot of couples bitterly regret that decision later. OTOH some amateurs can and will do a decent job. Some amateurs will produce pure crap. Just because someone can shoot nice landscapes or still life does not mean they will be able to produce good wedding shots. Weddings happen fast, and there are no do-overs and no excuses. If you are proficient with your equipment and know an f/stop from a door stop then you have at least a start. But your real first job is to encourage the couple to hire a professional whose work they like. Think about this carefully, if the images of their big day are not what they expected, will they be OK with that? Will it cause hard feelings and lost friendships? Might they sue you for ruining their big day? I am assuming you intend to shoot this as a favor to friends or family and not as a paid job. Be sure to control expectations beforehand. In fact, I would write a contract stating that you are not a professional and you will not guarantee the results in any way and have them sign it. I don't mean to totally be a discouraging harpy, but lifetime friendships have been broken over wedding photography despite the best of intentions on both sides, and drama does happen. So now that's out of the way...





Here is my favorite link for first time wedding photographers.





http://www.rokkorfiles.com/Wedding101-pa鈥?/a>





Also cruise Photo.net's wedding photography forum and look for the newbie section and browse the archives.





Is camera shake normally a problem for you? If so, go to a higher ISO to keep the shutter speed up to at least lens length. Make sure you do not underexpose, that will create noise when lifted in post processing. Don't overexpose and blow the highlights either, especially on the dress. Here is where the histogram and the winky-blinkys are your friends.. Here is also where not having a decent flash will get tricky. Unless the location has perfect even lighting, you will need a decent flash for fill or to balance your people exposure with the ambient. If for fill only, the popup flash may do the trick, providing you are close enough. But if you were intending to get a flash anyway, now would be the time.





Look at a few bridal magazines and pro websites and see what is being done. Look at posing and make notes if necessary. Shooting your first wedding is not the time to try to get creative or use new equipment or technique unless you have had some time to practice. So do what works for you already.





Visit the location at the same time of day and see how the light will be. Take some test shots with stand-in models and note your exposures. If there is a rehearsal, plan to be there. That will help you know where you need to be. If there is a question about the best angle for a particular shot, bias your decision in favor of the bride, because really, it's all about her! Find out where you can be from the officiant beforehand. Usually outdoor weddings will be more relaxed about the photographer than inside a church. I normally shoot the processional from the front and the ceremony from the back. But sometimes I stay up front for the ceremony. If I have a second shooter, I am in front and they are in the back so both angles are covered. Find out any special things they may be planning on doing, like unity candles, or sand pouring, special readings or whatever. Get a shot of any singers, readers, grandparents lighting candles, or whatever. Be in a front position for the kiss, it is a must have shot.





Take extra memory and batteries. Take a backup camera of some kind, even if it's an old P%26amp;S and have it batteried, tested, nearby and ready to go





Google wedding photography shot list and you can find lots of generic ';must have'; lists. Print one and talk to the B%26amp;G and have them point out what may be in their must haves. Take a few posed group shots, even if they think they don't want them. Always angle people to the lens, never straight on. Shoot a lot, then weed the obviously bad ones. As the years go by, I am more brutal in editing, but as a first timer you might want to err on the side of caution, but do remove the out of focus or very unattractive expressions. Don't waste your time taking pictures of people eating. Don't forget to make closeups of the details, the flowers, cake, special touches, rings, invitations etc etc.





Do your homework and prepare and good luck.
You know what, a lot of people on here are just rude. If you've been asked to do it (probably by someone you know), then they are perfectly aware that this is not your area of expertise but are willing to take a chance on you, while giving you a chance to build your portfolio and experience. Nothing wrong with that, as long as all parties are aware of the situation. Everyone has to start somewhere!





Other folks have given advice on the technical end of things, so I won't say anything more on that subject. As for the ';where to be to get the best shot of this'; type questions: find out if they are having a rehearsal, and attend it. If not, see if you can get a walk-through of the space before the big day. This gives you the opportunity to ask those questions, in the space, before hand. See where the best angles are, what kind of lighting you have to work with, take some test shots, etc. That'll be a big help. Think of things from the bride and groom's point of view. If it were your day, what would you want photos of? Most of all, try to relax and enjoy the experience.