Wedding
 

Hi, I have been asked if I will take shots at a friends wedding, it will be a small affair but want to give it the look of something big. I have a Nikon d5100, what would be a good lens / lenses to use on the day?

I'm no expert but I'd suggest something fast with a wide aperture, f2.8 or something similar. Generally speaking the lighting in churches (indoors) isnt great and flash isn't always allowed so a fast lens is useful. I'd also go with a wide focal length, to get everything in, and also something longer. A second body is really useful if you can get one, as there isn't really time to change lenses.

What lenses do you have??
Chris

hi and welcome first let me ask what is your photography experience. I dont want to put you off but the first thing to remember is that this is there big day are you the main shooter. if you are and you have not done this before then i would think twice before doing it.
what you will need is something like 17-70 that should take care of the groups and some close in work it should be f2.8, remember most churches are low light an flash is not usually allowed. a good 70-200 wont go amiss for some nice close in shots without getting in peoples faces. you will need a good external flash look at nissin and a diffuser for. you need to scout the church and reception before and also have a back up plan for bad weather. best of luck

I can echo what wave01 says. I've done a few weddings as favours for friends, and its a stressful experience. I doubt you'll enjoy the wedding I'm afraid to say.

I have a 70-200 and 24-70, both f2.8. I've also used a 50mm f1.8.

Its well worth doing a recce, and be sure that you know what the bride and groom want from the photos.
Sorry to be doom and gloom, but like wave01 says, its their big day, and the pressure to get it right is massive.
All the best with it.

I could not be paid enough to shoot a wedding. Never will do it.

Equipment wise a fast 17-70 and a fast zoom such as 70-200 (F2.8) it may be worth considering hiring the lenses if you don't own them.

I thought I would share a few of things I have learnt, if it is a church wedding try and get in contact with the vicar doing the wedding he will give a heads up on what is allowed and what isn't. Some of them won't allow photos at all during the main ceremony but will stage them afterwards.

Have a shooting plan which you discuss with the bride and groom, also think of some creative ideas yourself but priority on the day is make sure you bag the shots they want before you get creative.

Depending on what time of day it is watch your shutter speed, I shot a wedding in November which finished at 4:00 PM the light dropped rapidly and so did my shutter speed which can cause blurred shots.

If you use Auto at the moment get used to Aperture Priority mode I pretty much shot a whole wedding in this mode with exposure compensation, I did also use manual in the evening recepition.

When doing group photos fire off a few shots the bigger the group the more chance someone will be blinking, yawning, looking the wrong way etc. Talk and joke to the group it gets them looking your way and a joke causes smiles etc.

Try and do a practice shoot with the bride and groom prior to the event to get them comfortable with being photographed and teach them how to stand and pose.

As someone has already mentioned do a reccy of the venues, both reception and where the marriage happens.

Double check the night before you have memory cards, batteries, lenses, camera etc and also have a backup camera available even if it is a compact. Also check you camera settings i.e. not set at a high ISO etc

Try and get someone to assist with rounding up everyone for shots etc.

Check your histogram after shots and shoot in RAW or RAW+JPG as you can recover more detail in this mode.

As someone mentioned it is quite stressful but it is also great experience.

You may want to read a book on the subject [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wedding-Photography-The-Complete-Guide/dp/1861084595/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358009529&sr=8-1]this[/url] in my opinion is excellent and covers all I have mentioned plus more.

I am not trying to frighten you BTW if you go in with your eyes open it is a lot easier on the day;)

The best way to get some practice, and check out what lenses the pro's use is to muscle in on a friend of a friends wedding, as an unpaid, second photographer. All the pressure is on the guy getting paid, you can just mingle and snap away to your hearts content with no pressure. Watch how he groups everyone, how he copes with bad light etc. Tell the happy couple you'll do them an album free of charge for giving you the experience.
As others have said, it's massive pressure being the no 1 tog.
At the very least you WILL need a spare body, not for extra lenses, but in case the first body breaks down........imagine it, 3 shots into the photos and the body lets you down! err, sorry everone "I dont have a spare". Focal length, as the other guys have said, 17-200 will cover everything from the formal groups, to the Bride & Groom portraits.
If you still go ahead, then aperture is king, you'll need that light for as low an iso as poss, to avoid noise.
Best of Luck

I have well over 2000 weddings under my belt, never kept score!!

Professional advice, free, Say No. Ed.

I don't want to put you off but I'm with donoreo on this one , not for my own weight in gold .

Mark

heres my second bit of help. i used to do weddings every weekend a long time ago. my advice is, remember its the bride and grooms day talk to them and see what they need. there is always a special shot or two that they want. you only get the one chance at this so its has to be right if you take to long then the guests start to wander off so some of the groups will be wrong. also think of what you will do if the weather is bad and you need to shot indoors. as for equipment then you will need a spare body to add to the list from above and i would use both on the shoot to cover any fault that may occur that you cant see at the time