Best items to take for a Wedding

I am a hobby photographer with the following gear:

- Canon 30D
- Canon Speedlite 430EX
- Canon 100mm Macro Lens
- Canon 10-22mm Lens
- Tamron 28-75mm Lens

I am shooting a small wedding for my brother at two locations. One is a small service inside of a courthouse and then second is at a restaurant for the reception.

I am looking for some good accessories that will help me to shoot a wedding. I am especially eager to hear what some good flash diffusers are that worked well for you. I ave read some good things about the LumiQuest 80-20, the Gary Fong LightSphere II, and the LumiQuest Softbox, but I don't know which is better than which. I am paranoid that I will blow out my subject or perhaps blow out a subject that is closer when I need something further away lit also. What are some recommendations you have?

Also, what do you think of my setup? Will a 100mm, 10-22mm, and a 28-75mm lens be sufficient? Should I rent another lens for the day? Which lens do you think I should be using the most?

Do you have any other helpful tips for the wedding I may have forgotten?

Tags: diffuser, wedding

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Permalink Reply by Carlton Ward on August 2, 2009 at 11:59pm

Hello Hi-DOF,
For weddings, I take at least 2 camera bodies, 2 speedlights (w/Stofen diffusers), tripod, sometimes my Alien Bees for group portraits with diffusion panels & reflectors, several CF cards and all the lenses. I will use my 24-70mm f/2.8L and my 70-200mm f/2.8L IS the most but will also use the 50mm or 100mm primes and occasionally a wide angle like the 17-40mm or 10-22mm. I hear from many that the Gary Fongs are over-rated but have not used them myself.
Look online for a list of wedding poses as these will help organize and give you something to check off as you go.
You should also go down to the venue beforehand and check out the lighting you will be shooting in so you can anticipate the lighting challenges and be prepared for them. Then there are the other people with cameras that will be getting in your way while you are trying to shoot, so you have to tell them beforehand to stay out of your way and shoot from behind or off to the side of you. They should also be told not to use their flashes as this can screw up your shots.
Weddings are a 1 shot deal, if equipment fails and you dont have a backup or you miss the shots, there's no getting a 2nd chance.
Good Luck,
Carlton

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Permalink Reply by Tyrone on August 3, 2009 at 1:31am

It sounds to me like you might get by on the equipment that you have already. Getting closer to the action in lue of a telephoto might be your best option. Also, I rarely use flash but opt for a tripod (not too heavy nor too light) .

Bambi Cantrell and Monte Zucker are the two people that I most often referr to when I need to know anything about the ins and outs of wedding photography. Believe me there are none better.

As for diffusers and the like I use an ommibouce or a small light box in TTL mode I've never blown out a dress yet and bout only cost 19 to 40 dollars. I really don't think that you need to worry about renting another lens at this time. Although, I do recommend a backup equipment just in case of a failure on anything.

And go to the local bookstore, grab yourself some coffee relax and read through Monte and Bambi's books and have a good time at the wedding. Chow! See my work at www.redbubble.com/people/matsumoto

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Permalink Reply by Tyrone on August 3, 2009 at 5:52am

Oh, I almost forgot. My SECOND camera is the same as the first, so I attually shoot with 2 identical bodies!!!
That way there is NO second guessing the controls to any of my equipment...this is very important!!!

And you will appreciate the logic in this if you decide to branch out further . And as always good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Matt Needham on August 3, 2009 at 4:41am

I've owned the LumiQuest 80-20, GF LightSphere, StoFen Omnibounce, and a couple of mini-softboxes, and for the last several years my preferred bouncer has been a piece of white hobby foam rubber-banded to the flash. Fool around with the foam, rubber bands, and stick-on velcro, and it's easy (and ultra cheap) to whip up all sorts of custom tools. Check out http://www.abetterbouncecard.com/

Blown highlights aren't solved by flash modifiers. You just need to understand how the meter is going to interpret the world. If the scene is dark (groom in black) the meter and flash will over-expose on their own. If the scene is light (bride in white) the meter and flash will underexpose on their own. Indoors I usually figure out my ambient exposure, and set the camera manually, then I ride the flash exposure comp dial as necessary.

75% of my wedding photos are taken with a standard, fast zoom, so for APS format that would be 17-50ish. The 10-22 and 28-75 will be handy, but I'd be changing lenses a lot if that's all I had.