EOS 5D3 - shooting first wedding on Saturday

[bdunbar79]

While 2nd shooting for some incredible photogs in my city, I learned that bouncing flash off of the ceiling can be nice, but bouncing behind and to the side of you will produce the most attractive light. Look for white/neutral colored objects to bounce off of. However, since this is your first wedding, it may just be easier to shoot the ceiling and not have to think twice about it. I wouldn't recommend using auto ISO with flash. As you probably know, it will alter how lit your background is, so decide early on what you want and keep your ISO there (like during the reception).

As for shooting mode, I would recommend using Manual. This is where attending the rehearsal dinner will come in handy. It enables you to really dial in your settings and view it larger on your computer later that night. Since it's indoors, the lighting won't change during the ceremony... Manual will make another thing that you won't have to worry about (until the location/lighting changes). Typically, I shoot in manual when there's consistent lighting, and when we're on the move, i change to Av with +2/3 or +1 stop EC.

For my 5D3, I changed the DoF button to One-Shot/Ai-Servo. It's super handy for weddings because if you ever need servo, just reach your ring finger forward and hold down the button, then your focus will track. One thing to keep in mind, servo seems to constantly bounce a little in front and a little behind the subject, so takes a lot of extra pics when in servo to ensure you've nailed focus.

Thank you.  You must shoot to the right.

[Stephen Melvin]

Ditch the Tupperware and use bounce flash instead. Don't be afraid to raise the ISO; the Mk III can handle it. Up to 12800 is a no brainer. Shoot RAW. Balance your ambient and flash exposure. You have excellent gear (except for the Tupperware) that's pretty much state-of-the-art. Don't be afraid to push it.

I have to disagree. Keep that lightsphere on there. It DOES bounce the flash. In every direction. Much better than a bare speedlight.

It doesn't bounce the flash, it scatters the light. It seriously eats up your flash power and has pretty much zero benefit unless you happen to be in a very small room with a low ceiling. Better to have a 580EX and point the flash head at a convenient surface to bounce off of. You'll have much more control and the quality of light will be a whole lot nicer.

But yes, balance your flash and ambient. Also, gel your flash indoors unless you want the background to be orange (under tungsten light). Also, get yourself a fast prime. I recommend the 50 1.4 on a budget, or the sigma 85 1.4 if you have a few bucks more to spend. I shoot weddings almost exclusively on primes with the only exception being the 70-200 2.8 is L II for the ceremony. The siggy 85 lives on my camera for large receptions or the 50 1.4 for tighter receptions. 

He has some pretty good lenses for weddings as it is. While I, too, also like to shoot primes at weddings, I know I'm more of the exception than the rule. My favorite is the 24L II.

So yea, at a fairly dark reception, keep your iso at 3200, shoot with a prime at about f2, and use gelled bounce flash with your GF Lightspere. On your 5d3, it will look great!

Never plan to fix something in post. Get it right in camera. And shoot to the right. I always overexpose by 1/3 to 2/3 stop depending on the scene. But keep your blinkies on in the camera and be careful not to shoot TOO far to the right and blow out the dress.

Oh, and even though its your cousin, still get a contract that limits your legal liability should things turn out badly. NEVER do a wedding under any circumstance without a contract.

Just my 2 and a half cents.

Some good advice here, though with the Mk III, I'd be absolutely fearless with the ISO settings. 3200 is conservative on this camera.

[Tcapp]

Some good advice here, though with the Mk III, I'd be absolutely fearless with the ISO settings. 3200 is conservative on this camera.

Yes, be as fearless with ISO as you like. I only suggest 3200 because I find that it is a sweet spot with an f2 lens and about 1/60 - 1/100 to balance ambient and flash. But don't hesitate to jump to 6400 or higher if need be.

[Tcapp]

Oh and about the lightsphere eating up power. I've never had to change batteries at a reception with it on. As long as your iso is high enough, you'll be shooting at or below 1/64th power the whole time. SO you have to take 64 photos to use up one flash charge. And on full batteries, a flash is good for a couple hundred full power shots.

[kennephoto]

I have a wedding coming up in 1 month and I have been going round and round in my head about 5d3 and 5d2. I dont have either camera yet but I sure want one of the two. I see a lot of you have been saying not to be fearless with ISO on 5d3 but what about 5d2? Is the 5d3 a ISO beast compared to 5d2? Basically can you be a bit fearless with 5d2 still?

[ScottyP]

I have a wedding coming up in 1 month and I have been going round and round in my head about 5d3 and 5d2. I dont have either camera yet but I sure want one of the two. I see a lot of you have been saying not to be fearless with ISO on 5d3 but what about 5d2? Is the 5d3 a ISO beast compared to 5d2? Basically can you be a bit fearless with 5d2 still?

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Canon_EOS_5D_Mark_III/high_ISO_noise.shtml

I found this ISO comparison between 5D2 and 5D3 compelling.  It is side-by-side shots of a church interior, and not test patterns or whatnot, so you may find it illuminating.  (photography pun intended)

[Tcapp]

I have a wedding coming up in 1 month and I have been going round and round in my head about 5d3 and 5d2. I dont have either camera yet but I sure want one of the two. I see a lot of you have been saying not to be fearless with ISO on 5d3 but what about 5d2? Is the 5d3 a ISO beast compared to 5d2? Basically can you be a bit fearless with 5d2 still?

The two cameras are very similar with noise, but the reason you want to be a little more careful with the 5d2 is color fidelity and dynamic range. The 5d2 goes purple and the files become harder to work with, while the 5d3 holds up pretty well.

[Jamesy]

I wouldn't recommend using auto ISO with flash

 

Original poster : Watch out for that!.  The 5D3 defaults to locking the iso at 400-1600 when flash is engaged. 

I was going to mention the 400 ISO in auto-ISO the moment you stick a flash on top of the camera.

What do you mean by "The 5D3 defaults to locking the iso at 400-1600"? My experience has been that it locks at ISO 400 - it does not go up to 1600. Am I missing something on my end?

[Stephen Melvin]

I have a wedding coming up in 1 month and I have been going round and round in my head about 5d3 and 5d2. I dont have either camera yet but I sure want one of the two. I see a lot of you have been saying not to be fearless with ISO on 5d3 but what about 5d2? Is the 5d3 a ISO beast compared to 5d2? Basically can you be a bit fearless with 5d2 still?

Up to 3200. 6400 is usable if you take some care with exposure and processing. 12800 is useless.

On the Mk III, 12800 is a walk in the park. 16000 looks good. 25800 is usable. 51600 works in a pinch, if you understand what to expect and don't mind taking some time in Lightroom to coax the best out of what you've got.

I'd consider the Mk III to be 2-3 stops better on the high end. I'm someone who's been shooting in the dark for a very long time; the capabilities of the Mk III are nothing short of astonishing. The Mk II is better than film ever was, mind you. But the Mk III is in a whole other league.

[Stephen Melvin]

The two cameras are very similar with noise, but the reason you want to be a little more careful with the 5d2 is color fidelity and dynamic range. The 5d2 goes purple and the files become harder to work with, while the 5d3 holds up pretty well.

The larger issue is pattern noise. It starts to show up at 6400 on the Mk II, and it's dominant at 12800. It's pretty much unfixable at that point, short of heavy duty NR software. That's where I get my "speed limit" from. Noise doesn't bother me, as long as it's random or appears so. If it looks like film, or can be made to look like film, I'm fine with it.

Others will have a lower tolerance. I suspect most of them never shot high speed photographic film like I have.

[benherman]

Anyone shooting a wedding for the first time should really have some experience behind them first, owning some gear doesn't really qualify you to do a good service to a couple. Most of the advise here is not going to help. Go out there and shoot some events. Learn what works. Even better, shoot with a professional and learn firsthand how to approach things. It's funny how many posts like this end up on various forum sites. What you need to shoot a wedding isn't gear, it's skill and knowing how your gear works in various situations, and even more - what are you capturing - what many call the best day of their life. If you don't know how to do it, should you?

I shot my first wedding with my wife for free, because the couple didn't have a budget for photography. We did a good job considering we were new to weddings, but we were also far out of our depth. You really need to be a second shooter to get some experience.

[kennephoto]

Anyone shooting a wedding for the first time should really have some experience behind them first, owning some gear doesn't really qualify you to do a good service to a couple. Most of the advise here is not going to help. Go out there and shoot some events. Learn what works. Even better, shoot with a professional and learn firsthand how to approach things. It's funny how many posts like this end up on various forum sites. What you need to shoot a wedding isn't gear, it's skill and knowing how your gear works in various situations, and even more - what are you capturing - what many call the best day of their life. If you don't know how to do it, should you?

I shot my first wedding with my wife for free, because the couple didn't have a budget for photography. We did a good job considering we were new to weddings, but we were also far out of our depth. You really need to be a second shooter to get some experience.

What better experience than actually shooting a wedding. Sure anyone can grab a camera and take a picture but good photos come from someone thats creative with a camera. My first wedding I shot was for my girlfriends best friend, I really had no clue what to expect the day of the wedding and every single wedding is different. So I took my camera and the lenses I had and gave it my best! Everyone loved the photos that I got and sure it was a small wedding and I felt very under geared but I did it and the photos turned out great in everyones eyes. Thats all that counts as far as I am concerned. Also the bride was almost considering not having a photographer because of money so I offered because who wouldnt want pictures of that day! I would love to tag along with a wedding photographer I think that would be one heck of a trip! Make sure batteries are charged and memory cards arent full!

[gary]

Set your shutter to silent mode. I usually set an upper limit on the ISO dependent upon the light. Have plenty of batteries for the flash and keep the flash on the camera. If the lighting is poor inside the reception see the organizer and see if their is a chance to raise the lighting. Don't be afraid of getting in the way of guests to get the shot as the bride won't thank you later. Absolutely check out the church and reception area and a place for shots of the couple. My last wedding with the help of the hotel we found a garden which was both empty and beautiful which made for some really nice shots of the couple. As its your first do a list of the important events during the wedding and reception and don't be conservative with the number of shots you take, you can always delete it but never retake. Take more than enough high speed memory cards. I hope thats enough to be getting on with.

[sach100]

Appreciate the tips shared by members here. Techniques defer but i am sure people have seen success which is why they even care to share.

[Scott_McPhee]

While 2nd shooting for some incredible photogs in my city, I learned that bouncing flash off of the ceiling can be nice, but bouncing behind and to the side of you will produce the most attractive light. Look for white/neutral colored objects to bounce off of. However, since this is your first wedding, it may just be easier to shoot the ceiling and not have to think twice about it. I wouldn't recommend using auto ISO with flash. As you probably know, it will alter how lit your background is, so decide early on what you want and keep your ISO there (like during the reception).

As for shooting mode, I would recommend using Manual. This is where attending the rehearsal dinner will come in handy. It enables you to really dial in your settings and view it larger on your computer later that night. Since it's indoors, the lighting won't change during the ceremony... Manual will make another thing that you won't have to worry about (until the location/lighting changes). Typically, I shoot in manual when there's consistent lighting, and when we're on the move, i change to Av with +2/3 or +1 stop EC.

For my 5D3, I changed the DoF button to One-Shot/Ai-Servo. It's super handy for weddings because if you ever need servo, just reach your ring finger forward and hold down the button, then your focus will track. One thing to keep in mind, servo seems to constantly bounce a little in front and a little behind the subject, so takes a lot of extra pics when in servo to ensure you've nailed focus.

Thank you.  You must shoot to the right.

What do you mean by shooting to the right?