At 00:32 8/20/01, Wayne Culberson wrote:
I wish I had found this list earlier and had more time to get some advice.
That's water under the bridge. Don't kick yourself over it. You do the
best you can with what you have on hand at the time. Many things in life
are "come as you are" affairs. If you give your best effort, that's all
anyone can ask.
If I had it to do over again, well, I don't think I would.
You may get called upon again some time. You've got some experience now
and have a better idea of what you need and would do at a future one. It
can actually be enjoyable although it does make for a long day.
Several other family members were taking pics for themselves and asking
for arrangements of people at the same time. When no pro is there,
everyone is perceived to be on the same level, with no one in charge. This
is one problem I have seen no one address or warn about, but it was maybe
the biggest challenge.
I really feel for you about this one. It is one of the trickiest parts of
shooting a wedding for relatives. There is a section about it in my
tutorial along with how to cope with the people some wedding photogs refer
to as "Uncle Harry" and "Aunt Harriet." The strategy is taking charge up
front, remaining the individual orchestrating the activity, and giving
everyone who wants to use their camera a reasonable chance to do so. How
difficult it is depends greatly on who is there and their personalities.
If you ever do this again, or anything similar, and for the benefit of the
list (and archives), this is my strategy at the post-wedding portraiture:
1. Make certain you're one of the first to arrive at the altar when the
bridal party and their families come back in. Start organizing them as
soon as they do (people you know you need first and people you will need
later).
2. When the bridal party and families are back in, get their
attention: Acknowledge others are there with cameras and announce the
photography "rules of engagement" for everyone.
3. The Rules of Engagement:
a. I have a list of groupings the bride and groom desire, and a
sequence for them so none get omitted.
b. I will set up the groupings and pose the people in them.
c. I will make the first shots, likely two to four.
d. I will step out of the way for a few seconds for everyone else to
take a shot.
e. We will move on to the next grouping.
4. Give everyone in the bridal party and their families a very brief
synopsis of the sequence so they will know what to expect (i.e. starting
with families first working from largest group to smallest, then doing the
wedding party the same way).
On the advice of another wedding photographer, I did quite a few shots
with the portra400vc with available lighting, but am guessing there will
be too much yellow cast to suit me (based on the difficult lighting).
That's OK. A decent print processor can almost always correct color
balance of artificial lighting in the prints, especially if it's incandescent.
From your posting it sounds like you survived and got home OK. Also
sounds like there were no major equipment malfunctions, which is always a
blessing.
BTW, your number of frames shot is well within the typical range. I know
the tension isn't over until you get the film back and see the proofs. I'm
confident you'll breathe a sigh of relief then. There's nothing more you
can do now except wait. In the mean time, try not to fret over
anything. [Yeah, right, don't think about the color "blue" either.]
-- John
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