Ring exchange....how to do it right
 

2nd year into the business, I think our team have overcome most of the problems and start producing decent work. However, we still can't do a nice ring exchange clip. There are always something block the view, like B&G hand, or their body, even the photographer. We tried zoom in to CU but when B&G move their hand, the ring is gone.

did you guys had the same problem? how to do it right?

thx

I have only done a couple weddings for friends but I had them do the rings and kiss again after the photo session after the wedding. Took just a few minutes and it turned out great.

right....I can do one later for the close up. thank you man.

for the Kissing part, most of the church here allow us to move during the ceremony so we just move around in circle while they kiss. The out come is great.

Thank you for your advise!

Yep, Hopefully some others will chime in with what their solution is. As I said I have only done that for friends so I don't know if it violates any rules of the wedding.

I generally have a camera on either side of the venue (1 for bride close-ups and 1 for groom close-ups). During rehearsal I instruct the couple to make sure they turn their hands towards the audience when they put the rings on, and even turn their bodies slightly. Great results when they remember to do it, which isn't very often.

I'm considering a new approach to filming the ceremony where I would be up close (but out of sight) and handheld for the entire ceremony. I'd get good ring shots then, but the tradeoff is in being handheld for 30 minutes or more. I've done it several times, but it's exhausting.

I never have a problem with the kiss but I will have them restage the ring exchange at the reception if I feel like it. Just a quick "overhead" closeup of each hand done twice - once from each side.

I don't always do it though. I'm right smack down the center aisle so I always get the hands... just not very close.

Yep, been there done that a few times. Never again. I'm too old and out of shape for that kind of thing. If I could do it with a monopod to support the camera, I would consider it again but...

Don

Have to agree with you there, Don. The few times I've been stuck doing entire ceremonies hand held, it nearly killed me.

But SiuChung has a great question, and I always have the same problem he does. It never occurred to me to restage it later. I'll have to consider that...

I've considered re-staging it, but then the couple always remembers that the actual shot in their video is the staged shot, so it feels less authentic. Might just be a personal preference, though.

That's a good idea, over head CU will do a nice job!

Yeah I really don't like to restage anything but IF it's the ONLY way to get the shot (IE someone stepped out into the aisle like a dillwig and completely blocked me). Of course I'll restage only if I know my 2nd camera has no shot and I beat the offender silly with an old used Beta tape I carry just for those reasons. :-)


Don

I guess the best thing to do would be to ask the couple. If I can't get a shot of the rings, it doesn't hurt to ask them if they want to do a set-up shot. If they don't, we don't. If they do, we do. Easy enough.

It happened to me twice from the same photog at 2 different wedding.

Would you like to 'buy' an old Beta tape for beating them around the head and shoulders? They also can be thrown a great distance with wonderful accuracy!

O|O
\_/

Don

I only have a few things to say in regard to this and it's not really about how to "get the shot". I don't fret about this anymore like I used to back in the day. It's always nice if you feel you can grab it... but on the other hand it's just not as important to me as getting their reaction shots. You can always frame this shot so you get both the exchange & also the reactions. At least this way no one can say you missed either.

Also another thing... if it's at minimum a two cam shoot... communicate with your other cam op! I freelance edit & I can't count how many times I've edited a two cam ceremony where both cams are zoomed in on this... no reactions at all of the B&G... because they don't know what the other's shot is. PLUS the length of time held on this can be ridiculous! Sometimes it's for the whole duration, which is quite silly to me. Five secs or so is all that's needed, in my opinion.