Beach Wedding
 

I am doing a beach wedding this weekend, if anyone has done one, can you give me any tips? stuff like cam placement, mic's, any thing will help.

thanks
Gary

What time of day are you doing this? What coast?


One thing to keep in mind is the sun and where it is while you are shooting. Another is noise of the ocean and waves breaking.

Some of your best shots will probably be of the couple with the ocean behind them, perhaps a sunset if possible.

In my opinion, the best shots at a wedding are usually from behind the bridesmaids and groomsmen. From this angle, you get the bride and groom in the foreground with a profile of the preacher to the side. In the background there are the families. At a beach wedding, the ocean is usually the view for the guests. This often makes an aisle shot backlit by the ocean and sky down to the horizon. Like Marco said, the angle of the sun is a prime concern. You need to worry about backlight and lens flare. Contamination on the front element is also a concern. When I shot with the VX2000, I always used a wide angle adapter. It can be difficult to find a hood for a wide lens, so be extra careful to make sure your lens is clean in case it gets hit by the sun.

Good questions. My wedding is at 5:30 PM and is at Ft.Monroe in Virginia. The Fort is on the beach. I will be using a GL2 cam

Gary

Nice. Well so much for sunset inbetween them with the water surrounding. Done right that shot is so insanely beautiful.

BUT!!!

Since the sun is setting west, opposite of the water, you should get some nice lighting on the faces and wonderfully lit ocean and beach shots. GL2, not bad at all in low light. Marcus may have got the right idea for a good shot with the sun being roughly 3/4 behind the crowd if they are facing the water. Be sure to keep exposure in mind as the sun starts to slowly wane.

From my few wedding adventures I have found it hard to totally plan out unless you are at the rehearsal too. THEN you know where everything will be. Is that going to be the case with you? If not, get there early so you can possibly test.

Thanks again for your help. Great suggestions. One more thing. It will be a one cam wedding. I have the GL2 and I have a Sony VX2000. Which one do you think would work better?

Gary

IMO the VX will yield better results. But this only comes from experience with my vx2100, very good in low light and great footage. I don't have a whole of of time with the GL2. But I believe the vx is the better choice...

All cameras are good when the light is set, but when you're not sure what light conditions will be, and you're lucky to have a choice, I'd go with Sony, always do - no regrets :-)

Make sure you protect your cameras! Sand, water, children, animals, chaos, outdoors, theives, wind... bad combination. Sand is the worst of all those. I would keep on your toes, and keep your cams in their cases when not in use. We're going to be doing beach weddings and I'm nervous.

Gary, I have a short of a beach wedding I did on my website. I think it's on the homepage. My first advise would be to know your detailed weather report, temp, wind speed and direction, tide report, water temp etc. Know as much as you can about the day. Also check with the local chamber of comerce about filming on the beach, sometimes there is a special permit you have to get for size, or atleast there is in Va beach.

What other's say about the direction is of the sun is important, try to set the scene with three people shortly before the ceremony starts, that way you know the best direction.

And keep that damm camera dry, hehe. You might consider wrapping it in a towel, and make sure if you have a good tripod that you wrap it in duct tape and trashbags. All it takes is one piece of sand.

May the schwartz be with you on your shoot.

Dana, I actually bought a raincoat for my Sony Cam just incase, I used it on my first beach wedding, but the wind was very calm so I took it off.

Beaches themselves aren't the problem. High wind with rough surf will kick up salt spray. High wind is the enemy. It can effect your audio and carry contaminants. If you keep your camera up off the ground, the sand is too heavy to get up to your camera or tripod head. I have stainless steel tripod and monopod legs and never have had a problem with sand. Just don't get it in the workings. People usually hold the ceremony back from the water, so light surf won't be a problem. Make sure your lav mics have at least a foam cover and consider increasing the low-pass rolloff to reduce bass rumble from wind and surf. Around here, weddings are usually held where the ocean is calm due to an outer reef breaking the waves. Roaring surf is not only bad for cameras and audio, it is also not ideal for the ceremony itself. If not even the couple can hear the proceedings, people won't want to use that location. If you are lucky, the location has been chosen with weather problems considered.

Thanks Guys, your suggestions and ideas will be very helpful.

Gary