Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Hey guys, I'm going to be shooting my first wedding next weekend, and I'm just a tiny bit nervous. I'm doing it on the super cheap for them so I have it on my portfolio, and they're super chill, so I'm more nervous for my own sake of being happy with it more than theirs haha. I have a couple questions to ask, but I was also wondering what your guys big tips would be. I'll have 2 t3is, an H4n, a shotgun and a lapel mic, 2 tripods, a slider, a flycam nano, 2 kit lenses, 2 50mm 1.8s, a rokinon 85mm 1.4, a Tamron 24-70 2.8, and a Canon 70-200 2.8. It's an outdoor ceremony around 5pm. My brother is assisting me, and doing some simple second shooting coverage.

Thanks,
Evan

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Have you loaded Magic Lantern onto your T2i? That's great help such as Movie Restart, and audio display.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I haven't yet, and I've been debating it, but I'm kind of wary of doing it so close to the wedding and not being familiar with it. I'm kind of leaning towards installing it right after and learning it really well for the next wedding.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Actually there is nothing to learn about using Magic Lantern. it's something add on to the camera that enhance your T2i to more like a camcorder.

So are many incidents I thought i was recording.. but then I realized I wasn't. Now ML has this big RED box with a cross line showing you that you are not recording. That's really helpful.

There was one time I forgot to turn on my RODE mic. Good that I noticed that after 2 guests interviews. With ML, you can have the audio meter display that you can monitor if you are recording, or even, what level you are recording with.

I'm sure you are aware of the 12 minutes mark. With Movie Restart, it will continue to record. Loose about half a second in between recording. I'm okay with that.

Then there's Focus Peaking, and Magic Zoom that assist better focusing.

So my advice is, go install it. besides, if you don't want it, just format the SD card and it will go back to normal.

And if you find it useful, make a donation to the ML community too. I did my part. :)

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

For the ceremony I wouldn't try anything fancy like shallow dof, shoot with a wider dof, lock your camera's onto a tripod, choose your frame and let them roll. place one on the right and one on the left of the action, let your brother shoot wide at 24mm with the 24/70mm (and use that angle as safety) and you use the 70-200mm for close up but be aware that 70mm already brings you pretty close with the cropfactor so you have to rely on the wide shot from the other camera if you mess up with focus or whatever.

Audio will make all the difference and having a bulky h4 limits its possibilities, maybe the officiant is willing to put it in his pocket and then attach the lapel mic to it, don't know how the wedding tradition is but if the officiant stays close to the couple all time you can mic him so you have him and the couple to record their voices. The shotgun is of nu use, unless you can get real close with the camera. You could also try placing the h4 nearby a sound speaker.

For the rest of the day ALWAYS keep one dslr with you with the 24/70 attached permanently to it so you can use all other lenses on the second dslr, if something important happens you where not aware of you"ll be happy to grab a "wide" angle lens instead of a 85mm, it can be the difference between having or not having the shot.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I'm with Evan not to use ML just before a shoot if you never used it before, it's not like you install it and a magic wizard appears on the screen telling you whats all new, what each function will do, and how to activate and/or access it. :) That you still have to find out yourself. I at least would only use ML if I new it inside out, what it does and what the consequences are for each choice I make. Your recording a once in a lifetime event so better safe the sorry.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Get outside today and tomorrow and practice shooting people simulating some of the moves you will have to cover on Sat. Get to know your equipment and be better prepared for what to expect.

Does your mics have a windscreen, either foam of fuzzy "deadcat"? Any kind of wind is going to rumble in the mics.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

There're so many additional features provided by ML. Having ML doesn't affect the basic operation of the camera. Then, I think this 3 features audio meter display, movie restart, and the big red cross box signaling not recording is great have. Imagine this once in a lifetime event you actually didn't hit the record button, or forgot to turn on the microphone.

Oh the above 3 features I mentioned is just an On/Off setting in the ML menu. :)

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I might try ML on a few random videos I'm making for youtube next week and see how it goes.
Jim, I have foamies for the lapel and the shotgun. Noa, sounds like some smart choices! I figure for non-ceremony I can be flying the 24-70 and have him doing tripod/slider stuff with a 50 or a kit, then we can swap for the ceremony and I can pop on the 70-200. I have to talk to them still about whether they want the whole ceremony or a more cinematic video, they've been kind of hard to get a hold of. I'm loving this info! Keep it coming guys!

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Hi Evan

Since it's your first ever wedding keep it as simple as you can and don't try and get too fancy at all. The ceremony vows are critical ..there is only one chance to get them and you cannot reshoot them so pay a lot of attention to the audio too...without audio the ceremony is useless so make absoltely sure that your zoom IS actually recording and do a couple of tests before the wedding so make sure that side doesn't let you down. Your shotgun is a really poor substitute but I always keep mine on as an emergency backup.

So many newbies disregard the audio with disasterous results...Are they having readings??? You might need a second recorder if they do readings from another spot at the venue.

Now seriously, IF they have a rehearsal go to it!!!! It's a perfect opportunity to decide on camera position and also test your audio! The officiants are normally flexible so if you have just a mic on the groom and someone is reading a poem 15' to the left, ask if they could maybe stand between the couple.

Chris

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

When you record without ML you get a red dot telling you are recording and sound is recorded automatically with it, don't see the advantage with a red cross telling you are not recording. :)

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I wouldn't ever use Magic Lantern at a wedding especially not my first. It's just too unreliable for an event that cannot be repeated. I know that Taky is an enthusiast but even he was complaining recently that the focus peaking had lead him to shoot out of focus because it was just plain wrong. I also see far too many reports of cameras locking up & requiring the battery to be removed for a hard reset. Magic Lantern is very ingenious & I take my hat off to the guys who have accomplished this amazing feat of reverse engineering but the trouble is that while there are features like zebras & peaking they are actually not very good & not at all of the standard that you would see on a proper camcorder. I cannot think of a single feature that ML offers that would improve my use of a Canon DSLR.

Canon DSLRs are so very simple to use that all you need is a loupe, a monopod or tripod & some practice. Use Quick AF to hit focus before you start recording. Don't use AWB as it's better for the colour to be consistent between shots & cameras than for it to be perfectly correct & there is some latitude for fixing it in post. The exposure meter is pretty accurate but err on the side of being a little underexposed as blown highlights at a wedding means a featureless wedding dress. Just remember that the metering is an average of the scene so make allowance if the subject is backlit or there is a lot of sky.

I don't know how experienced you are shooting video on a DSLR but following on from another thread here I would strongly suggest that you borrow/hire another 'proper' camcorder even if it's just a little handycam. You really do need a nice wide safety shot that you can cutaway to when you do a crash zoom or fluff focus or need to stop/restart recording as you hit the 4GB file limit.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Nigel- Thanks for the tips! I'd call myself relatively experienced with DSLRs, I have been doing photography and videography in full manual for a solid while now, I haven't run in to exposure issues in a few months.

Basically to sell the couple on the wedding video I tagged along to their engagement shoot (the photographer is a friend of mine) to shoot an engagement video for them. It definitely has some issues, I didn't have my flycam or my new tripod head yet, so there's a lot of technical imperfections, but thankfully she loved it and hired me haha.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I think you guys are right. For someone new to DSLR or never done weddings before, it's best not to do with ML. For me, I operate three T3i every weekend. It happened to me my second shooter many times that I look at the LCD screen recording till I realize I didn't hit the record button. Then another issue with forgetting to turn on the microphone not knowing because there is lack of audio display. And recording long catholic wedding the recording stopped at the 12 min mark. These are the things I found ML help tremendously.

Regarding Focus Peaking. I would say, it works 90% of the time. I stop using it and use Magic Zoom instead to assist manual focusing.

Evan, since your wedding is next weekend, like other suggested, practice more. And if you decided not to install ML, just make sure your microphone is on, stop and restart recording every few minutes. Check the RED dot on the top right to ensure you are recording. AND... check the remaining time left in the SD card. If you need to replace SD card and miss the "you might kiss the bride" moment, even ML won't help :)

Good luck and let us know how it goes at the wedding.

I have several of my wedding exported in Flash posted online. If you are interested to see how I put the menu and navigations, email me and I'll send you the link and password to see the entire wedding DVD online.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Hey, ordering another quick release plate for my 701hdv so I can switch between the flycam and tripod easy, any other stuff I might not think of I should order?

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Hey guys, quick update - I'm meeting with the bride tomorrow to just talk about a few things, so I'm writing down a list of questions and thoughts, anything you'd recommend to put on that list? Wedding is Friday, closing in fast. Also ordering the quick release adapter tomorrow from BH, anything little smart to have? Specifically I'm looking for the best solution for transporting the tripods/slider/flycam etc.

Thanks,
Evan

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Hi Evan

Just get an overview of the ceremony especially from the bride..where the car is stopping , where she will walk from, any unusual things that will happen during the ceremony so you know in your head what is going to happen and in what sequence.

BTW: With gear make sure you have a backup for everything.. rig the groom with the recorder and get it recording long before everything starts..it's no good to wonder "Did I push record on the Zoom??" when they are saying their vows. I only saw one zoom mentioned?? What happens if that fails..you need a backup for everything ...spare batteries too!!! spare mics and spare everything really as it's a one-off event and you can't say "Whopps I never got the audio" or "I missed that shot"

Chris

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Ah good points Chris, thanks! I was also going to ask her about if she had a title in mind, if there were any specific moments she knew she would want captured.. I just ordered a manfrotto 577 plate, which is hopefully the right one hah, and an extra 16 gig card. How many cards do you guys go through in a wedding?

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

i haven't shoot a wedding yet with DSLR but have shot similar events (parties, graduations, etc) and i'd say have at least 4 batteries and two or more 32GB cards for each cam (or it's equivalent in 16GB)

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Do you fill them up? I'm gonna have 2 16gig cards for each cam and 1 16gig for the h4n. I've never filled an empty 16gig before that I can think of.. I'm also bringing my laptop to offload the cards whenever we get a break. I'll have 3 total batteries for the two cameras... I'm only slightly worried about that. I've also never had a cam die on me, so I figure as long as we keep the batteries rotating and charging we should be ok.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

With the T2i I am sure you will know about the overheating issues.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I saw a thread about that, I've never had that problem though! I dunno if they fixed it for the t3i (what I have) or if I just don't generally shoot long enough clips or in hot enough environments... I shot on and off for a solid couple hours at a red sox game last Wednesday in 97 degree weather and had no problems.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

The T3i (aka the 600D outside the US) does not suffer from the overheating problems of the T2i (550D).

Each 16GB card will hold approximately 48 minutes of video. Transcend 16GB Class 10 SD cards run about $12-13 each so I suggest that you get at least a couple extra of these for each camera. For goodness sake don't even consider wiping the cards & re-using them even if you do offload to your laptop. The T3i/600D batteries are pretty small so when shooting video you run through them at an alarming rate at least one per hour of shooting so to give yourself a safety margin make sure that you have the same number of batteries as you have 16GB SD cards.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Oh lame, I hadn't seen those transcend cards so cheap.. I'll definitely order some of those soon.

Would you still not reuse a card if it had been offloaded to a laptop and an external for double backup? I've also never felt like the batteries died that quick, but I generally don't shoot super long shots documentary style so maybe what's why.

EDIT: Thoughts on this review of the transcend 16gig class 10 card on B&H?

"When I bought these two cards, I thought all Class 10 cards were the same. Not so. While these cards perform well shooting stills, they're too slow to shoot video with my Canon 60D. Since I bought the camera mainly to shoot video, it's a real problem. I should have known better[...] Don't make the same mistake I did. If you want to shoot video with the Canon 60D, get a card that can record between 20-25 MB/sec."

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

You definitely need more battery, or have the charger with you recharging whenever you could. I use my T3i on battery grip so I have double the run time with 2 batteries loaded. However, the battery meter is not accurate at all. When it is showing half empty, it means almost empty.

I have high capacity LP-E8 for sell. They are 1400mah compared to the stock canon 1120mah.

LP-E8 1400mAh High Capacity Canon Compatible Battery | L.A. Color Online

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

BTW, I heard enough bad stories about Transcend cards. Our own photographer won't use them. He once came back from a wedding with a corrupted transcend card which was new. Rather don't want to chance it.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Just as with brands of hard disk drive everyone has their own prejudices & if you get bitten then you likely won't ever touch that brand again. In our experience Transcend are decent quality & we are still using the four 16GB compact flash cards that we bought with our 5D2s over three years ago. We use Sandisk Extreme in the C300 & XF camcorders as they are on the Canon blessed list of supported cards for those cameras but the DSLRs are less fussy & as the Transcends are half the price of the Sandisk Extreme we use a bunch of them. I wouldn't trust any of the no-name cheapo cards.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

My advice would have been to second shoot for someone to get experience. Its a once and a lifetime event and there is not much room for error. Otherwise I would find a couple that was not going to invest in video and do it for free. If you are charging, I would make sure liability insurance is in place, and you have your business license and tax id squared away. Everyone is happy in the beginning, but when the product gets delivered, that is when you get in trouble if you haven't taken care of all the things I've just mentioned.

I average 60-80 gigs per wedding. The main problem with people just starting out is stabilization, whitebalance, and shooting where the dynamic range is too great. You can do a whole wedding with the camera on a tripod. Handholding, you need to test, I can shoot focal lengths less than 60mm.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Anyone have experience with the batteries Taky posted? For $14 I'd buy a few more, definitely more likely than the $30 otherwise..

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

About the Transcend cards, i have about 10 of them in 16GB and 32GB versions, all class 10 and all have worked perfectly for me with Canons T3i and T2i at full 1080/24p.

Apparently there was a bad batch of cards that was shipped around august last year (i think) but it was quickly corrected. If you check out the negative Amazon reviews you can see that they are mostly from around that time frame when the bad card were shipped.

I've bought cards after that time and haven't had any problems.






Have you tried the grip with two original Canon batteries? I'd like to know if it shows the inaccurate battery reading with them too or only with the third party versions.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I've been using a Vello grip with a Canon and Pearstone battery and have noticed the meter is inaccurate.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

any experiences with using only Canon original batteries?

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Yup, I have tried them with 2 canon stock batteries (I have 3 T3is). Battery meter still inaccurate. I just trained myself to carry 2 batteres in my pocket. Once I see the battery meter is half gone, changed them.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Interesting, thanks for the help. I'm waiting for my grip to arrive in a few days so it's a good thing to keep in mind for the first shoot. I'll test it as soon as i get it.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I would leave the slider at home. The shooter with the least experience should NOT go hand held or for that matter do zooms, tilts and cutaways. That is, don't move the camera a lot. Stay in eye contact with each other. If you are delivering longform, that is, NOT highlights, you will need to have coverage. Both cameras cannot be moving, reframing at the same time. I would get the tallest tripod you can get your hands on, at least getting up to a height of 8 or 9 feet, and put any small HD camcorder on it. Canon Vixia are great. Let it roll a lot. At the reception one of you can run two cameras. Start the camcorder first and keep it wide. Start the T3i or whatever your other camera is and get closeups with it. You always have the wide for protection. This style allows delivery of what I call, documentary with cinemagraphic elements. If you don't end up going around and getting closeups of everything, then you can deliver what I call, documentary.

I am currently the president of the Greater Austin Professional Videographers Association.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I personally never use cheaper brand cards but only Sandisc, they cost much more but I rarely hear anything bad about them, I think you should never save on cards as those are THE most important part of your camera. I only use sdhc extreme pro cards (class 10-45mbs) and I offload the cards after every shoot and back the data up to another internal and a external drive. After that I erase the cards and twice a year I format the cards, been doing like this for the past 2 years.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I've talked to her about it, actually met with her just now, and I think it's going to be moreso a highlights video. 5-10 minutesish, something easy to watch and entertaining. Much less stressful that way, much easier to do with the camera and talent I have.. I think it'll be good. My only real worry now is the whole getting sound for the ceremony thing, and the weather... She said the officiant will have a wireless mic at the ceremony, so I could possibly record off that speaker... Could I record with the Lav onto my iPhone and get usable quality? That's easy to fit in a pocket.. Then put the h4n on the speaker for backup.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

Hi Evan

BIG mistake!! Don't neglect the audio unless you really don't want it at all. It's the biggest single mistake new wedding videographers make. You need a lav mic on the groom and that's the absolute minimum !!

By all means use the PA as a last chance backup but do the main audio correctly!!

Chris

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

I always mic the groom with a wired lav mic recorded to an olympus voice recorder. Then have a zoom recorder positioned near the loud speakers. It works well.

Re: Shooting my first wedding next weekend
 

The best would be to have a few wireless lav setup on the groom and officiant. But if you don't want to invest too much, a fairly cheap solution would be to get a Zoom H1 ($100 at B&H) and use your current lav mic with it on the groom. Just make sure you do a sound test before the ceremony to make sure your levels are correct since you won't be able to monitor it later.

Then, your Zoom H4n could get the feed from the mixer. It will most likely be RCA, 1/4" or XLR so make sure you have the proper cables and adapters. In case there is no audio output available left on the mixer, it could be wise to have a few Y-splitters that you could use to share a feed.

Some speakers will also have a 1/4" or XLR output that you could use as well.

Since it's an outdoor ceremony, I presume there will be a DJ or a band that is going to take care of the sound control. When you approach them and ask about getting a feed from them, try to be as friendly as possible if you want them to cooperate.