|
John, First:
If you're not the "official" wedding photographer, ensure you give him berth to do the job he's been paid to do. Some will not allow *any* photography of their posed formal portraits. If he doesn't, please respect that. It's not done to be mean, but to keep control over lighting which is most important for portraiture, and over the shooting pace which may need to be very efficient if portraits are done after the ceremony. Flash Power:
You didn't state whether this is indoor or outdoor, so I presume it's indoors. Your biggest problem will be sufficient flash power. If you can afford to buy or can borrow a more powerful external flash to put on the top of the camera, do so! I recommend a GN rating of no less than 100 (in feet for ISO 100). This is very minimalist and it won't recharge as fast as a more powerful one. Reason? More powerful ones don't have to use nearly full output all the time. A GN of 120 or more is even better. Red-Eye:
The other issue with your built-in flash will be red-eye. The closer a flash is to the lens axis, the greater the risk of red-eye. Combine this with very low lighting during receptions after the dancing starts and alcohol if there's a bar, and people's pupils will be wide open and there's even more red-eye risk (alcohol dilates pupils some). Even a shoe mounted flash puts the light source farther from the lens axis than your built-in one and this reduces the risk. If you cannot afford a shoe mounted flash (or cannot borrow one), then try to keep your working distance under 15 feet, and that's if you're using ISO 400 film. If you're using 160 or 200 film, you'll have to keep it to about 10 feet. Lens:
Of the two lenses you listed I recommend the 28-80/3.5 that covers from modest wide to modest long. It's wide open aperture of f/3.5 also makes it the faster of the two lenses. Aside from mitigating some of the flash power required it also gives you a brighter image in the viewfinder. This allows the AF and AE systems to work better in lower light and makes it easier to compose an image. I've done entire weddings with nothing more than a 50mm standard lens. You shouldn't need anything longer than the 80mm long end of this zoom and try to keep it at 35mm or longer. It gives a more natural looking perspective of people, especially if they're near the edge of the film frame and even more so near a corner. Film:
I recommend an ISO 400 film with the flash and lens you've listed. The built-in one doesn't put out enough light to use slower film in this situation. Instead of Press 400, see if you can find some Kodak Portra 400 NC or Fuji NPH (also ISO 400). These are professional portrait films that have less saturation, wider latitude and are optimized for accurate skin tones. The restrained saturation and increased latitude helps keep some detail level in the white dress the bride is wearing and in the very dark suit or tux on the groom standing right next to her. Too much saturation or too little latitude and you'll lose the detail in one or the other. Press 400 is more a general purpose film. You might want to browse through a tutorial I wrote about weddings. It's intended for a non-professional shooting a wedding as the *official* photographer so major portions won't apply if you're not. Some of the hints and tips may help, and you'll get a better idea about the limitations you'll be working within using the equipment you have.
http://johnlind.tripod.com/wedding/ -- John
June 13, 2002
|
