At 12:03 8/15/01, Olafo wrote:
-John: Not only did you write the very elaborate wedding tutorial, but also
you never seem to spare any words in elaborately explaining matters on the
list. I, for one, greatly appreciate the time and effort you take to do so,
and I think it merits special mention. Your advice is always very good,
John, so please keep up this good work!
-All: Thanks again for the congratulations! :)
Awwww, geeee (kicking toe in the dirt). Thanks. If you find it useful,
that's what it's there for.
Perhaps we need to have plenty of both types of film available, do a quick
rehearsal and light measurement on the day itself, and then we can also
decide on whether to use my 100/2 and/or 135/2.8. The majority of the
pictures will be taken with the IS-3000 though, so the lens speed is not
quite f2/f2.8...
Yes, if you're using an IS-3000 (IS-30 in U.S. ??) with an f/4.5~f.6 lens
then you may need an ISO 800 in it for available light unless you can
tripod it (there is now a Portra 800), but that's the only body I'd use it in.
If you can, go there about 30 minutes before a church service and meter
from the back. If there's windows and it's a daytime wedding, do it at a
late morning service (if possible). In the U.S., rehearsals are typically
Friday night and more often than not it's dark outside. If the windows are
large and/or plentiful, you might be surprised at how much daylight comes
through them.
This is definitely good to know. With a small tripod or monopod this might
become a possibility then.
Some additional tips about shooting from the back:
I use two bodies for this. The one staged for available light on tripod
from the back is loaded with ISO 400 (OM-1n). First thing I do upon
arrival for this is extend the tripod legs without unfolding them and lean
it against the wall in a corner at the back (where it would not fall
over). Usually there's a center aisle and it cannot be blocked by a tripod
until after the processional. Then I set up the body for it with the
telephoto and QR plate, found a safe place to stash it out of the way at
the back (along with the camera bag), and put the cable release in my pocket.
You could also use a monopod for this if you've used one before, and can
keep the shutter speed to no slower than 1/8th. BTW, the tripod or monopod
should elevate the camera body to eye level when standing (about 1.5 to 1.6
meters) (about 5 to 5.5 feet). Lower, even down a center aisle, will get
more backs of heads. Almost forgot about this as I use a Bogen 3021 which
is at the taller end fully extended. Taller is better from the back, and
try to keep the camera as level as possible. There are architectural
objects around the altar with vertical and horizontal lines. This avoids
parallel lines tilting or converging in the images. It's not as obvious
when shooting, but can be in the prints later.
Something I did more recently was from a balcony in the back of a church
using a standard 50mm lens:
http://johnlind.tripod.com/zi/gallery/contax29.html
If there is a balcony and you use it, keep the subjects *low* in the
viewfinder. Escape diverging vertical lines is almost impossible, but the
effect can be reduced. Made two mistakes with this one: Used a yellow
filter; shouldn't have used any filer that increases contrast. Used B&W
Plus 400; should have used Tri-X (debated about it and went the wrong
direction). The men were wearing pure black suits and Tri-X has more
latitude. BTW, B/W requires zero color correction for the type of lighting
inside the church making it ideal for available light shots if you like the
look of it. There was enough light at this one to shoot these braced on
the balcony rail using f/4 at 1/25th and/or f/2.8 at 1/50th, even at EI200
with the yellow filter.
The other body (OM-4) had ISO 160 and a flash bracket. The switch right
after the ceremony started was quick. I quit shooting from the back about
2/3 of the way through and dismantled things only to the point of how they
had been staged beforehand. Picked up the other body and got ready for the
end of the service ("first kiss," presentation to the congregation and
recessional).
-- John
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