Don’t use flash during the wedding ceremony
Although it is the aim of every wedding photographer to do all they can to produce photographs which the bride and groom will love, it is equally important to remember that the wedding ceremony itself is a very special, unique and emotional time and the last thing anybody wants during this time, not least the bride and groom themselves, is a flash going off right in front of their eyes!
Unfortunately though it appears as though not all wedding photographers take the discreet approach during the wedding ceremony. It is not uncommon to be told by the person officiating the ceremony that they do not allow photography at all during the ceremony – especially in church weddings. When I ask why this is the case, the reason always seems to be because a previous wedding photographer had used flash which, in the opinion of the person officiating, had disrupted the ceremony.
The irony is, ceremony photographs taken in natural light look much so nicer and natural than those taken with flash!
The reason some photographers want to use flash during the ceremony is because many wedding venues in the UK can be particularly dark – especially during the winter! However, with the advancement in camera technology this does not pose anywhere near the same issue as it used to. Many cameras, especially high-end professional spec DSLRs such as the Nikon D3 and Nikon D3s, can now shoot at very high ISOs with very little noise. This, coupled with a fast lens such as a 50mm 1.4 prime, means there is no real excuse for not getting excellent ceremony photographs without having to resort to using flash. If a high ISO and a fast lens still doesn’t allow you to use a shutter speed fast enough to hand hold the camera (1/40 is about my limit!), then I would recommend using a monopod. Monopods are much better than a tripod in a ceremony situation as they allow you to move more easily, and because they are much smaller, you will be much more discreet. Good luck!
Neil
www.neilredfern.com
Excellent post Neil – I made an elementary error of using flash at the wrong time when I first started, and it is definitely not a good idea to upset those officiating!
Nice post. At a recent wedding I was surprised that the official tog was using a direct SB800 with a stofen diffuser only. Yes he did get the shots but the shadows were noticeable on some shots close to the backgrounds.
Not sure there is a correct way to do it, but that’s were the venue research/prep comes in.
Managing contrast outside is a very useful function of flash. I shot a ceremony recently, the sun was over the left hand shoulder of the groom, his face was in total shadow. When shooting from behind the bride, to get a portrait of the groom reacting to the bride’s vows, I used a some fill flash with a 580EX, zoomed to 105mm on the flash, and had the sun acting as a semi-hairlight. The result was not only better than no flash, but completely necessary. Otherwise the highlights on his hair would have been completely blown out.
As a photographer, of course be sensitive to the couple (duh!), but since I am paid to get photos in difficult light, I will be using flash during ceremonies when it is a vital component of getting a good photo. My assistant photographer did not use his flash, and his files from the ceremony are a mess.