Wedding with a G1/GF1

[Narnian]

I have been asked by a friend to shoot his wedding. Outdoors at dusk. Very small - 12 people or so.

I have not shot a wedding in almost 30 years and that was with a Mamiya TLR and Metz potato mashers. Even the I only did 4 weddings (with acceptable results - they were all happy - not so much me). Now I have my G1/GF1 and an old Sunpack 333D and a Vivitar 2800-D flash.

What new (not too expensive < $150) flashes would work well with this system for portraits and weddings?

Historically I have used two or three - one small fill on the camera, one help overhead by hand or on a bracket and if possible one off to the side on a tripod or other stand.

 

[flash]

what lenses do you have? That's going to help you make decisions. Ideally you'll want something faster than the kit lens or you're going to struggle with light levels. If you have or can get your hands on a 20mm 1.7 and a 12mm f 2.5 life is going to be easier. Maybe the 45mm for detail shots and portraits.

As for the flash. You could look for an Olympus FL-36 or 36R if you want TTL. OUtdoors at 400ISO you should be OK using them as a fill. Or you could just get a bracket and a cable to put the Vivitar off camera. No way I'd trust in the hotshoe. It may do some damage there.

Gordon

 

[john1027]

What new (not too expensive < $150) flashes would work well with this system for portraits and weddings?

I have been looking a bit myself but haven't done too much digging. I did see this recently...

Nissin Di466 for Four Thirds | PhotographyBLOG

It might not be available yet but perhaps one of their current models. There have been a couple threads here and at the sc forum with some positive comments about the Nissan brand and recycle time in general.

Here is a current Nissin at Amazon...

Amazon.com: Nissin Speedlite Di 466 FT-W White Four Thirds Digital Flash for Olympus and Panasonic Cameras: Electronics

 

[Narnian]

Also to clarify I have reminded them I am not a professional and I am doing this for free (they offered to pay but I told them this will be my gift).

I have the 14-45 kit lens as well as the 20/1.7 and several 28mm and 50mm adapted lenses.

I cannot find my old flash bracket but I have two coiled extension cables - I use that to hold the Vivitar above my head. Looks goofy but it works and the G1 is light enough I can get away with it.

I was going to keep the 20/1.7 on the GF1 and the 14-45 on the G1 while using one of the 50mm for some portraits.

The wedding will have only the best man and maid of honor so with 12 people total (including the minister) there will not be a need for anything wider than the 20/1.7 for most shots so the 14-45 should cover any of those.

I am going to scope out the wedding site this Sunday to get a feel for the layout and light (making adjustments for daylight time ). I will also be making a photo plan and checklist for the basic photos plus add any interesting opportunities the site itself may present.

Might pick up a small diffuser.

@Flash - does the Olympus flash work with the Panasonic?

@john1027 - Thanks for the Nissin link. It looks interesting.

 

[flash]

Yes the Olympus flash works. Panasoniic sell the same thing with a different badge and a different price. I got one recently and I'm pleasantly surprised.

The Nissan looks good, but I can't get past the lack of a swivel function. Absolutely vital for the way I shoot.

Gordon

 

[Narnian]

If I splurge for that much then the Metz Mecablitz 50 AF could be attractive:

Product information: Metz

 

[cbrock]

Here's the new one from Metz. The 44 AF-1. I was looking at the nissin, but this just came out. Might be the replacement for the 50 since it seems to be out of stock most places.

 

[Narnian]

I decided on the Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 digital for $230. More than I wanted to spend, but you can never have too many lumens. :smile:

I thought hard about the Metz mecablitz 44 AF-1 but I thought for $30 more you got more light and more features.

Thanks for the input guys!

 

[Chuck Pike]

extra battery too.

Don't forget the extra batteries that your going to need. You don't want to have the battery die half way through the shoot and not have back up. If you use a tripod during the service ( check with the person conducting to see if they mind) you can get some nice clear shots with out the flash.

One other thought. The GF1 has two banks that you can set up CS1 and CS2you place all of the settings that you might want to use in either of these settings banks (Nikon Called them banks not sure what Panasonic call them). I went to my sons 40th birthday not long ago and somehow I changed the settings and I couldn't get back to my focus priority setting that I wanted. Some of those shots didn't come out as they setting changed and the ISO the camera was using was to slow for hand held picture taking. I came home looked up how to set up the settings bank and entered those settings that I want to always have available. Now all I do is set it to one of those two settings. I did get several great pictures of my son, but I messed up several as well. So take lots of pictures and practice a lot before you go out and take the pictures. Good luck with your wedding. I shot several over the years but never more than 5 a year.

Images for books, magazines and calendars | photosbypike

 

[cucco]

If you're taking a 20 1.7 and a 50 (1.4 or 1.8?), are you sure you'll need a flash?

I've ruined more pictures with flash than I have without. I'd say bump the ISO up to 800 (both cameras can handle 800 just fine, especially with a little noise reduction in Lightroom) and shoot at in the f2.x range. Unless your bride sprints somewhere, you should have some beautiful pics that have beautiful bokeh and better life and realism than a bounced flash can ever provide.

Yeah, some of your pics will be soft or even out of focus, but if the venue is lit well, I'm betting you'll have a better amount of good pics using no flash than with a flash. The only exception would be for the larger posed pics (larger being subjective since it's only 12...)

Just some thoughts...

Jeremy

PS -
I'm not too far from your neck of the woods (Fredericksburg). I don't have any flashes for my m4/3s but if you find yourself in need of a 45-200 or maybe an extra body, don't hesitate to let me know!

 

[Narnian]

Batteries I have lots of. I have four for the two cameras as well as AAs by the dozens. And I used to have an external battery pack for a Metz flash but I think it is long gone.

There are times when you need a flash to get a better picture. And a well laid out shot can actually be better than available light alone. Proper fill-in flash can help separate the subjects from the background as well as soften shadows and enhance highlights.

Since the wedding will start outside in the evening and will end toward dusk before we go inside for the reception it very well will be low light outside unless I can get some shots before the wedding proper.

Though I generally prefer available light there are times when only a flash will do. I do not like ASA 800 that much and prefer 400 or lower because the noise is too much for my taste. Even with post-processing in Lightroom.

I am a guy who shot Tri-X at ASA 200 to reduce the grain in medium and large format.

I will use the GF1 with the 20/1.7 for available light and the G1 with flash.

This is when I wish Panny or Oly would give us a 35 or 40 f1.4, not a 25/1.4.

I have the 45-200 and, if the light is right, will use it for a long shot of the bride and groom on the docks. Hopefully with some nice sparkling water from the setting sun. Unless I see something else that catches my eye it will not see much action.

I will more likely use the Pentax 50/1.4 and 100/2.8 during the ceremony for some available light shots.

The weather is such a wild card in shooting an outdoor event you must be ready for anything.

 

[617]

Did you do the wedding yet? I have one in march that I'll be shooting with my gf2.

 

[DHart]

Don't forget the extra batteries that your going to need. You don't want to have the battery die half way through the shoot and not have back up...

...take lots of pictures and practice a lot before you go

Richard... Very sage advice... especially the practice part. Triple times. Nothing worst than walking into a once in a lifetime, non-repeatable event (wedding) and not having 100% confidence in your skills and abilities with the equipment and the results your friends are expecting you to provide. I would decline the position as "primary" photographer unless I was stone-cold/in-my-sleep rock solid with using the gear and flash, almost without thinking, and consistently getting beautiful results.

Me personally, between the G1 and the GF1, the G1 would definitely be my main body with flash and the GF1 would be used for available light shooting at the highest ISO you can get away with. Unfortunately, high ISO (800+) on the GF1 means a heck of a lot of noise.

Have you thought about upgrading one of your bodies to a GH2? If so, now is the time! It would offer a lot more comfort zone for shooting a wedding with a m4/3 camera.

=== just realized this is an old thread... wedding is probably done. How did it go?