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Quote: You'll never believe this
but
6 years ago, when I shot my first wedding, I'd never shot a wedding before!
and neither had I Ade , but i had 10 years plus of photography under my belt and i went and researched the reviews ON HERE ! i may add , the best lens which was a pentax 16-50DA* costing 800.00 and made sure i damn well new the camera inside out before being a second shooter. The roll of a second shooter at a wedding shouldnt be underestimated ....
i totally agree about the roll of a second shooter. And i may not have really explained my position. They have asked me to take as many pictures as i can for them and act as a second shooter but i suppose but understand that i am an amateur and are just wanting some extra help. I am in no way associated with the professional they are using and am not in any way trying to steal his work or tread on his toes.
I am not getting paid for it and am not looking for paid work as i totally agree that you need to know your equipment inside out and be very confident in all situations before you take the big leap forward.
I am just wanting to gain a bit more experience and try advance my skills.
I think its amazing how there are so many professionals or experienced photographers on here willing to chat to rank amateurs like myself and try help me out. so all advice and comments are welcome.
Hi Andy , thanks for the explanation and I wish you the best of luck, you will enjoy it and it will be an eye opener too.
One thing worth checking ,does the pro know you are coming ? if not then you definitely should let them know to save any uncomfortable moments on the day.
As a second shooter I would be looking at the longer candid shots , or thats what we ask mainly of our second shooters , using something similar to a 70-200 and catching moments of emotion whilst we are doing the must have shots ...
Andy
Thats a really good point and i will certainly make sure that they know i am coming.
I currently have a tamron 55-200mm lens would this be good enough.
I certainly don't want to be involved in the must have shots at this early stage in my photography as this is something that needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing!
Quote: Wow I feel like I should put this lid back on the can of worms I feel I have opened.
I appreciate all the coments and will endeavour to practise as much as i can.
In no way am I wanting to become a doctor in a week but I would like to make sure I know first aid and then advance from there!
I really understand how professionals must feel when you get people like me asking about simple things but I think it's great that some experienced people are willing to pass on their knowledge so many thanks
Quote: Wow I feel like I should put this lid back on the can of worms I feel I have opened.
I appreciate all the coments and will endeavour to practise as much as i can.
In no way am I wanting to become a doctor in a week but I would like to make sure I know first aid and then advance from there!
I really understand how professionals must feel when you get people like me asking about simple things but I think it's great that some experienced people are willing to pass on their knowledge so many thanks
Ok, having stirred the pot a little can I suggest that you spend some time looking through the multitude of past threads on weddings. Lots of good advice, even from peopke like me...
Ade called it **** jokes, I called it people skills but its all the same really. Kit really is secondary.
Use what you've got, try and get some interesting angles and never get in the pros way, who'se there to do a difficult job. Good luck.
Yeah Andy a 55-200 would do the job fine just remember when shooting at the 200 end youre looking for a speed of 1/200 sec + for a sure shot so if it gets a bit dark or inside it may struggle as I am guessing you would be at f5.6 , your best bet for inside shots would be to purchase a cheapo canon 50mm 1.8 which you can get under a 100 brand new but will do good for you indoors.
If you contact the pro you will have a much more relaxed time and he/she wont be worrying what u r up to , I have had problems in the past with shooters from the bridal party using my shots to set up their own websites etc which is not on to be honest , make it clear that the b and g have asked you ( they should really have told the pro anyway ) and that youre not going to be in the way and will be wherever the pro needs you to be etc , you will then find the pro will warm to you and actually help you out and you should gain some invaluable experience.
Thanks for that much appreciated.
Im shocked that people would use other peoples photo's and try pass them off as their own. I wouldn't have the gaul to do that as that is totally unprofessional and you are not only cheating yourself but others that think you have taken the shot!
You mis-understood i think Andy , what i mean is when i find a location and set up what i think is a great shot , to have someone else then take the same shot behind me and stick it on their website to advertise their work , much the same as when we use second shooters they cannot use the photos taken at our weddings to advertise themselves , it takes a lot of time effort and money to land a wedding shoot in the first place so for someone to then pass it off as a wedding they shot is a bit out of order. Like i say square it all off first and all will be well.
Oh yeah i understand that now! I still think that is cheeky to do that. On the other hand i was at a wedding this summer taking a picture of the bride and my fiancee who was one of the bridesmaid and the official photographer ran over jumped straight in front of me and started taking photos. I turned to him and said "your kind of stealing my thunder mate" and he just laughed and snapped a few more shots then ran off! Rather annoying as by that point the moment had passed and the bride walked off.
Quote: I currently have a tamron 55-200mm lens would this be good enough.
You can always get better by throwing a lot of money around, but as your not the 'pro', I would not stress about it too much
(Or if you are looking to upgrade anyway, then tell the girlfriend/fiancée/wife you definitely do need a better lens to photograph a wedding 
)
Quote: I certainly don't want to be involved in the must have shots at this early stage in my photography as this is something that needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing!
Your best approach is to look for shots that the Pro will miss or not be able to get. For example if he goes one way, you go the other. If you stand over their shoulder all day, you are only going to annoy them, and you will only end up with similar shots.
I must admit that the first reaction I have to a couple saying, "We've asked a friend with a DSLR to take photos", is a sinking heart, and a desire to add a 'no-other-photographers-at-wedding' section to my contract. Whilst I think that's a bit extreme, there are professionals who insist on this, and guests are informed in the invitations. I'd far rather help out by taking along a newbie as a 2nd shooter / bag-carrying assistant - that way, they will learn more and I'm in control of the situation. More than once, I've had to wait for a friend of the B&G to get their shots of the formal groups, whilst grinding my teeth, biting my tongue and checking my watch (not a good look!).
So why else does my heart sink? It's not that I feel in any way threatened by the second shooter - if anything, I often get waves of hostility from the guest with the camera - they are usually feeling very pressured, are unable to enjoy the day and are honestly unlikely to get anything I don't (sounds arrogant but is sadly true). I'll see them running into the venue to get detail shots of the tables before the guests go in, shooting a duplicate set of the shots I already have, and I wonder where the benefit is for the couple...
So to sum up, and this is all IMHO, it's not the best way to learn wedding photography - far better to spend a while carrying bags for a pro, watching how they deal with difficult groups / guests, getting to understand the way a wedding day progresses etc. I do understand that in this case the B&G have asked you to do this, so I wouldn't contact the photographer - just turn up as a guest with a camera and keep a low profile - chances are the pro will be so busy he / she won't even notice you're there, unless you're hovering over his / her shoulder.
I still second shoot for other photographers after six years of weddings - it's just the best way to learn 
After many years of saying NO, NO, NO! I did a wedding last Friday for a chap who works for my husband who was apparently on a tight budget (budget was significantly more than my own wedding, but there we go). I told them that I would just do the signing of the register and small family groups & a couple of bride and groom shots and that if they wanted guaranteed good shots that they should book a photographer, I even gave them some recommendations, but no, hubby had said that I would do it for them for free! He didn't get terribly nice dinners for a week
Frankly it was absolutely terrifying and I didn't sleep for a week before hand & I will never be doing it again, I don't think I could take the stress. The images have turned out fine, they are not going to set the world on fire, but are fine as images, at least they are all sharp, exposure is ok and everyone is looking at the camera etc, few well placed jokes helped there, plus the fact I took a friend to arrange brides clothes & tweak people & the best man was a friend of mine & had a list from me to organise the groups. What is tricky is the changing light for different places at the venue. Outdoors was fine, but the hotel is all dark fake wood panelling, which was a little trickier.
I would just say that I admire all you wedding photographers, it's certainly not something that I would want to do again.
Jim , I cant agree if a shooter asked by the bride and groom turned up at a wedding i was doing and i didnt know i would not be impressed , far better to get it out in the open and to be fair the b&g are putting him in an awkward position by keeping it quiet.
If he ends up with a not so friendly wedding pro then his day will not be fun at all...
Quote: I would just say that I admire all you wedding photographers
I second that wholeheartedly. I'm a violinist, and often play at weddings in a string quartet or the like. We try to put on a good show, and usually we do, but if something goes wrong it's only for a moment and usually nobody notices. At worst, it gives the guests something to laugh about later (...wasn't the string quartet terrible?...).
The work of the photographer, on the other hand, goes down on record, and this is his only chance to get it right. It's a huge responsibility.
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