Wedding Photography-My Process Part 5- Progress Not Perfection

So, welcome back. I shot my first wedding in Part 4 and I described the limited gear I owned at that point and for the location, time of day, and abundant light that was offered my gear proved adequate for the task. One thing I was remiss in mentioning was that in addition to researching the equipment I needed, lighting techniques for outdoor wedding photography, and wedding photography basics in general I found helpful a "shot list" as an aid to work from. In reading several posts on Photo.net in the wedding forum I found a link to a site that offered a free download of a sample shot list. I assume we have all been to at least one wedding and myself have been to several albeit as a guest/usher/bestman and one not paying any attention to anything but the "festivities" of the day. A wedding, for the photographer, consists of a pre-ceremony time period, the ceremony, the recessional and greeting line, the post ceremony formals, and the reception. These specific time periods can be further broken down into subcategories to which I will give more attention to in a future post. For my first wedding it was simply the ceremony on the water followed by a formals session and then a reception at a relatives home nearby.
I arrived an hour early. I always try to arrive early. Not only is it profesional in my opinion but it also helps to mitigate any unforeseen obstacles that may arise in the form of weather, traffic, controlling venue employees or family members and/ or uninvited interlopers and undesirables.
My first plan of action was to find a convenient spot for my pack so my gear would be handy but out of the way. Next I assembled my gear and made sure it was all working properly. Note: the week preceding any gig I make a list of all the gear I need, assemble it on a work table,  recharge batteries as needed, format cards, and setup the menus for the specific job. I give the glass a once over and give myself plenty of time to acquire any last minute items or replacements if needed.
I also put together an itinerary for the day with maps and directions to the various locales. In my mind I walk through the day anticipating any problem areas and points of concern. One can never be too prepared.
Secondly, I took my trusty D50 and shot some scenics of the gazebo, the chairs, arriving guests, decorations, and surroundings. Shooting a wedding is to tell a story of the day with images. You can never have too many images and since I am shooting digital I have the option to save or delete images on the spot and to make exposure corrections as needed. The story is everything pertaining to the event. Since the bride and groom were on a small budget no doubt the family had put time and effort into making the decorations etc and it would be insulting not to capture these images. Despite the budget I like to capture everything and then piece it together later or offer the couple all the "information" so they can conceive their day in the manner they see fit.
As the guests started arriving I had my D80 out with the SB600 hot shoe flash attached and was making adjustments to the exposure settings and flash output settings. The main ceremony was to be held in a small gazebo with little light. It would be the bride and groom, the officiant, a maid of honor and best man in the gazebo. The backside of the gazebo was on the water (south) and blocked with seagrass and other shrubs. The sun was high and coming from the SE moving south.
The most important relationship, however shortlived, is the one between you and the officiant be it a justice of the peace, deacon, or priest. They dictate how the ceremony is conducted and they dictate whether you can use flash or not or how much. I made it a point to seek out the JP in this case and politley introduced myself and asked her what her "rules and conditions" were. She made it abundantly clear I was not to enter the gazebo nor was I to use flash that would be directed in her direction as this would be distracting to her.
This is important as it gives you a sense of their demeanor and mood and this in turn gives you an idea what you can try to get away with and what your lighting limitations are. This is also an important line item to be put into your contract which we will discuss in a later post.
In Part 6 I will post some images from this first wedding and discuss the limitations in lighting I faced in terms of my equipment, the natural lighting offered, and the limitations of the gazebo and officiant rules.
until then......