A Virgin No More!

[Dave M. Smith]

Hi guys.

I've been lurking on these boards for months now, ever since I agreed to shoot my first wedding. Luckily, I had several months to do research into techniques, equipment, etc... I've been using Final Cut Express for a couple of years, so I knew I had a good grasp on NLE. But as far as shooting, I knew weddings were going to be a whole new ballgame. May I say that this forum has been extremely helpful in getting me ready. Well, the wedding was this past weekend. Get this: Perfectly good sanctuary in the church, but this particular bride wanted to be artistic, so she had the wedding in the church gym under a make-shift gazebo. (Imagine the audio!) On top of that, she decided to light the whole dern thing with white Christmas lights and a bunch of candles. Holy Ned! Was it ever beautiful to look at, but a nightmare to shoot! Fortunatley, the bride allowed me to doctor up the lighting situation by hiding small lights everywhere I could possibly think of. So... I bought a PD170, borrowed two PD150's and a couple of good tripods, put a wireless lav on the groom, and basically worked my hiney off trying to do the whole thing by myself. The result? You know, it ain't half bad for a rookie! The bride and her family saw a bit of raw footage, and LOVED it! So, I guess you can say I'm a wedding videography virgin no more! (By the way, the PD170 was EXACTLY what I need for this job!) Now...on the the countless hours of editing! All this to say, thanks so much for all the help and inspiration on this forum. I look forward to continuing learning the craft.

Dave Smith

[Greg Boston]

Congratulations Dave on your first wedding shoot. The only thing you need to do now is quit being a lurker and start being a contributor. Everyone has tidbits of knowledge that can help others out.

Welcome to DVINFO.NET. We look forward to hearing how the rest of your experience goes, especially the client's reaction to the final product.

-gb-

[Jonathan Houser]

Originally Posted by Dave M. Smith

I bought a PD170, borrowed two PD150's and a couple of good tripods, put a wireless lav on the groom, .... (By the way, the PD170 was EXACTLY what I need for this job!)

Great choice on camera. I think that the PD150/170 is the best choice for wedding work. I would rather drop my framerate to 1/30th and bump the gain to 3db than use a light during the reception. Congrats!

Jonathan
www.lumierebridal.com