Do you use lights?

[Nicholas de Kock]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

...so I have my Canon 24-105 at f2.8 - but still it's not fast enough without extra light

Peter the 24-105 is a F4 lens. I only recently started playing with F1.4 primes, I always thought that F2.8 was fast but once you see what a F1.4 can do it's crazy. Focus isn't such a big deal as I feared it's prettty easy.

[Noa Put]

I can focus easily as well with f1.4 as long as the objects I"m shooting stay still but once they start moving towards and away from you it's not easy at all.

[James Manford]

I understand why Sony / Carl Zeiss don't pull out a E-Mount F1.4 18-105mm Stabilized MACRO Zoom lens for us!

I would consider selling my kidney for one!

[Nicholas de Kock]

Amen! Makes two of us James. Mind you the new Sigma 18-35 F1.8 is a great lens.

[Roger Gunkel]

I have rarely been asked if I use lights, but my standard reply would be that I prefer to use the light at the venue unless it is just too dark to film. I also point out that the first dance is often too dark for the guests to see it properly, let alone the camera, in which case I will use a small light.

When it is getting close to the first dance, I always ask the DJ if he can leave enough light to see them properly but to use his discretion. I also put a 132 led light on the hot shoe, but keep in quite close to the couple, within 10 feet, so that I can use the lower light settings. Even a small increase in light when fairly close, makes a big difference to the camera.

Roger

[Adrian Tan]

Originally Posted by Nicholas de Kock

Peter the 24-105 is a F4 lens.

He might be using the Metabones speed booster?

[Peter Rush]

Originally Posted by Nicholas de Kock

Peter the 24-105 is a F4 lens. I only recently started playing with F1.4 primes, I always thought that F2.8 was fast but once you see what a F1.4 can do it's crazy. Focus isn't such a big deal as I feared it's prettty easy.

Nicholas it is F4 but with my EF to NEX Metabones Speedbooster I get an extra stop - taking it down to f2.8

[Robert Benda]

While it might just be a question they think they need to ask, as a MC/DJ, I can tell you there are still videographers who use the blinding, camera mount light that really just wrecks the mood.

There is another around here who sets up four lights around it and floods the dance floor the entire time they're there. Infuriating.

For those who are tired of off color lighting for the first dance and such, just ask the DJ to make it white, but ask 10 minutes or so before. I also change my up lighting to white before speeches, but it would have never occurred to me until I started participating in this board. But if another vendor ever asked me nicely, of course I would have changed the lighting. *though many can't change their up lighting on the go, only their dance floor lights

[Clive McLaughlin]

Hi Robert, I, and probably most of us know little about DJ lights.

You are telling me they can just change the colour? I assumed the lights were bought in certain colours, no?

I might try chatting to the DJ a bit more. But as for the venue, I have made agreements with hotel managers about the light level, only to find another member of staff takes it upon himself to dim them... probably at a guest's behest!

I'll have to upload some of the awful lighting I had to deal with the other night.

Whats with the obsession of making a wedding party into a club from Ibiza.

white or soft blue or yellow lights are elegant. Even pink isn't that bad in the dancing scenario. But neon green red and blue is horrendous on skin and faces in particular.

[Robert Benda]

Clive, for dance floor lighting, pretty much all DJs should be able to set it to the color you want/need. There's always a chance they still use three or four parcans with each being only one color, but even then they can turn them all on at once.

For up lighting, more and more of us have DMX controlled lighting, but it's probably still a tiny minority. For instance, my up lights are wirelessly controlled and battery powered, so I put them anywhere and still have control. Set them to the wedding colors, but for big moments like speeches and 1st dance, I put them white. Then, for open dancing, I have them change with the dance floor lighting.

Like this:

Example of decorative up lighting for Weddings on Vimeo

[Rob Cantwell]

i tell the couple at the pre-wedding consultation meet that I'll have a video light on my main cam and if the light levels fall below a certain limit where i cant record useful footage then the light will be used!

I once made a mistake of not using a light for speeches, and had a terrible time trying to clear up the resulting images. I did a wedding once where the wedding party had to request the venue to turn ON the lights because they couldn't read their speeches. Even in well lit venues theres often a backdrop of small lights cascading down the entire width of the top table, so your fighting with the backlit source.

where I'm from it's usually a band that start the first dance, the DJ if any wont start until long after Ive packed up and gone home. So at the cake cutting etc. it's the venue that control the lighting, ive only succeeded once in getting the lighting raised at a venue, the barman was in control of the lighting at that particular venue.
the green, red and blue garish lighting is anything but romantic! the only thing i think we can do is advise the couple of these potential problems in advance.

[Roger Gunkel]

When the lighting has obviously been too low for video, whether it is speeches, cake cutting or dance, I have occasionally approached the B&G and very politely ask them if they would like it filmed, as the lighting is currently too low for watchable video. They are always concerned and ask my advice, whereupon I would suggest getting the house lights brought up a little, or using my own camera light. They usually prefer the house lights, so I can then say to the manager that the B&G have requested that the lighting levels are increased. That has a lot more weight than me suggesting it to the staff.

Roger

[Steven Digges]

This little tripod has been in my kit for ten years. You can't imagine how many different things I have attached to it because it is so handy. It folds flat to fit in a bag too.

I can carry it around a room and set it down on tables, chairs, shelf's or where ever I want. Anyplace but the ground if I'm shooting faces. I use it for off camera fill light.

It would probably work great for the first dance sitting on the dance floor or on a chair you put at the edge of the dance floor. You would be surprised at how easy it is to find a good place to set it down. Just pick it up before the drunks come stampede it.

Years ago I had a mono pod with three small legs hidden in the bottom tube you could deploy. It was good for similar things but not stable enough for a reception environment.


Steve

[Dave Blackhurst]

I think the response would be "will your photographer use flash"?

Then I'd say I use small LED lights with diffusers and dimmers, and only use what is needed to get a usable image. My cameras can almost see in the dark, BUT if you want a good image, they sometimes need just a little extra.

This is likely ONE MORE of those things that is the result of "some operators" bringing a less than professional approach to the problem... "stun gun lighting" is overkill with newer cameras and small LED lights.

The newest LED I picked up (less than $15, once again, for a 100 LED unit) will dim so far as to almost do nothing, can crank up enough to light a small room rather well, and everything in between... 5-10% setting is probably enough and even the most sensitive eyes won't be bothered by it. Runs on the same battery as the Sony cameras, so less stuff to lug around...

A small camera mounted or hand held LED light should be completely unobtrusive, and I've noticed they make the job easier for the photog and "amateurs" shooting too. VERY small investment, big payoff in versatility and image quality.

[Roger Gunkel]

Absolutely right Dave and exactly what I do, and Steven I also have a very similar mini tripod in my bag and very useful it is too for many things.

Roger