OK, my sister is getting (re-)married in December. It's going to be a small
wedding (20-25 people), so naturally she couldn't see hiring a professional
photographer, she asked me to do it. I've never shot a wedding of any type
before, so of course I have a million questions.
Equipment: The wedding is going to be held in a restaurant-type location
which apparently is fairly dark (wood walls, floors, and ceilings). It's in
Ohio, so I won't be able to see the place until the wedding (I may get a
chance to check things out the day before, but that's about it). I'll be
traveling by air, so I'll have some restrictions as to how much I can take.
This is what I have available:
OM-4, OM-2S, OM-2n, OM-1n, and OM-1 bodies
24/2, 28/2.8, 50/1.4, 50/1.8, 100/2, 200/4, 300/4.5, 28-48/4, 35-70/4,
35-70/4AF, 100-200/5 and 65-200/4 Zuikos
(2) T20's, T32, Viv 283 flashes
(2) Winder 2's, Bounce Grip 2, Slik U212 Tripod
I'm assuming pretty much all my shots will have to be done with flash.
Depending on the weather I may try and do some outdoor stuff of the bride
before the wedding (the wedding is at 6PM). What I was thinking was to bring
the OM-4 and OM-2S, since both do TTL flash. The OM-2n was an e-Bay purchase,
and the (manual) meter is off by one stop, so I don't really trust it (it
will be going to John H. soon for a CLA). If I have room I might sneak in one
of the OM-1s, as some extra insurance.
For lenses I was thinking the 24/2, 50/1.4, and 100/2 should be sufficient. I
doubt I will need anything longer than the 100, and the combo provides plenty
of speed. I might throw in the 28/2.8 as well, since it is so small and the
24 may be too wide in some situations. Another possibility would be to
include the 28-48/4. The zoom range is rather small, but useful, and I have
found this lens useful in the past shooting indoors with flash.
Oh, there's the F word. Flash. The T32 with the BG2 will probably sit on the
OM-2S and winder and be my main rig. It doesn't sound like bounce flash will
be an option, so I'll probably need some sort of diffuser. I was thinking
either try to make something myself, or just pick up a Stofen Omnibounce
(they still make those for the T32, don't they?). Any thoughts here would be
most welcome. I was also thinking of getting one or two slave triggers for
the T20's or the 283. How well do those things work when combined with a TTL
controlled flash? I presume if they are just providing background fill, or
hair lights, that they wont have a significant impact on the overall
exposure? I have the zoom head and color filter set for the T32, but I don't
see much application for those. Agreed?
Now for the another F word - film. I'm guessing that with some sort of
diffuser on the T32 I will lose at least a stop of light, probably closer to
two. I'm figuring I'll want 400 speed film for most of my shots, correct? Any
suggestions? Most of my experience with color negative film has been with
Kodak and Fuji consumer stuff. I'd prefer to use something of a bit higher
quality for this event. I have enough time to shoot a roll or two of a few
different types to figure out what I like, but any suggestions to help narrow
things down would be helpful. I might want to try shooting a little B&W as
well. I was thinking of ordering my film from B&H and having it shipped
directly to the groom's place (the groom is the one who lives in Ohio, not my
sister). It will save the film from at least one round of airport x-rays.
Finally the last F word - filters. I don't think I'll need anything, really.
I may bring some Cokin special affects filters for fun, but that's about it.
Am I missing something?
So this is what I'm figuring on taking:
OM-2S, OM-4, Winder 2
BG2, T32, diffuser, both T20s
at least one slave trigger
spare TTL cords
T20 flash extender
T20 TTL connector
24/2, 28-48/4, 50/1.4, 100/2
spare 357s
lots of AAs
10-12 rolls of 400 speed color neg.
2-4 rolls 100 speed color neg. (if I get to do some outdoor stuff)
2-4 rolls B&W (Tri-X? T-Max?)
I'm not sure if I want to lug the tripod. I suppose I probably should,
though. Without it I probably won't get in any of the pictures!
Sorry for the length of this post. Any input is more than welcome!
Paul Schings
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|