New Orleans Wedding Photography

I am shooting a wedding for a friend, in the courtyard of the Saint Marie Hotel in New Orleans. Gorgeous setting. My problem is, it is at night and I have no idea how to get good photos in this situation. I cant get a good feel for the lighting, I have a photo but it is at dusk, I could go to the hotel and look at it at night, but they are bringing in their own lighting for the night of the wedding. It is basically gonna be me showing up and seeing the lighting for the first time and sizing it up. Any ideas?

Here is a pic of the site if this helps at all...maybe you can get a sense of what I am dealing with.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-387057-a ction-pictures-hotel_st_marie-i;_ylt=AuE thG3NC6yvyG4YhDsFASPiphQB
Just to clarify, I am using 35mm...thanks.

Evan has gone into detail and delivered a great answer. Re-read his first paragraph. Then read it again. If you have no idea how to shoot at night using slaves or additional lighting, then you need to tell your friend this. If you don't already have and know how to use such equipment, then your photos are unlikely to be very good. Urge her to hire an established professional.

Please don't take this as a personal slam. It's not a crime to admit you don't have the knowledge or proper equipment to do a job at or near a professional level. So think about your friendship and decline this event as photographer and enjoy taking snaps as a guest.

If she refuses to consider hiring a professional, then you have some practicing to do between now and then. Honestly, having a dSLR would help in regards to being able to use higher ISO, you might think about renting one or taking the plunge and buying one if you have time to learn a new camera before the event. You don't mention what equipment you already have, but you will need a fast lens. This is a situation where the kit lens isn't going to cut it. The 50mm 1.8 is around $100 if you don't already have it, the lens is a great investment, fast and sharp. If you're using film, try Portra 800. You say they are bringing their own lighting, if ithe venue is bright enough, step down to 400 speed if possible. Good luck!

2007-11-17 19:15:07 by starryeyed75

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