Wedding Blog
I’ve always believed everything happens for a reason. Losing my photographer, no big deal, it’s meant to be. I’ll find something better. Missing out on my Nikon D200 twice at costco.com, that’s fine… maybe it will come back by Christmas. But they made an even better one! A D300 (which is actually harder to get than a Wii or Rock Band… which we luckily already own)!
What do guests remember the most about a wedding? Not anything particular about the food, like exactly what they ate, but just whether they lament that the food was bad, or that they can honestly say the food was good. I could care less about spending hoards of money on food. I’ve always been the type that appreciates tangible gifts that I can hold on to rather than chocolates that get eaten and flowers that I have to dispose of in one week’s time. So food that disappears within a few hour’s time is not high on my priority list (although due to the caterer that I must use per venue policy, it’s going to be good, expensive food). That being said the two most important things for me at the outset of getting engaged were the invitations and photography. I’ve actually done little to no work on anything invitation related, but we’ll touch on that later.
I’m tempted to carry around a d-slr on my wedding day, but it’s so bulky it’ll be like packing heat, so I just have to put total trust into my photographers.
Here’s a sampling of what kind of photos I take, via my trusty 1980’s Minolta Maxuum 7000 and Lomo fisheye2. (Miss Lovebug had a post a while back dedicated to the wonders of Lomos)
For all those honeymoon photos and photos that you as a guest might take at a wedding - it’s always a good idea to get way up close to your subjects (without the zoom) and crop out a boring background - like the third picture from the bottom. One simple rule is the rule of thirds. You can read up on it at that link. I had a girlfriend go to Europe once and came back with hundreds gorgeous scenery shots, but not only was she in every single picture; she was dead center in every single picture and it was redundant and terrible! 
That being said, you have to depress your picture-taking-button slightly with the person in the middle of the photo, till you get a green light or some other indication that it’s going to focus on your friend, and then move the camera to the right or the left to position them in one of the vertical thirds of the photo. Otherwise the ocean behind them will be clear and they’ll turn out blurry, especially if you go closer and try not to leave 4 inches of white space above their head.
So on my wedding day, like I said, I don’t necessarily want to pack heat. But I don’t know if I’m willing to go the whole day without a camera of any sort. Mr Milkshake owns a camera just like this pink one, although it’s not pink and it’s probably a millipixel or two smaller, but it’s the size of a coin purse, and toteably concealable. You don’t need a $2000 camera to take good photos (that’s the principle behind the concept of Lomos, which were originally cheap spy cameras used by the KGB). So maybe that’s what I’ll do.
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I love your fisheye photos! I am going to have to get one of those cameras. Right now, I have a Lomo Supersampler and the photos have all turned our great - really fun!
Because of budget, we aren’t going with a pro photographer (gave that up for dream location) and instead we are having my fiance’s aunt take the photos. But my photography loving self is sad that she probably won’t get the details that I want, so I’m lugging around a camera all day also. I’m just sad she’s going to be using my sony alpha dslr.
(and yay for minolta maxxums! I have one also)
Man, I got so much grief from my friends (and the groomsmen) for sneaking around with my camera. I don’t think I took more than 5 pictures, though, and they’re kind of special and unique. And it’s not like I was wearing it around my neck at the ceremony or anything.
Who was it who had the garter holster for her inhaler? You need one for the little Sony.
I was just thinking about this the other day! I will definitely have my point and shoot Sony with me on my wedding day. As a graphic designer and former high school yearbook nerd, the need for a camera at important events is incredibly important to me. It will be hard for me to be at my wedding and not take a few photographs of my own. I know I will get some grief for it as Sarah mentioned above, but it just wouldn’t be normal for me not to have it!
Thank you, very much, for the rule of three link! Helpful!
i guess for me it’s a little different. we’re having a 10-course chinese banquet so i do hope they remember something they ate. hehe! 
even if they don’t, i’d rather have guests leave positively saying that the food was good. i would hate to have guests leave still hungry.
I am taking some photography classes in the spring….thanks for the awesome tip.
Whatever you do - hire a photographer who you TRUST and who’s work you LOVE! Have your camera with you if you want, but don’t put yourself in a position where you feel like you NEED to take pictures. Don’t let taking pictures be something else you need to be responsible for on your wedding day! You’ll have enough on your mind that day, you know?
And just be very careful asking friends & family to replace a professional photographer. Make sure you sit down and talk about what you’re expecting - get it in writing if you need to, to be sure. I have a friend who didn’t want to “waste” money on a photographer when she had a dslr she could lend a friend to use. Her “friend” shot the whole wedding, uploaded the photos to flickr, deleted the originals, only to find that he’d uploaded only thumbnail sized pics to flickr. She now has NO usable photos from her wedding, and a strained relationship with her friend!! Even friends who are good photographers can’t always replace a professional wedding photographer when it comes to knowing how to capture a wedding day, and how to deliver quality prints - so ask lots of questions and look through lots of their work before you decide to let anyone be responsible for the photos from your wedding. The photos are all that’s left when it’s all said and done (besides your spouse of course!)…
Hi ladies — I love this thread! I’m a story consultant for Shutterfly.com and would love to follow up with those of you who are doing DYI wedding photography in any form.
If you are interested in telling your story, no matter what point you are at in your wedding plans, please let me know. My email is tulin [at] shutterfly [dot] com.
Thanks!
I am a photographer (I have the D200 and D300… and the D300 is freakin’ amazing!) and I was SUPER anal about pictures for my wedding. Luckily, I found a photographer whom I not only adored, but was more of a camera freak than I am. I had THREE photographers the day of my wedding… but I’m still kicking myself for not bringing mine along for the times after the reception when the photogs left and things happened (like me falling in the hot tub and all the guests getting in the pool). However I was taking pictures up until I walked down the aisle, literally.
Don’t be afraid to take your SLR! It was my ONLY regret of the day. My photographer(s) nailed it but they won’t be there for every moment and there’s nothing like wishing you had a camera (everyone’s batteries died at our reception).
I also did the camera on the table thing with a scavenger hunt. Some (OK most) think it’s tacky and a waste of film but my shutter happy self LOVED it and the pictures turned out pretty darn good! They were also the saving grace for pictues from after the photogs left!
Keep an eye on B&H - they’ve had a few moments of the D300 being in stock. I LOVE your shots, they are awesome!
And I LOVE Canada if you’re still at a loss for a photog LOL! 
thanks for all the comments!
corey: nice site! what are your thoughts on the canon 5d as far as everday use and professional use? i was tempted to get it, but i’ve always wanted a nikon, and from what i’ve read, the nikon will give me a little more point and shoot freedom….
jnicholea: the stitchpixie purse is 3 1/2 x 4/12 inches
Oh, Miss Milkshake, check out dooce.com for 5D examples that will have you whipping out the credit card. One of my coworkers sold his car to get a 5D (and some monster lenses) and he does not regret it.
Miss Milkshake:
I LOVE DP Review when I’m trying to toy between two cameras. That’s where I started when I jumped in to the DSLR field. It all depends on how much you want to spend and where you want to go with it. Since the 5D came out in 2005 and the D300 really is a better camera (I LOVE the 51 autofocus points!) I see Canon coming out with a better version in the coming year. I’m not all up on the Canon side of things since I went to the Dark Side (Nikon, I shot Canon SLR for years!). I liked Nikon better for their lenses and their quality. My BEST advice is to head to a local camera store and handle them and see what you like best. I went in fully expecting to walk out with a Canon and fell in love with the D200!
miss milkshake… did you find another photographer?! i am located in Vancouver. wwwhubbardphotography.com please feel free to contact me. cheers!
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Mrs. Milkshake, Seattle/Vancouver, BC
Age and Occupation: 23, Pharmacist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Pharmacist
Engagement Date: May 2007
Wedding Date: August 2008
Blogging Since: December 6, 2007
Venue: Victorian Mansion
About Me: Despite the fact that I’ve invested many long years of my life studying the sciences in college, I’m glad to be out of there and I would never do it again! I’m super artsy at heart - I run an indie craft site, I grew up shooting and developing my own film, doing jazz and ballet, and the whole gamut of art classes. I’ve been called a Jane of all Trades… but I was also told many years ago not to make my passion my career because it’d suck the fun out of it. Hence my choice of day job. We live in Seattle but are having our wedding in Canada to be fair to all our family and friends.
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