Photographing people of color?

Question

A friend of mine, actually a boss, has asked me to photograph his wedding this weekend. I have taken pictures for fun and made a great memorial video of a friend recently. My boss fell in love with it.

The problem is that my boss is Afro-american, and all the pictures will be indoors. I'm worried about lighting and shadows. All I have is an Olympus digital with a built in flash. Are there any quick lighting tips I can use.

I have already told him that I am not a professional, and he is OK with that. I just want it to be perfect since it is their wedding day and I am the only one taking most of the photos.

Answer 1

For the formals use a light background.  I would get an external flash ( that is if your camera has a hot shoe) and a flash bracket that mounts to the camera like a tripod.  If this in a church the lighting is not going to be the best.  If you can get photos of the bride using natural light coming through a window or door.  The church may have also have a rule about not using flash during the ceremony and you may be restricted to where you can stand.  Se4t the iso  at 400 do some test shots before the wedding starts to see where you need to make your settings to get the proper exposure.  You should be there about 2 hours before the wedding actually starts. Things happen fast at weddings so have a plan where you want to stand when what happens.  Make a list with the bride of must have shots.  Bring a back up camera, spare batteries, and have fun!