I have a 12MP dslr, a GN58 flash gun, a tripod and a reflector. I'm thinking of focusing on wedding photography business. Thank you so much for your ideas!
equipment is not the main consideration.
Skill and experience is.
If you have never done a wedding before then before you jump in you need to work as an assistant for a while so that you do not completely and utterly mess up the couples big day.
Good wedding photography is a skill which can only be learnt with practice so going solo straight is NOT a good idea.
a
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Okay, just to clear things up, megapickels don't really matter, etc., unless you're going for P.Bunyan-sized blowups.
You'll want another body for backup, a good working zoom or two (24-70mm for example), depending on the size of the wedding, an ultra wide angle lens, another flash and may or may not need a diffuser.
Also you'll need over 9000 memory cards (more than just a few though, you'll need to take as many shots as possible for weddings, then weed out the bad ones). Carry spare batteries for your cameras and your flashes.
Try to work as an assistant or a 2nd/3rd shooter for a pro wedding photographer if you can- weddings aren't something you just want to jump into despite having a DSLR.
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March 23rd, 2009 at 6:34 pm
equipment is not the main consideration.
Skill and experience is.
If you have never done a wedding before then before you jump in you need to work as an assistant for a while so that you do not completely and utterly mess up the couples big day.
Good wedding photography is a skill which can only be learnt with practice so going solo straight is NOT a good idea.
a
References :
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Buying a set of mechanic's tools does not make you a mechanic.
Buying a set of carpenter's tools does not make you a carpenter.
Buying a DSLR and a flash and a tripod does not make you a photographer.
You should plan on working as an assistant to a wedding photographer for at least two years AFTER you've finished photography school before you even think about hiring yourself out as a wedding photographer.
Think about this for a while: A couple of years ago, a bride sued her florist for $35,000.00 because the flowers in the arrangements he provided were not the exact same color as the ones in his catalog.
Now if a bride gets that upset over the flowers just think how she'll react when the pictures you take are all messed up because you simply didn't know what you were doing.
Their wedding day is the most important day in a couple's life right up to the birth of their first child. Its no place for a rank amateur to be practicing.
References :
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:47 pm
If you were ready to start doing wedding photography you wouldn't have to ask a bunch of unknown people here on Y!A what you need.
The equipment you have now may be enough to intern with an established pro. He/she will let you know what gear they like and what they feel you are missing.
A minimum would be two bodies, two flashes, (I have 3 of each) fast lenses to cover wide angle through 200mm telephoto. brackets, cords, diffusers, a good tripod, fast computer and programs to work with RAW files.
References :
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:59 pm
If you don't know what gear you need or if the gear you have is sufficient, then you are no where near ready not only for wedding photography, but for any kind of professional venture.
The most important things you need you didn't even list and should have been the first things listed. Figure that out then we cantak about "maybe" doing some pro work. Until then, go back to school, mentor with a real professional and leave the photography business with us professionals.
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March 23rd, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Lens: You'll want a 24-70mm f/2.8 for general use, a 70-200 f/2.8 for longer portraits, and a prime or two such as the 85mm f/1.4 or 135mm f/2
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March 23rd, 2009 at 9:18 pm
I have done many weddings. Almost every good shot is done with a standard or normal lens. Short tele is nice but can only be used rarely. a moderate wide angle does help for groups shots. Zoom lens is nice, but the quality of most zooms really leave a lot to be desired. Over time if you force yourself to use the normal lens and compare to photos you took with the zoom, you will find your better pictures were with the normal lens! Instead of the cheap normal lens that comes with your camera, you can buy a higher quality lens with a faster aperture. The wider F stop range will help with natural light and also make focusing easyer and more accurate.
You will also find that 35 mm film just don't cut it. Medium format or 120 film is a must.
Okay, okay, the switch to digital is almost mandated because of what you can do in the computer with photoshop. Digital still does not equal the quality of 120 vps film. But the lack in quality is more then made up with the advantages of photoshop. Megapixel does matter as you want to be able to crop. 8 MP is ideal. 12 is even better, but beware the higher MP will use up more memory space and take longer to write to your camera memory. Being able to take a follow up shot quickly is a must!
I use Cannon 10MP (Cannon has a better buffer which allows faster follow up shots) with a fixed focal length lens that has a real manual focus capability (NOT the twist the end of the lens barrel junk) and an off camera flash. Mac Computer with Photoshop.
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