Dec 04 2008
Advice on wedding photography?
Cat asked:
My boyfriend and me have set up e wedding photography business and sp far have done one wedding which went well and have got a few lined up for next year. However we need some advice on what equipment is essential to have. At the moment we have a canon 400D, 75-300 sigma zoom lens, portable flash and the other every day equipment. We would be very greatful for any advice and tips you may have?
Give us your opinion
My boyfriend and me have set up e wedding photography business and sp far have done one wedding which went well and have got a few lined up for next year. However we need some advice on what equipment is essential to have. At the moment we have a canon 400D, 75-300 sigma zoom lens, portable flash and the other every day equipment. We would be very greatful for any advice and tips you may have?
Give us your opinion
4 Responses to “Advice on wedding photography?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Do you have a back-up camera body or two? I would **** to have to shoot a wedding with the Sigma 75-300. How do you plan on getting the group formals?
You need a minimum of two camera bodies, a f/2.8 WA zoom lens, a moderate telephoto f/2.8 zoom, and possibly a 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 for portraits and low light. The accessory flashes (for both cameras), cords, etc etc etc. Good luck.
get some fast prime lenses or if you must buy some zooms, get some lighting and learn how to use it,
a
The following article may be helpful to your new enterprise:
If you know anyone who has a current Mac computer, you
can use IWeb to create a website showing your recent
photographs. Set up an .mac account [$99 per year] and
publish your IWeb webpage(s).
Acquire from Vistaprint.com a colorful business card
by selecting from their many templates a suitable one
that meets your needs. Make sure to list the URL of
your website along with a telephone answering device.
Do not place your home address or anything personal
such as a cellphone on this businesscard. Then when
you receive the finished business card, pass it around
to various churches, temples and the like to solicit
business.
When you receive a major photography assignment, visit
your local professional camera store and “rent” the
necessary camera equipment to fulfill this assignment.
When starting out, you don’t want to tie your money up
with a piece of camera equipment which because of ever
changing technology “becomes obsolete.” Remember, that
90% of professional photographer are not “buying”
camera equipment continually which can easily become
outdated; instead, they merely “rent or lease” the
camera equipment for set period of time; thereby
keeping their money for other expenses. Even though
you may have your heart set on an SLR and film, you
may have to give up that concept for the moment, since
digital photography offers the most economic method of
photo reproduction. Digital imagery is easy to edit on
a computer and the print quality is often far superior
to regular film-generated prints.
You want to buy an “essential/basic” DSLR system which
has an all-around affordable accessory lenses, then
consider the award winning Pentax KD series beginning
with the Pentax K100D 6.1 mp DSLR with “image
stabilization” built into the camera body. “Image
stabilization” is essential for allowing you to take
telephoto pictures at weddings, parties, while on the
go and you don’t have to drag along a tripod to steady
your camera. Unfortunately, Canon and Nikon have
chosen to install their “vibration reduction” devices
into very expensive auxiliary lenses. But getting back
to the Pentax K100D which comes in a starter kit
consisting of two Pentax lenses: a 18-55 mm. normal
lens and a 50-200 mm. telephoto which sells for $650
at samys.com. Again, the Pentax K100D starter kit runs
circles around the D40 Nikon!
For digital print processing, find a private
professional film processing lab who can handle all
your client’s print orders. And with a resale license,
you will be qualified for considerable “professional”
discounts on lab fees. A search on the Google and
Yahoo for wholesale photo albums will connect you with
various distributors who, again, you can sign on as a
photography studio and get a dealer’s pricing for any
number of albums, guest books, etc.
Instead of renting a studio, take people pictures at
local parks and beaches and for indoor shots, go to
the client’s residence or office to set up a photo
shooting environment which consists of a set of
lights, reflective screens, background drapery, etc.
Good luck!
You may consider renting equipment for your first year, it will give you the option of using the latest cameras and fast glass w/o the heavy out of pocket it would take to buy what you need. You will need backups of the cameras for sure and be sure to rent them in advance to get familiar with the operation before you are under the gun. Wedding photography should not be taken lightly nor should you learn on your clients dime. Master your skills and equipment before you ever agree to photograph a wedding and have a really good insurance policy in place just in case.
best of luck