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Say "Hello" if you're a wedding photographer
- Thread starter Renderz
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Just replying to say I like your photos! Love how the gallery page is laid out 
It's unfortunate, though, that when you take the time to take great photographs, some members of the wedding party insist on wearing trainers with a suit! I'm sure that would annoy you no end, lol.
It's unfortunate, though, that when you take the time to take great photographs, some members of the wedding party insist on wearing trainers with a suit! I'm sure that would annoy you no end, lol.
I've done a couple of Weddings, but don't class myself as a Wedding tog. Sure the money is nice, but I quite like my weekends/sanity.
I expected at least a dozen to reply. Most photographers I know are Mac based. So where are you?
Just to get some interest going. I'm based in Buckinghamshire, England. I carry a Nikon D3, Nikon D300 and (on loan) a Canon 5D Mk2.
My Macs are, a 2007 Mac Pro (upgraded to 8 cores), iMac 24", Macbook Pro 15" and an iPad 16gb 3GS.
Hopefully that might entice more photographers to come out a bit
Just to get some interest going. I'm based in Buckinghamshire, England. I carry a Nikon D3, Nikon D300 and (on loan) a Canon 5D Mk2.
My Macs are, a 2007 Mac Pro (upgraded to 8 cores), iMac 24", Macbook Pro 15" and an iPad 16gb 3GS.
Hopefully that might entice more photographers to come out a bit
Hello!
I´ve done some wedding and other kind of religion celebrations here in mexico, and a lot of them is from friends or familiy that know they have a photographer at hand...
Do the job and go home, but its not the kind of photo job I like to do, I do airplane pics for the most.
My gear:
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, Canon EOS 1-D
Canon EF 70-200 2.8 L, Canon EF 24-70 2.8 L
greetings from mexico.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eduardocapdeville/collections/72157624336247702/
I´ve done some wedding and other kind of religion celebrations here in mexico, and a lot of them is from friends or familiy that know they have a photographer at hand...
Do the job and go home, but its not the kind of photo job I like to do, I do airplane pics for the most.
My gear:
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, Canon EOS 1-D
Canon EF 70-200 2.8 L, Canon EF 24-70 2.8 L
greetings from mexico.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eduardocapdeville/collections/72157624336247702/
Weddings
This was my first summer doing weddings and I am booked solid for next summer
Based in Minneapolis MN USA, shot canon with a 50D + xTI this year, next year will be a 5dII + 50D and swapping all my glass for a 17-40L, 70-200f/2.8LIS, sigma 50 1.4 + all my lights n stuff.
I have absolutely loved shooting weddings so far!
This was my first summer doing weddings and I am booked solid for next summer
Based in Minneapolis MN USA, shot canon with a 50D + xTI this year, next year will be a 5dII + 50D and swapping all my glass for a 17-40L, 70-200f/2.8LIS, sigma 50 1.4 + all my lights n stuff.
I have absolutely loved shooting weddings so far!
I expected at least a dozen to reply. Most photographers I know are Mac based. So where are you?
Just to get some interest going. I'm based in Buckinghamshire, England. I carry a Nikon D3, Nikon D300 and (on loan) a Canon 5D Mk2.
My Macs are, a 2007 Mac Pro (upgraded to 8 cores), iMac 24", Macbook Pro 15" and an iPad 16gb 3GS.
Hopefully that might entice more photographers to come out a bit
Hello!
I´ve done some wedding and other kind of religion celebrations here in mexico, and a lot of them is from friends or familiy that know they have a photographer at hand...
Do the job and go home, but its not the kind of photo job I like to do, I do airplane pics for the most.
My gear:
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, Canon EOS 1-D
Canon EF 70-200 2.8 L, Canon EF 24-70 2.8 L
greetings from mexico.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eduardocapdeville/collections/72157624336247702/
This was my first summer doing weddings and I am booked solid for next summer
Based in Minneapolis MN USA, shot canon with a 50D + xTI this year, next year will be a 5dII + 50D and swapping all my glass for a 17-40L, 70-200f/2.8LIS, sigma 50 1.4 + all my lights n stuff.
I have absolutely loved shooting weddings so far!
And that's how you spot the wedding photographers...
And how DO you spot them? Are they the ones who identify the type of gear they use?
If so, sounds to me like you might have an issue with gearheads!
I shoot an occasional wedding and I use Nikon equipment.
Guilty as charged.
Yep, on average, the gearhead floating around the room of photographers is also a wedding photographer.
I'm not saying I have anything against gearheads, but after talking to one for 5 minutes and all you hear is them talking about the news lens they have that compliments the five others they have, but they really want this other lens, and did you see this new contraption you can blah blah blah... all gear, but nothing to say. Pass.
Let me see your work. And let me hear you discuss it without resorting to non-important references to the gear used. No one builds an amazing house and then only discusses the hammer used.
I'm a gearhead, but I may not be a typical one because I have this setup:
D700
24/2.8
50/1.8
85/1.4D
180/2.8
And that's all (along with my film cameras and a manual focus 50/1.8). Ideally, the 24/2.8 would be replaced by a 24/1.4, and maybe a macro lens would be included as well. No zooms or anything particularly expensive beyond the 24/1.4. I'm an arty type, and I'm just as much at home discussing the artistic side of photography as the technical side.
I've recently helped out at at a couple weddings, which was my first experience shooting a wedding.
D700
24/2.8
50/1.8
85/1.4D
180/2.8
And that's all (along with my film cameras and a manual focus 50/1.8). Ideally, the 24/2.8 would be replaced by a 24/1.4, and maybe a macro lens would be included as well. No zooms or anything particularly expensive beyond the 24/1.4. I'm an arty type, and I'm just as much at home discussing the artistic side of photography as the technical side.
I've recently helped out at at a couple weddings, which was my first experience shooting a wedding.
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Yessir! Here's one of my favorite shots of a Bride, love the framing, the sharpness, the warm glow off the walls, her expression, the purple shoes and the overflowing veil...
Wedding Photogs do love to chat about gear, though; I know I do! But I seriously LOVE my 135 F2L, I can't help but push it anytime I can
That said, one of the best wedding photographers in the world shot my wedding (lives local, good friend, great deal) and he pretty much used 2 lenses; the 70-200 2.8L IS the most, then followed by a now-discontinued 12-22 (I believe) older Canon L, and sometimes pulled out a 50 1.4. It really isn't about having an arsenal of lenses, it's about years of skill turned natural reaction, your speed to take in and evaluate the lighting of the short-lived candid moment, and your ability to frame it without even thinking about it.
Hi. I'm Joel, and I'm an (occasional) Wedding Photographer.
Funnily enough, most of the wedding pros I know don't talk much about their cameras. Also, funnily enough I'll talk gear with photographers for as long as people want and I don't shoot weddings.
I'm curious though- how do you find out about new tools, or the best ones to use without discussing them with other photographers?
Paul
Like I said earlier, "gearhead" is a broad group of which wedding photographers typically fall under. Someone I know (who is not a wedding photographer, but actually someone many of you have probably seen in magazines for years now), recently set his facebook status for a trip he's taking. Then he went through a roll call of every lens and body he's taking. I just had to shake my head in wonderment of this gear worship.
When I discuss photography with peers or students, I'm often asked which camera I use. I just tell them a DSLR. I don't want anyone to think they need a certain camera or lens to make the photos they want to create. I don't want people to be bogged down in gear overload. In the end, it's idea, not machine, that produces the lasting imagery. Ansel Adams used to be asked what his camera settings were for his photos. He'd make up something different each time because truthfully, none of that matters. The camera is just an obstacle to overcome to reach the truth of our visual voice. Never let the camera be what made your images.
Check out this image from Kahn and Selesnick:
Does the question of which camera, lens, f-stop, or etc etc even come into mind when looking at this? Personally, that is superfluous information best left to expo sales floors. Instead, I'm drawn into the mystery, the intrigue, and the wonderment of idea.
Completely agree. Professional practice moves forward with discussion - be it on the merits of a new camera or lens, or workflow, or anything else. Whilst I do agree some people are simply tiresome when they bang on about their latest acquisition, most of the time I have no problem talking about kit.
Case in point, one of my colleagues invested in a new PocketWizard system. Now I know about PW, but I hadn't used one. His experiences with PW were illuminating, educational and I could see how it changed his shooting experience and also his images. The four-odd hours we spent talking about kit was immensely valuable, and I now know a lot of things I didn't know that can enhance my own practice.
I've assisted on both the shooting and edit on one and done the full deal on one. Coming from editorial/event assignments I could see myself doing more of them. Nice combination of reportage, creativity and client interaction.
The new PocketWizard system looks amazing, and probably my next purchase. Though I'm also pining away for a 70-200L, so far I've shot my weddings almost exclusively with my 24-70L (I so badly wish they would release something like a 24-85mm f/2.8 IS L) with my sigma 50mm f/1.4 mixed in for lower light stuff.
I've been trying to get into weddings over this last 6 months or so and have now shot 2 (with the last one that I don't have photos up yet (they are in post/selection process now) being by far a better wedding (decorations, costuming, and venue))
Currently I'm overhauling my website to offer a blog style galleries system as well as better tools to allow interested parties to see my work easier.
Actually, my advice for Canon shooters is to avoid PW. They're hard to configure, and don't work with ETTL or sync over 1/200. The Radiopopper P1 system is far better. PW have a lot of marketing talking, but the reality is that they just don't work right for Canon bodies.
And that is exactly why talking about gear is necessary for professional development. I would have gone out and bought PW, simply due to the good things I've heard on the internet - but actually speaking to an owner, using similar kit to me has revealed a bunch of flaws and reasons not to buy, as well as an alternative recommendation.
I'm not sure what you mean about not working with ETTL, the miniTT1 and flexTT5 feature ETTL II and manual power control, and the AC3 zone controller looks amazingly easy to use with both modes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HGyVhoW8iY&feature=player_embedded
Cannot sync over 1/200?? That appears to not be true. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-BD_xD43oA&feature=player_embedded
My biggest problem with Radiopoppers is how you have to black out the IR window, and the designs they have for doing so look clunky and less than ideal to me.
Wow, I couldn't disagree more. I have three FlexTT5 and two MiniTT1s triggering a 580EX, a 580EXII, and a 550EX from either a 1DmkII or a 5D. I have absolutely LOVED the Pocketwizard system, in either ETTL or manual mode. The new AC3 Zone Controller allows me to control flash power (again, ETTL or manual) without leaving the camera position, and with the AC5 "sock", radio interference is no longer an issue (with the 580EX...the 550EX never had any issue to begin with, so that's the light I usually position furthest away from the camera).
And on the few times I need to shoot with studio strobes, HyperSync allows me to increase my X-sync speed so that I can easily overpower the ambient light.
The Flex/Mini system isn't cheap, but it's SO flexible and (finally) works as advertised.
100% highly recommended.
And how you have to have a flash mounted on the camera to enable wireless ETTL. I know a lot of guys love their RP systems, and I'm sure they're great. But the PW Flex/Mini system works just as well (since they've fixed the RF interference issues with the AC5/AC7), and allows control of ETTL and manual power from the flash position (with the AC3).
Both good systems, to be sure.
What I find to be pretty weird is that Canon/Nikon/Sigma hasn't gone into radio triggering business.