Need help from an Experienced, What i need A-Z to photograph a Wedding?

[benyoon1980]

Hi, I am new to the forum, and i am so glad I FOUND something that can help me. i want to know from a professional or experienced wedding photographer, what exact equipment i need from a-z if i have the rebel xsi 450d. That is all i bought from the store, and i know the camera is the least expensive things i need to buy, besides getting pushed around to lens to all sorts of first time equipment purchases, what do i need from A-Z? i learned how to use my camera taking an advanced courses from training school also learning from blue crane DVD, but i know for a fact i need to spend way more money to approach my goal for ease of use and quality, basically lenses and equipment.

If you can please just say what i need for each equipment and why (=), that would be really nice, for example.

70mm-300mm is lens = portrait head shots. (I am not sure if that is even correct)

You can give me examples like that i would greatly appreciate it. I don’t want to buy equipment that i will need to sell later because it was cheap, and as i learn buy more expensive things, i want to buy everything based on what i will keep for 5 years at least bought first time, as of right now ii’m gaining but i can’t get any depth of field i desire on images with this lens without the proper lens i guess i got 18-55mm that come with the rebel xsi.

Please if i can get ANY advise that would be nice.

[TheHoff]

I would say the first requirement would be an arrangement to be a second shooter for a working professional. Having any certain lens is much less important than knowing why and when to use it. You can be an assistant with the gear you have and you will quickly see what you need to do a wedding -- not what someone here needs.

[turbo212003]

I would say the first requirement would be an arrangement to be a second shooter for a working professional. Having any certain lens is much less important than knowing why and when to use it. You can be an assistant with the gear you have and you will quickly see what you need to do a wedding -- not what someone here needs.

Nicely said!

[benyoon1980]

yeah I can do that, in addition what are the wedding photographers using at there scenes off the top of there head? If anyone can throw some ideas, that'll be nice. I want to become a photographer for my family events in general, nothing professional, i have had interest for years, finally found some time after my job and everything is settled down. Very good note taker, i can enhance learning online. thank you for you time guys, if there is anyone else with really good advise on lens and where there functions will come in handy, please let me know.

battery grip
580ex speedlite
and softboxes lights for portraits.
lenses? when and what to use I'm kind of lost. thanks guys

[johncharlton]

If you're asking questions about what lens to use in what situations, you certainly need to keep reading and learning and experimenting! You can go on every training course, read every book on photography, but without the practise, it's all a waste of money. I'd say understand what you currently have and why it works. Your camera should have a recently ok kit lens - something like a 18mm-55mm f4 -f5.6 lens, which is good enough to learn with and understand what it's doing. Get hold of a cheap telephoto lens, something like a 70-300mm f5.6 lens. With those two, you'll have plenty to learn and understand before you let yourself loose on assisting at a wedding. Over here in the UK even assistants usually understand the basic fundamentals of cameras and lenses, before they start assisting.... a wedding photographer hasn't time to teach an assistant whilst shooting a wedding.

[bps]

Welcome to POTN! This website is an excellent resource for researching and asking questions. Please don't be alarmed, or put off, if you don't get a lot of answers to your questions. The reason is because your questions are somewhat complex and any answers you receive will be very subjective. Additionally, many of your questions can be answered by searching and reading, but they can (and will) be answered as you gain practical experience.

With that being said, wedding photography is routinely shot in low light conditions. And you are often faced with downright terrible lighting. Because of this, fast lenses are absolutely essential. The starting point for "fast" begins at f/2.8, but you will also need to compliment your line-up with faster primes.

Another consideration is flash. Learning on-camera and off-camera flash is essential. You'll want to start with on-camera flash and learn its may intricacies before moving on to off-camera flash. A good start is a 580EX II.

And even more important than equipment, is the knowledge to use it and heaps of real-world experience. You'll need to learn how to quickly work your camera in fast-changing light conditions without hesitation.

There's a lot more, but this is a good start!
Bryan