EOS 350D and wedding photos

[MegaTron]

Hello all, first off, I am an absolute gnub when it comes to photography. For the past few months, ive grown very interested in photography, and about a month ago I started reading up on Canon EOS cameras. Basically just browsed various forums, and googled a few things. I am still not familiar with all of the terminology, but I have a few questions.

Ok, ill get to the point. My apologies in advance if this sounds kind of stupid but I became more interested in photography because I was taking a look at a friends wedding pictures. I thought the pictures were horrible, and that I could do better. I live in an area where "my people", are very stubborn, and will only hire "my people" to do their jobs. Weddings happen EVERY weekend, and there are only so many photographers in town that are within the "circle of trust". These guys get gigs without even having to advertise, because they do it so often. Some of their pictures are great, but a lot of the pictures are terrible. I can prob take pics that are just as good with my little Casio 4 meg.

EVERYONE recommends the Canon 20D, and I have the cash to spend on it, BUT, the other day, to my surprise, my gf, bought me a Canon 350D for my birthday. What a sweet gift! Totally unexpected. But, eventually in the future, I would like to be doing wedding pictures, and other professional pics. Should I be an ungreatful arsehole and cough up the extra cash and exchange my gift from my sweet gf and get the 20D now, even though I havent a clue what im spending the extra cash on? Or should I just keep the 350D and play around with it more, and maybe save the cash for a sweet lens?

The weddings are not traditional American weddings, they are traditional South East Asian weddings. A lot of the clothes are colorful, and silky, and the patterns of the clothing are very detailed. What problems will I run into using the 350D while taking wedding photos?

I know some of you wont take this seriously, I can understand that, but I would appreciate any help I can get. I know it takes years and years of practice to become a good photographer, but I am trying to learn everything as quick as possible, and possibly make some money. Taking advantage of a situation is all im really doing.

Again, any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Jackal]

If you're on a tight budget...

350D and a good lense is better than a 20D with a cheap lense.

And, if you're concerned about image quality the 350D is the same as the 20D image wise.

[biggin]

I got a lot of the "don't try weddings bullc_ _p when I first started posting here but I went ahead and got a small photo business going anyway. Plan ahead, make contracts,websites,business cards any thing to advertise and by all means keep up your confidence. IF you feel you can do it then jump on in, just make sure you are prepared. I have done 3 weddings in the last 2 weeks and all in all it has been real good. I had some focusing issues on the first wedding but I took 3-4 times more photos than I needed, so I did have enough to cover what the bride had ordered. take plenty of shots and several of each pose at different settings until you are more comfortable. You will need a back up camera so keep the rebel the gf got you and buy yourself the 20d! Good luck. If you need any contacts on wedding albums and supplies try a company called CROWN, they carry several brands of albums from cheap to one of the best like Rennissance. You can find them online!

[robertwgross]

First of all, I think that either a 350D or a 20D can be used for wedding photography quite successfully. The 20D has some features that would make it better if you were trying to shoot lots of frames in a quick sequence, but that does not exactly sound like a big deal for wedding photography. There is a lot of similarity in the two cameras, and much of the difference lies in the user interface (buttons, menus, and other controls). So, with that in mind, I suggest to make due with what you have and use it as a learning tool. Attend some photography class at a local community college or adult education center. Practice a lot. After you've done a dozen weddings, you can decide whether to move up to a fancier camera and use the 350D for backup, or stick with what you've got.

Rather than trying to change cameras, you would be better off getting a good external flash unit and learning how to use it.

---Bob Gross---

[Michaelmjc]

Everyone recommends the 20D but I dont know why. Sure its a good camera but its not THAT much better than the 350D to spend about 500-600 more. I would stick with the 350D. its a great camera and has a lot of good features. For wedding photos I would recommend a good external flash. Maybe a Canon 550ex Speedlite.

What problems will you run into taking wedding pictures? Well lack of experience is one thing,composition is huge! If the picture isn't composed nicely it will turn out crappy.

I would buy a few good lenses... First off what lens do you have? ef-s 18-55mm?
The 50mm 1.8 is a great lens and fast. A good zoom lens will also be good, I would recommend something around 200mm. You wont really need anymore than that, but you dont really want anything less than that.

[ScottE]

I prefer to shoot nature photos, but occasionally my wife volunteers me to shoot weddings when her friends' children get married. I am not fond of that type of photography, but so far all my "customers" have been very happy with the photos. Here are a few of my observations.

I use a 20D, but the 350D should be able to produce great wedding photos if you develop good technique. I would spend money on better lenses before I considered upgrading the body. At that time I would probably want to keep the 350D as backup in case I had problems with the main camera. (I always carry my old D60 just in case the 20D has problems.) There are other things I would spend money on first.

I always shoot a wedding in RAW format because of the often tricky lighting and high contrast subjects. Get lots of CF cards or microdrives. It is not uncommon to shoot 4 to 6 gigabites of photos in RAW format at a wedding. Also, get a laptop or other storage device so you can store the images in the field and reuse your CF cards if necessary.

Often the lighting is not good so you would really like to have a fast f/2.8 zoom lens. The ideal lens would be a Canon 24-70/2.8, but this is rather expensive. You could save some money be getting the Sigma 24-70/2.8 EX DG. Tamron and Tokina also make similar lenses.

For indoor shots you will often need to use flash to get adequate exposure and the built in flash on the camera will not be enough. Get an accessory flash such as the Canon 580EX. Again Sigma maked a similar flash that is fully comptable if you want to save a few dollars. Since many of your shots will be in protrait mode, mounting the flash on the camera result in unpleasant shadows to the side of the subject. You will need an off-shoe cord or radio transmitter to move the flash above the camera. It is possible to hand hold the flash in that position, but a flash bracket that will flip form landscape to protrait orientation is very helpful.

There are also occasions when you want to either pick out people in a crowd or shoot unobtrusively from the back of the church. A longer zoom lens such as a Canon 70-200/2.8 is great for that situation. The IS version is particularly useful since you may not want to set up a tripod. To save money, Sigma produces a similar non-IS lens.

Finally, you may want a wide angle lens for situations where you want to do a group shot, but cannot get far enough back to use the 24-70. I believe the only fast, f/2.8 zoom available is the Canon 16-35/2.8, but this is again somewhat expensive. I recently was very happy I had my Canon 10-22 lens in my bag for for this type of shot at a wedding when the bride wanted to pose her wedding party on a narrow balcony and get the scenery in the background.

Good luck,

Scott

[MegaTron]

Thanks for all of your replys, I really appreciate it. The GF gave me the reciept, I just got the camera yesterday, so I can still return it or exchange it, and pay the difference, the extra cash is a non issue. The thing is, all I will really be doing is paying more for features that I dont know how to use anyway.

I have the business part set up, I just really need to practice. With these traditional weddings, most of the photos are still photos, and as long as the lighting is good, and the picture is "clear" then its considered a good photo in "my peoples" eyes. Im actually looking beyond that, the reason why I asked about the XT and weddings and described some of the clothes is because I read a review, and the reviewer brought up issues with moire. With the photos that I will be taking, it will probably be a non issue, because the pictures will probably not be blown up to the size where it would be noticeable. Im just looking to it in the long run thats all, I dont want to just take pics that are just good enough, I want them to eventually be excellent.

Do any of you have any experiences with using the 350D at say, a fashion shoot, or a wedding?

Thanks again for all of your help.

[tim]

I would upgrade to the 20D, just because the controls are a lot quicker to use. Appearances also matter, i'd personally not hire a wedding photographer who used a rebel, even though it's a great camera. Most people probably don't care what kind of camera you use. Just my $0.02.

[davidfig]

2 cents.....

I also have the 350D. First of all, it is not the camera but the photographer. I have taken great pictures from my Canon A75. So, camera isn't everything.

I would recommend that you need to think about two things up front. First, would be a good lens, I would recommend at least a 18-85 (28-135 equiv.), this would cover most everything. Second, but not least important is to get an external flash and get it way off of camera center. All wedding photographers have brackets that move the flash up to a foot higher than the lens. This will get the red out (learn to deal with the weight and it will be worth it). After that its your imagination. This might sound strange, but you need to take control. It is expected and if you are going to get the shots it will be neccessary.

David