what i need for wedding photography

[mawake3]

hello members am just new here
i want to ask about the tools i need to make success sharp wedding photos

i have canon 450 D
lenses : 18-55 ... 50mm f1.8
speedlite : 580 ex ii

is there any better lens ?

thanks

[djvkool]

Lens does help, but above all it's your skill and creative eye that will make or break i

[Heath]

Experience

[Roy Mathers]

What you have is nowhere near enough - you need at least two of everything!

[Livinthalife]

I would have invested into more glass instead of the 580.

Wedding photography, yes experience, and creativity are big pluses. But you will need some good gear to help it show. there are plenty of great lenses that DONT cost an arm and a leg if that's your question. just depends on what your style and needs are.

2 cameras would be nice, but I wouldn't say it is "necessary". I do think better glass would be a great help though.

[mawake3]

if there any wide sharp lens which i can use at weddings and parties

plz tell me abt it

such as : canon 17-40 4L

duno if its nice or there is smth better

[Livinthalife]

There are tons, BUT we need to know what you need. we also NEED to know your budget before giving you recommendations.

[tombramwell]

I love my 17-40 but it's not a great wedding lense because it doesn't work well in low light conditions, being only f4.

[EmmaRose]

Dont start to do paid weddings if you dont have a back up body (or experience for that matter)

[SuzyView]

Welcome to the forum. This question is asked a lot. You have some gear you think is good enough for starting out. It is. We all started somewhere. But weddings or any life events can't be re-shot and need the best equipment a pro can afford. If you really are serious about shooting pro sometime in the future, follow a pro around a few times and really get a look at the profession. We tell newbies the business part, getting customers, advertising, working with clients is the the hard part. Taking the pictures is easy. So, make sure you get the whole package figured out before starting or else you will be investing $20K eventually and won't have any clients.

I forgot to answer the question: I doubt it, the camera and lenses you have are what Canon sells as consumer level products. There is a whole series of semi-pro and pro lenses that are used mainly for speed and low light and much better image quality (IQ). You'll need a second camera body also in case the main one fails. Here is the link the Canon USA site. If you look at where your gear is in the collection, it is at the bottom.

http://www.usa.canon.com/app/pdf/lens/Lens_Extender_chart_new.pdf

There are a lot of lenses there. Take a little time and research the reviews in the EF Lens forum here.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=249006

You'll understand more of where your lenses stand in comparison.

[Roy Mathers]

Dont start to do paid weddings if you dont have a back up body (or experience for that matter)


I agree Emma - that's what I meant about 'two of everything'.

[tim]

Wedding FAQ (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=255604).

[suecassidy]

2 cameras would be nice, but I wouldn't say it is "necessary". I do think better glass would be a great help though.

I have to respectfully disagree with that. 2 bodies are absolutely necessary because you can't go back and shoot a wedding again when one body poops out for whatever reason. and it DOES happen. However, you don't have to BUY one. Just rent the same body you are using, so that you are familiar with it. Small price to pay for huge peace of mind. Borrow one if you don't have access to rental shops.

[tim]

I once had two cameras fail during a ceremony - at the time I only had two cameras. Now I have four, and I take them all to the wedding, with one in my car boot as a spare. It's not uncommon for one of my 40D cameras to not work 100% on any particular wedding day, they're usually good but occasionally they stop working for a min or an hour. Backups are essential if you want to be a professional.

[crricha13]

it depends on your style really. imo. .....but I was told, pick out everything you need. then double that. what if your camera breaks or your lens cracks or something goes wrong......a wedding is a 1 time thing and you don't wanna miss any shot.

[ScullenCrossBones]

If you've never photographed a wedding before, find a photograper that needs an assistant and educate yourself under his/her guidance.

Weddings are fast paced, hectic, high pressure situations in which you MUST get your shots. If the light's too low, or no flash is allowed in the church, or equipment fails, or it rains or batteries die or you get sick, you have to be prepared to get the shots no matter what.

Most folks here will tell you that equipment is secondary, and that's true. Weddings are really about people. Your people skills and marketing skills are more important, and harder to learn, than composition, light and exposure, which are also hard.

If you are doing a freebee for a friend who has no other options, that's one thing. If you are passing yourself off as a pro, I highly recommend you become a respected photographer's apprentice for a while and learn all you can.

[footballdude2k3]

what you have is a start, you will need a lot more, personally i do not like the feel of the XXXd bodies, and i do not think that they handle noise as well as other cameras. I think that you are going to need at least 2 XXd bodies, 4 lenses that are f2.8 if you like zooms, keep your 50 1.8 but get another as a backup. You will need a backup flash as well. Some sort of photoshop is needed as well, i personally use CS4, its perfect for what i need. Also since it looks like you are new(ish) at photography so make sure that you are not doing it alone.

[tim]

what you have is a start, you will need a lot more, personally i do not like the feel of the XXXd bodies, and i do not think that they handle noise as well as other cameras. I think that you are going to need at least 2 XXd bodies, 4 lenses that are f2.8 if you like zooms, keep your 50 1.8 but get another as a backup. You will need a backup flash as well. Some sort of photoshop is needed as well, i personally use CS4, its perfect for what i need. Also since it looks like you are new(ish) at photography so make sure that you are not doing it alone.

Why would anyone need four F2.8 zooms?

[czeglin]

I can think of UWA, Normal, Tele. Maybe a backup for one of them?

[cdifoto]

Why would anyone need four F2.8 zooms?
*shrug*

I only have one...

[footballdude2k3]

Why would anyone need four F2.8 zooms?


sorry i wasnt thinking, i should have explained, I would get a 17-55/28-75 and a 70-200 and possibly a uwa all 2.8 along with a backup.

[Wazza]

*shrug*

I only have one...

I only have one too. 120-300, and I'd consider that a bit big for general shooting.

mawake3: as everyone else has suggested, if you're shooting alone or as a main photographer, you need a lot more gear. Try assisting some people and expand your skills, technical, creative, people direction.. There's so much to take on.

[tim]

sorry i wasnt thinking, i should have explained, I would get a 17-55/28-75 and a 70-200 and possibly a uwa all 2.8 along with a backup.

Can you get ultrawide F2.8 zooms?

I use 17-55 x 2, 70-200, 10-22, 100, and 30. I could do the whole day with the 30, but the other lenses make it easier.

[footballdude2k3]

tokina 11-16

[tim]

Interesting. I have a Tokina 12-24 F4 which is currently broken, the blades are stuck or something.

[evilryu530]

sorry kid, you've got toys. you need a lot more!

[dmbpettit]

you can see what I own in my signature. I actually only use the 50D. The rest I rent. For this weekendi am renting a 5D, 15mm fisheye, 16-35L, and 70-200. All that for about $190. This makes more semse for me since I average about 1 wedding a month or so.