Do I have a Potential?

[melissanyk]

Originally Posted by ziss

Yes, I only use an on-camera flash... Is that really bad?

I have a Canon Rebel right now. I sold my other lenses and use only 50mm 1.8. I don't have any external flash. Is my camera/lens not good enough for weddings? (Just as a beginner, of course I will upgrade once I know for sure I'm into this.) And is it really important to have an external flash? Will I greatly benefit from it?

Thanks!

I had a Canon Rebel t2i and the basic kit lenses that it came with. I assisted (not second shot but assisted) at a wedding this spring and my images were way below the standards set by the other two photographers. I then assisted a very talented pro all wedding season, carried her bags, set up the photobooth, etc. I asked many, many questions, rented equipment at times when I knew it was going to be a wedding where I would get to shoot more.

Put it this way, although good composition goes a long way (and clearly you have an eye for composition), good equipment does too. A good teacher/mentor is also invaluable.
I've upgraded to a Canon 7d with a 40d backup, 50mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm and an external flash and I am barely ready equipment wise to take on all aspects of a wedding.

My point?

A rebel is not a good enough camera for weddings and shooting in auto is for amateurs. I used a rebel and shot in auto at first too, but quickly I learned enough to grow out of the camera and into more professional equipment. Can you shoot a wedding with a rebel in auto? Sure, but you won't get the results you were hoping for.

[ziss]

Originally Posted by melissanyk

A rebel is not a good enough camera for weddings and shooting in auto is for amateurs. I used a rebel and shot in auto at first too, but quickly I learned enough to grow out of the camera and into more professional equipment. Can you shoot a wedding with a rebel in auto? Sure, but you won't get the results you were hoping for.

I see... I totally agree with you.. I should not rush into things and ruin someone's wedding. But at the same time I wouldn't want to invest in all the fancy equipment and after the first wedding realize that it's not for me. Ideally, just like you, I wish I could just follow and assist a professional. Thanks for your reply!

[hairy_moth]

Originally Posted by melissanyk

A rebel is not a good enough camera for weddings and shooting in auto is for amateurs.

Your statements are too broad. I agree, there are better cameras for weddings, but there is nothing inherently "not good enough" about a rebel for shooting weddings. Depending on the model, it has the same sensor as the 7D. For the upstart on a tight budget, I would recommend 2 rebels over 1 7D.

Originally Posted by ziss

I see... I totally agree with you.. I should not rush into things and ruin someone's wedding. But at the same time I wouldn't want to invest in all the fancy equipment and after the first wedding realize that it's not for me.

Ziss.. You've got it right. Don't rush out to buy something until you fully understand how your current equipment is holding you back and what benefit you can expect from an upgrade. A 7D does not automatically give better results than a T2i. (I can't believe I am writing this, I am normally the person that gets annoyed when others get on their high horse and say equipment doesn't matter.. it does; but unless you understand why, and how to take advantage of the improvements: it doesn't.)

If you are serious about improving your photography, the first thing you should do is get a firm grasp of the basics. I recommend 2 books:

1. Understanding Exposure, byBryan Peterson
2. The manual that came with your camera.

If you are new to photography, read Peterson cover to cover at least twice. Read the manual several times -- each time you look at it you will likely pickup things you did not understand or know how to apply the first time..

And take some pictures and experiment. Then, you may find that your equipment is holding you back and you will understand what about it is, and you will know (basically) what you are looking for in an upgrade. The proper upgrade path depends on the style you develop.

[VicSkimmr]

Here's your biggest hurdle.

To be quiet honest, I do most of my shots in Auto mode... I know it's not professional, but every time I try to shoot something manually, the Auto photos turn out better. When I tried to do these shots with a smaller f/stop, turning the AV mode to 1.8, they turned out too bright and blown out.

First, you need to learn how your camera functions. If you don't understand why a photo turns out the way it did, then you aren't ready to shoot people. You're going to have to learn how to adapt on the fly for different conditions and unforeseen issues, and you simply cannot do that if you don't know how to properly operate your camera.

You most definitely don't need to upgrade your equipment right away. Wait until you outgrow what you currently have. Learn how to use natural light well before dropping money on a flash. A Rebel XT is more than capable of taking good pictures in the right lighting conditions. Once you start to feel frustrated by the limitations of your camera, then look to upgrade. Buying too much equipment at once is a great way to overwhelm yourself.

I personally have been into photography for 3 years, and I just purchased my first flash last week. I feel like I'm starting all over, but that's a good thing. Shooting with natural light for the past 3 years has forced me into learning different methods of utilizing light that I likely never would have learned had I immediately bought a flash. I learned when to shoot and where to position my subject to get the best results possible, I had to make due with what the day gave me. It helps me appreciate the light available instead of immediately relying on my flash now.

[awilkins]

I think you have great potential, it just will take some practice with technique. You have a great eye for capturing emotion, but a good idea would be to get inspired with posing (magazines, blogs, etc) before a shoot and go into with a plan on posing! Good rule of thumb for beginners is shooting with their backs to the sun.

[ziss]

Thank you everyone for your input!

I will read the camera manual carefully and then read the book Understanding Exposure - this is definitely my biggest problem.

In a mean time, I'll try to find a wedding photographer in my area who will let me follow him around and learn.

By the way, is there anyone in here who are located near Sacramento, California who could take me with them on wedding photoshoots?

[SnapFire]

I shot my first wedding with a T2i but I knew it inside and out. Now I've got my second wedding booked and have my 5D and plan to have a couple L lenses by then.

I agree with others here. I don't care if you have a brand new 1Dx and a host of the best L lenses on the market. If you don't know how to use it and how to get the exposure that you want then the gear doesn't matter. Someone who knows the ins and outs of exposure using even an older Rebel and kit lens will do a better job then the guy with the 1Dx who is spraying and praying with no idea. (Disclaimer: Image quality aside. I said do a better job, not necessarily "get better pictures".)

I would however recommend reading Understanding Exposure and THEN your camera manual. If not you won't really understand some things in the manual if you don't know what they do. Understanding Exposure will tell you what the camera is doing and then the manual will tell you how to make the camera do what you want. Best of luck!

Also, check out the Yongnuo flashes. A YN468 will give you ETTL functions for right around $110. I have one and it works good enough. If you're up for shooting in full manual mode grab a YN560. It's got more power but it doesn't do ETTL.

[pickle1]

Yes, but study study study!

[MrClark7]

see if you can take a class locally for beginners. i did. spent 30 and it went am long way. shoot in manual mode and jsut play with the shutter speed and apature. once you know the basics of these two you will improve fast and be shooting that way for now on.

[Tiberius]

Originally Posted by ziss

Yes, I will definitely get one if I will benefit from it! Now, what would be the best hotshoe flash for my camera (rebel xsi and 50mm 1.8 lens)? Something that is not too expensive, but good - a good value...

There are many third party flashes out there that will work with Canon's flash metering ETTL system, but I've never used them. I can recommend the 430EX flash though. It is fairly powerful, it will let you use bounce flash, and if you later on get a 580EX flash you can use the 430 as an off camera flash.

[NodrogCop]

Originally Posted by hairy_moth

If you are serious about improving your photography, the first thing you should do is get a firm grasp of the basics. I recommend 2 books:

1. Understanding Exposure, byBryan Peterson
2. The manual that came with your camera.

If you are new to photography, read Peterson cover to cover at least twice. Read the manual several times -- each time you look at it you will likely pickup things you did not understand or know how to apply the first time..

And take some pictures and experiment...

^^^+1^^^

I'm not an expert or pro by any means, but I was getting really frustrated with photography about 18 months ago. I got the same advice hairy_moth is giving you above, and it was a HUGE help and caused my photos to improve immensely. Peterson's book is awesome - written well and easy to understand.

Also -- keep shooting! Practice, practice, practice...than, as others have said, you'll learn your gear, what limitations it may bring, but also what it can do that you didn't think possible.

I think you've got the talent. Just gotta keep working at.

My $0.02.

Gordon

[Numenorean]

Originally Posted by ziss

Thanks for your reply!

To be quiet honest, I do most of my shots in Auto mode... I know it's not professional, but every time I try to shoot something manually, the Auto photos turn out better. When I tried to do these shots with a smaller f/stop, turning the AV mode to 1.8, they turned out too bright and blown out.

Buy this:

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-...8820257&sr=8-1

Seriously.

[chokeslamcena]

I'd recommend skipping Understanding Exposure and opting instead for Bryan Peterson's Understanding Photography Field Guide. It's essentially the same book (lots of it is copied word-for-word) but it covers more stuff (like using lines, colours, patterns, etc. for interesting compositions) and it's a smaller book too, so handy if you want to just throw it in a backpack or something if you'll be doing nothing for a while at school/college/work/travelling/whatever.


Your photographs show that you're good at working with people. Those aren't natural beginner photographer poses. I'm a pro and I'd even often times feel uncomfortable asking people to jump on each others backs, so you have that going for you straight away, anyway.

The best thing you can do is set your camera to programme mode (P).This is just auto mode again, but without the flash (it will never pop up in P mode). If you have a 50mm 1.8 then you've no real need for flash anyway (yes, fill light helps, but not from a pop up flash). Your flash is getting rid of the 3D look and feel that you could otherwise get. It's killing texture on the skin in the images (and leaving white marks on the noses).

Out from that, I'd suggest you get the 50mm on the camera and go into Av mode. This controls your aperture. Find something in your house, say a bottle or a lens, or a cup, anything at all, and take a photo of it from about three feet away. Take two photos, one with the camera at f/1.8 and another at f/22. Look at these two images on your computer and you'll see how aperture affects your depth of field.


Do this again, a second time, but take about photos of the cup/bottle/whatever at f/1.8, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 and 22.

Go back to your PC and cycle through the photos. This will show you how you get your blurry soft background and your sharp subjects/people/bottle.


Then play about with this the next time you photograph someone. You'll notice that when someone's really close to you at 1.8 that you've got their nose in focus but their ears out of focus. Over time you'll learn what aperture is best of photographing in different situations (you might get one person really sharp at f/2.8, but you'll need a higher number for two people, if one person is behind the other).


This is a handy way to start understanding aperture (which is the hardest thing to get your head around, in my opinion). Invest in a cheap ass reflector from ebay. Doesn't need to be a brand name or huge.



The biggest problem with your photographs in my opinion, is the shadow under the girls nose in the second-last image. It's horrendous. Out from that, everything's passable. A photographer will find flaws with them but the general public wouldn't have a clue (I bet the people were happy with the photos!?).

However, general Joe Soap WILL notice that shadow. He might not cop the shadow itself, but he'll not the like the photograph and may not be able to put his finger on why. Using a reflector and getting rid of the on-camera flash will do you a world of good.

You could do a wedding with a 50m 1.8 and an entry level canon. DSLRs are all pretty much the same these days, Image quality wise. It's knowing how to use them that people really struggle with. Takes a while, but you eventually get that "eureka!" moment.


Best of luck.

[x_tan]

Those photos feel like just causal snapshot to me.

[melissanyk]

[quote=hairy_moth;13819315]Your statements are too broad. I agree, there are better cameras for weddings, but there is nothing inherently "not good enough" about a rebel for shooting weddings. Depending on the model, it has the same sensor as the 7D. For the upstart on a tight budget, I would recommend 2 rebels over 1 7D.

A rebel does not have the same speed or ISO abilities as something like a 7D. Of course you can shoot a wedding with a rebel, but if the church is dark and flash is not allowed, there will be few usable shots from a rebel.

I went from a Rebel xt, to a T2i, to a 40D and finally to a 7D in one wedding season as an assistant. I read through the manuals, learned to shoot in manual, and very quickly outgrew the t2i because it wouldn't do what I wanted it to. I wasn't trying to get on a high horse and say equipment is king, because I've seen terrible photographers who use the 5D MarkII. You can't buy talent, but decent equipment can give you an edge if you have studied, learned how to use what you have and constantly try to improve.

As a new photographer, shooting a wedding is very stressful. Having equipment that works well in low light is kind of necessary. Even the 7D isn't heavily used by the professionals I've worked with, most use the 5D Mark II, their 7D is a backup (or two 5D's)...

My point is that yes, it is expensive and if you are not sure, it isn't something to really dabble in. Look at all the people selling their gear....I'd try family portraits, high school sports, nature, etc., first to enhance my skills before taking on the pressure of a bride on her wedding day.

Finding a good mentor is key. Working as an assistant you can earn money towards gear and decide if it is something for you.