Minimum equipment requirements for a good wedding shoot?

[Keydogg]

Hi there,

I have recently become completely addicted to photgraphy, and eventually would like to do some paid work such as weddings etc, once I have more equipment.

So I have to ask the question, typically (with adequate skill) how much equipment would be needed to make a decent wedding shoot?

I'm thinking:

2 Bodies - or could you get away with 1?
2 or 3 lenses such as 24-70L, 50 1.4, 70-200L
3 or 4 batteries
2 x 4gb cards - I'm guessing it would be better shooting in RAW
1 flash or 2?
Tripod
Mini Tripod

What do you think? Would this be good enough? Could I get away with less than this? Obviously organisation and planning is imperative when it comes to weddings, but I'm not talking about that, just the gear!

Thanks

Alan

[sblais]

Welcome to the club!

I started with 2 rebel XT's, three lenses (two of questionable quality), two 430's, one tripod, two flash brackets (used them a lot at first), two "portable" light kits (my first wedding was in a cave - needed those for the formals if I wanted to see other colors but black ). I'd go for a bit more CF and batteries. I prefer to be overly cautious than to run out of juice for my camera on the wedding day.

It did the trick. Was is optimal? No. Was it enough? It got me through the day. Since my first year, I almost changed everything I had (esp. for lenses) and went with the better stuff.

My advice to you: make sure that you are serious about wedding photography. Try to assist a pro or a semi-pro in your area. If you still feel that you want to go ahead, invest in the best gear you can afford. Purchasing and selling and purchasing isn't very kind on the wallet.

[sblais]

Oh, and I don't see the use of a mini tripod. IS lenses will get you quite a bit farther! A good tripod would be a must in a wedding kit for me. Don't always use it, but if need be, I have it.

[Keydogg]

Brilliant, that gives me a good idea of what to aim for I guess!

The thing is, my girlfriends cousin had a wedding last year, and at the wedding I saw the photographer had a 30D and a 20D, so I thought he must know what he is doing (I wasn't THAT knowledgeable then so didn't look at the lenses!) but then when I looked through the photos I was horrified. I could have taken as good photos with my Ixus. Obviously I didn't say this to anyone but I just couldn't believe the shocking quality of the photos, from someone who "looked" like he knew what he was doing. The groups shots had shadows all over them cast by trees, the portraits had massive DOFs so they didn't stand out at all, some were blurry. I couldn't believe my eyes!

Ever since then I've thought "I want to do that" because having since seen some brilliant wedding shoots on here, they really do capture the feeling of the day and would be treasured forever by the B&G. I want to do that .

I guess I will have to get saving!

[liza]

I'd get:

2 Digital bodies. 30D's are good if you're on a budget.
17-55IS
70-200 2.8IS
Sigma 30mm 1.4
Dedicated macro lens (A real one, not a "marketing macro" lens)
Back up lenses in case yours fail
2 External flash units. At least one should be a 580EX, just for the built-in bounce card.
Diffuser of some sort (optional)
Reflectors (optional)
10GB of memory, minimum
Computer with dual core processor and external hard drives for back up
Photoshop
At least one good set of actions. I have my eye on The Boutwell's Totally Rad actions although KK's Set #2 is equally good.
A small stepladder
A bag that can be secured if you aren't planning on bringing an assistant
Insurance

And forego the tripod. I never use mine anymore with the IS lens.

And think very hard about the paid work aspect. Purchasing a kit is quite costly, and it's becoming more and more difficult to secure a steady stream of bookings. I have to rely on other avenues, such as portrait and sports photography, to pay the bills.

[mackb]

Keydogg-

I guess you'd call me a semi-pro ....(well I pay txes on the $$$ I earn...about 15 weddings now)...I have a long way to go, but I decided a long time ago to gain all the knowledge I can prior to spending a ton of cash on something I don't know how to use. As a result I shoot with:

10d
24-70 2.8
28-105 4.5
550 EX
tripod

Then I borrow a 20d from a friend for the day (but don't use it unless I need it as a backup). I think your on the right track ..good luck and welcome to the crazy world of weddings!!!

If I were you ...a MINIMUM would be:

2 30d's
2 580's
24-70 2.8...(although many now use the 17-55)
maco lens
flashbracket (based on current lighting knowledge)
CF....as much as you can afford

[louiep83]

My minimum list:
1 body + 1 backup.
1 17-55, 1 70-200 IS
1 580 EX
3 sets of camera battery
4 sets of flash battery, rechargable AA + fast charger
2 * 4 GB CF, the more the better. I usually bring a total of 14 GB myself.

[RobKirkwood]

Originally Posted by Keydogg

I have recently become completely addicted to photgraphy, and eventually would like to do some paid work such as weddings etc, once I have more equipment.

Doing weddings successfully is not about photography, it's all about being good at dealing with people - if you're not a people-person, no amount of photographic skill is going to compensate.

So far as equipment goes you need enough to be confident that you could still do the job even if some of your kit packs up on the day - for most people this means carrying at least one back-up for everything.

Rob

[MrsOpie]

2 bodies - Canon 20D
17-55mm
24-70mm/2.8
70-200mm/2.8L IS
2 flashes - 580ex
Macro Lense
Wide Angle Lense
Fish Eye Lense
at least 16G worth of memory I would go for about 24G
oh, and there is always more to purchase other then equipment. think about business cards, website, photoshop actions, advertising, etc etc

[liza]

Originally Posted by MrsOpie

oh, and there is always more to purchase other then equipment. think about business cards, website, photoshop actions, advertising, etc etc

It's the "etc, etc" that tend to get a bit expensive. I've spent $300 in the past few months just for hosting and web templates. And advertising costs an arm and a leg.

The one thing that isn't on anyone's list is time. A great deal of time is required as well. I work a full time job 9 months per year, and the number of hours I put in during those months is just obscene. During the summer months, I could easily work 50-60 hours per week with just the photography business, if not more.

[tim]

Have a read of the forum FAQ (sticky thread or see my sig), you can get my opinion from there

[JJacula]

Definitely two bodies, two flashes and more memory. I currently have 12.5 GB of memory and used about 10 shooting just pre-wedding, ceremony and formals this past weekend. I'll be picking up another 4GB for sure before my next wedding. Until I learn to stop over-shooting, anyway!

[GertS]

Get more memory. You will need it, especially if shooting raw. It's depending on your style, but using 30Ds thats about 400 shots on each 4 GB card. Have always a spare and empty card with you in your pocket for quick access.
Tim's FAQ will give you more info regarding gear too, but it's very important that you have a spare camera with you.
You can have different lenses on both for quicker access. There were several threads regarding merging the images from both cameras in the correct order.

Then you must have the software / skills for processing the images too. Don't expect ready to go shots direct from the camera. Backup of data too!!!

However, shooting weddings is not easy as other photography, you can't tell in the church that you missed the shot and they should repeat it for you
Earning money with photography demands business skills too and it is same important as photography skills, even more important.
Shooting some weddings as assistant is best before you really intend to work as wedding photographer.

[jamesflowers]

I have worked on one or two wedding shoots, and I would also recommend DECENT shoes and proper trousers and a shirt, you can get way without a tie, but dont schelpp up in a jeans and trainers, its two peoples special day!

[Banbert]

2 bodies minimum (both being used) (we shoot with 5 bteween 2 of us now and if one fails we still get nervous)

at least 2 lenses in about the 17-55 range, lenses fail just like bodies do.

at least 2 flash units + ton of batteries

a lens in the 70-200 range, you cant always get as close as you want so this can be essential rather than a "nice to have"

A ton of memory cards - we use 4 GB cards and very rarely more than half fill them and we have a lot of them so we can change cards when its convinient rather than when we have to.

a low light prime somewhere in the 17-55 range is handy, even if you find its rarely used.

a macro lens is handy for detail shots but you can get fairly close with a 70-200 so possibly a nice to have rather than essential when you start out

Grips - once youve used one a few times you wont want to be without one, great for portrait shots and helping to balance heavy lenses

Spare batteries, if you get grips you can also have AA's as backups - with a gip on I have yet to change my batteries during a wedding, but I still carry spares + cartridges for the grips.

Umbrellas - the sort that protects you from rain, essential in the UK at least.

thats a starting point imo.

Its not cheap getting the right kit to shoot weddings, since starting up myself and my buddy have spent over £20,000 on kit and thats not counting some PC/Mac gear we already had and gear that we keep adding. Lots of people get away with shooting with a lot less stuff and do great of course, just be careful that you have at least a minimum amount that will ensure that you can keep shooting if any one item fails because failures do happen, weve shot 11 weddings so far this year and had a body and lens die so far..... anything can stop working at any time, camera, lens, flash, memory cards etc.