Shooting a wedding - Not just your equipment.

I wonder how many weddings have been shoot with only a 24-70mm zoom.


I bet a lot,.. I mean really BIG numbers lot.

In fact, I was just at one being shot with a 24-70mm and nothing else LAST NIGHT!

(O.T. My wife got really drunk! It was excellent!)

Each wedding is different, but I wouldnt be too bothered by going Into battle with just that lens.

Your vision of the end result should dictate what lenses you use, not what others are using.

Weddings can be as varied as the gear in one's bag and the vision in one's mind. Shoot accordingly.

I think a seasoned pro could pull it off and impress people, but he/she probably couldn't be bothered to waste his time just to prove that he could.

Thing about those of us with lesser experience than more is that full frame RAW files are a lot more forgiving with leeway for adjustments in post. I'd imagine that in a few more years I'll probably be good enough to shoot a whole wedding in JPG, nailing the exposure and white balance on most every shot, but I've got a ways to go till then and the nice gear definitely doesn't hurt.

Silver-Halide wrote in post #17615122
I think a seasoned pro could pull it off and impress people, but he/she probably couldn't be bothered to waste his time just to prove that he could.

Why do you consider it a waste of time to make the creative choice to choose to shoot with a certain perspective (e.g. just one prime or just one zoom)?

It isn't about "proving" nor "impressing" it is about shooting with your own style and how you want to shoot.

Even though I'm not yet at that level, skill wise, I don't want to give less than my best. I could take the Plastic Fantastic to a wedding instead of my 50mm f/1.2L, but knowing how to use the 1.2L now, I just think I wouldn't be giving the client my best. Just my $0.02.

Not even seasoned pros with 20+ years of wedding experience would do that. Exposure wise maybe, but not white balance, far too many mixed light sources to encounter on a wedding day.

You can use one lens, you can use a million.

Personally I use 1 Body at a time, but carry three lenses with me at any one time and swap as needed. Other people carry two bodys with a 24-70 and a 70-200. Somebody ele on this forum has 4 bodies strapped to them at all times! Everybody has their method of getting the job done.

If you continue to get hired then who really cares?

jimeuph1 wrote in post #17615379
Not even seasoned pros with 20+ years of wedding experience would do that. Exposure wise maybe, but not white balance, far too many mixed light sources to encounter on a wedding day.

WB isn't that hard these days. The AWB on most new models is very good. Alternatively shoot a Kelvin WB or if you have something like a Sony A7 shoot Kelvin WB and tint control. Using an EVF on the likes of the Sonys makes both getting exposure and WB correct a walk in the park.

Interesting thread. Im not a wedding photographer, but I do many test shoots. I always find that one prime and one walkabout zoom is all I need. And as im a low budget cropped shooter, i have a 17-50mm F2.8 and a 50mm. Sometimes I swop the 50 for an 85mm. But thats my style of shooting, I never feel I need anything more. I also use bounced speedlights' or triggered when I did shoot a wedding once, worked great.

expensive gears are there to make your life easier..... accurate and sharper lenses, more features than lower end models. It's how you know to use these added features you are paying for.... granting you know how to compose, frame, and choose when to shoot.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #17613882
I wonder how many weddings have been shoot with only a 24-70mm zoom.


I bet a lot,.. I mean really BIG numbers lot.

In fact, I was just at one being shot with a 24-70mm and nothing else LAST NIGHT!

Silver-Halide wrote in post #17615191
Even though I'm not yet at that level, skill wise, I don't want to give less than my best. I could take the Plastic Fantastic to a wedding instead of my 50mm f/1.2L, but knowing how to use the 1.2L now, I just think I wouldn't be giving the client my best. Just my $0.02.

Back in the day I'd shoot the entire reception with an 85/2.8 on MF. Yes, I also had a 250 for the ceremony and 38 for large groups and overview of the venue, but I could have survived without them.

jimeuph1 wrote in post #17615379
Not even seasoned pros with 20+ years of wedding experience would do that. Exposure wise maybe, but not white balance, far too many mixed light sources to encounter on a wedding day.

Not sure how I ever survived shooting on film then.

jimeuph1 wrote in post #17615379
If you continue to get hired then who really cares?

Exactly. Wedding photographers get hired based on the style they represent in their portfolio. Whether you shoot a Plastic Fantastic or a 24-70L2 or entire bag full of lenses, the client decides if your style meets expectations. On the creative side, if I was shooting weddings today I could see myself getting by with just a 24-70. There's only a handful of shots I couldn't get with that range of focal lengths and even some of those can be worked around.

Equipment does make a difference and will make the pictures better.
That said, it is very easily possible to shoot a wedding with just 1 entry level DSLR and 1 simple zoom lens. (18-135mm).
How do I know? I shot my sisters wedding with a Canon 60D with 18-135mm kit lens. The only other accessories I had were 1 flash, 1 umbrella and some diffusers.
I can confidently say my pictures were pretty good.

While gear does make a picture quality difference, composition, lighting, capturing the moment and even post-processing are more important.
So better gear is better but one can do almost anything with lesser gear.

bboysmax wrote in post #17520845
Thread title: Shooting a wedding - Not just your equipment

Okay guys, I just thought i'd make a quick thread regarding some comments i've had and seen on these and other forums regarding shooting weddings.

People have been asking for advice on new lenses and/or camera bodies for shooting a wedding, wether paid or for a friend. But instead of getting helpful feedback or advice, they have been getting people say things like 'Please tell me your not shooting someones one and only day with 'X' and 'Y'' or 'You can't shoot a wedding with just that'.

Now coming from someone who has shot a few weddings, with different age groups and different themes, I believe that these comments false but with a slight bit a truth.

Yes, you cannot shoot a wedding with just one lens, even if that is a very expensive 2.8 zoom lens...you just can't.

But you CAN shoot a wedding, successfully, with a good prime and a good zoom, that don't need to be expensive.
With my experience and confidence in the way I shoot, I could shoot an entire wedding on a Canon Rebel with a nifty fifty, 18-55 kit lens and a 10-18. (And a few batteries, flash gun and memory cards).

I think it's really based on the photographer, not just the equipment you use. Of course you need reliable equipment and a back up, but you don't have to have a huge array of lenses and have spent thousands on glass to be a good wedding photographer. You can't shoot a wedding with a 50 1.8, but you can if you also have a few other focal lengths.

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't shoot a wedding based only on the equipment you have, base it on your experience and knowledge.

Just a little rant!
Peace!

This is a bit hypocritical.

Like a politician, you are flip-flopping on your main point throughout your post. You say shooting a wedding is not just about equipment, but then go on to say that you need multiple lenses and even multiple camera bodies, then you say don't let anyone tell you you can't shoot a wedding based only on the equipment.

The thing is, the professionals who have dozens of weddings under their belts, having the experience and skill, also say you need back ups, and even better if you have backups to those backups.

There is a site called shotkit that goes through various professionals bags, lenses are varied, though it's normally 2 primes or two zooms at the minimum, many times it is a huge amount of lenses, BUT, always 2 bodies, even if they are shooting with them at the same time, that is technically backing up the work.

IMO anyone who is telling others that they can shoot a wedding on a rebel a kit lens and a flash is defending their own daft choices.
I have done it on just that, unpaid and naïve, I got a few good shots, good enough to get me some paying clients, but as soon as I was getting paid I used the meagre amount I charged, to rent lenses, and then invest in the ones I liked, and then onto a full frame body etc. I imagine that's a familiar story to a lot of people on here.

The gear opens doors that until you are using it, means nothing, but ultimately, it's up to you whether you walk through those doors.

Listen to the professionals, I have yet to see them say they can do it on a rebel with a consumer lens.