Wedding photography - the essentials

[JR1]

Following on from another thread where the Mod says it may not be appropriate to comment on the mistakes people make, I believe that fair warning should be given to any person who thinks that because they have a camera and their friends say they take good photos, this does not mean you have what it takes to be a "Photographer"

Many like me, here, have years and years of experience and yet are now finding that people want "cheap", so, ask Fred he has a camera, why pay the pro £1000 when Fred will do it for £200, why well this is why.

When I shoot weddings, rarely as I hate them.......

1. Two cameras minimum, BOTH with DUAL card slots
2. Spare batteries and charger
3. TOP quality best on the market cards formatted in camera before the shoot, FOUR per camera so that you can change them after each venue, so as to not put all your eggs in one basket
4. Laptop, to backup the card after shooting
5. Video camera, NO extra charge, you can sell it later to them, but at least IF the stills fail you have something else to offer FREE
6. Separate camera mounted pointing at the couple from a different angle, triggered by the main camera. BACKUP.
7. TWO flashguns with Stofens for indoors, Stofens are NOT for outdoor use so 2 Lumiquests for outdoors
8. INSURANCE, INSURANCE, INSURANCE. PUBLIC LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY.
9. Know year gear inside out and upside down.

Feel free to add to the list, most like me don't think what is needed it comes naturally so I will have missed things off.

[Mark von Kanel]

an assistant/second shooter

[DanK]

Jeremy,

not to hijack the thread, but I'd like to ask about one of your minor details. Which lumiquest? They have lots of different modifiers. I don't have anything good for outdoors, so it would be helpful to know which one(s) you think are best before I buy one.

Thanks

Dan

[Donald]

Following on from another thread where the Mod says it may not be appropriate to comment on the mistakes people make,

That is NOT what the Mod said, here. With respect, that is a misrepresentation of what I wrote.

The point being made in the other thread was that the original poster didn't need the error pointed out to him. What he was asking for were any ideas as to how to solve the problem he was faced with at that time, not how to ensure the problem didn't arise again. Your post, on the other hand, merely criticised him for not doing it properly in the first place. Singularly unhelpful, I'd suggest.

[JR1]

That is NOT what the Mod said, here. With respect, that is a misrepresentation of what I wrote.

The point being made in the other thread was that the original poster didn't need the error pointed out to him. What he was asking for were any ideas as to how to solve the problem he was faced with at that time, not how to ensure the problem didn't arise again. Your post, on the other hand, merely criticised him for not doing it properly in the first place. Singularly unhelpful, I'd suggest.

Sorry it was NOT intended that I mis represent what you said, I totally 100% agreed with the fact that the previous post was neither the time or the place, so started this one.

I did also offer for him to send it to me and gave a link to Pandora recovery

[rpcrowe]

Good list, Jeremy. However, mandating a dual card camera will eliminate many good cameras (like the 7D) from the list. While a dual card system is nice to have, I don't consider it essential if you are using CF based memory. Of the hundreds of thousands of images I have shot with CF cards, I only had one card fail during a shoot. It was a new card and I never tested it properly. I have had CF cards go through the laundry, been chewed up by a puppy and other potential disasters. I never lost one image. Perhaps, however, the somewhat flimsy other type cards do not have the durability of CF cards.

I would have no hesitation to shoot any type of venue, including weddings, with my pair of 7D cameras. However, if I were setting up specifically for wedding shoots, I would get two full frame cameras which have dual card capability.

I totally agree with smaller cards to divide the images in order to ensure fewer might be lost. However, for some unorganized folks, the problem of losing cards is more relevant than the cards failing. I really recommend using some type of card wallet to carry the cards and to have some sort of system to identify the fresh cards from the cards with images. I insert the fresh cards face forward and then store the shot cards with the back side forward.

About your Stofen recommendation. I find that the Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Professional www.dembflashproducts.com is far superior and more versatile than the Stofen, which I now use to hold my charged AA batteries. BTW: the Demb Flash Diffuser Pro can be used effectively outdoors as well as in areas that don't have an appropriate ceiling or walls off which to bounce the flash. You simply keep the flash in bounced position and place the FlipIt reflector at a 45 degree angle towards the subject.

Outdoors day fill flash...


Outdoors night

I have been a professional motion picture photographer and I realized one thing... I personally cannot shoot stills and motion pictures (now video) interchangeably. Either the stills or the video will suffer. However, that may just be my own quirk...

[Stagecoach]

6. Separate camera mounted pointing at the couple from a different angle, triggered by the main camera. BACKUP.

For what sort of shots do you use this for Jeremy and how do you deal with the additional tasks of positioning, re-aligning, and focusing with respect to the time required?

[JR1]

For what sort of shots do you use this for Jeremy and how do you deal with the additional tasks of positioning, re-aligning, and focusing with respect to the time required?

As I said it is a separate camera fixed, taking in just the vicar and the two people from a different angle, I may use two other cameras from different angles, fixed, triggered with FlexTT5s

[Mark von Kanel]

As I said it is a separate camera fixed, taking in just the vicar and the two people from a different angle, I may use two other cameras from different angles, fixed, triggered with FlexTT5s

No wonder you dont do weddings very often

[JR1]

No wonder you dont do weddings very often

If you do something do the very best you can, I hate weddings, and only charge £500

[Venser]

List of random points.

I must not be pro enough.
I don't follow #1, #3, #4, #5, and #6.
These lists serve no purpose. The only points on the list I can wholeheartedly stand behind is #2 and #8. The rest are all self-serving for what it is you think a pro photographer should do or have.

[JR1]

I must not be pro enough.
I don't follow #1, #3, #4, #5, and #6.
These lists serve no purpose. The only points on the list I can wholeheartedly stand behind is #2 and #8. The rest are all self-serving for what it is you think a pro photographer should do or have.

Just because YOU don't agree does not matter, it is what I do.

My son rides a motorbike, he is 21, I spent £400 on a top helmet for him, back and chest protectors, quality boots, all cost £1,300, he came off the other day at just 40, KTM bike a write off, he walked away, I could have spent £500 he may not have walked away.

It is CHOICE.

It is damage limitation. I carry a laptop, backup all the cards in between shots as a safe guard and yet you question number 4, I have lost a card in the past but due to my system I have never lost the images.

"the rest are self serving" what a dumb comment, totally naive, this is MY, I repeat MY LIST, did you bother to read what I clearly stated......

"When I shoot weddings, ......."

[Mark von Kanel]

If you do something do the very best you can, I hate weddings, and only charge £500

At £500 you can have em all! if you were charging 5K id only think it was mildly expensive

[rpcrowe]

Venser...

I would never attempt to shoot any professional venue or any other time when I MUST produce results without having a back-up camera. Actually, I don't really use a back-up camera, I shoot with a pair of cameras, each wearing a different focal length lens.

That way, I don't need to switch lenses while shooting. I need to switch cards more seldom and almost never have to switch batteries. AND... should the camera fail, I will always have a partial coverage.

Besides, shooting professionally with a single camera is asking for Mr. Murphy of "Murphy's Law" to bite you on the "you know where"...

Murphy's Law of Photography states that the tendency of a piece of gear to fail is in a direct relationship to the importance of the shoot and in an indirect relationship to the availability of backup equipment...

Analogy: I always drive with excellent tires but, I still have a spare along with me...

[Venser]

Venser...

I would never attempt to shoot any professional venue or any other time when I MUST produce results without having a back-up camera. Actually, I don't really use a back-up camera, I shoot with a pair of cameras, each wearing a different focal length lens.

It's not the backup camera suggestion of which I had objection, but the dual card slots. That eliminates nearly all cameras on the market.

[Venser]

"the rest are self serving" what a dumb comment, totally naive, this is MY, I repeat MY LIST, did you bother to read what I clearly stated......

"When I shoot weddings, ......."

Yes, I did. The manner in which you present the list implies one should follow your itemized suggestions if they want to be "pro". Why else would you include the first and second paragraphs. If you take photos, you're a photographer. Period. We can debate the merit and quality of those photos, but the simple act of taking a photo does in fact make you a photographer. The second paragraph starts with how much experience you have, and thus you're trying to imply by authority. It's fallacious.

[Mark von Kanel]

It's not the backup camera suggestion of which I had objection, but the dual card slots. That eliminates nearly all cameras on the market.

And yet here we are with someone saying a failed memory card has cost him images and a dual card slot would have solved the problem.... you can object all you like, the fact is dual slots are a good idea, and just because your camera doesn't have them, It doesnt mean that you shouldnt aspire to get one with dual slots as soon as you can afford it....

The more redundancy you can apply the safer you are.

[Venser]

..., It doesnt mean that you shouldnt aspire to get one with dual slots as soon as you can afford it....

Never assume someone doesn't have something because of finances unless it's explicitly mentioned. It's fallacious and condescending.

[Venser]

I'll add to the list since it's steering a little off track.

#10 - Make sure you're clients have a clear and precise definition of what it is you'll provide, written and signed in a contract. That includes everything; the number of images, formats, albums, ....

Most arguments are he said, she said in nature, where a terse but complete contract defuses most headaches a photographer could face afterwards.

[JR1]

At £500 you can have em all! if you were charging 5K id only think it was mildly expensive

Being Devon/Cornwall you can only charge what people can afford, this is a poor area, in fact in the past I have even allowed people to pay me monthly NO interest to help out, If I still lived in Surrey I would start at £2k



best wishes