wedding question

dragonariesphoto · Mar 10, 2013

i am being hired to do a small wedding later this month. i currently have this equipment

Cameras i have: canon rebel eos xs, and canon rebel t3
Lenses:18-55mm,50mm fixed, 75-300mm, 58mm telephoto, 58mm macro wide angle
430 ex II speedlite external flash

i am just curious if you think that will be enough.

i have done some research on equipment and found that alot say that the 70-300 is best, however i dont have 1000 dollars to spend to get it, i was wondering
if this one ---> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=043-001B-00019 would work as good, or at least close to?

Buckster · Mar 10, 2013

You're probably not going to like this, but...

You should probably encourage whomever is planning to hire you to hire a professional photographer instead.

If you want to get into the wedding photography business, you should find a professional wedding photographer that will let you work as an assistant/second shooter to learn the ropes. From that experience, you will learn what gear you need and how best to use it.

katerolla · Mar 10, 2013

When i did few weddings for friends, i only used a DSLR and two kit lenses, the wedding didn't turn out bad, they would not have hired a pro and no one else could do as good a job as i did. You have full coverage with your equipment, I'd say go for it

CaptainNapalm · Mar 10, 2013

Buckster said:
You're probably not going to like this, but...

You should probably encourage whomever is planning to hire you to hire a professional photographer instead.

If you want to get into the wedding photography business, you should find a professional wedding photographer that will let you work as an assistant/second shooter to learn the ropes. From that experience, you will learn what gear you need and how best to use it.

Yeah I totally agree with this but there are few exceptions as noted below by katerolla where some people just don't care for photos so much to get a pro or they just don't have the budget so they resort to best people they know to do the wedding at a much lower cost to them. If this is the case I'd go for it and see how you do. If I were in your shoes though I would probably make the couple well understand that it's my first wedding and that I don't want a penny for it. I'd do it for experience only. If it turns out awesome and they insist on paying after - then great, if not, no hard feelings and I get some experience.

SCraig · Mar 10, 2013

CaptainNapalm said:
Yeah I totally agree with this but there are few exceptions as noted below by katerolla where some people just don't care for photos so much to get a pro or they just don't have the budget so they resort to best people they know to do the wedding at a much lower cost to them. If this is the case I'd go for it and see how you do. If I were in your shoes though I would probably make the couple well understand that it's my first wedding and that I don't want a penny for it. I'd do it for experience only. If it turns out awesome and they insist on paying after - then great, if not, no hard feelings and I get some experience.

It's all well and good to make this plain at the beginning, and everyone will say that they understand and are willing to accept the risk. It tends to change when the photographs come out looking like crap and reality sets in.

If you have not successfully shot wedding before I would STRONGLY recommend that you not shoot this one. IF you are being paid that means that you are being hired to provide professional results. IF you cannot provide those results, for whatever reason, then you have no business accepting the job.

pixmedic · Mar 10, 2013

this is one of those never ending debates...to do, or not to do a wedding when you dont have the proper equipment.
CAN it be done? yes. does it often turn out very well? no. do you have much photography experience? have you shot weddings before?
when you say you were "hired" to do this wedding, are you saying you are advertising yourself for this kind of work?
a lot of budget savvy brides might SAY they only care about getting some photos of the day and not care much about how "great" they are...but that can change FAST if you dont deliver good images.
also, once you accept money for a job you open yourself up to a whole new level of legal obligations. i assume you already have your business license, tax ID, and insurance? some venues will NOT allow you to
work as a photographer there unless you can show proof of business license and insurance.

you bring up a difficult question to answer for your first post. there is no easy answer. in the end, despite any advice given here, most people just go ahead and shoot the wedding under equipped and under experienced.
they almost never share the results here. and when they do, more often than not, the results are sub-standard.

anyway....welcome to the forum! there are quite a few experienced wedding photographers here, and many other fields.
just to give you an idea of some of the equipment me and my wife bring to shoot a wedding.
two camera bodies
several fast zooms (all f/2.8), several prime lenses.
3-4 speedlights with stands/softboxes/umbrellas
tons of batteries
a good tripod
theres a ton of other misc. stuff, but you get the basic idea. backups for everything. never expect SOMETHING wont fail on you.

CaptainNapalm · Mar 10, 2013

SCraig said:
CaptainNapalm said:

Yeah I totally agree with this but there are few exceptions as noted below by katerolla where some people just don't care for photos so much to get a pro or they just don't have the budget so they resort to best people they know to do the wedding at a much lower cost to them. If this is the case I'd go for it and see how you do. If I were in your shoes though I would probably make the couple well understand that it's my first wedding and that I don't want a penny for it. I'd do it for experience only. If it turns out awesome and they insist on paying after - then great, if not, no hard feelings and I get some experience.

Click to expand...

It's all well and good to make this plain at the beginning, and everyone will say that they understand and are willing to accept the risk. It tends to change when the photographs come out looking like crap and reality sets in.

If you have not successfully shot wedding before I would STRONGLY recommend that you not shoot this one. IF you are being paid that means that you are being hired to provide professional results. IF you cannot provide those results, for whatever reason, then you have no business accepting the job.

This I agree with but at least it relieves you of any moral or legal liability down the line, that's why I suggested it. If money was involved or the lack of experience wasn't disclosed it'd be a different story when the photos are not up to standards. On the other hand, I know a few couples that got married (low budget) and they were completely satisfied with the snapshots their guests took with their point and shoots let alone someone with proper equipment who at least has some shooting experience as a hobby. I think bottom line, is the OP has the best judgement on what to do here knowing the couple and their approach. But I agree with Scott here also, better safe than sorry and you don't want ill feelings in the end.

Robin_Usagani · Mar 10, 2013

Usagani Photography | Our own wedding photography nightmare

CaptainNapalm · Mar 10, 2013

Robin_Usagani said:
Usagani Photography | Our own wedding photography nightmare

Wow this speaks volumes. Sorry this happened to you and thanks for sharing.

Patrice · Mar 10, 2013

Here we go again.

Not a bad first post wouldn't you say?

imagemaker46 · Mar 10, 2013

Yes you have the equipment to shoot a wedding. It's really just another day in the lives of 2 people that will be looking forward to seeing the great pictures that will last a life time.

The question should be Do I have the skills? But you must, you have accepted a shoot that you are getting paid for, and you have come to highest photo forum on the internet to ask for advice so you don't accidentally walk into a situation that you are unprepared for. You're all set now. Ready, Shoot, Aim.

Steve5D · Mar 10, 2013

SCraig said:
CaptainNapalm said:

It's all well and good to make this plain at the beginning, and everyone will say that they understand and are willing to accept the risk. It tends to change when the photographs come out looking like crap and reality sets in.

Click to expand...

I'm interested to know where this mindset comes from; the one that says unless someone is a professional they're incapable of taking quality photographs.

I've shot one wedding in my life, and I don't plan on shooting any more, simply because I'm not a "wedding photographer". But the reality is that the results I presented to the bride and groom easily rivaled anything they'd have gotten from a $5,000.00 "professional", and the bride and groom couldn't have been happier.

To the OP I say "go for it". First, it's a gig. Second, it's not your job to convince them to hire someone else who, perhaps, they may not have the budget for. Lastly, if you're already a proficient photographer, odds are the bride and groom will be very happy with what you provide...

Designer · Mar 10, 2013

dragonariesphoto said:
i am being hired to do a small wedding later this month. i currently have this equipment

Cameras i have: canon rebel eos xs, and canon rebel t3
Lenses:18-55mm,50mm fixed, 75-300mm, 58mm telephoto, 58mm macro wide angle
430 ex II speedlite external flash

i am just curious if you think that will be enough.

i have done some research on equipment and found that alot say that the 70-300 is best, however i dont have 1000 dollars to spend to get it, i was wondering
if this one ---> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=043-001B-00019 would work as good, or at least close to?

I see no light modifiers or stands listed.

Can you post some examples of your photographs?

Is this wedding of the "cold sandwiches and punch" type?

You say "being hired". Does that mean you have already accepted the job?

pixmedic · Mar 10, 2013

I believe in my post i asked the OP what kind of photography experience he had. Still waiting to see the answer. Im not saying he CANT do it, but depending on conditions, he is already handicapped a bit by his equipment which can only be made up for with experience. If he has the experience, then fine. If not... would you still recommend he do it?