What other equipment should I invest in for wedding photography?

[jdsfighter]

A friend and I are deeply considering starting a wedding photography business for side work. We both have hourly jobs, and are decent photographers in our own right, with different styles and techniques. However, when we work together we get amazing results.

I've shot a couple of weddings, and had great positive feedback, and didn't have much equipment besides my T3i, the nifty 50, the kit lens, and for one my 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM.

Today, I went out and impulsively bought a Canon 6D with the 24-105mm kit lens. I've been looking at this camera for awhile, and today just seemed like a good day.

So far my total equipment includes:

Bodies:
Canon T3i
Canon 6D

Lenses:
Canon 24-105mm f/4L
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM
Canon 50mm f/1.8
Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 55-250mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 75-300 f/4-5.6
Canon 28-90mm f/4-5.6

Flashes:
2x Yongnuo 560ex
Yonguo 565ex

Flash Modifiers:
2x Cowboy Studio 24" Softboxes
2x Imperial Shoot-through/reflective umbrellas
3x Imperial Light Stands
A couple backdrops and backdrops holders.

Tripod:
Dynex 55" tripod.

I'm thinking about investing in the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 but besides this, I'm not entirely sure.

 

[CCericola]

Sell all of these:
Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 55-250mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 75-300 f/4-5.6
Canon 28-90mm f/4-5.6

Then buy the 24-70 and a 100mm macro

 

[Derrel]

Sell all of these:
Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 55-250mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 75-300 f/4-5.6
Canon 28-90mm f/4-5.6

Then buy the 24-70 and a 100mm macro

Agreed. Get RID OF all that low-end, intro-level consumer lens stuff. I mean...a lens that allows in a whopping f/5.6 of light at 50mm??? This is the 21st century...that specification is pathetic, even by 1950's standards. Move right to at least "very good" stuff. If you need to keep the T3i in action, get rid of all four of those slowpokes, and buy a 17-50mm f/2.8 zoom lens, so you can at least have decent quality at f/4, instead of f/5.6, and will have the ability to go to f/2.8 in extreme situations. Regardless of their optical quality, three of those lenses are kind of useless on a 1.6x body for wedding and event work: the 55-250, 75-300, and 28-90 are really not exactly what a guy would really hope to have.

On the 17-50 or 17-55 lens, Canon and Nikon make these as the f/2.8 lens FOR EVENT work; if you have to, buy a third-party one from say, Sigma or Tamron. I am assuming that because there are two of you, that there is a high chance that there will always be one, or two, 1.6x cameras in the mix, at least at the start of the business, so, get some wedding/event type lenses, and let the beginner stuff go on eBay or Craigslist.

 

[tirediron]

Anything with the name "Cowboy Studio" has NO business being used if money is exchanging hands.

The single most important piece of kit you can have, not listed is your insurance policy!

 

[jdsfighter]

Since getting the 70-200mm I haven't used the 55-250mm or the 75-300mm once. I have still used the 18-55mm fairly often, but now that I have the 25-105mm I don't know if that'll still be the case.

 

[CCericola]

With the full frame of the 6D you won't want it. And like Tirediron said, on the business side. Liability and equipment insurance. They are usually bundled together and you can get a nice policy for about $300 a year. Some venues require them to be on the dec page for the wedding date. Its a quick email to your agent and they send you a pdf to give the venue. Nice and easy. It would really suck to show up at the reception and the venue says you can't take any photos because you don't have insurance.

 

[tirediron]

I'd love to know where you're getting full coverage for ~$300/year Christina. Up here $750 is about as cheap as it gets!

 

[CCericola]

Hill & Usher. That was when I first started like the OP. Now I have more equipment, more coverage and I added Errors and Omissions insurance so I'm up around $700 now.

 

[tirediron]

Hill & Usher. That was when I first started like the OP. Now I have more equipment, more coverage and I added Errors and Omissions insurance so I'm up around $700 now.

Dang... you southerners get all the breaks!

 

[jdsfighter]

I checked today for insurance, and it's about $1.80 per $100 of equipment to insure myself and my equipment.

 

[tirediron]

I checked today for insurance, and it's about $1.80 per $100 of equipment to insure myself and my equipment.

What level of personal/third-party liability does that give you?

 

[jdsfighter]

I need to double check with my friend that works with them, but it was a decent deal. I thought around ~$10-15,000 for errors and omissions.

 

[gsgary]

Sell all of these:
Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 55-250mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon 75-300 f/4-5.6
Canon 28-90mm f/4-5.6


Then buy the 24-70 and a 100mm macro

exactly what i was going to say, get rid of the chaff(crap)

 

[Overread]

I know of a couple of professional photographers who keep an 18-200mm or similar lens in their kit. Yep its low grade, but what it does give them is a single, light and easy to use lens that can be used for scouting a location. Because they can view the venue/landscape and move around - take test shots and see how they come out at different focal lengths all without having to lug around a tonne of heavy high grade glass to take photos that are basically test snapshots.