lighting, and camera question

BNHPhotography · Jul 13, 2011

I've been asked by 2 friends to do some pictures at their weddings NEXT year. I feel like to be ready, I need to really start gearing up now with lighting and definately practice. So, my question is, what are some must haves for indoor and outdoor lighting for weddings? Second question is, by next year I would like to have a camera upgrade, I'm currently using a canon xti, I have 3 lenses for it so I would like to stick with canon. What would be an affordable upgrade from the xti?

tirediron · Jul 13, 2011

That's such a broad question that it's very difficult to answer; I would say at a minimum a couple of good speedlights, diffusers and reflectors (I don't speak Canon, someone else can fill in specific models). As far as camera upgrades; define "affordable". Lots of people here have bought 5D Mk IIs, so they're affordable, others have a 1Ds Mk III - that must mean they're affordable!

Before considering a [camera] body upgrade, clearly define what you don't like, or find limiting about your current body, research models that have the features you want and make your decision that way.

subscuck · Jul 13, 2011

What's your budget for a body upgrade? How do you feel about used? Do you have EF or EF-S lenses?

kundalini · Jul 13, 2011

The best thing you can get for any type of portrait work is to get a VAL, two if possible.

VAL - voice activated lightstand. :lol:

BNHPhotography · Jul 13, 2011

I'm a pharmacy technician, so affordable means cheap! haha Used is fine with me, the camera i have now is used, and everything works perfectly, except for the flash, but i hardly use it, unless i don't have my external flash, which is also used

I have a VAL haha, but i call him my pack mule! It may be dangerous for him to stand that close with his arms up on a sunny day though...Stinkyyyy haha!

BNHPhotography · Jul 13, 2011

I have 1 ef, and one efs, the other lense is super old and it doesn't say what it is!

KmH · Jul 13, 2011

People seem to focus on equipment, when acquiring technical knowledge, understanding, and skill cost a lot less, and has a much bigger positive impact on image quality.

BNHPhotography · Jul 13, 2011

I'm not focused on equipment, I know that taking quality pictures takes time, but no matter how good you are if you sit in a black room with no lighting, and no equipment you're still sitting in the dark

Village Idiot · Jul 14, 2011

BNHPhotography said:
I've been asked by 2 friends to do some pictures at their weddings NEXT year. I feel like to be ready, I need to really start gearing up now with lighting and definately practice. So, my question is, what are some must haves for indoor and outdoor lighting for weddings? Second question is, by next year I would like to have a camera upgrade, I'm currently using a canon xti, I have 3 lenses for it so I would like to stick with canon. What would be an affordable upgrade from the xti?

A very successfull photographer I know uses an older Sunpak, which is almost exactly like the Quantum Q flash setup on a rolling stand with an external battery for pretty much all of his weddings and events. It works great for him and is a nice portable solution.

photo_will · Jul 14, 2011

Especially for weddings, I think lenses will make a significantly bigger difference than a change of camera which will probably not make a noticeable change. Practice will also make a much bigger impact

subscuck · Jul 14, 2011

photo_will said:
I think lenses will make a significantly bigger difference than a change of camera which will probably not make a noticeable change.

Unless she's shooting with ISO at 800 or above. Older generation Rebs have poor high ISO performance.

BNHPhotography · Jul 14, 2011

I usually never shoot above 400 iso, I read a lot of reviews before I bought my camera, and I've seen the graininess (if that's a word) for myself. I was thinking of investing in a 70-200 pretty soon, or renting one to see what I think about it. Is that a good choice, or would another lense be better suited? Like I said before, cheap is good, but I'm not going to let my cheapness stand in the way of quality pictures.

Village Idiot · Jul 15, 2011

BNHPhotography said:
I usually never shoot above 400 iso, I read a lot of reviews before I bought my camera, and I've seen the graininess (if that's a word) for myself. I was thinking of investing in a 70-200 pretty soon, or renting one to see what I think about it. Is that a good choice, or would another lense be better suited? Like I said before, cheap is good, but I'm not going to let my cheapness stand in the way of quality pictures.

Churches aren't always bright and ISO 400 is limiting when you have people that can get a usable 6400 ISO.

subscuck · Jul 15, 2011

You still haven't nailed down a budget. Saying "cheap" isn't very helpful. My knee jerk recommendation would be a used 5D for $900-ish. Some people would consider that a bargain, some would consider it OK, and others would consider it more money than they would ever spend on a camera. The reason I asked about EF/EF-S lenses was because obviously, a 5D would require further investment in EF lenses (purchase or rental), as your EF-S lenses are not compatible. My second choice recommendation would be a used 50D or 40D. In this case EF or EF-S lenses are compatible.

You may never shoot above ISO 400, but as VI pointed out, churches tend to be rather dim. You may find, even with lighting, you'll need to go 800+ for ambient. But, as some have pointed out, churches don't always allow flash. A Rebel more than a couple gens old simply won't perform well over 400. Just some things to think about. You've got until next year, so taking the time to save up is definately an option here.

photo_will · Jul 19, 2011

One or two weddings have been photographed before low noise sensors were on sale and churches have not suddently gone darker. Your XSi will take excellent photos. Being a great wedding photographer has nothing to do with the camera and much more to do with your personality.