MY FIRST WEDDING!

JaclynDavisPhoto · Mar 10, 2012

So I got my first wedding booked for September and I am SO excited but I have a lot of questions! I want to make sure that, even though it is MY first wedding, that it doesnt LOOK like it. I am currently working on a contract and getting the legalities in line. My main thing right now is making sure I have the proper equipment soon so that I am comfortable with it by September. I currently shoot with the Canon T1i and 50mm 1.8. I would love to keep my T1i as I dont have $ growing on trees to upgrade to the MArk II AND get new lenses. What should I do though??? Should spend the money and get the MArk II or do I put $ into lenses first? I am concerned that I need wont be compatible with my T1i and end up damaging my camera.

With a limited budget right now, what is the best thing to do???

Thanks for all of your help

Bossy · Mar 10, 2012

Have you shot a wedding second shooter at all?

I'd love to see your portfolio

cgipson1 · Mar 10, 2012

JaclynDavisPhoto said:
So I got my first wedding booked for September and I am SO excited but I have a lot of questions! I want to make sure that, even though it is MY first wedding, that it doesnt LOOK like it. I am currently working on a contract and getting the legalities in line. My main thing right now is making sure I have the proper equipment soon so that I am comfortable with it by September. I currently shoot with the Canon T1i and 50mm 1.8. I would love to keep my T1i as I dont have $ growing on trees to upgrade to the MArk II AND get new lenses. What should I do though??? Should spend the money and get the MArk II or do I put $ into lenses first? I am concerned that I need wont be compatible with my T1i and end up damaging my camera.

With a limited budget right now, what is the best thing to do???

Thanks for all of your help

Please post some of your best shots... so we can see where you are!

manaheim · Mar 10, 2012

This is going to be another one of those threads, isn't it?

tirediron · Mar 10, 2012

manaheim said:
This is going to be another one of those threads, isn't it?

I hope not!

tirediron · Mar 10, 2012

JaclynDavisPhoto said:
So I got my first wedding booked for September and I am SO excited but I have a lot of questions! I want to make sure that, even though it is MY first wedding, that it doesnt LOOK like it. I am currently working on a contract and getting the legalities in line. My main thing right now is making sure I have the proper equipment soon so that I am comfortable with it by September. I currently shoot with the Canon T1i and 50mm 1.8. I would love to keep my T1i as I dont have $ growing on trees to upgrade to the MArk II AND get new lenses. What should I do though??? Should spend the money and get the MArk II or do I put $ into lenses first? I am concerned that I need wont be compatible with my T1i and end up damaging my camera.

With a limited budget right now, what is the best thing to do???

Thanks for all of your help

Find a camera store in your area which rents gear. While it isn't a criminal act to show up to shoot a wedding with only one body, it should be. You MUST have at least two bodies, (which will deal well with high ISO - ideally clean in the 3200 range) and you really need the range from about 15-200mm covered at at f2.8 or faster. You will also need speedlights, lots of memory cards, etc.

mishele · Mar 10, 2012

JaclynDavisPhoto · Mar 10, 2012

Second shooting is already in the works. I am hoping to do it at least a few more times before September though. I WILL be renting an extra body and probably lenses before then just so I am really comfortable with everything and can make smart purchases.THANKS FOR THE TIP! (I just had one of those, why didnt I think of that moments : ) ) I am already stocked up on memory cards as I am already paranoid that I am going to run out of memory.

My website is www.jaclyndavisphotography.com

I am also getting a contract written up because I want to make sure that everyone is protected, knows to expect and what is expected of them. I juts dont even want to take a chance in that department.

THanks!

KmH · Mar 10, 2012

Congrats.

If the couple didn't sign a contract, or pay a retainer/deposit when they booked, it may not be prudent to consider the booking a done deal.

mishele · Mar 10, 2012

How did they contact you for a wedding? Are they friends?

JaclynDavisPhoto · Mar 10, 2012

The bride is a relative of good friends of ours. She was showing her fiance my website and he asked her to ask me if I would do their wedding.

Sw1tchFX · Mar 10, 2012

Shoot portra 400 and a 50mm f/1.4 for everything. The lab can fix your mistakes.

Robin Usagani · Mar 10, 2012

What you need won't be compatible with your camera?? Then you won't need it then?

Destin · Mar 10, 2012

Looking through your portfolio on your site, it seems like you're off to a good start. I like some of the compositions, but some I don't. That's all personal preference though.

However, from the looks of it, all of your photos are taken with natural light. That $%^% won't fly for weddings. Not gonna work. You need to be a freaking ninja with photographic lighting to properly record a wedding. It's very hard to consistantly make good looking photos with on or off camera flash in a rapidly changing enviroment like a wedding.

You also have some focus issues... lots of distracting DOF's with things/people OOF in the foreground, and lots of photos that are very soft, or out of focus. For weddings, photos need to be consistantly sharp and in perfect focus, as any of them could be ordered in a large size that will make soft/OOF photos look like total garbage.

I'm not saying you can't do it. But I reccomend you hire a second shooter in case you miss things, and that in the mean time, you actively participate in the community. Some people, including (especially) me, come off as arrogant pricks. But That's not the case (well, except for a few people who really are). Even when people just flat out tell you that a photo SUCKS, that's helpful. It tells you what doesn't work. Listen to their advice and grow from it.

To recap, work on the following things before the wedding:
1.) FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS. It doesn't matter how good the lighting, composition, or moment are, without good, sharp focus, the photo goes in the garbage and cannot be used. A wedding is not the time to use intentional soft focus, especially not your first wedding.
2.) Lighting. Get a GOOD flash ASAP, and maybe a few cheap-o (yongnuo yn-460 II) manual only flashes, along with some flash triggers. Learn EVERYTHING you can about using flash. How to bounce it. How to use more than one. How to use gels to match the WB of room lights, what different modifiers do, etc. Without this knowledge, you cannot shoot a wedding effectively. Period. (check out strobist.com)
3.) If you don't already have a good computer monitor and calibration tool, get them. You have no way to make prints match what they look like on screen without a good calibrated monitor. This is another must for wedding work.
4.) For the wedding, You're gonna want 2 cameras good in low light (5dII is a good choice). I'd rent 2 of them. Save on changing lenses, and it gives you a backup. As far as lenses, I reccomend renting or buying a 24-70 2.8, and a 70-200 2.8, as well as maybe a wide angle like the tokina 11-16. Well before the wedding, rent at least the camera body you'll be using and familiarize yourself with it.

What are you charging them anyway? Did you factor in that an average wedding shoot takes 10-12 hours? (you'll be DEAD at the end of the night)

How about the additional 12-20 hours youll spend editing the photos and placing orders? Or the cost of renting gear? Fuel to get there and back?

Once you realize how much work a wedding is, and how much gear and knowledge you need to shoot one, you begin to understand why most photographers are charging $2,000-5,000.

JaclynDavisPhoto · Mar 10, 2012

Thanks Destin! That was the kind of advice I was looking for. I don't think you come off as arrogant, how else will I know what I need to work on if someone doesn't tell me? I appreciate the criticism. Focus has been something that I have been consistently improving on and still will until then. There's still a lot to learn... I'm a big beleiver in always learning and fine tuning your craft.

I sincerely appreciate your help!