Wedding Photography - advice?

[dancook]

I'm not a professional photographer, wedding or otherwise. A friend has worn me down to the point at which I have agreed to photograph their wedding.

So I am going to make the best of this opportunity!

It's still perhaps a year away and things could change, but I'm fuelled with excitement now!

I currently have a 5DM2, 135mm f2, 85mm 1.2 II, CZ 35mm 1.4.
I have a couple of 600EX-RTs and ST-E3-RT (even a BD and some umbrellas), but I prefer wider aperture, available light candid portraits. Perhaps I could do a small 'studio' type shoot when bride is made up..

Currently planning to hire another body if I have not bought one by then, and whilst a 5DM3 has been recommended, I am torn on the 1dx. From what I have read, the 1dx's powerful motor 'transforms' the 85mm 1.2 II, making it much quicker to focus - this feels like reason enough to pick it.

I like primes, and I believe there are wedding photographers that do well with just primes. Not sure I want to get a zoom, just because for many that's 'the norm', when it might not really be necessary.

I would appreciate any comments on the above, any tips anyone might have - and if there are some wedding photographer check lists that I should be aware of.

Many Thanks!

 

[DG Phototraining]

You might do better posting this in the Talk Photography People & Portraits section as its not really a business question - and you might get a more helpful response too

Shooting Weddings is all about shooting a whole series of mini events, so discuss what coverage they want, what they'll be doing throughout the day, take a good look at the venue, Google it for 'images' to get ideas and build from there

Quite a few only use primes, but zooms do make life easier and f2.8 is a lot more forgiving than f1.2 where you may miss focus on otherwise cracking shots

I don't know anyone who shoots a mini studio affair of the Bride beforehand, and the chances of doing so are slim anyway as she'll be late !!!

Good luck - that this thread doesn't go downhill I mean

Dave

 

[Phil V]

I'm not a professional photographer, wedding or otherwise. A friend has worn me down to the point at which I have agreed to photograph their wedding.

So I am going to make the best of this opportunity!

It's still perhaps a year away and things could change, but I'm fuelled with excitement now!

I currently have a 5DM2, 135mm f2, 85mm 1.2 II, CZ 35mm 1.4.
I have a couple of 600EX-RTs and ST-E3-RT (even a BD and some umbrellas), but I prefer wider aperture, available light candid portraits. Perhaps I could do a small 'studio' type shoot when bride is made up..

Currently planning to hire another body if I have not bought one by then, and whilst a 5DM3 has been recommended, I am torn on the 1dx. From what I have read, the 1dx's powerful motor 'transforms' the 85mm 1.2 II, making it much quicker to focus - this feels like reason enough to pick it.

I like primes, and I believe there are wedding photographers that do well with just primes. Not sure I want to get a zoom, just because for many that's 'the norm', when it might not really be necessary.

I would appreciate any comments on the above, any tips anyone might have - and if there are some wedding photographer check lists that I should be aware of.

Many Thanks!

Before I comment on the other stuff, you really ought to be aware there's no focus motor in any Canon body . The focus system of a 1dx is superior to any of the other bodies, but I've seen no data to suggest it can help out the 85mm 1.2.

As far as what 'the norm' is, it's completely irrelevant, I shoot a mix of primes and zooms, but some shoot only zooms, some only primes. That's more about them as photographers than it is about weddings. Use whatever you are most comfortable with.

In an ideal world I'd use a pair of 1dx's, one fitted with the 24-70 and the other with a small selection of L primes, but I can get almost* exactly the same results with a pair of crop bodies and my current lenses. And my business can't afford the 1dx's

*qualification; my customers won't notice my images aren't quite as clean (what could they compare them to?), I'm only printing albums - not billboards, and when they see a photo of them looking gorgeous at 200mm 2.8, they won't think 'if only he'd used the f2'


If you're hiring a 1dx, hire a 24-70 too, even if you don't use it, it's backup for several of your lenses (and there's no redundancy currently)

 

[dancook]

Thanks guys, and I will report the post to be moved

Before I comment on the other stuff, you really ought to be aware there's no focus motor in any Canon body . The focus system of a 1dx is superior to any of the other bodies, but I've seen no data to suggest it can help out the 85mm 1.2.

Oops my mistake, I didn't consider that when I was trying to piece together what I could remember..

Quite a few only use primes, but zooms do make life easier and f2.8 is a lot more forgiving than f1.2 where you may miss focus on otherwise cracking shots

I did tell my friend, my use of 1.2 is because I don't have a responsibility to produce images - but I will stop down for shots I HAVE to get.

 

[Yv]

Moved as requested

 

[dancook]

Moved as requested

Thanks!

And sorry to people in this part of the forum - I didn't realise all the 'similar' wedding threads were in here.. I will get reading