Wedding Photography / Not Using A Pro Class Camera...

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pistnbroke

Banned
of course you are 100% right Famous Media A D800E will produce better images than a D7000...
So what do we do ..shoot 1200 at a wedding cut it down to about 800 ..compress it onto a 4gb DVD and send it off ....
It gets viewed on a laptop or 10 year old monitor and printed at walmart 6x4 ......
Of course the customer can tell the difference .....

I was going to buy a couple of the new D7200 but you have convinced me to get a couple of D800E ...it will be better ...double my prices to pay for them and go bankrupt ...
 
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Corey @ Faymus Media

Corey @ Faymus Media

Senior Member
pistnbroke said:
of course you are 100% right Famous Media A D800E will produce better images than a D7000...
So what do we do ..shoot 1200 at a wedding cut it down to about 800 ..compress it onto a 4gb DVD and send it off ....
It gets viewed on a laptop or 10 year old monitor and printed at walmart 6x4 ......
Of course the customer can tell the difference .....

I was going to buy a couple of the new D7200 but you have convinced me to get a couple of D800E ...it will be better ...double my prices to pay for them and go bankrupt ...
Click to expand...

:hopelessness:
 
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DaveW

Senior Member
Guess what I have been doing for the last couple of months?
Running photo's through Lightroom and trying to fix things which a local pro photographer who uses the most expensive equipment has managed to mess up!

This "photographer" who is making a very good living, has even managed to mess up 2 weddings lately by being unprofessional and in my opinion as unprofessional as you can get.
After taking all the wedding photo's, and returning to his house, he never backed anything up, had a robbery 2 days later, and lost everything.
That to me is no excuse because I as a non professional always put my stuff straight onto a computer, a separate hard drive, and it automatically uploads everything to online storage.

That aside, I am being asked to see what I can do with existing files from previous weddings, parties, etc, where this person has not done a very good job.

My point being that while there are super photographers out there who do a first class job in everything they are paid for, some of them do not use the latest top of the range equipment, while other rated and highly paid people who are not as good use money no object equipment.

I would never have said this 6 months ago and indeed never have thought it either. The old argument that a new inexperienced photographer with "lesser" equipment cannot be compedant is fast becoming an untrue statement.
 
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pistnbroke

Banned
and another Photographer "friend of the couple " who put the single SD in his wallet ..went out and got pissed and was robbed....

and another local to me who took 2000 images ..could not cope so he gave them all to the couple who put a few bad ones in the Sun newspaper and sued him...

The partial solution to your original problems is to send them the images on a memory stick and make them responsibe for archiving the material ..

all sorts of people photoing weddings but the camera you use is only part of it ..Even if I go to a D800 I cannot get a zoom lens good enough to give me any better pictures than my D7000 ..the glass is now the weak link at FX size ......difficult times
 
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Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
I hear all the people talking about shooting weddings with less than pro cameras and charging pro prices and doing a bad job. I have to agree with most of the statements. BUT (there is always a but) I personally think there is a place for a less expensive photographer. They still need to be professional in the actions and need to have some skills. There are young couples out there that can't afford to spend $5,000, $2,000 or maybe even $1,000 to have a photographer shoot their wedding. I think a good niche for a decent photographer might be to shoot these. Spend a minimum of time to do it right. Shoot what most people would call the basic setup shots. Groups, cake, etc. Shoot a few at the reception. Go home. Cull the shots, do basic PP to get the shots where you want them. Deliver them on a CD/DVD. Offer to point them in the right direction for good quality prints at good prices and let them do that as they can afford them.
Your cost is then just your time. Figure out what your time is worth and how long you will spend on the project.

This would not be for the full time pro but more for people like me who was a pro and made a living shooting at one time. Now I am retired but this would be a way to give back and to earn a little NAS cash. That and it would just be fun.
 
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pistnbroke

Banned
that is exactly what we do ...got rid of the studio and ass hole companies who pay 3 months late ..

Shoot it ..with 2 photographers ..sort it and ship on a memory stick/on web .....did 50 in the last 12 months ...but dont get carried away with some do it quick idea ...shot 1430 last saturday 14hr day ... 16 hours to back up/ lightroom and load to web ....
Not a quick profit ....

PS dont try it with a 3100 !!!
 
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piperbarb

Senior Member
Shutteringfocus said:
There is a lot more to "Professional" than camera equipment.

We are shooting weddings with camera bodies that are 3 generations old. We don't even have the best glass. We have good glass...but not the best.

Being professional has more to do with your interaction with your clients and the resulting artwork you can give them. Being reliable, coming through with great shots no matter what, etc. Getting the shots, making the client look amazing, creating beautiful art from their day. That is what professional wedding photography is about and that is really where the difference between $1000 wedding photographers and $5000 + wedding photographers comes in.

Having the best gear just makes it easier.

I'm always a little wary of someone who says you "can't" do something.

I'd also be wary of a wedding photographer claiming to be "professional" having only shot 2 weddings and using a consumer slr.
Click to expand...

Thank you for saying that. I was going to. "Professional" is not just equipment, and it is not just for photography, either. I play the Great Highland Bagpipe. I have played many weddings, funerals, graduations, etc. over almost 20 years. It no longer amazes me when people comment positively on my playing and performance. I don't wear the big feathered hat (called a beefeater), nor wear military garb as many local pipers do. That does not mean they are better pipers, they just look good. Instead, I wear my "non-military" kilt, glengarry, kilt hose, etc. I arrive early to check out the venue, my pipes are tuned and work flawlessly, and I work with the client. It makes a big difference. The thing that does get me is when a potential client says they can "get the same thing for $50." I respond politely with "you get what you pay for."
 
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Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
piperbarb said:
Thank you for saying that. I was going to. "Professional" is not just equipment, and it is not just for photography, either. I play the Great Highland Bagpipe. I have played many weddings, funerals, graduations, etc. over almost 20 years. It no longer amazes me when people comment positively on my playing and performance. I don't wear the big feathered hat (called a beefeater), nor wear military garb as many local pipers do. That does not mean they are better pipers, they just look good. Instead, I wear my "non-military" kilt, glengarry, kilt hose, etc. I arrive early to check out the venue, my pipes are tuned and work flawlessly, and I work with the client. It makes a big difference. The thing that does get me is when a potential client says they can "get the same thing for $50." I respond politely with "you get what you pay for."
Click to expand...

That explains your name then "piperbarb"
 
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kendrikwiley

New member
Wedding photography is one of the most important and booming in the market because every couple wants to capture a moments of their very special day in their life.There are some special design and styles of camera which are special made for wedding photography are used for that.
 
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pistnbroke

Banned
Well you will have to explain that ....With the average UK wedding photographer struggling to do 15 weddings in a year and 50% of weddings being photogrphed by a friend and album sales gone through the floor I am not sure where you get your facts from .

Now tell me about these special cameras.
 
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stmv

Senior Member
wow,, this topic sure its the response buttons.

For me,, I want a certain level of control, and specifically front and rear control dials to easily control aperature and speed, You can do the same with the 5100, but having to hit the little button to switch back and forth is a pain when you are a hurry.

I own 800, 7000, 700, and 5100, so have experience on all of them .

I documented recently in my Blog, I am shooting a wedding next week in a location that I cannot trust. so,, I am not bringing my 800 but my 7000.

between the 700 and 7000,, kinda a tough call, 700 is slightly better in low light, but image detail is higher on the 7000, and honestly, I like the lower weight of the 7000 for all day.

Am I bummed not to have the D800, a bit,, but more for the loss of the other photography I was planning, I just love the D800.

For the wedding, totally fine with the 7000. Will the pictures suffer, hardly, it is more will I get the right shots, with the right light, and special moments. That is what counts in a wedding.

Finnally,, Yes, it is also the image,, Like I mentioned in another one of my Blogs,, walk around with the D800, and people just assume you are the Pro,, walk around with the 5100,, and you won't be noticed. People are image conscious, and prefer if they have a "PRO" taking their shots, and you showing up with a 5100 and plastic lens,, well might as well hired their brother.
 
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pistnbroke

Banned
Interesting that STMV and nice to have an intellegent wedding photo conversation without it being shut down !!!

strange I use the D7000 but have both the front and rear dials taped up so they dont get moved and use U1 for bokeh U2 at f11 100-800 for outside and A on F8 100-12500 for dark interiors when no flash allowed ..
The two dials on the grip are locked by the release lock on the grip so I can but have never adjusted at a wedding. Wife uses P most of the time outside and A inside. Did 50 last year and have 46 booked already for this year at higher price so happy with the business.....

How fast is it to change memory settings on the D800 ...menu and button pushing I guess ??
 
E

Eye-level

Banned
You don't need a pro camera to make a good wedding photograph or any photograph for that matter..you need to be a good photographer...

You can go all "elitist" and spend your money on whatever "Pro" gear you want but if you suck guess what? You still suck!

Now where is my old 150 Polaroid I have a wedding to do and they want their photos immediately!!! LMAO
 
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pistnbroke

Banned
Thats why I dont walk around with a D800 and hold on to the old D7000....as for extra lenses ....where do you carry the dam things .....and whats the point if you can have it all in one.....I think too many get swept along in this prime thing .....
Nothing special about our wedding photography ..not the best as we dont have the best customers and not the worst by a long way but we run it between us like a coreographed ballet interchanging rolls as required to get the job done quickly so we can go home .....

Geoffc ..UK ?? perhaps you should fill in your profile ..I did check before I posted !!
 
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Geoffc

Senior Member
Fair point I thought I'd filled in my location. Unfortunately Tapatalk which I normally use on the forum doesn't display certain information like peoples sigs or any location info. At least in the absence of my location you naturally assumed I was a yank who was being silly rather than a brit ;) You may have inadvertently offended a whole nation on this occassion :D

With regards to the prime thing, on this I feel drawn to agree with you. The best lens is the one that allows you to get the shot and if you miss it because you're changing lenses, that lens isn't much good.I would definitely go prime for something like macro and I find the 50mm is sometimes useful just to instill some composition discipline, plus it's also a very sharp lens. When I mainly used the D300s the 18-200 was the workhorse, now I've gone FX, surprisingly the 24-120 does most things I need for general walkabout.I may well get the 28-300 for a holiday next year to get back to the 18-200 flexibility.
 
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pistnbroke

Banned
The other point is when you are changing lenses you have lost control of the situation ...interesting on the 24-120 I could see that working for most group and arty shots and you could crop out your 36 mp for big ring close ups....it now seems to be lenses that hold the quality back rather than the sensor.
 
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