wedding photography
May 19, 2019 13:38:26 #
So folks...what has come out of this conversation?
The OP is NOT the official wedding photographer so I hope that the hired pro will do a wonderful job and Uncle and everyone else is gonna enjoy the wedding. Congratulations to the family!
As oftentimes comes up in these "wedding" conversations is that there are folks offering up there services as "professional" wedding photographers who are not entirely professional and leave much to be desired. Some produce mediocre work at best, some simply don't know what they are getting into and some sadly enough, do not know what are doing. Fact is, there are no licensing requirements for any kind of photographic services in North America- no minimum educational or competency standards and consumers are on their own. There are credentialed, accomplished and experienced wedding shooters that hold masterships and other advanced statuses awarded by recognized professional associations but those are all earned on a voluntary basis.
By the way- there are many lawsuits and consumer complaints launched against failed wedding shooters. Non-performance, non-delivery, and incompetent workmanship are good grounds for civil actions and some of the judgments were financially devastating to rookie and inexperienced shooters.
Right here on this site there are many agree that great cameras don't necessarily make great images- great photographers do that! Yet some folks around here are completely preoccupied with gear! So... what is the average consumer gonna think- a guy or a gal with a good camera is a good photographer? And yes, some of the not so great photographers may be thinking along the same lines. The good guys and gals, the experienced and artistic wedding shooters, are charging higher rates so the not so good folks come in a bit lower and get hired. They are, in effect, charging good money for bad work!
The onus is on the consumer to do the research and as others have alluded to, to examine the portfolio, seek out references and recommendation from satisfied clients and make certain that they are on the same page as the chosen photographer as to style, product, methods of operation, price and delivery. They should not discount some of these awards and masterships as "window dressing"- many of the are hard-earned under stringent standards and, at least indicates a willingness on the part of the photograner to continuously improve, compete and share with their peers and upgrade his or her work. Folks are hiring their photographer over the Internet or the telephone- BAD! The should sit down, face to face, and discuss everything- the style, the schedule, the planning and make sure there is a good personality match.
Equipment wise, there is no such thing as the ideal camera, lens or focal length for every wedding shooter under every circumstance. We have to be prepared to shoot successfully under a very wide scope of conditions. A long, fast telephoto or zoom lens may be a lifesaver in a dark church or where access is restricted or it may remain the in the equipment case, unused most of the time until it is required. Many wedding are similar and some are extremely different and may require different approach and gear. It's good to be prepared for a variety of circumstances but it is also unwise to bog yourself down with too much gear that can slow down your speed and spontaneity.
It is true enough that a wedding can be adequately covered with a single camera and a normal lens- perhaps in 1980! Nowadays, shooting styles, conditions and consumer demands require a bit more flexibility, variety and accessibility to certain aspects of a ceremony and variations of focal lengths are needed. You don't however, need every lens in the camera store! Even the darkest church is not a "black cat in a coal mine at midnight" scenario. Nowadays you can boost the ISO without bizarre noise and come up with acceptable images- a little "grain" adds to the atmosphere!
The OP is NOT the official wedding photographer so I hope that the hired pro will do a wonderful job and Uncle and everyone else is gonna enjoy the wedding. Congratulations to the family!
As oftentimes comes up in these "wedding" conversations is that there are folks offering up there services as "professional" wedding photographers who are not entirely professional and leave much to be desired. Some produce mediocre work at best, some simply don't know what they are getting into and some sadly enough, do not know what are doing. Fact is, there are no licensing requirements for any kind of photographic services in North America- no minimum educational or competency standards and consumers are on their own. There are credentialed, accomplished and experienced wedding shooters that hold masterships and other advanced statuses awarded by recognized professional associations but those are all earned on a voluntary basis.
By the way- there are many lawsuits and consumer complaints launched against failed wedding shooters. Non-performance, non-delivery, and incompetent workmanship are good grounds for civil actions and some of the judgments were financially devastating to rookie and inexperienced shooters.
Right here on this site there are many agree that great cameras don't necessarily make great images- great photographers do that! Yet some folks around here are completely preoccupied with gear! So... what is the average consumer gonna think- a guy or a gal with a good camera is a good photographer? And yes, some of the not so great photographers may be thinking along the same lines. The good guys and gals, the experienced and artistic wedding shooters, are charging higher rates so the not so good folks come in a bit lower and get hired. They are, in effect, charging good money for bad work!
The onus is on the consumer to do the research and as others have alluded to, to examine the portfolio, seek out references and recommendation from satisfied clients and make certain that they are on the same page as the chosen photographer as to style, product, methods of operation, price and delivery. They should not discount some of these awards and masterships as "window dressing"- many of the are hard-earned under stringent standards and, at least indicates a willingness on the part of the photograner to continuously improve, compete and share with their peers and upgrade his or her work. Folks are hiring their photographer over the Internet or the telephone- BAD! The should sit down, face to face, and discuss everything- the style, the schedule, the planning and make sure there is a good personality match.
Equipment wise, there is no such thing as the ideal camera, lens or focal length for every wedding shooter under every circumstance. We have to be prepared to shoot successfully under a very wide scope of conditions. A long, fast telephoto or zoom lens may be a lifesaver in a dark church or where access is restricted or it may remain the in the equipment case, unused most of the time until it is required. Many wedding are similar and some are extremely different and may require different approach and gear. It's good to be prepared for a variety of circumstances but it is also unwise to bog yourself down with too much gear that can slow down your speed and spontaneity.
It is true enough that a wedding can be adequately covered with a single camera and a normal lens- perhaps in 1980! Nowadays, shooting styles, conditions and consumer demands require a bit more flexibility, variety and accessibility to certain aspects of a ceremony and variations of focal lengths are needed. You don't however, need every lens in the camera store! Even the darkest church is not a "black cat in a coal mine at midnight" scenario. Nowadays you can boost the ISO without bizarre noise and come up with acceptable images- a little "grain" adds to the atmosphere!
May 19, 2019 14:53:37 #
May 19, 2019 16:27:53 #
May 19, 2019 18:10:14 #
May 19, 2019 18:32:54 #
Tom Daniels wrote:
Make sure whatever you guy in lens has good stabilization
If you’re shooting a wedding (unless you’re documenting the venue) with moving people, you should be shooting fast enough (1/125 - 1/200) that stabilization shouldn’t be a consideration, and if with flash, even less so.
May 19, 2019 20:15:34 #
May 21, 2019 12:50:31 #
stevetassi wrote:
I can see that many of you haven’t read my post carefully. I’m not the professional photographer at this wedding. I’m attending as my nephews guest. I was just asking if I should buy a 70-200 f/2.8 prior to the event.
Sorry, but if you re read your post, you will see that YOU omitted those details! If you are looking for help, I'd suggest not being so damn sarcastic!
May 21, 2019 13:58:19 #
JCam wrote:
Sorry, but if you re read your post, you will see that YOU omitted those details! If you are looking for help, I'd suggest not being so damn sarcastic!
To be fair, the OP did post that he was not a professional wedding photographer. It's just that he didn't post that information in the initial post, rather several posts later on the first page.
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