Wedding Photography
Wedding photography is like no other, you get to be around happy people celebrating one of the happiest times of life. But unlike other types of photography, there are no do-overs. What that means is that you need to get it right the first time. This takes knowing your equipment well and knowing how to problem solve as issues occur. It may be daunting, but don’t let it scare you. You can do it! Somethings to remember:
- You MUST carry backup equipment with you at all times. If a piece of equipment fails, you have to be ready to switch out and keep working.
- Plenty of batteries, and memory cards to shoot, shoot and shoot.
- Excellent equipment that allows you to work in any situation.
CAMERA BODY
When purchasing a camera body that works well for wedding photography, you’ll want to take into consideration a few things. First, you’ll want a camera that can produce clean images at higher ISO’s. This will allow you to shoot in dark churches and at dark receptions to get clean images and minimize your use of flash. I would also recommend that you have a full-frame sensor camera that will allow for greater depth of field that will help the bride and groom stand out while blurring the background. A cropped sensor will work, but it will be more difficult to throw the background out of focus.
Below you’ll see my recommendations for cameras from good to best. If you are a professional or plan to become one, I recommend selecting from the best options. Why start out with the wrong equipment only to upgrade later? Start out right.
GOOD
BETTER
BEST
THE LENSES YOU’LL NEED
Lenses are the most important thing for you to spend money on when it comes to photography, and especially if you want to get the great shots. You will want fast lenses with large apertures to create the depth of field to blur the background and make the couple stand out. Below are the lenses I recommend for wedding photography. You’ll need a wide-angle lens to get those wide shots, as well as a natural focal length lens, a portrait lens and a telephoto lens. Take a look below. After those lenses, I list the “trinity of lenses”. These 3 lenses are considered the best you can get to complete your lens kit. But they are expensive! So, drool on them and pick them up on at a time –over time.
NIKON WIDE ANGLE LENS
NIKON NATURAL LENS
NIKON PORTRAIT LENS
NIKON TELEPHOTO
CANON WIDE ANGLE LENS
CANON NATURAL LENS
CANON PORTRAIT LENS
CANON TELEPHOTO LENS
THE TRINITY OF LENSES
These three lenses are known as the “trinity of lenses”. The reason –these three lenses replace all the others. I don’t completely agree with that, but they are excellent to have. They are expensive lenses, so if you plan to pick them up, do it one at a time. The main, all purpose lens of the 3 is the 24-70mm. This is my goto lens and allows me to shoot quickly in any situation.
NEEDED ACCESSORIES
With weddings you’ll need some additional gear to get the job done. Lots of batteries and memory cards, a sturdy tripod and some lighting equipment. You can add on from there as well, but those are what you’ll want to get started.
FLASHES
When buying a flash for wedding photography, you need to have a good one with a quick recycle time. These flashes below are not the top-of-the-line flashes, which means you could spend more if you’d like, but they will do a great job for you.
TRIPODS
When buying a tripod you purchase the legs and head separately. The recommended set below with give you the stability you need from the great legs to the quick change of camera position with the pistol head grip. It will allow you to change angles and positions quickly.
MEMORY CARDS
Memory cards are important and can be tricky to purchase. With wedding photography you are often taking images in bursts which means you need fast memory cards to record the images quickly and get ready for more. Slower cards will slow you down and not allow you to shoot as quickly. This is why I recommend these speedy cards from Lexar and Sandisk.
