I would learn much more by assisting a wedding pro in a real scenario but of course do also read all the photo books and Ebooks I can get my hands on. In fact I have over 100 books mostly quite old ones on photography and start to collect some of them. I have to deal with clients & expectations in my job too and do not expect it to be that different with a wedding.
Digital bodies would have helped me especially with flash photography in the past during events because of the immediate control. For group shots it would help a lot too. Otherwise I do like my two film bodies equipped with a 35 and a 50/90/135mm for party events. greetings Markus -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of J. C. O'Connell Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 10:40 PM To: 'Pentax-Discuss Mail List' Subject: RE: Asked to do a wedding. dont forget, your memory card(s) can fail with digital even if you got some good shots. I know it's rare but its still a possibility. And the kind of things that I learned from the book have nothing to do with cameras, it has to do with the kind of shots to take and how to deal with the clients before during and after the wedding itself. If you do any weddings, get a good book on wedding photography and read it cover to cover FIRST. jco -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Markus Maurer Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 4:00 PM To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List Subject: RE: Asked to do a wedding. I said No when asked lately for the first time because of a recommendation of a client to photograph a wedding for good money because I feared the risk. But, with 2 (well known digital) Pentax bodies with external flash instead of my film equipment I would have done it to get some experience and a portfolio. I would have visited the church and the other locations in advance for some test shots if possible. Since you see the results with digital immediately, I would have felt capable do deliver something good. The risk of "false expectations" from the client side remains always however. Taking paid "party photos" is so much easier and I did it twice so far with good results and happy clients. But again, I should have used digital cameras to make a very small profit, it's impossible with the cost of film and the time it takes to scan everything and burn CD's . I'm in fact playing with the idea to ask a professional wedding photographer if he will engage me as an assistant for a small fee to learn and see for myself from time to time. What do you think, would that be an interesting proposal for a professional. How about PJ's, do they engage assistants? greetings Markus -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of J. C. O'Connell Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 4:53 PM To: 'Pentax-Discuss Mail List' Subject: RE: Asked to do a wedding. By all means read a good book on the subject. I bought "Pro Techniques of Wedding Photography" on HP books ISBN 0-89586-632-3 about 10 years ago and found it enormously helpful for a whole bunch of things. I dont think you will learn as much by just watching a pro as you will by a good book written by a pro on the topic. I gave up doing weddings even though I was getting great results and refferals because its too pressure filled with only one chance to get it just right. You cant reshoot a wedding or reception if something goes wrong for any reason and I hated the pressure of that even though I didnt have any major mishaps. I made some good money but it just wasnt worth the stress of the experiences. After reading the book, I was much more relaxed about it all but I still didnt like any pressure at all, and no matter how well planned you are and how good you are, there is still always going to be some pressure in those type situations/jobs. jco -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of J and K Messervy Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 4:20 AM To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List Subject: Asked to do a wedding. I have been asked whether I'd be interested in photographing the wedding of the brother of an acquaintance. Now, I'm a very keen amateur and have been really into photography for about 15 months. I'm really thrilled to have been asked (the request was based on my work in my online gallery), but also more than a little hesitant to commit to doing it. The wedding isn't until October, so there's lots of time to prepare. I've never been responsible for taking photos for any important event, I just take them for myself. I know the technical side and use the K10D's various manual functions, etc and I know I'm a reasonably good photographer. I'm not sure that I'm good enough to do a wedding though, it's more than a little scary. I know there are people with pro experience on here, so I'm looking for advice, tips, etc. I reckon if I do it, I'll want another flash (360 to go with my 540), a fast normal range zoom, lots of SD cards, etc. What else should I be thinking about? I will have plenty of time to prepare and the venue is here in Canberra, so i can scout it out and try shooting my family there, etc. Should I back myself, trust my skills and jump in? It could lead to a lucrative sideline and would certainly boost my experience and confidence if successful. It would also be a real sense of accomplishment if I did a good job. What pitfalls are there? I don't even know what I should charge. I reckon I'd have to spend a bit on gear to be ready, but I can't factor that into my fee. Any and all tips, tricks and advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks James -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
