Expert: Wedding Photographics - 10/9/2008

Question
Hi John,

I have been reading your responses to Sheena about getting started in the wedding photography business.  I found it very helpful, as I too am interested in breaking into this field.  You mentioned taking pictures at friends' weddings to put together a portfolio to get started with and potentially use to land a job as an assistant to an established photographer.  Can you recommend a camera you think would be appropriate to buy to start with?  I'm not sure what equipment is the best to have for wedding photography in particular, and for someone starting out.  Also, are there better printing options to use for the prints you will use in your portfolio - rather than just printing from a local store or a website?  Do you recommend investing in printing equipment as well?

Thanks for your help - it is much appreciated!

Tara

Answer
Hi Tara,

Thanks for your wedding photography questions.

I've not been in the market for the latest camera gear. When I was about three years ago, the Canon 5D offered the most sophisticated features and ease of use for wedding photography in particular and for the price. We now shoot weddings with two Canon 5D's, we use several Canon 580EX flashes for creative multiple flash arrangements on location and even in the studio. The Canon 5D is NOT perfect. There are technical issues which bother some photographers more than others.  But all things considered, I very highly recommend the Canon 5D to those photographers who specialize in wedding photography - especially to those just starting out. All photographs on my website http://www.weddingphotographics.net were shot with Canon 5D's.

I do NOT recommend photographic printing equipment to photographers just starting out. There are many pro labs around the United States who do magnificent print work. One which also processes RAW files for photographers is North American Photo at http://www.naphoto.com/  But until you get really busy, it is usually more cost-efficient to process your own RAW files. Also by processing your own RAW files and viewing your in-camera results, you will become more technically competent in the use of your particular camera gear configuration and will be able to operate it accordingly for the better results you want.

We do have printing equipment in our studio. In our case it is mostly because of the popularity of our panoramic signature mats.  We sell several a week off our website to brides all around the United States as well as to local brides. We often have brides who have such hectic schedules preceeding the wedding day that we don't receive their signature mat orders until a couple days before the wedding.  Having our own printer in-house enables us to "save the day" and still get the signature mat to those brides even if they don't order until the day before the big day.  We use 17" wide Epson roll (archive) paper through an Epson Stylus Pro 4800. But it does also make beautiful color and black & white photographs.  Some of our wedding clients from three years ago tell us they love their 16x20 wall portraits and the color still looks great after the past three years. Epson has a great ink and paper combination that's for sure.

Hope some of the information here helps out.  Best of luck to you.

Wedding Photographer John Wilson
Chattanooga, Tennessee
http://www.weddingphotographics.net