Help to a newbie plz
ctb04
Registered Users Posts: 3 Beginner grinner
hello all! this is my very first post here at dgrin but have been part of smugmug for quite some time.. i need a little bit of help..i have a rebel xsi with the standard kit lens and for a couple of yrs have been taking shots with it..however..i am now going into portrait and wedding photography.i have tried to do so much research and what lens i should get but i am overwhelmed with all the reading i have done..it also hasnt helped me much lol..so what lens do you guys suggest? i appreciate all and any input...thanks!
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If you don't agree with me then your wrong.
I can't be held accountable for what I say, I'm bipolar.
For 3/4 length and full length 1 and 2 shots I suggest the EF 50mm, f1.4 USM.
For smaller spaces and for groups I suggest the EF-S 17-55mm, f2.8 IS USM although the EF 35mm, 1.4L USM might yield much better bokeh, depending on the distance to background.
For wedding work a standard zoom, like the EF-S 17-55mm, f2.8 IS USM is common for most shots (getting ready, processional and recessional). I also like to have a fast prime, either the EF 50mm, f1.4 USM or EF 135mm, f2L USM, depending on the venue, for shooting the ceremony when you cannot use a flash. Then I use the standard zoom for the reception as well as a 70-200mm zoom for larger reception halls, generally the EF 70-200mm, f2.8L USM.
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If you don't agree with me then your wrong.
I can't be held accountable for what I say, I'm bipolar.
Attempting to cover a wedding with a single camera/lens or ny piece of important equipment is asking for disaster.
Redundancy is the name of the game in any type of paid photography. "My camera-lens-flash-battery-memory card failed" is no excuse! You need a backup for each piece of equipment you are using. That is a backup copy of each camera, each lens, your flash, your battery, your memory cards (heck have several extra batteries and cards).
"MURPHY'S LAW OF PHOTOGRAPHY...
The possibility of a piece of equipment failing is in a direct relationship to the importance of the shoot and in a reverse relationship to the availability of back-up gear!"
I recently went to a wedding shot at a beautiful site on the VT side of Lake Champlain. The wedding was outdoors, in the afternoon, with the lake as a background. Beautiful, but that meant that the backlighting was very bright, and the backgrounds would likely be blown out if you shot straight on from too great a distance for flash. I was distracted by the thought: If I were taking the pictures, would I figure out how to handle this quickly enough? Would I have thought of it in advance? The answer to both questions was "no." fortunately, the photographer was much better at this than me.
Portraits are different: you have time to think, and you can tell the subjects were to sit, etc.
A very good standard zoom for your camera is the Tamron SP 17-50mm, f2.8 XR Di II LD IF. It's capable of professional results if you use proper techniques. Here is a very good review of that lens:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Tamron-17-50mm-f-2.8-XR-Di-II-Lens-Review.aspx
Do use an external flash and a flash modifier. A flash and appropriate modifier is more important than either lens or body in that a very good lens and body without flash can still give poor results. A good external flash with a cheap lens and body can give very nice results.
The following are all with a Canon XT/350D (ages older than your 60D and very cheap now) and a relatively cheap lens, but with good technique, external flash and an appropriate flash modifier:
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The best option would probably be a 17-55, but if you can't afford the 24-105, that means you can't afford the 17-55 either
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
It is easy to suggest that you become a second shooter for a pro but, when I started in weddings (admittedly many years ago) pros did not want a second camera person, especially not a newbie.
I would imagine that their reluctance to have a non-paid assistant stemmed from the idea of "Why train a future competitor on my dime?" Also, I was extremely reluctant to have a non paid assistant second camera because I did not have control over his or her behavior during the wedding as I would have over the conduct of a paid assistant. However, I would have ultimate responsibility for that conduct.
Weddings are unique events... It is seldom that you need to satisfy more people with your photography. You, of course, should give the bride and groom what they want but, it is often the mother of the bride holding the purse strings who must also be satisfied. It is also the MOTB who will get you future business based on how she feels about the job you did.
IMO, the purely photographic side of a wedding is fairly simple. If you don't have the capability to produce very-good to exceptional imagery ALL THE TIME.... you should not ever consider shooting weddings. The really difficult facet of wedding photography is having the capability to control the event photographically without seeming to be bossy.
Unfortunately, weddings are very stressful situations for many brides and mother's of brides. They feel that they are stressed for time and want the event to go off exactly how they have planned. Unfortunately it seldom goes exactly as it is planned and mom and bride can become short fused.
The last thing that mom and bride want to consider is the photography UNTIL AFTER THE WEDDING! They will often try to hurry the photographer and or not devote enough time to allow the photographer to do a good job. Knowing how to handle these people is IMO the most important skill in wedding photography (I consider the photographic skill as a given).
Skills like knowing how to quickly pose a group shot and how to quickly pose the post ceremony portraits are essential. The ability to direct people as you need without getting them angry or insulted is something that every wedding photographer needs to learn. If you don't have proper coverage, the fact that you had been hurried and were not able to obtain that coverage won't matter to the bride or her mother.
Once in a lifetime events are not the proper time to learn your craft. Volunteer at various social groups, veterans organizations, etc, to shoot their events free of charge. These events are often easier for a newbie to shoot and you can learn how to manipulate people in a photographic environment.
There is another benefit to doing this. It introduces you to some people as a photographer and may help you to get future jobs as a wedding photographer.
72 DPI is the native resolution from the camera....when I run mine thru lightroom IA have it set to save all my work at 300dpi and that sets me so I am ready to do whatever I need, especially if I am need to uprez in Genuine fractals....300dpi file uprezed to a 40x60 image (or larger) at 300dpi will render a print that needs no viewing distance to look at it....where as most images need a few feet of viewing distance to look good, like a painting....some of the greatest look terrible until you step back some distance and the brush strokes and paint globs meld together to look fantastic.