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Got my first wedding gig next year!
Kinda nervouse since I have never really shot a wedding, I am not charging a lot because being a noob. I was reading earlier about using umbrellas, would soft boxes work also for group shots in the church? I have small soft boxes and large ones, I am thinking of the smaller ones space wise. I also own a Nikon D200 and D7000. I own a 50mm Lens, 17-55mm. I was told by a friend to rent a 24-105mm lens also, any other suggestions?
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I am not that familiar with the Nikon line up but would recommend fast glass, 2.8 or larger. Also I would recommend focal lengths of 24mm to 200mm. Not in one lens obviously.
Also a nice speed light is normally needed ether for fill or as a main light.
Backup camera, lights, batteries, lenses.
I think the biggest challenge will be the wedding day. Weddings move very fast and nothing is normally on schedule. Problems are the norm. Work around them. Posing if not used to it will be a big challenge.
I would recommend doing everything you can to second shoot a few weddings prior to the one you booked.
Good luck!!
PS: you stole my Bodie car window shot!
Sam
Love Bodie.
The absolute best thing you can do for both yourself and the bride & groom is, to simply know you gear, know your posing, and go into the job with confidence.
I've shot weddings on Nikon digital gear since 2004 when the D70 first came out; and have shot weddings with each camera since then including the D200 and D7000. The 50 f/1.8 and 17-55 2.8 are pretty much the two essential lenses for getting this type of job done, and like I said it will be FAR MORE USEFUL to simply know your gear like the back of your hand, thank to have this or that lens that is sharper or whatnot.
24-105mm is a canon zoom length, Nikon is either 24-70 or 24-120. Neither of which are lenses that you'd really NEED to get this type of job done. If you really want something more telephoto, maybe by the time this wedding rolls around the Nikon 85 f/1.8 AFS-G will be available; that will give you a really decent ~120mm equivalent focal length. If you need something longer, you could try renting the Nikon 105 f/2.8 VR macro, or of course the 70-200 2.8 VR but that's getting a bit heavy and if you're not used to it you'll wear yourself out pretty quick. Sigma also makes a great 150mm f/2.8 that I'm personally wishing for these days.
So again, the most important thing you can do for yourself is to know your gear super well, and also gain confidence in your ability to tackle anything. Grab your camera and go out to family gathering and just practice anticipating moments and nailing shots.
One recommendation I always make is, if the wedding gets close and you're still not 100% confident, pony up a good $200-400 and hire an experienced 2nd shooter to help you cover the event. As long as you stay "in charge" and of course as long as you do all the editing, they'll be happy to just show up and shoot, which would at least guarantee that you won't mis any critical moments. I've done this for many local photographers actually, and their response has always been that it was well worth it and they really appreciated me "backin them up"...
Good luck!
=Matt=
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
Again thank you Matt and Sam.