I get asked all the time what I use when I shoot a wedding. Well I’ve got a lot of gear, but I also have my favorites to use. I guess if I had to, I could shoot a wedding with 1 camera and 1 lens, but why should I when there is so much available to make the job easier.
On every wedding shoot I’ll bring at least 3 full sized bodies (Canon 1D and 1Ds), at least 3 flashes, 5 lenses, heaps of memory cards (90Gbs +) and loads of batteries. I’ve learned the hard way to always be prepared for any situation, so I am. I have never lost a photo that I took, yes never.
Why I chose Canon over Nikon? No great reason, except when I started we had a Canon film camera and it made sense, as I had some lenses, so it was a good way to start. Since then I’ve superseded the original base lens and have moved into “L” series lenses. You just can’t get the quality from a standard lens, you need to have top level professional equipment when shooting a wedding. I don’t use film any more, why? there are no benefits in doing so, digital at 21Mega Pixel is far more than what anyone would want for a wedding. Top level advertising and model photographers use what I use or lesser.
I do like Canon though, but I’ve only had minimal contact with a Nikon so can’t really comment. I’ve seen and worked on pictures taken with Nikon cameras and they are also fantastic. So it’s more a matter of which camera feels better, has the better menu that you can use and you can afford. But the most important thing is to have a professional camera with good lenses.
Here is a shot of me with a bride and groom on the job, I think I need a porter to run around behind me to carry my stuff. It gets heavy after a while, but of course I don’t carry this gear all the time on my shoulders, I have a wheelie bag that I tow with me – Lowpro Roller 200.
The gear you can see in this wedding photo is:
- Canon 1 Ds mrk III with a 50mm f1.2 lens
- Canon 1D mrk III with a 24-70mm f2.8 lens
- Canon 1D mrk III with a 70-200mm f.2 IS lens
And here is the final image from this particular “structured candid moment”.
Also, I thought i should include the original photo, which didn’t have any work done to it in Photoshop. What I did to the above image is removed lose hand that was behind the groom, contrast and colour adjustments, some blur, added film grain and vignetting. I could have straightened or created more angle on the photo, but didn’t as I liked it the way it was shot. I generally shoot the way I like the photo to be rather than turn it in Photoshop later, I guess it’s the old school way, to get it right in the camera, rather than depend on software later.
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November 22nd, 2009