Wedding Photography-My Process Part 4- Camera Gear for Weddings.

Part 4 in this series is the continuation of my attempt at explaining my process as a novice photographer getting started in wedding photography. Like many, I started out shooting subjects I liked while learning the particulars of my DSLR du jour which at that time was a Nikon D50. I bought it at the end of its run. It had a 6MP digital sensor and it came with the Nikon 18-55mm kit lens. After several weeks of trial and error I found that the subjects I liked to shoot: botanicals, abstracts, and night scenes required a tripod and, more importantly, lenses that were better suited to low light photography and close up (macro) photography. I purchased a fixed or prime lens, Nikon 50mm 1.8 and a Tokina 100mm 2.8 Macro lens. I then decided I needed a telephoto lens with a higher focal length range and the Nikon 55-200mm and later the VR(vibration reduction) version of the same lens was my choice. Unfortunately, while both good lenses for the budding novice, the 4/5.6 minimum aperture of the 18-55mm and 55-200mm even with VR are not suited for low light or handheld photography especially in a wedding setting. Neither is the 6MP D50 for that matter. I do still use the D50 for scenic shots, still lifes, and other wedding images that are probably not going to be enlarged more than 8x10.While I have captured some great images with that body and printed them to 16x20 with great clarity and quality it is not conducive to the low light demands of the wedding arena.
As I grew more competent I bought the then newly introduced Nikon D80 10 MP DSLR body and a Tokina 12-24mm wide angle lens and the new Nikon 70-300mm VR telephoto lens. I bought the 3rd party Tokina lenses because they offered good glass at 50-75% the cost of similar Nikon lenses. I now know that buying the best lenses is priority over the best camera body as quality lenses are more important and retain their value longer than the quickly obsolete digital bodies which are "improved upon" every two years or so.
I mentioned in earlier posts that at some point people will comment on how nice your images of a sunset or flowers are and automatically make the leap to you shooting their wedding. I set out to practice photography as a serious hobbyist and after some intense field training and experience would then figure out where to go from there. I chose at that point to be a "generalist" learning all I could about varied subjects while offering me the opportunity to strenghten my knowledge of composition, lighting, and post production. At this time I was doing some headshots and portraits and was asked to shoot not 1 but 2 weddings. I politely declined both. My reasoning was that it was too important a day to trust to a novice. I knew in my heart at some point I would have to accept an offer but that was not the time and I am better for it as are the 2 couples who married.
My interest was peaked to be honest so I started doing what I always do when I am confronted with a subject I know nothing of: INTENSIVE RESEARCH! I hit the internet soaking up all the free knowledge it has to offer from all the successful wedding photographers out there. I read loads of books and studied bridal and wedding magazines. I still buy the annual issues to this day to keep current with trends and to keep my eye attuned to the subject especially when I have been away from it for a few months.
I compiled a list of equipment I already owned and then a list of equipment I might need to purchase. Digital photography is a dangerous venue for those who like to spend money and are easily attracted to the latest and "greatest" new gadgets.
My list of equipment owned at that point was what I listed above with the addition of a 3 monolight portrait lighting kit, backdrops in black, white and gray fabric and a backdrop stand. I also owned some reflectors, a light meter, Nikon SB600 and SB400 hot shoe flashes, and other assorted light modifiers. Aside from the Nikon D80, Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens, and the Nikon SB600 flash and maybe the Tokina 100mm 2.8 macro lens I was not really set up to shoot a wedding or so I thought. I was asked by a friend if I would shoot his cousin's wedding. They had zero budget for photography, 30 guests, and it was to be held outdoors in 2 locations. They knew I was a novice, expected nothing, and I set out to give them $2000.00 photography for $100.00. I added the Nikon 55-200 VR to my gear and I was good to go for a wedding at high noon on a bright sunny day. I got to the outdoor gazebo in West Haven, CToverlooking  Long Island Sound one hour early, set up my equipment, put my camera in manual, took some test shots with the SB600 flash and prepared for the first of many weddings to come. I learned alot that day. I made alot of mistakes that day. I took some nice images that day. I was able to present enough usable quality proofs for a decent album. The married couple was very happy with the job I did and not because it only cost them $100.00 but because I showed up prepared, composed, and acted in a professional and calm manner despite the fact I was freaking out inside at times. The day offered some great opportunites for images and many obstacles. I took away several points for improvement from this wedding. I think I should walk away from every project with a sense of accomplishment and a job well done but also with a willingness to accept the errors and a desire to improve upon them.
In Part 5 I will walk you through the preparation for this first wedding upto the actual ceremony.
Until then......

Learning Tools for the Aspiring Wedding Photographer

In this, Part 3 of my series on my process getting into the business of wedding photography, I wanted to share the sources from which I gleaned most of my "book" knowledge on the subject and continue to do so on a regular basis. There is no substitute for real world hands on experience but you have to show up with the knowledge base to be able to play.
I don't want to assume anything so I will first list some great sources for the fundamentals of camera operation, composition, lighting, etc. Your camera is a tool and you must have the right tool for the job and you must know it inside and out. Problems always occur because that is life but you must know how to troubleshoot on the fly. A wedding of all events is not the place to practice. It is where we put into practice all the hours of learning and honing of the fundamentals: aperture, shutterspeed, ISO, white balance, focus, off camera flash, and low light photography as well as composition and seeing creatively. Some days things just go smooth and on others they just hit the fan. The more knowledge and insight into your primary and backup equipment you have the better equipped you are to recognize the problem and arrive at a quick solution. So, here is a comprehensive, but by no means ,exhaustive list of resources I have found invaluable to me as a photographer in general and as they pertain to wedding photography.

Proprietary Camera Manual- yes, the manual that came in the box with your camera of choice and I highly suggest a digital slr(single lens reflex) camera body with 10 mp or better and several fast lenses of differing focal lengths. The manual is written specifically for your equipment and holds most of the information you need to comfortably operate said camera in most conditions. It will give you a basic education in aperture, shutterspeed and ISO and how they all work together to arrive at a great exposure. I assume you will already have this understanding but if not the manual is the first place to go. It will also explain in detail the myriad of functions, buttons, and settings available on your specific model. I suggest a comfortable working knowledge of Manual setting and at the very least Aperture and Shutter Speed Priority settings. The Program setting along with the other Auto functions are convenient at best and very limiting to the fast paced action and low light conditions a wedding presents. You will find yourself with too slow a shutter speed to capture action and you will end up with a blur or your aperture will be wide open and nothing important will be in focus or vice versa a small aperture will yield the same blur.

Other Sources for Photography Fundamentals
The Camera-the Negative- Ansel Adams
The Basic Book of Photography -Tom and Michele Gimms
Understanding Exposure- Bryan Peterson
Understanding Shutter Speed- Bryan Peterson
Learning to See Creatively- Bryan Peterson
Photographic Composition- Grill and Scanlon
The Elements of Photography-Focal Press ( also has loads of other gret books on photography)
Amherst Media Services-books and more books by professional photographers- I have several and they are all good. (google Amherst Media)
Creative Nature and Outdoor Photography- Brenda Tharp
John Shaw's Landscape Photography
Location Lighting Solutions- Jack Neubart
The Moment It Clicks and The hot Shoe Diaries- Joe Mcnally
Within the Frame and VisonMongers- David Duchemin
Advertising Photography-Lou Lesko
Wedding Photography- Steve Sint

http://www.strobist.com/- lighting instruction
http://www.digitalpgotographyschool.com/- good tutorials for camera basics and lighting
http://www.photo.net/-  a great resource for all things photography

The Business of Photography- yes, photography is 10% clicking and 90% marketing and hard work
The Business of Studio Photography- Edward R. Lilley
Best Practices for Photographers- John Harrington
The Photographers Guide to Marketing and SelfPromotion-Piscopo
http://www.photo.net/- visit the forums on business and specific specialties
http://www.ndavidking.com/- go to Links tab and view a whole list of great resources.

The bottom line is to be a good photographer you require good solid skills which come from working with your camera, learning its capabilities, asking lots of questions, making lots of mistakes, and being humble enough to accept that this is an ongoing learning process and you can't learn enough.
These resources I have listed are the ones I use and there are more which I won't mention here as they do not pertain to wedding photography. These will help you get your feet wet, inpsire you, or make you realize shooting once and awhile on weekends is not such a bad way to go.

In Part 4, I will show what is in my bag , why its there, and how each component helps me to accomplish what I need to for your typical wedding.

unitl then......