Becoming a professional Wedding Photographer
Becoming an established Wedding photographer will take years of experience and there are no shortcuts, however here are a few important insights to steer you in the right direction. Shooting my first ever Wedding was one of the most daunting experiences in my life, I was so nervous I couldn't think straight. I never had the opportunity and I am sure there are lot of you out there in the same predicament but if you are fortunate enough to assist a professional, even if it's for a day it will be an invaluable experience.
The biggest thing for me when I started out as Wedding photographer was being able to turn that nervous energy into creativity and this really only comes with experience and lots of it. Being nervous is only natural and I think this shows how much it means to you and how much passion you have to deliver something stunning.
Online courses will definitely help and there is so much content out there including 'Creative Live' which is great place to start. Link below:
What Wedding photography equipment do I need to start out with.
Probably one the most common questions I get asked. I'm not going to lie to you here, the truth is it's never ending and it will cost thousands over the years, but you can make do with a few basic bits of kit that won't cost the earth.
If you are shooting a Wedding where you are charging a decent amount of money then expectations will be high, so at first I would suggest hiring the equipment that you think you will require. I would look at getting 2 camera bodies, a selection of lenses and a flash gun. Good glass costs, and this is for a few reasons. It will be fast, meaning it will be able to cope with low light conditions, it should auto focus when you need it to and not when it feels like it. It should have great Bokeh, which basically means everything that is out of focus should look velvety and gorgeous. Obviously build quality needs to be solid as your lenses will get knocked about, its inevitable.
Everyone will have different opinions on this because its very subjective. I've always worked with Nikon so I can't suggest any Canon or other equivalents, but if I had only 3 lenses to work with it would be my Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 VR, Nikon 17-35mm 2.8, Nikon 50mm 1.8. I do have a lot more lenses and I use all them for different situations but these 3 lenses have been my bread and butter lenses for over 10 years of shooting Weddings.
When it comes to using Flash I personally hardly ever use it mounted directly on my camera as I just don't like the way it illuminates the subject. I personally find as soon as the flash is off camera it can be a lot more pleasing and flattering to the eye. This is where radio triggers come in and with these little devices your creativity can be endless.
Here is an image I shot at Amy & Johnny's Wedding at Scorrier House just after the sun had set using off camera flash and radio triggers.
Here is another example from Harriet & Ben's Wedding in the vines at Trevibban Mill.
If you are interested in becoming a wedding photographer or you are just looking for guidance and expert knowledge please give me a shout and I will be more than happy to help you out.
Stay tuned for more to come...
Your Happy Snapper,
Nick Bailey