Australia Wedding Photographer
October 31, 2005
Information about becoming a wedding photographer?
I have been thinking of becoming a photographer for a few years now but as I am nearing the end of high school (1 year left) I am thinking more seriously about what all I have to do to achieve this goal. I love photography with a passion and am always taking photos of anything and everything. I am thinking now of becoming a wedding photographer (perhaps doing other photography on the side when I have time) but am not entirely sure how to go about this. What kind of courses do I need to take to become a photographer and have my own business for it? Also, what equipment do I need for this? Any other information would be much appreciated!
I live in South Australia if that helps.
Before you go out and be a wedding photographer, take as many classes as you can. Make sure to study various types of lighting, since as a wedding photographer you’ll face just about every type of lighting, or in some classes, little to no lighting.
Here’s a photog out of Brisbane, his name is Jonas Peterson and his work is pretty rad, http://jonaspeterson.com/
This guy is really awesome as well, is from Australia, and he’s always got good ideas: http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/
I also suggest joining flickr, get in some good groups where people actually discuss things, I strongly suggest the “Starting a Wedding Photography Business” group. I’m a part of it, along with the two guys above, and it’s a great group to share and come up with new ideas.
Also try and second or assist at a few weddings first, just to get a feel for it. You don’t want to go into it without experience and be stuck in a bad situation with no idea what to do.
One last thing, if you haven’t already, invest in a 50mm 1.8 or 1.4 lens. I don’t know what your budget is, but that lens is cost efficient while being a sharp glass, great for portraits.
Edit: I’m going to say do NOT get the 18-200mm vr lens, it’s prone to vignetting, lens slip, and does not have a low f stop (wedding togs usually want anywhere between 2.8 and 1,4 or wider if you can), and it’s just not a sharp lens like you need. The only wedding photographers I know who use that are the 100 dollar craiglisters who only use auto on the camera.
Invest in a few primes, they’re sharper and cheaper, but also look into a 70-200 or 80-200 2.8. The larger apertures are more important than how much a lens can zoom. A lot of weddings take place in low lighting, so you’ll need those extra few stops of light primes and the 2.8 can give.
Yervant (Australia) – Wedding Photographer Showcase
