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Archive 2017 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?

  
 
LeeSimms
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


Chris — tempted to try the 35L mkII ?


Aug 13, 2017 at 11:28 AM
Ken_Cravillion
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


I could shoot every single wedding with a pair of A9's and my Batis 18mm, 35mm 1.4Z, 85mm 1.4GM and 135mm 1.8. Everything else is there for backup and redundancy and my appetite for lenses...

And maybe one light for cave like reception venues.

I currently bring two A9's, A7RIi, B18mm, B25mm, 35mm 1.4Z, 50mm 1.4Z, 85mm GM, Canon 100L, Art 135mm Canon 200mm f2L IS, G12-24mm, 24-70GM, 70-200GM, 16-35GM (on order), Flashpoint 600TTL, Einstein, (2) AB400, (3) Vagabond Battery, stands, transmitters.......................................



Aug 13, 2017 at 03:48 PM
myam203
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


I thought this was about the least amount of gear. Everyone just seems to be listing their entire arsenal lol...

If I had to, I could shoot an entire wedding with a 50mm and a speedlight, but of course it wouldn't be ideal.



Aug 13, 2017 at 07:18 PM
IrishDino
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


Depends on the wedding, but I could easily get by with two bodies, a 35/85 and a flash.

I could also get by with a 23/50/135

I could also get by with a 24-70 & 70-200

I could also get by with a 16-35 and a 100mm macro

The point is, you need something wide-ish and something telephoto-ish



Aug 13, 2017 at 07:33 PM
glort
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


Michael Beard wrote:
In my "comfortable" scenario I would want a backup. In reality, I bring two because my wife also uses one!



My wife has probably come to 1% of the weddings I have shot.
That's come as an assistant or shooter.
She's probably broke about 40% of the total camera's I have had fail or broke on a job.

Mainly bad luck. Had a few slips, One good one was in the park on some wet concrete that was like an ice skating rink. Another was on some food a waiter spilt on the dance floor. she got cleaned up at home once with some groomsmen mucking around.
Got pretty expensive there for a while repairing the things all the time but lucky no serious injuries.



Aug 14, 2017 at 12:21 AM
glort
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


myam203 wrote:
I thought this was about the least amount of gear. Everyone just seems to be listing their entire arsenal lol...



I am just amazed with the amount of stuff people have, particularly lights and lenses.
Never got the thing with having a pile of prime lenses. The amount people take makes me think if I were doing it myself I'd be doing more lens swapping that shooting.

Always seems ironic. Shooters are so gung ho about 2 card bodies, TTl flashes and wireless control and using technology to make the job easier yet so many are still shooting Primes instead of using zooms.

On that I'm very happy to have the most flexible and fast tool on the job to give me the best chance of getting the best pic possible.





Aug 14, 2017 at 12:43 AM
JHerr
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


glort wrote:
I am just amazed with the amount of stuff people have, particularly lights and lenses.
Never got the thing with having a pile of prime lenses. The amount people take makes me think if I were doing it myself I'd be doing more lens swapping that shooting.

Always seems ironic. Shooters are so gung ho about 2 card bodies, TTl flashes and wireless control and using technology to make the job easier yet so many are still shooting Primes instead of using zooms.

On that I'm very happy to have the most flexible and fast tool on the job to
...Show more

Because primes make our work better. You don't care how your work looks, so ofcourse you do not understand.



Aug 14, 2017 at 03:27 AM
Steven Leong
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


glort wrote:
I am just amazed with the amount of stuff people have, particularly lights and lenses.
Never got the thing with having a pile of prime lenses. The amount people take makes me think if I were doing it myself I'd be doing more lens swapping that shooting.

Always seems ironic. Shooters are so gung ho about 2 card bodies, TTl flashes and wireless control and using technology to make the job easier yet so many are still shooting Primes instead of using zooms.

On that I'm very happy to have the most flexible and fast tool on the job to
...Show more

Your last paragraph describes precisely why I use primes more than zooms for weddings; I often shoot weddings with just a 24mm and 85mm; they are much lighter that makes prolonged usage much more comfortable & fast, plus produce better quality images and allows me to shoot in just about any kind of lighting.




Aug 14, 2017 at 07:52 AM
glort
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


JHerr wrote:
Because primes make our work better.


Really?

In what ways? Bit of added Bokeh?
QWhat about lighting or composition or creativity..... I know, those shots spontaneous shots you missed because you were lens swapping every 5 min of the day.
Yeah, I can see how that would make your work " Better".


You don't care how your work looks, so of course you do not understand.


You are dead right on both counts!

I don't care at all how my work looks. I care a lot how my CLIENTS think it looks though.
Long as they like it and pay me for what I do, there are a lot of things I don't particularly care for how it looks that I do because the clients love it.

I'm not on some ego trip to make myself feel good, I'm in it to give the clients exactly what they will pay me and refer me the most for.

How I think my work looks is completely and utterly irrelevant.
How the clients think it looks is paramount however.


And you are right again.
I don't understand why shooters are so hung up on satisfying their own ego's and artistic cisions and couldn't give a shit about what the client thinks and I don't understand all the insecurities they go on with.

I have tried to understand them. All I can put it down to is some shooters are simply ignorant to the way business works. They make things up that fly in the face of endless research to try and justify their own ignorance and indulgences.

It really does make me laugh.
All these people with the same idea of taking the most pretty pictures to get the best clients and ahead of the competition. They can't see they are all of the same flawed ideas and business practices which makes them the competition they are trying to get away from !



Aug 14, 2017 at 07:59 AM
Giules
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


glort wrote:
Never got the thing with having a pile of prime lenses. The amount people take makes me think if I were doing it myself I'd be doing more lens swapping that shooting.



With a strictly 2 shooter team, no more, no less we never swap lenses when we shoot dual cams. From dozens of prime shooters don't think I know a single person that has to wait around swapping lenses.

glort wrote
Always seems ironic. Shooters are so gung ho about 2 card bodies, TTl flashes and wireless control and using technology to make the job easier yet so many are still shooting Primes instead of using zooms.


Easier is subjective. Also easier doesn't mean best tool for that particular shooter.



Aug 14, 2017 at 02:26 PM
elkhornsun
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


My car trunk is my primary gear storage container. I have a roller case with extra gear and 3 different camera bags, a small and medium shoulder bag and a small fanny pack or waist bag.

I only put into the small bag what I need for the getting ready photography and for that I have one camera body a 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 105mm, and a speedlight.

For the ceremony I have a medium bag and have with me a 14-24, 24-70, 70-200, flash on bracket with battery pack, and two camera bodies.

For the reception I use the same bag and add the 105mm lens and a screw on +4 Closeup lens (on the 24-70mm for detail shots). I have the 24-70mm on one camera mounted on a flash bracket and the speedlight and the other camera has the 70-200mm and may nor may not have a hot shoe mounted flash depending on the situation at the venue.

In the roller case I have a third camera body, a third speedlight, extra cables, extra batteries. In a Pelican 1620 case I have my group photo kit with two Quantum Qflash, battery pack, umbrella type soft box, FreeXwire RF transmitters and receivers, monopod.

I seldom shoot in environments where a prime lens other than the 105mm "portrait" lens would provide any advantages. By the time I could change a lens to a longer or shorter one the moment would have passed and the picture lost forever.

At one wedding right at the time the processional was to begin one of my camera's died completely. I have to shoot the ceremony and the reception with one camera and switch back and forth between the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm and I know I missed a lot of shots that day. After that I added a third body and have it in the trunk of the car. The same thinking is why I have a third speedlight in the trunk and why I have two Quantum Qflash in my group pictures kit.

I view prime lens only photographers as being self-indulgent and putting their "artistry" ahead of providing pictures that capture as many key moments as possible at the end of the day. To me being a professional means never having to say you are sorry to a client as a result of equipment failure or missed shots of key moments that occurred while I was changing lenses.




Aug 14, 2017 at 03:43 PM
ahaug
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


My favorite set up is a 35 1.4 and a 135 1.8 but end up using a 60 macro, 24 1.4, and an 85 1.8 every wedding. I have a 70 - 200 in the car just in case. I bring a tripod for slow shutter speed picks. I bring 3 light stands, 5 speedlights, a yn 360, omega reflectors, explor 600, westcott xxl octa, 2 soft silver 46 inch umbrellas, gels, triggers. d750, d700 backup.

I won't fell too naked with 35, 135 or 85, one light stand, 2 flashes and my xplor 600 with light modifier and a couple of umbrellas.



Aug 14, 2017 at 03:54 PM
BlueBomberTurbo
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


Absolute basic?

2x A6300s
Zony 24/1.8 (36 equiv.)
Sony 50/1.8 OSS (75 equiv.)
2x Speedlights

I like to add my Sigma 70-200 2.8 II for ceremonies and outdoor sessions, Samyang 12/2 (18 equiv.) for UWA venue/B&G dance shots, and Canon 100/2 for reach in low light + with extension tubes for macro work (works well on the 50, too). I'll also throw in the Sony 35/1.8 OSS (50 equiv) for a backup, since it's tiny (smallest lens here), lightweight, and a great performer. Usually use it outdoors where there's more room to work with.

Some weddings I can get by with just the 12, 24, and 50. Usually the cramped venues. Some I feel I need all 6 lenses, depending on the changing situations/locations. If I had to drop anything, it'd be the 70-200, since it probably weighs and takes up as much room as all my other lenses combined! The 100/2 can meet or beat it in IQ and subject isolation.

As far as primes/zooms, I started out shooting Nikons with the 17-55/2.8 VR and 80-200/2.8 AF-D, with my nose turned up at primes for being time wasters. As I moved to Sony, their lack of native 2.8 zooms at the time made me pick up their trio of 1.8 primes (24/35/50) instead. I eventually also added a Sigma 17-50/2.8 OS to adapt, but found it collecting dust.

Primes just change the way my brain thinks about things. For me, zooms feel like taking the easy way out, and they just make me lazy about shooting. Primes' fixed FOV makes me work at finding the best angles, which results in better framing and perspective. And they really don't take much time to swap around at all. You just need a bit of experience using them to know ahead of time which to swap out for what moment, and they're not cumbersome at all. Wouldn't suggest juggling them on a single body, though. That's where you'll lose shots, unless you're super comfortable with having just one focal length available at a time.



Aug 14, 2017 at 09:00 PM
hardlyboring
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


Leica Monochrom II + 50 Lux or 35 Cron.
If it were the right couple and setup it would be the dopest wedding I have ever shot.



Aug 14, 2017 at 10:23 PM
Dj R
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


Bare minimum:
D750 28 1.4E
D750 70-200E or a 58 or 85
One flash
Would have a 24-70 nearby for backup.

Would prefer to have 20 28 58 70-200. And more light. And beer.










Aug 14, 2017 at 10:40 PM
Ziffl3
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


A little OT......

For me .... if I am in a stationary position... say on stage for an indian ceremony...
The zoom lens allows for variety without moving.

But even then.... a 50 1.2 or 85 1.2/1.8 provide a different look.

And yes, this is interjection myself into the image in a creative way a zoom can not produce.
Shooting with a zoom (especial the 24-70) is less creativity for me by taking away some to the 'tools' or option to be creative as a photographer.

So I like to have options.

Going a step further.... it is not about ego. It is about how I see a wedding. How I want to capturing the moment in front of me. For the most part, B&G and fellow shooter who I 2nd shoot for like the way I see and capture the moment.

Have I missed on some images.... sure. but not from changing out lenses ... okay maybe once..okay twice.
And here we are talking about a crowd reaction or a side moment.

While there are shooters who work the ego and stick out their chest about prime vs zooms.....
for me it is about being creative for the way I shoot.

-Mark




Aug 15, 2017 at 08:40 AM
mb126
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


Agree 100% on primes vs zooms. I (and my clients) like how my images look when I shoot well-corrected f/1.4 primes at f/1.8 and in terms of my personal interactions with clients (the distance I tend to stand from people), 35mm and 85mm are just about always the right focal length for my vision. I can see a shot at both these focal lengths from any distance before my eye is through the viewfinder. If zooms work better with your shooting style then by all means, lug the 70-200 around all day.

If I need to make an 85mm image cropped to 120mm in post then so be it. Sharp primes on 30mp sensors give you an absurd amount of cropping flexibility.

That said I haven't been able to ditch my 70-200 for ceremonies yet. That will be a good day.





Aug 15, 2017 at 02:18 PM
JHerr
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


glort wrote:
WORDS



I was just poking the bear.

I just like primes because I like the way it feels to work with a 35 and an 85 on two camera's. I feel more productive than I did when I had my 24-70 and 70-200, especially since I looked at the focal lengths of what I was shooting with my 24-70 and 70-200 and realised that atleast 70% of it was close to 35 and 85.

I still use zooms in situations in which I know I won't have 100% control. After a couple of weddings you should know what's going to happen and where you need to be to catch the action - I can't think of any time that I have missed the shot because I didn't have the right lens.






Aug 15, 2017 at 04:11 PM
MRomine
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


LeeSimms wrote:
...and 4 white chairs.


Do those fit in your Airport roller?




Aug 15, 2017 at 04:19 PM
MRomine
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · What is the least amount of gear you could shoot a wedding with with?


Ken_Cravillion wrote:
I could shoot every single wedding with a pair of A9's...


Yeah but that's cheating so you can't play until the rest of us all get a9s.



Aug 15, 2017 at 04:23 PM
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