I’ve been a photographer for some years, but only nature/wildlife, with a little bit of street.
I was wondering, what is the best way to get into the wedding photography business?
Also, does it make a difference that I use film, not digital?
I’m not new to film or photography, I’ve got it all down and I’m used to my main three cameras, and know everything there is to know about these specific cameras, and how to get good tones and shots from them.
Tags: into, Photography, professional, Wedding
Digital is more convient as you don’t have to change film during the ceremony and since you don’t have to worry about the lab *censored* up your images.
But you could try contacting one of your local professionals (in photography) and asking if you can be their assistant… etc. I’ve never done this personally, but that’s how I’d go about it.
Once you gain experience you could then take peoples weddings on your own just through word of the mouth.
Digital is much more convenient, and I’d definitely start off with it. You can experiment with film later and see which you prefer.
Definitely become an assistant first, even for just a few months.
Contact local wedding photography agencies and present them your work. As long as you’re at least decent, you’ll get hired eventually.
This is so much better than starting off on your own because you don’t have to worry about how to get jobs and how to go about shooting the wedding, or what you can and can’t do (basically, the Unwritten Rules of Wedding Photography). You can also experiment without worrying too much about missing the important things, or being stressed out.
After a while, you’ll know how to flawlessly shoot weddings on your own, and you would have spread by word of mouth and you’ll have references.
As the other two have noted, digital seems to be easier than film…. The problem is, film will give you much better image quality. If you can get over the fact you’re limited to set number exposures, and the “inconvenience” of having to learn your craft, film will offer you tremendous image quality. Truthfully, I would have a full frame DSLR for my main body of work, and a medium format film camera; like a Pentax 67 or Hasselblad 500 cm for portraits, posed family portraits, and everything in between.
As for the best way to get into wedding photography, I would strongly suggest shadowing an established professional. Become their assistant or intern. This will give you the best kind of experience there is; hands-on.
Team up with an existing wedding photographer – sometimes called being the ‘second shooter’.
Most photographers doing ‘normal’ weddings are shooting digital. Yes there is still some film, especially medium format at high end affairs, but you’ll need to fit in the workflow of the primary shooter.
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Enjoy