Going professional

Im starting my own business with wedding and family potrait photgraphy and

wanted to seek advise to those with knowledge of a great "first time set up

package" I have a Nikon D80 and wondered if I should be purchasing any special

lighting sets or anything else im forgetting? Any advise would be much appreciated!

your kidding...you have a camera and wonder if you need anything else?

 

yeah. Just a few things more, and you'll be set.

<a href="http://www.danheller.com/bizfaq.html">Start reading</a>.

Buy liability insurance:

 

http://www.hillusher.com/WPPI/?gclid=CKaamdTuhYoCFQtWSAodNQdENg

 

Join a professional organization:

 

http://www.wppionline.com/

 

Read a lot, as has been mentioned.

 

Work for a year or so as a wedding photographer's assistant.

 

Go to business school and learn how to market yourself, how to keep books, learn what is tax deductible and what is not, take some graphics arts courses and learn how to design attractive brochures and catalogs, build up a shot list and a price list, and so on.

 

Hire an attorney and draw up stock contracts that define what you are responsible for and what your clients are responsible for, what they pay, when they pay, and how long you'll maintain their photos in the future, as well as what use you'll be able to put them to (advertising yourself).

 

Buy a reliable car, have a backup plan, work with another photographer to cover you when you get sick or injured, and so on.

 

THEN ask what lighting you'll need. Of course, by then, you'll know the answer yourself.

 

Seriously, presuming this is not a troll question designed to provoke outrage, are you kidding?

 

Would you announce that you have a scalpel and are now prepared to do brain surgery, then ask which smock you should buy?

 

Wedding photography is one of the few disciplines which require getting it right the first time, every time. There aren't any do-overs, no mulligans. If your car breaks down on the way to the wedding, if you lose your way or get stuck in traffic, if your camera goes kerflooey or your batteries go flat or your memory card gets scrambled AND SO ON, you've ruined some of the most important memories a couple will ever have in their lives, short of the births of their children. It is an awesome responsibility, and yet folks pick up a camera an announce that they're ready to shoot that wedding now.

 

If you want to plunge right in, fine. Get yourself a big honking TTL flash and a diffuser, some backup batteries and memory cards, and shoot EVENTS. They are fast-moving, require the same kind of skills, and will not hurt so badly when you blow one. They even pay, though not well.

 

Do a little reading. Not to frighten you, but there at more than a couple of horror-stories out there about wedding photographers who badly botched the job - in some cases, they only got sued. In a few cases, their incompetence rose to the level of a crime - one guy in Wisconsin has done a bad job (not just as a photographer, but also in basic things like showing up, or turning over the photos he took, etc) so often that he's gone to prison for it - twice.

 

Would you want your wedding photographs botched by a newbie with a Nikon? If not, then consider either a) years of dedicated work to become a qualified wedding photographer or b) try something else that doesn't mess up people's lives when you fail.

 

I hope that helps, I mean well, really.

Wow i had no idea I was going to get this kind of response. Obviously I needed to lay it out the question a bit more and explain. I have been doing freelance for 6 years and I have done 3 weddings but mostly Family photography. I am not your typical photographer, I dont just take your basic shots and have everyone pose.... not my style. I hardly use any editing on my shots as I have never really needed it. I am taking classes and have been, have also been doing several tutorials online and talk to other photographers all the time on advise given. What I meant by "first time package" was not that I am going out naked with no experience and no training but I am a first time buyer on alot of the fancy lighting packages and big set ups. I am not planning on going out and doing this more professionaly right this very second, I have had to take a break from having my two children and not having alot of extra mula to work at this with since then. But now Im ready to get serious about it again and would love to do it more full time. Thanks for your advise and I know by looking at the question that it sounded pretty vage. Thanks again!

Your question was not vague, it was specific. However, it implied much, and set off alarm bells in many here, me included. "I have a scalpel, I want to do surgery. Oh, I forgot to mention, I've been an MD for ten years." Kind of makes a difference what kind of response you might get.

 

If your question is merely about lighting, then the answer is 'it depends'.

 

Some wedding photographers wire the church with strobes and remote controls. Some use available light even when strobe is allowed. Some use an attached flash, with or without some sort of diffuser. The latter is probably the most common.

 

I use a combination of fast lenses with available light and fast film (or high ISO setting on dSLR) and a Sigma EF 500 DG ST P-TTL strobe with a Sto-Fen ominibounce. I use an Expodisc to help me keep the WB point correct when shooting digital. I also use a Flip-Flash for getting the strobe in the right place; I am shooting a lot in the vertical or portrait format.

 

For studio shots, everybody has their favorite. I pieced mine together, but there are all sorts of options. I presume you read or have access to "Shutterbug" magazine. Lots of choices in the ads, some of them get reviewed from time to time. There is a pro magazine that is free to shooters, called 'Rangefinder' which covers that sort of thing to a much greater extent.

 

The problem is that there are so many choices - any advice you get is likely to be just what this or that person chose which worked for them, and that's likely true - for nearly all the choices.

Thanks much, I appreciate it! and again sorry for being so lite on the subject question =)Take care!

I'm not a pro but I've been reading up on lighting quite a bit. But I think this is something you are looking for.

 

http://www.alienbees.com/busy.html

 

They sell other packages as well.

 

http://www.alienbees.com/packages.html

 

You probably want to pick up a flash bracket too.

 

http://www.tiffen.com/products.html?tablename=stroboframe

 

This site is a good read for using off camera flashes.

 

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Wigwam Jones provided good advice. If you are planning on a studio, you should invest in some monolights. The Alien Bees are great for the price, and you should have at least 2@400ws and 2@800ws with various light-modifiers for a small home/office studio. I'd go so far as to buy the portable battery pack and wireless setup too. If you're not spending $1000-$2000 on lighting, you are only short-changing yourself and your ability to grow your style.

 

I'm assuming you're starting small, which is fine and smart! But, as Wigwam so properly stated, be careful with wedding work. You have some experience, but believe me, when you become a "main shooter" everything that can happen will happen. Be prepared with a minimum of two of everything. I only shoot part-time, no weddings except for a few favors, and it takes a lot of gear to ensure I don't get "stuck" with some equipment failure. Good luck on your endeavor, and, as stated, keep reading all you can read!