thierry nguyen cuu - nomad

I'd say it all depends on your marketing plan. If you have 60 weddings a year, you need a well oiled digital

workflow that put the images as fast as possible in the hands of your clients, of course with all the quality

that you charge for.

Personally, I start my processing on the Sunday (batch, over night process) and my proofs on Monday. Images are

online by Wednesday in the morning.

When talking about weeks of waiting, I only ask that long when I have to wait for the

printing and bidding company to return the album for my clients.

Remember that a max of 6 or 700 images is more than enough to tell the whole story and 30 seconds to frame

(meter, compose bla bla bla...) the shot will save you hours in front of the computer.

"105mm Micro or 85mm f/1.4 "

I'll pick 85 f/1.4.

It's two stops faster, as mentioned, and it will compensate for the lack of VR.

You need more reach? Put a Tele converter on. Some may say you'll loose some quality... yeah but shooting NEF

gives you someway to get that back.

You need closer focus? Put on some extension tube.

Well, I use the 16-35 on my 5D for almost 75% of every wedding.<br>

Of course you don't need to to use it to take portrait of the bride. <br>

I found that even the 16 of the 5D is not wide enough for my style of shooting so I just picked the D700 and the

14-24.

<br><br>

<img src="http://www.nomadphotography.com.au/Poub/nomad101.jpg">

<br>

Shot with the 5D + 16-35 @ 16 (cropped)

You're pro of something when you live of that thing. Beeing a pro photographer, where ever your specialty is

would mean that the income that you generate from your photos pays the bills, the meals and event the kids'

education.

It always amazes me to see how many people would put the gears and the money spent first...

I know a few real pros wedding photogs here who still shoot with with a 20D and a slow EFS lens (yeah, only one

17-85 lens). And yeah, their booking diary is pretty much full and they all have good testimonials.

Being pros sometime means knowing what your customers want and not what you can do. Have a strong marketting

strategy and you'll give the value to your product.

Believe me, buying a Ferrari doesn't make you a Schumacher or a golden golf club won't make you another Tiger Woods.

This rule implies to having a Canon 1Ds MK 45 won't make you a master of photography either, but yeah, that helps :).

You can be the best in your art but if nobody knows you, you won't sell (that also implies that you can't pay

bills, and not to be a pro).

Wow, how sexy is this...

I started a similar post 20 hr ago, linking to exactly the same canon website and my threat got ... closed and then deleted.

May be this reply will get mod as well.

Sometimes it's best to join in a post rather then starting one :)

It's a very interesting case. First I don't know how you come to the situation of shooting a wedding, especially a destination wedding

before being paid in full.

In my contract I require a deposit of 30% for the booking and the balance to be paid 3 weeks before the actual wedding day.

As there are more and more people with camera and software, I keep think simple and try to be open minded as much as possible.

I had a groom once who asked for the Raw files, of course it was before the shooting. I told him that I usually give edited hi-res JPEG,

which, as mentioned by most people here, but if he still wants RAW files, they are available for purchase at $950 per file. I'll be happy to

sit with him and slide show the files for him to choose.

In regard of proving that the images are mine, I simply set my name, and the studio, in camera so it is embedded in the RAW files. This

is not a really big deal (to prove that I am the owner of the images) as I can prove that I have the RAW files as well, and also that the

serial number of the cameras is also embedded in the RAW files and I have the receipt proving that I own that cameras.

Looks like it comes with the nikon like 18-200 lens as well.

Any hint for the kit?

I try to get as wide as I can.

<br>

I shoot 99% with 16-35 II and 70-200 f2.8 IS but I bring along the 24-70, 135 f2, 50 f1.4 and a Zeiss 60 mm Macro

on a Canon adapter.<br>

I just added the 14-24 Nikon and a D700 to the kit and a few other ED Glasses.

<br><br>

<i>"Do you stick with Canon"</i>

<br>

No. I stick with whatever gives me best quality and flexibility.

<i>"Omega NC - how did you bounce your flash? Did you use a bounce card? "</i>

<br>

Michael I'llnottell:

<br>

I read Planetneil.com alot and use his technique for these shots.

<br>

5D + 17-40 @ f4 1/8 s ISO 800 and 580 EX bounced

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<img src="http://www.nomadphotography.com.au/Poub/081.jpg">

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<img src="http://www.nomadphotography.com.au/Poub/084.jpg">

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<img src="http://www.nomadphotography.com.au/Poub/088.jpg">

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<img src="http://www.nomadphotography.com.au/Poub/092.jpg">

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Do you have this lens or plan to buy one?

I like the 17-40. It's a very nice lens. I prefer it to my 16-35 f2.8 II event on the 5D. IMO my 17-40 has better contrast than my 16-35 L II

I'd say that YES the 17-40 is a good lens for protrait on a crop sensor. The reason is that it allows very close focusing distance and DOF is related as well to distance to subject and distance from subject to background.

We all talk about lens and body and almost forgot your trip to Alaska.

I'd go for newer techno and suggest the 40D and the 17-40 f4.

The 17-40 is a "bit" shorter than the 24-105 but is still a very good lens for general purpose on a 1.6x sensor.

The 40D is said to have the sam IQ as the 5D with newer techno.

The 40D will allow you to use your EF-S lenses that you may already have.

I use Leica R lenses myself on my 5D with ebay adapters.

So far, I never had any problems with the mirror touching the lens.

I have the Macro-Elmarit R 60 f2.8 and the 180 f2.8

Hope this helps

John,

There are several things that let the picture and camera down, at least with mine.

Your buffer will drop when increasing ISO, shooting RAW 14 bit instead of 12 bit or simultaneously record JPEG

and RAW ... Same thing happens to my Canon 1D3 with some other features ...

High ISO NR can be swtched off, but will be still active for ISO from HI 0.3 and above in RAW and/or JPEG mode.

I would start by a solid marketting class first.

If you can give best photos ever but nobody knows you, you wouldn't sell.

Oh... a side note of my choice of lenses:

I zoom with my legs when I can, as some great photographer said, one day: "if your photo lacks of impact, it's

because you're not close enough to the ation".

And I like the distortion of UWA, of course when it's controlled and it's not "leg zoomable".

Hi John,

With the D300, I'd recommend the 12-24 f4, the 70-200 f2,8 VR (if your budget is OK) other wise the 80-200 f2,8.

I'd also put the 50 f1,4 in the middle.

I found the wide angle more versatile than the mid range. It is usefull for indoor (bride getting ready,

bridesmaids doing the dress), it is "capable" of close up for details shots (flowers, shoes, jewelery) and

believe it or not, it is very nice for church and group shots, especially at a high angle.

The 70-200 (80-200) does the rest, from distance.

The 12-24 / 70-200 are the most used lenses for me at weddings.

Of course this only concerns me and my shooting.

Good luck

<i>"Will a 5D give me inferior pictures"</i>

<br>

<b>NO</b>

<br><br>

Is the 40D enough for wedding?

<br>

... Yeah.

<br>I don't thing there is (really) bad tools, but only misuse of the tools.

John,

A second though for you to gear up.

First you need to work on your business plan and put a budget forward. Try to rent some gears from Canon and

Nikon and see how you feel with them.

Is there a need to go full frame? I don't thing it's an absolute need as DX and EFS lenses have been designed to

overcome the angle of view with crop sensor.

This guy (edpingol.blogspot.com) shoots with Canon 40Ds and

is pretty busy doing

destination

weddings.

This guy (www.storybyphoto.com) shoots with Canon 20Ds and is

booked more than one

year ahead.

There are quite a few wedding photog here shooting with Nikon D200 and D300 and they do well.

Add some flash guns as well.

All comes down to your style/skills and your marketting.

Looking at the 5D + 24-105 combo, you may get the 40D + 10-22 EFS + 24-105 and you have wider range covered.

With the D300 and the 17-55 above, you may need something wider and/or longer.

BTW I got your email.

Vesselin,

Get the 18-200.

There is no difference in speed between these two lenses and the the 2 mm wouldn't be a big deal for travel photography.

If you need some room, step back one step, or if you don't have room, move the camera above your head and a bit backward. It is more difficult to step forward when you're at the edge of a fence of the balcony or the cliff to have extra reach IMO.

For me the sharpness of the 18-200 is respectable good. It equals my 70-200 f2,8 VR.

BTW, congratulations for your honeymoon. If you come my way in Australia, we may go out for a shoot together, and I'll lend you some lenses to test drive?

Hi John,

I read all the posts here and stopped by your website as well.

On your website you sound very strong selling your skills and talents. I am a bit surprise about your post here.

Cameras don't take pictures, but of course having a system where you're confortable with is important and good

gear can help.

I am amazed by the number of posts here where people care most about the top of the line gears in front of

creativity and most important, for me, learning curve.

What can't you do with what you have? It all sounds to me like wedding photography before the ISO 6400-25600

range didn't exist ...

Here is a young lady whose work has a 4 full pages on a UK photography magazine. Guess what? she is using a Canon

350D with a 18-55 lens (and some with a point and shoot Nikon Coolpix 5700). Is it a mediocre camera and bad lens

combo? I don't know. I don't have my work published yet shooting with a Canon 3Ds XXX and F0,95 lenses...

Oh... the link: http://thetragictruth-of-me.deviantart.com/

BTW, put the money in the gear that you are going to use to charge people with ^o^