andi_s.

<p>Thank you everyone for replying so quickly! In response to Richard, here is a link to my blog:<br>

www.photographybykiss.wordpress.com<br>

The wedding I was referring to that really tested my knowledge of IS0 and aperture was the June Wedding (Mitch and Megan).<br>

I do have a tripod and I used it at the wedding but I still had to pump my IS0 up high because the church was so dimly lit and would not allow flash during the ceremony (which I know is a very typical situation, I just don't know what other option there is other than having a faster lens) So of course some of the photos came out pretty grainy. How do you capture the action minus the graininess without a faster lens?<br>

No, I have never shot as a second although I have actively called and tried to procure a position. Any advice on what other steps I could take to find someone to shoot under?<br>

I've resolved to just stick with outdoor ceremonies for now and as someone suggested, buying a 50mm macro lens f/2.0 for my Olympus that would help with portraits and engagement shots. I’m just going to stick with it until I have some more practice with this camera. I'm self-taught and only know what I've researched online and practiced in my spare time as I am still a student in college. Maybe it isn't time for me to go into business with indoor weddings yet and I should just stick with outdoor photographs until I can find someone to practice under for awhile.<br>

I have an old Vivitar flash that I sometimes add on to my Olympus, but it takes so long to recharge that it hardly works for capturing those fast moments. However, I’ve been considering just sticking with natural light photography. I really love the lens flare style and natural light that has become popular recently.<br>

Renting gear sounds like a great idea but the closest place to me rents for about $100 a day, which is a bit high for me at this point.<br>

Essentially, I'm still new, I'm still learning and any advice you could give me would help. I started getting into this because my husband is an officiant and we had a lot of friends asking us to officiate and photograph their small wedding ceremonies. I wanted to make it more affordable for them, so we agreed to help.</p>

<p>I definitely agree with John Deerfield that a photographer needs to have a business sense hand in hand with their artistic skill. That's what I'm working on; it's just hard to know where to start.</p>

 

<p>I've photographed 4-5 small outdoor wedding ceremonies and one big 8 hour indoor wedding and reception with my Olympus E-500 and the standard lens that came with it (14-45mm) f/3.4-5.6. It was tough getting sharp shots in a dark church with a slow lens like that, but I managed and the photos turned out wonderfully for my friends. After doing a few weddings, I've decided I really want to get into photography as a business, but I know it's supposed to be the photographer that makes the photos, but I feel that I have an eye for it and that my camera is limiting me as far as ISO and my lens as far as aperture.<br /><br />Consequently, I'm in the market for a new camera and because Olympus just doesn't offer any lenses faster than a 2.0, I don't want to waste my money buying lenses for the camera I currently have. I will be keeping my camera as a backup but I'm looking into Canon for the new one. I'm thinking about either the 50D or the 5D. The 5D is vastly more expensive and I'm wondering if it will be worth it in the long run if I'm wanting to do wedding photography on the side or whether the 50D with the same nice lenses (around f/1.4) would be sufficient?</p>