It's interesting to have reached a one year mark shooting.

Definitely more interesting that about a year after starting, and a few paying portraits later, and someone approached me as a referal for a wedding. Exciting.

Scary too. A wedding is something special, something someone experiences once. No do overs. So looking at it, it's hard to think will I do this.

I've just had an initial conversation (referral from a friend) and I am trying to decide whether this is the direction I want to go in photography, and whether this would be a good stepping stone to Commercial shooting. I figure you got to start somewhere. So I throw it to the community, someone to bounce things off of.

I'd love it if you'd give me your opinion, for and against, something to weight off of.

Portfolio here: Portfolio
Thanks,

Geoff

i don't know that it's anyone's place to tell you which type of photography you should be doing-you have some nice concert shots in there, some nice architecture-however, events/weddings are a whole different beast, if you haven't shot one-if you're serious about this, you might look into 2nd shooting or assisting a more experienced pro first

your profile says you have one camera and two lenses-you're gonna need another body, two flashes, tons of memory, extra batteries, etc., etc.-it's a serious investment-i'd weigh those factors into it as well when you're making your decision

i also don't think weddings is really a stepping stone to commercial work-a portfolio of wedding shots probably won't garner much attention from commercial clients, especially for studio work-they're two different beasts (though some wedding photogs i know do both)

it might help us help you if you ask more specific questions-wide open questions tend to get ignored

daniel

I agree with Daniel. Ask more specific questions, throwing a situation out might not help us help you. Here's to get you started:

1. You need about $7-10k minimum initial investment (maybe $5k of used FM stuff would get you on survival mode).

2. You need the "know how" - exposure, timing, composition.

3. You need the business savvy side. Wedding Photography is a business after all unless you want to remain as a second shooter.

4. You need practice - lots of it. Wedding photography is not the same as landscape or portrait photography, where you have more time to relax. Here its sometimes run run, think on the spot and be ready to shoot when needed.

5. You need to be past "P" mode and no, P doesn't stand for professional. I'd say "M" or mature mode is a good start.

6. You need fast lens (I do mean 2.8 and below fast). F4 can cut it if you plan to flash your way through the wedding. 2 bodies and flashes minimum.

7. You need a presentational website. To have a good portfolio, you should consider second shooting for others. This will help you get a grasp of your local competition and also understand if it's the right business for you.

8. You need to study a lot. By studying I mean study new concepts and study new techniques - be it through forums, other photographers, or school. But photography school is not absolutely necessary but probably recommended.

9. You need sales skills. Your small portfolio might not be enough.

10. You need high quality prints and book providers. Lot's of info in Tim's Wedding Resources post.

Of course, the list goes on if you plan on going really serious. This is just about 20% of the things you need to get started. Ah yes, knowing the Adobe suite is probably a most, I'd say especially CS3 unless you have Apple Aperture you could live with that for now.

If your ideas are clear and you have the right guide, you can have all of this setup within 1-5 months tops.
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