No Experience
So, my mom keeps sending me these opportunities from Craigslist - people that want their wedding or engagement photographed for cheap. I have no experience doing anything of the sort. I'm just trying to break out of my shell to take pictures of friends. That's intimidating enough. Think about how scary it would be (for me) to take pictures of some strangers big moment. Not to mention, the only equipment I have is my Nikon D40 w/18-55mm kit lens and a Nikon 50mm F1.8. No external flashes (hint, if you need to buy me something for Christmas. haha), or, well anything else.
I'm just writing this to express my fears. I'm sure one day, maybe soon, I'll actually take one of those cheap/free jobs for the experience of it. And a year or two from now, I'll look back on this blog and laugh at how timid freaked out I was.
In the meantime, if you have any books or resources you'd recommend for those types (or any types) of photography, I'm all ears. I'm trying to soak up as much knowledge right now as I can. What I'd really love is to find someone locally that I could tag along with and glean knowledge from.
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5 comments:
Those are the only lenses I used for my first wedding! (though, with my Canon camera, hehe :-)
Do you have an external flash unit?
What you could possibly do to get a little more comfortable... contact a photographer and see if you can shadow them.
It's different for everyone.. thankfully for me, I was able to be my friend's wedding photographer for my first real big wedding which helped!
Are you on Facebook? I seem to generate work through there! :D
@lisa365 - I do not have an external flash. It's the next thing I'm going to purchase though.
I used to have Facebook, maybe I should look into reactivating my account there. Hmm.
If you do, add me if you like! :-)
www.strobist.com - Learn about lighting and off camera flash. You can get some cheap flashes, umbrellas, and stands for under 200 bucks. These tools can really spruce up photography done even outside. Mr. Hobby has a ton of material about lighting there.
Using some of what I've learned there I've done the pictures of Lauren that are posted on my flickr account.
Get the books:
Light, Science, and Magic And Skin
Oh, and don't sell yourself short. I'd take Lisa's advice and apprentice/shadow with a seasoned professional for awhile. Wish I had the time to do it myself! Doing free/cheap work just makes it tougher later to charge what the service is worth. You are taking the time to learn this skill. Take the time to learn what its worth too.
If you want to donate to friends/family that's fine. But be careful with the cheap/free jobs from craigslist and the like. You always run the risk of unrealistic expectations in those situations.
If I get married before your first wedding shot you can do ours. :-) I wouldn't be too hard on you. LOL
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