Wedding photographers can be expensive, but you don’t have to break the bank to take great photos. And if you are willing to put in the time and money, there are plenty of ways to shoot a wedding on the cheap too. Wedding photography is often overlooked as a hobby or business opportunity, despite its obvious profitability. Photography is an expensive hobby and business opportunity that many people overlook.
But with some smart planning and a little elbow grease, it’s not impossible for anyone to shoot a wedding for under $1,000.
The bare essentials
These are the things that you will need to shoot a wedding. Obviously, the venue, the wedding couple, and all of the guests are essential. But there are more things to think about before you shoot a wedding.
- A wedding is a social event. This means that you will have to shoot photos of the couple and their guests mingling together. It also means that you will have to photograph the preparations for the reception, like setting up the buffet and serving drinks.
- Make sure you have access to the venue. Even if you have permission to shoot from the wedding venue, you usually don’t have access to the entire space. Make sure you know where you can go if you need to access certain spaces, like the reception hall’s dance floor or the patio.
- Be prepared to wait. The wedding day is tightly scheduled. If you are shooting a traditional wedding ceremony and reception, you will only have a few opportunities to shoot. You may have to wait for the cocktail hour or the reception to begin before you can get to the wedding couple and their guests.
You can edit video like you edit photos
Most wedding videographers are also photographers, so you might be able to use their editing skills to edit your video footage like you edit your photos. If you are just getting started as a wedding photographer, you might not have the skills to edit a video. If that’s the case, hire a video editor to edit your wedding footage.
You will still be able to incorporate the audio from the wedding ceremony, and you can also use the video for marketing and as a highlight reel for your portfolio. You can also even use it as a form of instruction for other photographers.
If you are a wedding photographer who wants to learn how to edit video, you can use a service like Vidyo or YouSendIt to share a project with your wedding clients and then edit the footage together. You will be able to use the footage and audio from the wedding to edit the video, and your clients will get to see their video along with a congratulatory note from you.
Don’t skimp on the important things
The camera system you bring to a wedding is just as important as the lenses you bring. You need a camera system that has interchangeable lenses, which allow you to quickly switch from one lens to another based on the situation. A DSLR camera system, which is what most people use, has interchangeable lenses.
And a lens system is important because a zoom lens will not effectively capture a wide angle of a scene, for example. A wide-angle lens will capture more of a scene, but also includes less of the distance in the background. To get great wedding photos, you will also think about the camera system you bring.
There are pros and cons to both mirrorless and DSLR camera systems. A mirrorless camera system is compact, making it easy to take it with you to an event. In contrast, DSLR stands for Digital SLR and is a more traditional camera system. DSLR cameras are larger and heavier but are able to capture photographs in RAW format, which allows you to adjust the image after it is captured. RAW format photographs can be saved in a variety of file formats, depending on the program you are using to edit your photos.
Make your own prints from your own photo library
If you are shooting a traditional wedding, you will have a bulk of wedding photos in your own photo library to choose from. You can also use your photo library to make your own prints from your wedding photos. Traditional wedding albums are expensive and time-consuming to create.
Personalized albums like those from Shutterfly, PhotoPie, and Shutterfly offer an easy, affordable way to display and share all of your wedding photos. If you only have a few wedding photos to choose from, you can easily create a custom printout of a favorite shot. You can also order prints online to save on shipping costs. And you can also order custom wedding photo framing featuring your wedding theme or images from your wedding.
You can borrow or rent equipment for a wedding
If you are new to wedding photography, you will want to start with a basic kit. A basic kit includes a camera system, batteries and chargers, a tripod, and a few lenses. You can also look into buying a used kit like the one offered by eBay for under $100.
You could also try Craigslist or Kijiji to find a cheap used kit. You could also try to borrow equipment from a friend who is getting married. Make sure you get permission from the couple, as well as the wedding venue. For outdoor weddings, you could try to borrow an umbrella from a neighbor or a friend. A sound system could be borrowed from a friend. If you plan ahead, you can borrow or rent equipment for a wedding without anyone noticing.
Final words
This article will help you to get started as a wedding photographer, but there are a few important things you will need to think about before taking the first step. The first thing you need to think about is where to find wedding photographers. You can also find some helpful advice on how to find a good wedding photographer. Next, you need to think about how much you are willing to spend on shooting a wedding.
