Wedding Photography

[the1andonlyned]

Hello people. I am getting married in August and being a modern couple we are paying for the wedding ourselfs. Due to the fact we are on a tight budget we cant afford a photographer to take photographs of me and the wife( lowest quote so far is £1000) so have decided to buy a DSLR camera that will give us good photo results when taken by my dad ( an Amatur photographer). So im here to ask you guys whats the best DSLR camera package i can get for less than £300 that is simple to use for a amature but that will give good results in average British summer time lighting conditions,

Thanks in advance for the help

Nathan

[opus]

Can you get an older model Rebel for that price? I just shot a wedding with my original Rebel Ti (purchased new in 2003) and it turned out very well. I'm no pro but the couple were very happy. Make sure you have a good lens on it, which is why I suggest an older Rebel (still a very good camera) that allows for one decent lens purchase as well.



This was taken outdoors on a grey, overcast day. (Remnants of a hurricane had just stopped raining an hour before the ceremony.) I believe I just used an automatic setting, no flash.

[Speed]

Hello people. I am getting married in August and being a modern couple we are paying for the wedding ourselfs. Due to the fact we are on a tight budget we cant afford a photographer to take photographs of me and the wife( lowest quote so far is £1000) so have decided to buy a DSLR camera that will give us good photo results when taken by my dad ( an Amatur photographer). So im here to ask you guys whats the best DSLR camera package i can get for less than £300 that is simple to use for a amature but that will give good results in average British summer time lighting conditions,

Thanks in advance for the help

Nathan

Lots of options.

Like Opus said, find a used camera with a good lens. The Nikon D50 or even the D40 would also be good candidates, in addition to a digital Rebel, or even a Pentax K10D. Shop around and see what you can find. There are deals out there that will fit your budget. Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

[dizzy]

honestly, I think you may be better trawling for someone who's trying to break in to wedding work and is looking for solo experience or portfolio work as they may do it for the same money you're going to shell out. That way, you're likely to get someone with a very good camera, glass, flash, etc and more importantly, spares! There's nothing worse than someone trying to muddle through with a budget camera and then something going wrong with it half way through. If i wasnt posted over here in the States, I'd have sorted you out! Best of luck and as my sister in law always says, get married... Why should you be happy!

[Ron Kruger]

honestly, I think you may be better trawling for someone who's trying to break in to wedding work and is looking for solo experience or portfolio work as they may do it for the same money you're going to shell out. That way, you're likely to get someone with a very good camera, glass, flash, etc and more importantly, spares! There's nothing worse than someone trying to muddle through with a budget camera and then something going wrong with it half way through. If i wasnt posted over here in the States, I'd have sorted you out! Best of luck and as my sister in law always says, get married... Why should you be happy!

I'm with Dizzy on this one. Does that make me dizzy, too.
I've been a professional photographer for over 30 years, so I know something about it, but I don't have experience photographing weddings. I do know it's a specialized field, and those who specialize in it bring a lot more than just good equipment. A beginner trying to specialize in wedding photography would do a much better job that I, probably won't cost much more than buying a decent camera (or a few small ones) and your dad will be free to enjoy the wedding (this is a big day for him, too).
And I even agree with Dizzy's last statement.

[WesternGuy]

Nathan, if you are going to buy a camera, make sure your Dad uses it significantly before the wedding and understands how things work. As well, make sure all your batteries (camera and flash) are fully-charged, that you have extra, fully-charged batteries for everything and that you have an extra memory card or two. HTH.

You didn't say anything about a lens or lenses?

Cheers,

WesternGuy

[freygr]

Also If your dad is Amateur photographer, why not just have him use his film camera's. If he has a SLR camera already and you don't want to mess with film get a DSLR body that will take his lenses. Check Ebay as it is a buyers market now.

[Skyman]

I'm with dizzy.
I have seen this many a time before where a guest is the "photographer" and they end up not enjoying the event as they are busy working and the photos suffer so the bride and groom are not happy either. Try looking up your local photography club. perhaps the club might even want to use it as an outing. Let them know that you expect a copy of every photo (either printed or digital would be up to them) - you can put your own album together and in exchange you will sign release forms so they can use the shots for their own publicity / portfolio.

Failing that invest in a couple of disposable cameras (one or two for every table) and get a great album of photos from those who are special enough to share the day with you. Just remember to tell the guests to leave the cameras behind and send someone around to pick them up. You can get them developed and make an album as you have the money this way so the up front cost might be offset a little.

[the1andonlyned]

Hiya people and Thanks for the great advice, i think my firs tport of call will be a photography club or try to get someone whos starting out as i havnt considered my father having a bad day if hes taking all the shots. However if those fail i may have to get a camera and you lot have given me some advance on what to buy thanks very much and i will keep you posted on what do.

[poker]

You should look into Craigs List for your area.

Good luck and congrats.

Hiya people and Thanks for the great advice, i think my firs tport of call will be a photography club or try to get someone whos starting out as i havnt considered my father having a bad day if hes taking all the shots. However if those fail i may have to get a camera and you lot have given me some advance on what to buy thanks very much and i will keep you posted on what do.

[dizzy]

You should look into Craigs List for your area.

Good luck and congrats.

there's no such thing as Craigs List in England!!

[pisco]

you have it in London: http://london.craigslist.co.uk/

[opus]

my dad took my wedding pictures. He was happy to do it and took some very good pictures. I'm sure his stress level was high, though. But he loves to be busy, and may have been bored without a job to do.

My cousin, who is a pro photographer, showed up with her gear and offered to do a bunch of the group shots for me, to give my dad a break. My dad stepped aside and let her take over, but he still took his own pictures too. After an hour of shooting at sunset, my cousin all of a sudden said, "whoops! I've got no film in my camera!"

Thank god for my dad and his backup shots.

[Polishgonewild]

for a little more u can get a New REBEL XS