Low Light+Auto Focus+Slow Lens=BAD PHOTOS

[mom2aidan]

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have an Olympus EVOLT E-330 dslr and I have a 14-45 mm lens that is f/3.5-5.6. This lens will auto focus AND manually focus in any lighting conditions BUT low light or dark lighting. I also have a 45-150 f/4-5.6 that will ONLY auto focus...NO MANUAL FOCUS. This lens, too, will NOT focus in low or dark lighting.
I just shot a wedding and thankfully I shoot in RAW because I was able to change the exposure on a lot of the photos I took during the reception but I missed out on a lot of the important shots (cake cutting, toasts, garter, bouquet, etc) because my lenses would NOT focus. Also, I was a 2nd shooter so my shots weren't really all that important.
I have a wedding this weekend and I am in no financial way to buy a new camera nor a better and faster lens. I am hardly able to buy a new camera battery (which I am in need of BAD). This wedding ceremony is going to be moved from outdoors to indoors where it is darker than the reception hall I just shot at. I am worried, because 1) I am the primary shooter and 2) because the ceremony and reception will be indoors where it will be dark and my lenses will NOT focus.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[HeatherLou]

Teresa, at this point, you MAY have two options.

#1, Beg, Borrow, Steal or Rent a lens that is appropriate for the location your shooting at. Check the local camera shops, I know there are several in the DFW area.

#2, Find someone with equipment that will work for that location to take pity and shoot it with you. Put out a thread and see if there is anyone not busy this weekend that can help out.

I hope that gives you a few ideas.

[mom2aidan]

i already have a 2nd shooter for this weekend that has only shot 2 weddings but also has WAY better gear than i do. I just dont want to rely on the 2nd shooter to get the photos that I couldn't get because then I cannot use those images as my own and I will not make any profit off the wedding because they will get all then 2nd's photos and none of mine.
The wedding was originally outdoors but it is just too dang hot for that.

[Jeff_Green]

Only option I can suggest is to call around and see if you can rent one.

[12stones]

Teresa, if you don't have the equipment, you need to rent it. If you can't rent it, then you need to not be taking these jobs. Seriously. As it is you struggle to get good exposure and composition on your shots, and it's not just the lack of great equipment either. This is someone's once-in-a-lifetime event and it's your responsibility to make sure they have great pictures to remember it by. You can't do that if you don't have the right equipment AND a great grasp of photographic basics.

[smseeley]

Ditto to what Ricky said. I cannot imagine shooting a wedding without any low light lenses. I have a cheap little zoom lens that I sometimes bring out during the reception when my other lenses start to hurt my wrist and I can tell you there is a HUGE difference in performance and also quality. I would definately stop booking weddings until you earn enough second shooting to buy at least one good low light lens.

[mom2aidan]

well lately it seems a bit hard to get a 2nd shooter job when everyone seems to one someone with a bit of experience (which I dont seem to have) and I have noticed quite a bit of photographers asking for 2nd shooters with Nikon and/or Canon (seems a bit camera racist to me...if you ask my opinion...which you didnt).....and I dont have a Nikon or Canon and I have an Olympus which lenses seem hard to find for it now a days.

[studiocygnet]

I don't know specifically how Olympus equipment works, but many of the newer cameras have a focus assist with the flash. It will send out a couple small pre-flashes to assist the camera in focusing. Are you using a flash that couples with the camera (TTL) so that it can determine exposure and focus? If not, I would try to beg, borrow, or steal (not really) the correct flash for your model camera.

[HeatherLou]

Originally Posted by mom2aidan

well lately it seems a bit hard to get a 2nd shooter job when everyone seems to one someone with a bit of experience (which I dont seem to have) and I have noticed quite a bit of photographers asking for 2nd shooters with Nikon and/or Canon (seems a bit camera racist to me...if you ask my opinion...which you didnt).....and I dont have a Nikon or Canon and I have an Olympus which lenses seem hard to find for it now a days.

Maybe tagging along for a few is a good idea???

When I started out, I had a Pentax ist DL, When I found TPF and did some research, I realized that Pentax didn't offer all the goodies that I wanted to be able to use. I VERY quickly got a Canon and have not looked back. I'm on my third Canon now. Its not that Oly is bad equipment, in fact, I saw a site recently that 3 of the top 5 cameras were Oly. However, when your second shooting, its easier for processing reasons and for photogs to share equipment when you have the same brands.

Most people who are looking for second shooters, are looking for someone they trust, so if your not cultivating relationships with photogs here, or other fourms or who you meet in public its going to be really hard to get paying 2nd shooting gigs. So an idea is to tag along for a while, that way it builds your port, you get some education, and build relationships with others.

[smseeley]

Hmmm, well then I would probably 3rd shoot for free to get some experience and portfolio material and then eventually get some 2nd shooter jobs. The reason most people prefer seconds to shoot Canon or Nikon is because those are the main professional camera companies out there. I personally shoot Canon and would want my second to shoot Canon as well for consistancy. It has nothing to do with being camera racist.

I don't know why some people think wedding photography is easy. If you want to be good at it and do it right then you have to work at it. You aren't going to be shooting weddings on your own and have all the latest equiptment overnight.

I realize everyone's situation is different but here is how I got started. Hopefully this will encourange you a little. After shooting 2 weddings (with film!) on my own I came to my senses and second shot for a few local photographers for about 6 months before booking my first real paid wedding. At that point I had 2 canon bodies and a few crap lenses. As I started shooting more on my own as well as second shooting I got better and better and also saved some money for quality equiptment. I also rented lenses along the way too. After 2.5 years I feel like I now have enough experience and equiptment to feel like a real pro photographer (although of course I am still learning). It didn't happen overnight, but it did happen with time and a lot of hard work.

In regards to your current situation....I would beg someone here who has a lot of experience to help you out this one time. You owe it to your bride and trust me you don't want to deal with an upset bride after the wedding.

[Dakinetx]

Funny this.
I take PJ work and Event work.
Post while back about equipment for Wedding 2nd shooter (at that point had D300/200, 18-200, 50 f/1.8 etc.) and get pretty much shot down as having POOR gear for job (esp. Lens wise).

I don't know you and have NOTHING against you but how can you price a service without the equpment to provide said service?

I read your post about your poor dog and it literally brought me to tears as am SUCH a huge dog lover, I prefer them to ANY animal inc. humans. But really, I am mainly concerned for you.
You will either A.lose bussiness like this or worse B.get sued. When providing a service a customer has the realistic expectation of said paid for service being provided. this being a 1 time deal (Wedding) it's a bad line to tread.

Rent, borrow, liberate whatever. then use the money to INVEST in your services, PLEASE. I do NOT want to read of such a passionate dog lover having legal/business issues due to somthing like this.

If I lived closer I would lend you ALL my gear seriously!

[12stones]

Originally Posted by mom2aidan

well lately it seems a bit hard to get a 2nd shooter job when everyone seems to one someone with a bit of experience (which I dont seem to have) and I have noticed quite a bit of photographers asking for 2nd shooters with Nikon and/or Canon (seems a bit camera racist to me...if you ask my opinion...which you didnt).....and I dont have a Nikon or Canon and I have an Olympus which lenses seem hard to find for it now a days.

I'm sorry, Teresa, but that's no reason to go out and book your own weddings. How about renting a dress and practicing on friends first? Master your technique while you save up money for equipment here or there. Get to know local photographers that will let you tag along, build a repoire and learn from them, and THEN maybe you'll get some second shooter opportunities. I'm going to be blunt, but based off what I've seen of your past images, I wouldn't let you second shoot for me now either. Can you tell me why any pro wedding photog should give you a chance at second shooting? Just because you want one? That doesn't cut it. Your equipment isn't the barrier right now. If you had all the equipment you'd need it wouldn't be an issue. Yes, some photogs want a certain brand from their second, but that's usually for sharing and back-up equipment purposes, not because of camera elitism (sorry, cameras don't have race).

In this case, the logic that since no one will give you a chance so you'll make your own is what we call in the Marines: good initiative, bad judgement. You open yourself (and your family) to so much liability by taking on clients whose whole day for photography depends on you. Ask others who have been sued over images that were technically correct, but the client didn't like them... What's your contract like? Oh, do you have a DBA? Sales tax license? Paid property taxes on your equipment, etc? There's a whole bunch of things that are necessary for you to be in this game, and it's not just equipment. Do yourself a favor and slow down, learn photography through practice, and then decide to open a business.

[Wes]

I'm going to agree with Ricky and Heather here.

That being said, have you tried going totally manual? Manual focus, manual exposure? Don't know anything about Olympus equipment but I assume that it's capable of such things.

[dartlrt]

Teresa,

I don't use Olympus gear, but if you want to get into the wedding business think about what gear can you rent easily if your's goes down so you can get the job done. It's not a snob thing it's just the economics of being in business.

[ST77]

Teresa, I have the camera bodies, the lens and the flash's needed to shoot a wedding and I wouldn't even consider doing one by myself and have turned down several, for the simple reason I lack the experience to properly shoot a wedding on my own or as the number 1 shooter. I have owned olympus gear a E500 and some of their higher end glass and flash's. Olympus glass is costly to get a fast zoom lens you are looking at nearly 2K there 2.8-3.5 tele is around 1K and to be honest I was never really happy with its low light performance for the price. You are also limited by Olympus's poor ISO performance above 400.