Be warned shooter, of not having backup gear

TWO backup bodies? In descending order of pro status? Nikon - I have D700 and then D300s in case of failure. I'm afraid I can't afford another body but maybe a cheapo D3100 in case of absolute disaster but can I allow myself to use something so cumbersome on a job in the event of double camera failure? (that the father-in-law will also have?).

PS Make sure you have at least one backup lens to cover the wide to standard range. I have had three Nikon lenses die on me (50mm 1.4 AFS - motor died, 16-85mm VR, the zoom and focus jammed, and the 20mm 2.8 - just died).

I know this is rather Nikon-related, but our problems are all the same ones, at the end of the day.

zoooming said:

I'd like to think that the majority of 1D/5D users would know exactly what they want from their gear, how to use it and in most cases make money from it.

The others (non pro use) would be in the distinct minority and I wouldn't be too concerned about them.

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I'd like to think that, too, but I've been proven wrong far to often to do so. Look at the posts asking what lenses to buy for a 1D mkIV or FF, or what lenses to use for a wedding (there's one of those up, currently) or for landscapes. And consider the number of posts concerning whether to buy a 1 series to take photos of their kids/cats/dogs/vacation.
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Skip M
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
http://www.pbase.com/skipm
http://skipm.smugmug.com/
http://skipmiddletonglamourshooter.blogspot.com/
'Living in the heart of a dream, in the Promised Land!'
John Stewart

I have two cameras on my shoulders at all times. And I have another back up in my bag in the press room. I just can't afford to lose the shot, its what I do. I do sporting events and I am to get the shot....no matter what!! Telling the publisher that my camera failed....so sorry.....won't cut it. I can't imagine doing weddings and screwing that up and having no picture for the bride and groom...that to me spells LAWSUIT!!

JB

You have to have a backup of a backup. Many pros shoot with two camera bodies. So, shooting with one is not really an attractive thing for them.

Dual memory card with in camera replication is a must if the camera supports it.

You also have to backup your data. Both on site and off site. Hard disks will eventually fail but your client won't understand that.

An Emergency workstation for editing pictures. Something like a laptop and a desktop.

Backup Your self ? what will happen if you got sick, had an accident, or got attacked by Ninjas the day of the wedding ? Your wife will understand, your boss will. But the bride ? you will be lucky if she didn't finish the job!

I still believe those types of questions would be asked by the minority of 1D users. The 'others', (experienced users/pros), who know exactly how to use them, are happily shooting away earning their keep with no need to post.

Zoooming.

Skip M said:

zoooming said:

I'd like to think that the majority of 1D/5D users would know exactly what they want from their gear, how to use it and in most cases make money from it.

The others (non pro use) would be in the distinct minority and I wouldn't be too concerned about them.

Click to expand...

I'd like to think that, too, but I've been proven wrong far to often to do so. Look at the posts asking what lenses to buy for a 1D mkIV or FF, or what lenses to use for a wedding (there's one of those up, currently) or for landscapes. And consider the number of posts concerning whether to buy a 1 series to take photos of their kids/cats/dogs/vacation.
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graphikal said:

... as ALL GOOD WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS KNOW THEY MUST DO.

That is all.

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And "having backup gear" doesn't just mean having a back-up camera body. Every wedding I shoot, I have three camera bodies, two hotshoe flashes, as well as sufficient redundancy and overlap in my lenses so that if I lost any piece of equipment, I could still finish the day's shoot without much problem.

ossme said:

Backup Your self ? what will happen if you got sick, had an accident, or got attacked by Ninjas the day of the wedding ? Your wife will understand, your boss will. But the bride ? you will be lucky if she didn't finish the job!

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This is an aspect very few people think about until it's too late. Sometimes a potential client will bring this up, but rarely, and photographers, like most small business owners, don't consider the prostpect until it happens. What do you do if you get sick, or worse, injured, and can't do the job? My wife and I are the main shooters, so that if the job only requires one photographer, the other can cover. Two of our assistants have degrees in photography, one from Arizona State, the other from University of South Lancastershire. Another of our assistants was a Marine Corps combat photographer in Afghanistan. He's not only a great photographer in his own right, but when you are used to people shooting at you when you take pictures, a bridezilla won't even register on the scale! (Actually, I'm not giving these three enough credit. They're not just "assistants," they're "associate photographers," we send them out on jobs that bid too low for us to do, or on dates that we're already booked.)

There are also resources to get back up photographers, from Craigslist to the Digital Wedding Forum, plus ASMP and PPA.
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Skip M
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
http://www.pbase.com/skipm
http://skipm.smugmug.com/
http://skipmiddletonglamourshooter.blogspot.com/
'Living in the heart of a dream, in the Promised Land!'
John Stewart

If I ever do a wedding, I'll insist that the groom has a backup bride, and vica versa - you never know what might go wrong.

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Adam