More than the bodies though, I would encourage you to look into the quality and range of the glass you use, as that is far more important than your bodies. I’d recommend investing in some Canon prime lenses, and L glass if you can afford it. There certainly is a difference I’ve learned.

More than anything – I’d encourage you to intern or shadow a professional wedding photographer for a year or so prior to taking on your own weddings. More than gear – experience, confidence, & talent will be the greatest asset you can bring with you on a wedding day.

I hope that helps!

Congrats on deciding to make the next step in growing yourself – I hope it goes well for you, I certainly know the steps it takes, and the fun it can be.

Little tip for you – (or anyone for that matter) – I think a nice & wallet-friendly addition to a beginner lens collection is the 1.8 50mm lens. Both Canon & Nikon have a version – it’s not priced too expensively, but can give you an edge in low light situations, and also create a nice “art” feel with it’s nice Depth of Field.

I wouldn’t stop there by any means – it’s not the best glass on the market – but it is a solidly made prime lens, and is priced awesomely for a beginner photographer. If you’re a pro – I’d recommend the 1.4 model, or the 1.2 model if you can afford it. Heck, I’d recommend the 1.0 model if you can find it somewhere!

I’d love to build a dialogue here, because I often think that being a “pro photographer” is something of a hard title to really hold and nail down. I’ve seen too many “pros” who (for lack of better words) aren’t very professional, and aren’t good at what they do. are they still “pros”?

Let me say what it’s not – I wouldn’t say it’s the first pay check (I remember the first time I got paid for photos – I was still an amateur!), and it’s certainly not when you’re only doing photography full time. Attempting to pin the title of “pro” on these definers, is akin to saying “if it’s in a garage, it must be a car”.

I think it tends to be a mix of thing. Without making this comment a blog post in and of itself – I’ve noticed a few things that define the professional from the amateur.

1) The ability to consistently create attractive and technically controlled photos. I’m not going to say technically correct – b/c often photography is more about breaking the rules than obeying them – so the idea of being able to control the technical end of your work is a must.

2) The acknowledgment and accreditation from a community of professional photographers (be it a recognized group like the PPA, or a set of local talented professionals.) Of course, life isn’t about what others think of you – but if you can’t find a group of quality photographers that are willing to say “we stand with you and behind your work” then maybe it’s time to rethink your career path!

Great thoughts too on the equipment – I just want to tag in that although I’m a Canon shooter, that doesn’t mean I think Nikon is bad! Nikon makes awesome equipment – I just went down a different path.

I do believe that a photographer is not the sum total of his lens collection and I love what you’re saying – do what you can with what you got!

but I do have to disagree a bit – having better equipment can certainly be more effective and enhance ones creativity. If a photographer is doing well with their current set of equipment, they ought to be able to naturally afford better equipment as they go!

Let me first clarify- I believe creativity is innate in a person – and the best equipment can’t make an uncreative person a creative photographer. But I do know that having the next level of equipment makes an INCREDIBLE difference in how well a creative artist can grow. There is a tremendous difference between cheap stock lenses and pro-grade high quality lenses!

I could go on here for a bit – but I’m confident you know what I mean – it is impossible to achieve most imagery w/o having the right glass. Having a diverse high quality lens collection will take any photographers work to the next level.

And don’t even get me started on pocket wizards!

Thanks for your thoughts Shawn – love to hear more!