TWiP Weddings 050: Why You Can Use a Mirrorless Camera Professionally
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TWiP Weddings 050: Why You Can Use a Mirrorless Camera Professionally
A recent article on F-Stoppers by Vanessa Joy, cited several reasons why she doesn’t feel that she can use a mirrorless camera when photographing a wedding. Are her points valid or was the article just click-bait? Since we have two photographers on our panel who frequently shoot weddings with both Sony & Fuji mirrorless cameras, we thought we’d provide a rebuttal to this article with our thoughts on why you can use a mirrorless camera professionally.
Links Mentioned in this Episode
- Why I Can't Use a Mirrorless camera professionally
- Mirrorless Photography will change the future
- Westcott Rapid Box Duo
Picks of the Week
- Bryan: Fuji X-T2 & Spider Black Widow
- Robert: Timelapse tips from the Ace
- Bruce: GearEye & SpiderLight Holster
TWiP Weddings is brought to you by:
FreshBooks
This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks, the super–simple cloud accounting software that’s giving thousands of freelancers and small businesses the tools to save time billing and get paid faster. Try it free at freshbooks.com/weddings
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- Robert Evans: Website, Twitter, Google+, Instagram
- Bruce Clarke: Website, Twitter, Google+, Facebook. Instagram
When it comes to the idea or conception of camera size to how serious or professional a photographer is … I offer the analogy that my current 50 inch TV must be a joke and I cannot be considered a serious movie buff (in those circles) when my old 60 inch projection TV that took up an entire wall showed everyone I was serious about my interest.
Having shot weddings for years (and some years it was my primary income) … I can say that anyone that thinks the gear makes a difference to the perception of professionalism (in the wedding photography industry) simply lacks the experience and confidence in their work. Those that lack experience haven’t learned that approx 50% of the formula of being perceived as professional is in the way one presents and conducts themselves on the day of the wedding and how they interact/direct people and how they use the gear they have. The balance of my unofficial wedding formula is in the results you present later.
This is my experience as a corporate event photographer, as well. After a decade shooting Canon 1-series, I switched to MFT, and the only comment from clients has been “It’s so quiet!” I’ll be shooting a speaker onstage, and a guest with a big ol’ 7D & 70-300 will step up beside me. Do I worry about the comparison? No, because while he stands in one place and takes a few shots with his pop-up flash, I’ve got two flashes on stands lighting the stage, and I’m changing angles, switching between my three cameras (two tucked inconspicuously under my sportcoat), and generally shooting up a storm. Nobody in the room is in any doubt about which of us is the pro.
I always chuckle to myself when folks come up to me at an event and say “Wow, you got some great shots!” or “You did a great job!” even though they haven’t seen my images yet. To me, this is the clearest indicator that folks’ evaluation is based not on what camera I use but on how I work.
Yup. Exactly. I’ve had people say ‘great job’ when they haven’t seen a single image. It is because they are commenting on the professionalism they observe as I work the event (off camera lights, constantly moving to get different angles, being courtesy and as quiet as possible, etc).
Sometimes I get a photo enthusiast asking what gear I shoot with and why. I’m happy to talk tech with them. And I think the point is clear when I say ‘the equipment I shoot with today wasn’t available 10 years ago, so it is nice to have the choices today’. In the end I don’t find my Fuji any better or worse than my old Nikon … it is just we have more choices now. 🙂