Equipment Checklist for a Photography Business
Selecting the best equipment for a photography business is largely dependent on the anticipated subjects or themes, as well as budget constraints. Photographers specializing in weddings will require much different equipment than photographers shooting sporting events, news or wildlife. Clarifying the business focus will help to determine appropriate choices of cameras and ancillary equipment. Although film cameras are still used, Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras are more commonly used in modern photography businesses.
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Wedding Photography
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Wedding photography can sometimes require two fully-equipped photographers. Wedding photography requires a combination of portrait and live action photography, resulting in the need for a variety of camera equipment. As a starting point, wedding photographers should have a professional-grade DSLR camera with a wide-angle (18 mm to 35 mm) lens and tripod, secondary camera with medium-range (70 mm to 200 mm) zoom lens and a long-range (200 mm-plus) zoom lens with vibration reduction, detachable flash unit with diffuser, portable studio lighting setup, hand-held light meter, extra batteries and a bag or case for transport.
Live-Action Photography
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Long-range (400 mm-plus) lenses can present a major investment. Live-action photography can take many forms including sports, concerts, theater, wildlife and news photography. While professional photographers in each of these genres may carry slightly different equipment, a common inventory of equipment is shared between them. Photographers specializing in live action subjects should carry a professional-grade camera body capable of high shutter speeds (1/500 second-plus), a minimum ISO of at least 1600, and a Frames-per-second (FPS) of at least 4. A variety of lenses should include a wide-angle (18 mm to 35 mm), a medium-range zoom (28 mm to 105 mm), long-range zoom (200 mm-plus) with vibration reduction, and a 50 mm prime. Lenses should have a minimum aperture of f2.8 to accommodate low-light situations. Other equipment should include extra batteries, detachable flash unit, high-speed flash memory cards, weatherproof carry bag and monopod.
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Portrait Photography
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Great portrait photography is often a combination of photography and computer editing. Portrait photography offers a controlled environment and requires a specific checklist of camera equipment. Portrait studios should be equipped with a professional-grade DSLR camera body, wide-angle (18 mm to 35 mm) lens, adjustable tripod, soft-light illumination system with remote triggers, a variety of backdrops and a hand-held light meter. Studio photography also typically utilizes photo-editing software, which will require a studio computer.
Photojournalism
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Mobility is the biggest concern for photojournalist equipment checklists. Much like live-action photography, photojournalism equipment is dependent on the situation and circumstances. Given the high-speed, unpredictable nature of photojournalism, some common elements combine into a basic equipment list. Photojournalists must be mobile and quick, so limiting the amount of equipment carried is beneficial. A basic equipment checklist should include a lightweight professional-grade DSLR camera body, wide-angle (18 mm to 35 mm) zoom lens, medium-range (28 mm to 105 mm) zoom lens, long-range (200 mm-plus) zoom lens, several flash memory cards, extra batteries, detachable flash unit, mono-pod and weatherproof carry bag will suit most situations.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit photographer image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com wedding image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com portrait image by Jorge Casais from Fotolia.com photographer image by rufar from Fotolia.com
