If you’re just entering the profession of wedding photography and are looking for an easy to understand the camera, the Canon 600D is the best available option for you. Its mirrorless lightweight body gives entry-level or professional photographers a strong command over the camera. In fact, because of this reason, the 600D can be used in more unique ways than the older bulky cameras. This gear comes with a fully articulated 7.7cm (3.0″) 3:2 Clear View LCD with 1,040k dots, which will make for a wonderful photography experience. You may not even have to use the viewfinder!
With an 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, the 600D remains a Canon classic. It continues to deliver vivid images and crisp backgrounds. Apart from being classic, it also boasts many modern and updated features, including the “scene intelligent auto.” This feature allows the camera to analyze whatever scene lies in front of the camera and the camera then automatically adjusts the exposure, white balance, and lighting to produce the best possible outcome. This camera even adjusts the colors to create a more vivid effect.
This means you don’t have to worry about adjusting the image processing settings manually, as it will be done through an automatic processor. You can now focus more of your time on creating a better venue or adjusting external lighting, or tweaking other factors that will give the couple the best photo album they could ask for. The Canon 600D takes care of all your software-related needs.
Here are 5 tips on using the Canon 600D for wedding photography.
The Best Venue
The first thing that every wedding photographer should do is to have a detailed in-person consultation with the couple. In addition to asking what their preferred photography style is, you should also make a note of their aesthetic inclinations. You can look at what elements they like that you can incorporate in your venue selection. This will make sure that the couple doesn’t feel alienated and will give you a better idea of how to make them happy.
For example, suppose the couple is mentioning water or just the idea and theme of water. In that case, you can deduce that they prefer the color blue, or enjoy outdoor spaces, or even that they may like large water bodies. So, you can take them to a lake, the ocean, a blue wall, or just add elements of water to their images through other means. You can also give them water guns and tell them to have fun water fighting, and you can get amazing candid images.
Shooting in such different locations can be difficult, not only for the photographer but also for the camera, because you’ll have to constantly re-adjust settings and locations. The Canon 600D is the perfect companion for such situations because it helps the photographer carry it anywhere because of its lightweight. The camera also has amazing scene detection sensors with ‘Basic+’ and ‘Creative Filters’. It has 63 exposure metering zones, along with 9 autofocus zones. These help capture every detail of the location you choose, whether on the ocean or in the mountains.
Backup Your Files
Perhaps the most important thing to remember in the photographer’s bible is to backup your files. You have to follow this practice, religiously! Since you’re taking pictures of couples getting married, you can’t be irresponsible with their memories. Think of it this way, you have been given the responsibility to capture and protect precious memories that people will cherish for a lifetime, so you must be serious about it.
Backing up is not a tedious task. All you have to do is be consistent with it. After every 100 pictures or so, you can take out your memory card, transfer the files onto your computer and make copies of different locations. Since technology is not to be trusted entirely, you may even want to make hard drive copies. Alternatively, you can also upload the files onto an online cloud, making life much easier as the images can be shared with the couple directly.
The Canon 600D is fully compatible with backing up your data and, in fact, helps you out in doing so. It supports many different memory cards, including SD, SDHC, and SDXC, which will allow you to choose from a larger range of options. The camera also comes with a USB port and attachment where you can easily connect the camera to your laptop without needing a card reader or additional equipment. You can simply connect the camera and transfer files directly onto your device to keep them safe.
Backup Equipment
As stated above, technology can be unreliable. As a wedding photographer, you need to think about backup gear options before you enter the field. You must anticipate the worst-case scenario and work according to that. When going to the venue, you should make sure that you have at least one additional camera, a few additional batteries, and some extra memory cards. You can never have enough, but being on the safe side is always recommended.
You are being paid to take pictures of this couple who has probably waited months or years to tie the knot, and they want this moment to be remembered. One irresponsible move should not ruin the sacred moment. So, you should always try and take an additional camera, in case one breaks down. In fact, you should take pictures from both cameras simultaneously. Such a practice will ensure that every moment is being captured through multiple lenses, and all memories will be preserved.
The Canon 600D is very compliant when it comes to hosting backup gear. It holds a lithium-ion battery, which can be easily replaced. Additionally, the camera is also very well adjusted to external temperature changes. This factor often leads to cameras breaking down. It can take 440 shots at 23 degrees celsius and 400 shots at 0 degrees celsius. This is important to know so that you can see what kind of backup equipment you may need to help the camera stay in between these temperatures and function properly.
Good Lighting
Lighting is everything! It is the crux of any kind of photography that you want to do, especially wedding photography. Since most couples want their wedding photos to look like pieces of art to be hung on walls, you have to carefully play with lighting to fulfill that expectation. You will have to experiment with indoor and outdoor lighting, between natural and artificial lighting, and even consider neon lighting for different effects.
You may have to consider low light conditions for certain kinds of pictures. For example, if you’re shooting an Indian wedding or any other traditional wedding, and the ceremony happens at night, you’ll have to figure out a way to make those pictures aesthetically pleasing. Perhaps you can utilize the lowlight functions on your camera to accentuate the ceremonial lanterns, or even the little amount of lighting falling on the couple’s face can look very pleasing.
The Canon 600D has many functions that will help you with lighting. This camera’s ISO range includes an ISO 100-6400, ISO 12800, and an ISO auto (100-6400) feature. These ranges can let you experiment with any kind of lighting situation. This camera also has a shutter speed of 1/4000 sec, which means that you can capture instant shots of laughter and commemoration at optimal lighting. It has an auto-exposure function and a manual feature with a ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps. The camera also comes with a built-in flash, so you don’t have to worry about pitch-black darkness.
Frame Pictures Well
Lastly, you must remember that your clients expect you to be smart about the pictures you take. This means you should have adequate framing skills where you can foresee the background and foreground balance. Framing is important to avoid images that are set at an awkward angle. It can potentially ruin the aesthetic of an image. Using the viewfinder is the best way to ensure that you are framing your pictures well.
An example of the framing could be a wedding set on the beach. If you’re taking pictures of the couple and the whole wedding itself, you have to consider the measure of the horizon in the background. Since the beach has a distant line cutting across the plane at a 180-degree angle, you will have to make sure that the wedding (set in the foreground) doesn’t become affected. You should avoid things like the horizon line cutting across the couple’s faces or the wedding altar being diminished by the sea in the background.
With the Canon 600D, you can accurately measure what kinds of distances are needed to focus on the foreground and ensure that the framing goes well. With its eye-level pentaprism viewfinder and -3 to +1 dioptric correction range, you can be sure of framing the image perfectly well. Additionally, the camera also offers an autofocus frame, 95% coverage, and 0.85x magnification, all of which will allow you to view almost everything that needs to be configured to get good framing done.
