Gear is one of the major concerns for any new photographer thinking about going into the portrait or wedding business. Any kind of photography business can be very expensive so any investment you make has to be made wisely. With that said, probably the most common practice of aspiring photographers is to buy tons of gear. The reasons they do it differ from one person to another, but it generally has to do with feeling assured there will be no situation for which they will not be prepared with the right gear. Others still believe that good gear takes the good pictures and subsequently invest small fortunes in cameras, lenses and flashes.
I’m not here to judge anyone for their purchases. Instead, I would like to say a few things about using minimal resources for great results. Sometimes, all you have to work with is a bare minimum amount of gear. This can be because you are a young photography business on a tight budget, or because you have to travel a lot and we all know how “fun” it is to carry tons of equipment through airports. Some situations require you to get the job done using a lot less stuff than you are used to.
When I first started out, I didn’t have the money to spend on studio gear or fast primes and cameras had horrible performances compared to what we use today. But I remember learning to make the most of what I had, so much to the point where even after buying a lot of expensive gear; I would still prefer to shoot with one camera and one lens for an entire day.
(Success Tip #1:The easiest way to learn photography when you have little time to spare )
For many types of portraits, including group shots, that’s all you really need, a camera and a decent lens.
To add further depth to this discussion, listen to what photographer Jeff Cable has to say in this video made for B&H.