Advice: equipment for school photography

[TakahiroW4047]

I know this is not the primary question the OP is asking. But as said by others prior, if they are a digital media specialist they wouldn't be much of a specialist if they don't have any gear to run their own business operation [^o)] I would actually be very hesitant about even hiring them if that was the case... If this was someone with some photography experience, maybe with only a kit lens that would make sense...


But I second everyones opinions that you should save the money for the kids. We all know how much the gears can add up to! []. I feel it should be the photographer's responsibility to have the necessary equipment, and be able to say "no" when they know they're not fit for the job.


Hope you'll be able to find someone with a nice portfolio. Good luck!!


-Tak

[thekingb]

This is a very interesting conversation with wide ranging views. I

[William]

High speed flash isn

[TakahiroW4047]

I agree with William, it's not so much about the gear, but how it's used. The good old 50mm f/1.8 II is still my go to when I first start out a session []


The type of camera body choice probably wouldn't be much problem, since the photographer probably would rather prefer to use their own that they are accustomed to (unless it's a huge upgrade). But if you needed to choose one, 7D, 60D, T3i, T2i, I wouldn't mind working with any one of those over the other. I'd miss the better AF performance from the 7D, but they all use relatively the same sensor so no drastic change there in quality. You just won't have the bells and whistles, which you don't seem to be asking for.Lens choice would have more impact.Better just to get the essentials if on a tight budget. T2i?


The Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 is a decent all-rounder. From your past experience on working with these kids as their photographer was the focal length range ever a problem? If you felt you wanted more reach, the 85mm f/1.8 would be a nice extension, plus a good low light performance. But if it wasn't ever a problem the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 might be a better choice. The focal length would be just smack in the middle of the range preferred for your setting, so less burden for the photographer to move around to compose, plus the better low light performance than the f/2.8 on the Tamron.


But from the sounds of it, you're struggling more with actually keeping up with the kids as they move around. The Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 focusing speed honestly to me is horrid with fast moving subjects in low light settings. You can have the widest aperture with the highest shutter speeds, but it won't do any good if the focus is trailing behind. I use it with my 7D, so a better body isn't going to solve that problem. It's the lens design. In that sense I would get the 85mm f/1.8 with it's fast and accurate focusing. You might be working outside a comfortable focal length, and more burden for the photographer to compose, but at least you'll capture the kids experiences in focus []


So I would work with T2i + 85mm f/1.8 + 17-50mm f/2.8 combination. 85mm f/1.8 for fast motion shots, and 17-50mm f/2.8 for relatively slow occasions where you want to capture a larger wider scene.


Just my 2cents!

[William]

This is good advice Takahiro. There is another option for keeping up with the kids other than a fast focus and fast glass. Remember the old photojournalist saying: "f8 and be there". This style may yield more keepers during those fast paced moments. I understand that the 7D has very good noise control so f3.5-f8 and high ISO might be an option. Also many of these shots will probably be printed small so cropping and a little bit of noise shouldn't cause too many issues. The 35mm sigma would be good on something like the 7D because once again cropping won't be a big deal for school magazines etc.