The Importance of Having a Back Up
I’m back! While I wouldn’t say that I’m actually refreshed (it was a busy weekend!) I am definitely more appreciative of my little man and how flexible my schedule is to be able to spend time with him. I will be doing my best to not take that for granted anymore! And thanks for all of your kind comments. I was feeling a little sorry for myself if you couldn’t tell 
This post is for you pro Mom*togs out there. During my very first solo wedding I had a camera malfunction. Right as the church doors opened for the bride and her father to walk down the aisle my camera malfunctioned! A huge “Error 99″ came across the screen. I had no idea what that meant, but after a half of second of panicking I went for my other camera that was safely resting on the church pew next to me. Granted it had a fish eye lens on it, but a fish eye shot is better than no shot.
Ever since that wedding I have always carried a backup camera on me (and I actually carry it on me during all of my sessions). And thank goodness I do because I had another camera malfunction during my wedding on Friday. During the toasts I was changing my lens and the mirror fell out! Who even knew that could happen? And it’s not like I could stop the toasts and say, “Excuse me. My camera broke and I need to go get my backup out of my bag”. No, that wouldn’t work. It’s not always convienent to carry it on me, but for the two times I’ve had a malfunction in 3 years it’s been very worth it.
If you are shooting weddings please, please, please have a backup camera and lenses that can serve as backups too. I see so many photographers that only have one camera and it’s very irresponsible. People are trusting you with their weddings! For a long time I had the 20D as my backup. I bought it used for $400. It worked great for what I needed it for! Now I’m fortunate enough to have the 5D Mark II as my backup, but it’s not necessary to have anything that fancy. Buying used is great, but just remember to buy from a reputable dealer!
And I would also suggest that portrait photographers have a backup as well. How embarrassing would it be if you couldn’t finish a session because something happened to your camera? It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but you would probably have to do redo the session for free and it wouldn’t be the best thing for your reputation, right?
Happy shooting!
About DrewB
I’ve started this blog as a way to connect with other moms who love photography. Whether you are a professional photographer who is looking for advice on how to manage your own business and your family or if you are a mom who is looking for tips on how to take better pictures of your kids, I hope that you can find some good information and be inspired!
Oh, Drew! I can’t imagine the panic you must’ve felt with a failed camera…..especially at a wedding. At least with a family session you can re-do it. You can’t necessarily re-do a wedding. Last week on my Yahoo, a story popped up about a newlywed couple that sued their photographer for bad pictures. Apparently, people were missing from photos and the heads were cut off. What a nightmare!
.-= Elizabeth´s last blog ..One Word Answers =-.
AMEN to all of the above!!! I was second shooting with a friend of mine this weekend and her camera gave her that error message while the bride was putting her dress on. she was totally freaked. i was there and continued shooting…but she had her back up camera in the car. it pays to be safe. for real! great post drew!
I’m a pro mom-tog and I do weddings. That is great advice. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II and have my Rebel XSI as a back-up. I’ve been doing weddings solo for a while now, but am finding that it’s worth getting a babysitter to have my hubby with me to assist me if there ever were a problem…even if he does get bored!! LOL! I’ve also gotten that Error 99 message and I’ve found that if you take your battery out real quick and pop it back in…it should work. I guess it re-sets itself or something. I had that happen at my family Thanksgiving…during a group picture with over 15 toddlers…all the adults saying “Hurry up…go!” I had to stop for a few minutes, but someone suggested taking out the battery & putting it back in, and it worked!
Yeah for back-ups! And for learning from past slip-ups. I’ve had a few.
I went back and read some of the comments and it seems to be a pretty common occurence. Drew, I’m curious to what would cause your camera to get the error 99 message?
.-= Elizabeth´s last blog ..One Word Answers =-.
Error 99 is basically telling you that there’s something wrong with your camera. It’s a basic error message. The first time I got it my shutter was broken. This time I got it when my mirror had become unattached, but I didn’t know that yet because I hadn’t taken the lens off to see it had come off. Like Amy said, sometimes you can get it and nothing is wrong with your camera and simply taking the battery out and putting it back in will fix it. But typically that’s a temporary fix. Usually there’s something wrong you just may not know what’s wrong yet.
SOOO TRUE! I know that feeling all to well. It’s that sick in the pit of your stomach when something like that happens! ‘
This is great advice! LOVE to read your blog!!! LOVE IT!
Do you have any reputable stores that you would recommend for buying used?
Happened to me at my 1st solo wedding! My mirror fell out and I freaked out! Luckily all the important shots were done with and I had my 30D as a back up. Yes- back up camera is a MUST!
Hi Drew. Just wondering what camera had the mirror fall out and they quoted you $600? I had the mirror fall off of my Canon 5D just 3 months ago in the middle of a shoot. I called Canon and they gave me the name of the closest authorized repair center. I took the camera and they quoted me $80 for the repair. The camera was ready 2 days later and it was exactly $80. Just wondering. The good news is that I purchased the Canon 5D Mark II and my original 5D is now my backup. Wow that Mark II is great in low light situations!!!
Hi Lissette! My 5D had over 200,000 clicks. Each individual repair center determines at what number of clicks they will start charging for the repair and this one (in Irvine) only repairs it for free until 100,000 clicks. They replaced the mirror and the shutter in the camera. Lame that each center can decide, but just count your blessings that yours only cost $80
Trust me, I fought them on it and they wouldn’t budge!