I think traditional film photography is great and this is what I started out with and learned in the field over 20 years ago. I can now spend more time on the lighting and composition and setting with my subjects and pose them for a flattering family portrait. Digital is about as good as 35mm film photography at the present time. I think medium format film is superior to digital at this time, but the future marches on...
Digital photography offers many advantages for the wedding photographer and here are but a few of the main points:
The wedding photographer has the capability to see the image immediately instead of waiting for the film to be developed . This is my favorite reason for using digital my digital Nikon camera and this gives me assurance and confidence due to the fact that I can see if my lighting, composition, expression, exposure, etc. are all set properly. I do not have to wait to see the film come back from the photolab in a few days. I even show the bridal party the LCD preview image to see if they like the resulting image that I just took.
The digital Nikon camera has the unique ability to change the ISO setting, the equivalent of film speed, while busy working on your wedding photography pictures. The wedding photographer is able to go inside or outside in a variety of lighting conditions and situations and not have to worry about having to change film to the correct speed to match the light levels from place to place at a wedding. This is very important when going from the wedding ceremony to the reception dinner. The bridal paty does not want to hear that you need the time to change film before they can continue their wedding celebration.
My Nikon digital camera can and will take a virtually unlimited number of pictures at a wedding event. This is a double edged sword for the professional wedding photographer as you have many images to choose from, then you must edit the numerous wedding pictures. I can overshoot and take 5 pictures of the groom placing the ring on the brides finger and I am certain that at least one or two of the wedding pictures will turn out. I can then pick and choose the best images for printing and placing in a wedding album. I almost always give the rest of the wedding pictures on a CD for the bride and groom to view. No one needs 5 pictures of essentially the same scene.
Digital photography offers many advantages for the wedding photographer and here are but a few of the main points:
The wedding photographer has the capability to see the image immediately instead of waiting for the film to be developed . This is my favorite reason for using digital my digital Nikon camera and this gives me assurance and confidence due to the fact that I can see if my lighting, composition, expression, exposure, etc. are all set properly. I do not have to wait to see the film come back from the photolab in a few days. I even show the bridal party the LCD preview image to see if they like the resulting image that I just took.
The digital Nikon camera has the unique ability to change the ISO setting, the equivalent of film speed, while busy working on your wedding photography pictures. The wedding photographer is able to go inside or outside in a variety of lighting conditions and situations and not have to worry about having to change film to the correct speed to match the light levels from place to place at a wedding. This is very important when going from the wedding ceremony to the reception dinner. The bridal paty does not want to hear that you need the time to change film before they can continue their wedding celebration.
My Nikon digital camera can and will take a virtually unlimited number of pictures at a wedding event. This is a double edged sword for the professional wedding photographer as you have many images to choose from, then you must edit the numerous wedding pictures. I can overshoot and take 5 pictures of the groom placing the ring on the brides finger and I am certain that at least one or two of the wedding pictures will turn out. I can then pick and choose the best images for printing and placing in a wedding album. I almost always give the rest of the wedding pictures on a CD for the bride and groom to view. No one needs 5 pictures of essentially the same scene.
Modern day SD cards hold many images - even with the large megapixel size of the modern digital cameras. My new card can hold 1,000 pictures before I need a SD or CF new card
With Adobe Photoshop (or Google Picasa) I have the capability to produce black and white B/W and sepia toned pictures from my digital Nikon camera. When a wedding photographer takes a digital image then every printed photograph has the ability to become a black and white and / or sepia image. The bridal party may desire an image in color, but maybe the families may want to have a wedding picture in classic black and white. I think that Google has a very excellent product in Picassa and it is more than most home consumers will ever need for digital editing.
Many photographers offer magazine style wedding albums and these are flush mounted wedding albums and they are very high quality generally. These are considered wedding albums that are coffee table family heirlooms of the wedding pictures of your special day. Images that are taken with film need to be scanned in order to produce this special type of wedding album. While this is technically feasible, it adds time and another step in the wedding photography process. Digitally capturing the wedding pictures will eliminate all of the scanning and time spent dust spotting the scan made from the negatives.
The wedding photographer, me, has the freedom to experiment and I can almost instantly view the results. I will shoot many pictures or images that I would not even attempt to try with film due to the fact that I know I will be able to delete the images if they do not look right or modify the settings because I'll be able to see my results immediately. I do not have to pay for film to be developed at a photolab and pay for poor pictures that can not be used. I have very high standards for the wedding pictures that I shoot.
Despite all the pro's and con's about film vs. digital - what it boils down to when selecting a wedding or portrait photographer is:
Are the images taken and personality of the wedding photographer really what you like...?
You will spend alot of time with the wedding photographer and you must get along with them.
Make sure that you will enjoy them and you wedding pictures, after all - It is your day...!
Questions to ask your self when picking a wedding photographer
Do you really like the feelings that the pictures convey?
Is the style of the images that the photographer shows something that you like?
Do you LIKE the personality of the photographer?
Do you trust them?
Do they show and convey confidence about the work they do and the tools that they use?
Do you like the portfolio that they show?
My main area of coverage is Palm Beach and Broward as a wedding photographer. I try to keep busy from Jupiter to West Palm Beach and Boca Raton. I also perform photographic coverage from Ft Lauderdale to Miami. As a West Palm Beach wedding photographer that works the entire county, I must have redundant cameras and photography equipment to provide coverage for the wedding if the main camera malfunctions. I like working as a photographer in Ft. Lauderdale and all of Broward.
I always bring a lighting assistant and 2nd wedding photographer when I work in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. I do travel to Miami and Dade county and perform photography at weddings. The lighting assistant will provide photographic coverage of the guests at the reception dinner after the wedding ceremony is finished. I, as the main wedding photographer, will provide photographic coverage of the bridal party of the bride and groom and their families. I make sure the formal traditional wedding and family portraits are well taken care of. I do travel to Miami-Dade for wedding photography and all of Palm Beach and Broward and the rest of South Florida.
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