WEDDING
PHOTOGRAPHY
Taking the
confusion out of photography
by Steve Young 6/7/04
I'm going to put myself in your shoes for a moment. I'm
guessing,other than senior portraits, and that family portrait you took
at SEARS, this is pretty much your first-time shopping for a professional
photographer. You're looking for someone who'll deliver awe-inspiring
pictures. After all, this is your once-in-a-lifetime moment, everything
should turn out prefect right? We'll at least, that's what you hope.
But where do you start? How much should you pay? Should you go digital
or stick with traditional film? What about wedding albums? Man are those
expensive....and what about...and the ...ARGGHHHH.....
Alright, I get the picture. I was just about to pull out
my hair just getting into your character. So you're frustrated and looking
for straight answers. We'll sit back, pour yourself a nice hot cup of
coffee, and pull up a chair,...you're about to receive them.
DIGITAL
OR FILM? The debate, the future, the present, and what should you do?
Photography, like the motion-picture industry, is going through
a technological evolution. As you may already know, the digital arena
has been slowly changing the way artist capture images. While most movies are shot on film, Star Wars was shot purely on video cameras. The big question is "Is digital the next big
thing." And the answer is a big YES. But is it better than film? No way. Not yet.... at least.
Pros of film: Film is very forgiving
when it comes to lighting, especially when it comes to negative film.
Overexposures or underexposes still will yield a photographer great
results. Translated into laymen terms, if a cloud passes over the sun
changing the lighting conditions, a photographer can continue to shoot
with the knowledge that he or she will still receive great shots. The
resolution of film is also much higher, resulting in sharper pictures,
vivid colors, and more natural skin tones.
Cons of film: If a photographer does not know how to
light his subjects well, you can come up with completely black pictures.
This will not pose a problem to professional photographers though. Also,
changing film canisters takes a few seconds, but this is second nature
to all professional photographers.
Pros of Digital: Great for newspaper
applications or in any applications where images need to be emailed
or wired immediately from point A to point B. Great in low-light situations.
High number of exposers can be stored on a single memory stick.
Cost-effective for a vendor or photographer. There is no grain, so mastering
in digital also makes it a perfect image acquisition tool for magazine
shoots.
Cons of Digital: Great quality shots are possible,
but only under PERFECT circumstances. (And perfect circumstances are
not achievable in outdoor shoots.) Even the highest resolution pictures,
are low in resolution compared to film. To attain the quality of film, touch ups are definitely needed, so you will need to spend lots of time at the computer.
If you're not careful shots come out rather contrasty. Black tones are really black, and white
tones are very white. The greatest con of digtial is that there is no grain. See, grain is what gives film a certain charater, a three dimensional feeling. Compare a digtial photography next to a film photograph, and you will know what I'm talking about.
VERDICT:
Film still has a leading edge over digital in quality so we rule
in the favor of FILM. Though, we do expect digital technology
to surpass film in the next ten years. Shooting in film always
will give you the option to significantly enlarge your photos.
The resolution is just that much higher. Resolution is the reason
why the movie industry is still considered the FILM industry.
Even movies mastered on video are still transferred onto film
because of their higher resolution.
There are currently a handful of wedding photographers
who have switched their entire setup to digital. This is purely
for profit sakes, and not for quality sakes. They advertise unlimited
pictures at your wedding, and an "x" number or prints. Any extra prints, well you can always order reprints from the photographer, and this can get expensive. This method of upselling is very very common.. There are some photographers who threaten to
erase all of your memories in a very short amount of time. This forces many couples who orginally bought a cheap photography package, to spend 1000's of dollars on reprints or memories. It's a rather
ruthless business practice. But it's an "either pay him the extra cash or kiss
those memories goodbye" situation to these photographers.
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MORE
PICTURES, BETTER QUALITY?
Remember this. Pictures and quality are two separate entities.
Rule of thumb here :Unlimited pictures do not promise great
quality. Unlimited pictures promise more pictures. Now,
there are definite times when a photographer will shoot two or three
(sometimes more)of the same pose to make sure that he is confident he
attained one great shot of that pose. But a photographer who promises
great pictures because he shoots an unlimited amount of pictures is
most likely not a great photographer.
Compare photographers to sharp-shooters in the military.
The military doesn't give awards for shooting the most bullets, they
give awards for shooting the most with less. In other words, accuracy
counts. Same goes with photography. Great photographers should be able
to attain great photos within 1 frame if needed. Like a sharp-shooter,
he waits for the perfect shot, and shoots only when it's perfect. This
picture here was shot in 2 frames, on a roll of 36.
| VERDICT: Be very
wary of the photographer who tries to sell himself on unlimited
photos. He is either looking out for a big post-wedding
up-sale or not confident in his work. We once met a photographer
who wanted to shoot for us. He shot over 300 pictures during the
15 minute ceremony. Only 2 shots came out to what we considered
acceptable. (And even they were average at the most). Needless to
say, he is not working for us. |
ONLY INEXPERIENCED PHOTOGRAPHERS USE FLASH?
We've heard this one before by many aspiring college photographers
applying for jobs here. There is a time and a place for a flash, and
a time and a place for the use of available light. But unless lighting
circumstances are perfect, the rule of the thumb is to ALWAYS USE FLASH.
See below pictures for an example:
NO FLASH: Taken at the worse time of day, 12pm, no
flash was used.
WITH FLASH: The same photo taken with a flash at 12pm.
As you can see, there
are more details in the shadows.
The same picture above. As you can see, the flash evens out skin tones,
gets rid of
harsh shadows, especially under the eyes.
| VERDICT:
Make sure your photographer always uses a flash. Especially if your
wedding is outdoors at around 12pm. Simply ask your photographer
is he shoots with a flash. Then ask him in what circumstance would
he use the flash and why? His answer should be to get rid of shadows. |
More myths
and secrets on the next page....>
Dream Weddings Hawaii
47098 Halemanu Place;
Kaneohe, HI 96744
toll free: 1-800-557-1310 local: (808) 239-1116
