What size files are you using for your Wedding pics
Feb 18, 2017 12:05:50 #
Paris,
Thanks for posting your question in the wedding section. We have not been very active lately and it is always good to share techniques and methods. If you are learning wedding photography this topic will be one of many that you will need assistance with and feel free to post your questions.
As far as format, wedding photography benefits from as others have said, capturing as much information as possible. For me it is shooting in raw with a full frame camera. Besides the ability to enlarge and print an image, raw will help you with images that are not exposed properly. It will happen. Shooting a wedding event can be a constantly changing environment of light conditions, backgrounds, and people behavior. Planning and practice is required to get good shots, but you will need to save a few. Raw will help with that.
Personally, I shoot with two cards. One is a 64 gig for the raw shots and the second is backing up the same shots as JPEG. I admire the procedure Wedding Guy uses with multiple cards, but I have a fear of misplacing things during the fray of the day. I am more comfortable having the card in the camera and the camera never leaves me. If I need to switch cards I will make sure the first card is somewhere that never leaves me as well. When I get home the images are downloaded on my hard drive and backed up on another. I also will not delete anything on the card until the final pics are delivered.
Make sure you come back after your first wedding to share your experiences. More importantly what was learned.
Thanks for posting your question in the wedding section. We have not been very active lately and it is always good to share techniques and methods. If you are learning wedding photography this topic will be one of many that you will need assistance with and feel free to post your questions.
As far as format, wedding photography benefits from as others have said, capturing as much information as possible. For me it is shooting in raw with a full frame camera. Besides the ability to enlarge and print an image, raw will help you with images that are not exposed properly. It will happen. Shooting a wedding event can be a constantly changing environment of light conditions, backgrounds, and people behavior. Planning and practice is required to get good shots, but you will need to save a few. Raw will help with that.
Personally, I shoot with two cards. One is a 64 gig for the raw shots and the second is backing up the same shots as JPEG. I admire the procedure Wedding Guy uses with multiple cards, but I have a fear of misplacing things during the fray of the day. I am more comfortable having the card in the camera and the camera never leaves me. If I need to switch cards I will make sure the first card is somewhere that never leaves me as well. When I get home the images are downloaded on my hard drive and backed up on another. I also will not delete anything on the card until the final pics are delivered.
Make sure you come back after your first wedding to share your experiences. More importantly what was learned.
Feb 20, 2017 14:08:08 #
Hi, Gang!
Surprisingly enough, this section of the forum has been rather slow, almost non-existent lately. Perhaps there has been a decline in interest in the field of wedding photography as a professional endeavour and a profitable business venture for one to aspire to. Maybe the marketplace has become overly saturated with amateurism and low-ball pricing that is disproportionate, incompatible, or inappropriate considering the t hard work entailed in the job, let alone the sizeable investment, that is required, if one is to do it right with a high degree of artistry and service. It's hard to precisely tell what the state of the industry is on a global basis. Business concepts and consumer's buying habits can vary greatly from one geographic location to another and there are many variations from one socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic and societal group to another. There are, however, many basic concepts, prerequisites and ethical values that should be universal right across the board. It may be time for a kind of primmer or article, here on the Hog, for those who are newcomers to wedding photography, perhaps something a little different from what usually goes down.
Most of what we read in the photo-press and on online photo-forums has to do with gear- equipment and hardware. There is not doubt that the tools of the trade or the instruments that we use are important to all trades and professions. We probably have all heard the hackneyed old saying that "cameras don't make outstanding photographs, outstanding photographers do that"! Sometimes we call such statements "truisms" and take them for granted or write them off as "old school" or pase. Sometimes, however, many of theses old philosophies should be reexamined, revived, and at least, taken into serious consideration.
I realize that most folks don't care for long drawn out posts but I have over 5 decades of experience in the business of high-end wedding photography. I have seen numerous concepts, styles and theories come and go and it is hard to condense all what I would love to leave behind for the new guys and gals, in a short article. So...if anyone here is up for it, I will produce a series of posts.
I have nothing against good gear. We need good, serviceable, up-to-date, reliable, professional grade equipment to facilitate our work and enhance our performance , but there has been little discussion and emphasis on basic photographic education and experience, the leaning and mastery of time-honored methodologies and techniques, solid and consistent knowhow... the basics! There is an important correlation between business and promotional concepts combined with artistry and creativity. There are personality and work ethic issues as well as one's intrinsic talents. All of this should be up for discussion.
I do not want to dwell in the past and gush false nostalgia about the good old days of film photography. There is nothing all that "good" about dragging a bulky 4x5 press camera to a wedding or spending hours in a chemical-laden darkroom but that's the way we started out in the olden days. It was simply that the large format and precise darkroom craftsmanship yielded great quality prints with adequate sharpness and resolution and provided a decent dynamic range to accommodate good detail in the whites of wedding gowns and the shadow detail in dark formal attire. As films, optics and processes improved as to grain and sharpness, medium format and even 35mm formats became mainstream among wedding shooters.. Although technologies have radically changed, what with digital imaging, the basic concepts still hold true in that the largest practical and affordable format still remains the best approach to equipment choices. The choice of most wedding professionals, nowadays, seems to be cameras with large sensors and shooting in RAW format. We used to say that the more "information" on the negative, the better the final image potential will be. The same basic theory apples to digital files. The term "noise" has replaced "grain" and with today's fine lenses, well crafted images can surpass what was previously only obtainable with fine quality large and medium format film gear of the past. We can talk about pixels, DPI amd lens specifications 'till the cows come home but we can suffice it to say that most high-end consumer and so-called professional gear will do the job. The brand, type, style of camera bodies and lenses are oftentimes just a matter of each photographer's individual working style, camera handling methodologies and budgetary considerations. My last reference to the "good old days" will be that those of us who remember the Speed Graphics and Rolleiflex cameras know that theses cameras mostly were used, for wedding coverages, with one fixed NORMAL lens. We came in tight for closeups and walked back for groups and long shots- it sounds downright primitive but many fine quality albums and portraits were produced by savvy, resourceful, and creative photographers- stuff that would still stand up nowadays as darn good work.
Whether we are talking about the past or the present state of wedding photography, one concept that remains unchanged is "Murphy's Law" which boils down to "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong". Sounds pessimistic or even paranoid? Well, it just a precautionary and preventative approach to the many technical, mechanical and even business and planning difficulties that can arise. Even the very finest equipment can fail and unceremoniously and unexpectedly drop dead, midst in the middle of a shoot- usually at the most inopportune times, like right in the throws of a church ceremony. Overlapping backup equipment is imperative! This apples to cameras. lenses, flash equipment and all things electronic. You can't have too many spare batteries,cards and whatever else can die, runned down or become depleted. It's a great idea to back up everything that you shoot. while still on site, on a laptop and NEVER erase or re-format anything until everything you have shot is definitely saved and secured in the best possible media. Back in the day, we worried about darkroom and lab failures- with electronic media, accidents are still possible, so the utmost preventative care is mandatory.
Murphy's Law can also apply to business issues. Creating a solid business plan, formulating good protective contracts and scheduling procedures can avoid other kinds of business "disasters" that arise from ambiguities, misunderstandings, negative consumer issues and even can result in devastating lawsuits and business eventual failures. Sadly enough, theses things do happen!
So...I'm an OLD grouchy "old school" photographer but at age 73 I am still getting lots of word of mouth recommendations- referral business in the wedding market. I no longer advertise in that area and the bulk of my studio's income is derived from commercial photography. I am still asking high prices for my wedding services and am trying to train some younger folks to take over that aspect of the business. I don't want to discourage folks, come off as a doom-sayer or scare the heck out of people- we have enough of that nowadays! I do sincerely, however, feel that there is a downturn in the wedding photography industry brought on by a lack of professionalism. There is some good work being done out there but that is becoming a rarity. The basics of photography, in terms of aesthetics, are sorely lacking in allot of the work I have observed lately. I have always believed that there is a segment of the market where folks will pay well for higher caliber and quality work but will not spend there hard-earned money on a mediocre or run-of-the-mill product or service. When certain buying motivations no longer exist, the sales potential and profitability deteriorate proportionally with the absence of quality and consumer benefit.
I have always held to the concept that consummate professional wedding photograph is a balanced blend of photojournalism and fine portraiture. Trends have gone toward a more spontaneous coverage but folks still want to LOOK GOOD (at there very best) in their wedding pictures- it pretty basic! In many cases, the principles of fine portraiture as to posing, lighting, rendition of textures, proper draping of wedding gowns, placement and rendition of bouquets, and many other aspects of aesthetically pleasing imagery, have gone by the wayside! There is a way of adding a touch of elegance to candid coverages that make all the difference. I have also noticed an absence of romance and family relationships, expressed in the photographs, in many of the coverages I have seen online and at a number of print competitions that I have participated in on the judging panel. Of course, family values, relationships and the inclusion of the parents in the planning of weddings but there is still a great deal of sales potential lost in the mix. We are still selling multiple albums and larger display portraits to parents.
A basic professional photographic education can be difficult to access nowadays. The days of serious organized apprenticeship in photography are long gone. Sometimes assisting or tagging along with a wedding photographer can just lead to a newcomer learning bad habits- it's like having your "crazy Uncle Oscar" giving your kids driving lessons- they would be better off in the long run with a professional instructor! Seriously, on-the-job training is very important but good academic teachings make for a solid foundation and grounding in the basics of technique and professional procedures. Professional associations such as the P.P.of A and the Wedding and Portrait International are good to connect with in terms of their availability of educational seminars, workshops, literature and publications as well as opportunities for various levels of accomplishments, masterships and honors.
Well folks...what do y'all think. If anyone is interested, I will write more stuff. There is so much to discuss. Just think...even if we just get into the many fine points of lighting we could probably use up all the bandwidth on the form...here's a short list: Multiple flash, bounce lighting, lighting modifiers, bare bulb techniques, angle of incidence, ratios, natural and available lighting, subtractive and additive methods, feathering, exposure issues, color temperature and white balance, selective focus/lighting combinations, inverse square law issues, flash fil, off and on camera lighting, diffusion, reflector usage, window lighting, north light, studio techniques, portable background usage, colored gels, candle and fire light, shutter dragging, radio slaves and much more! All of this may seem quite rudimentary but applying finite techniques to wedding photography require a number of unique approaches and skills because we are routinely working under very uncontrollable and oftentimes rushed, emotionally charged and somewhat difficult circumstances. An old and wise teacher of mine once remarked that studio photography is "The Minuet Waltz" while wedding photograph is "Jungle Drums"! The did not have break-dancing in those days. Perhaps it ain't all that bad but it certainly is not for the faint of heart or the impatient.
Let me know! Best regards, Ed
Surprisingly enough, this section of the forum has been rather slow, almost non-existent lately. Perhaps there has been a decline in interest in the field of wedding photography as a professional endeavour and a profitable business venture for one to aspire to. Maybe the marketplace has become overly saturated with amateurism and low-ball pricing that is disproportionate, incompatible, or inappropriate considering the t hard work entailed in the job, let alone the sizeable investment, that is required, if one is to do it right with a high degree of artistry and service. It's hard to precisely tell what the state of the industry is on a global basis. Business concepts and consumer's buying habits can vary greatly from one geographic location to another and there are many variations from one socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic and societal group to another. There are, however, many basic concepts, prerequisites and ethical values that should be universal right across the board. It may be time for a kind of primmer or article, here on the Hog, for those who are newcomers to wedding photography, perhaps something a little different from what usually goes down.
Most of what we read in the photo-press and on online photo-forums has to do with gear- equipment and hardware. There is not doubt that the tools of the trade or the instruments that we use are important to all trades and professions. We probably have all heard the hackneyed old saying that "cameras don't make outstanding photographs, outstanding photographers do that"! Sometimes we call such statements "truisms" and take them for granted or write them off as "old school" or pase. Sometimes, however, many of theses old philosophies should be reexamined, revived, and at least, taken into serious consideration.
I realize that most folks don't care for long drawn out posts but I have over 5 decades of experience in the business of high-end wedding photography. I have seen numerous concepts, styles and theories come and go and it is hard to condense all what I would love to leave behind for the new guys and gals, in a short article. So...if anyone here is up for it, I will produce a series of posts.
I have nothing against good gear. We need good, serviceable, up-to-date, reliable, professional grade equipment to facilitate our work and enhance our performance , but there has been little discussion and emphasis on basic photographic education and experience, the leaning and mastery of time-honored methodologies and techniques, solid and consistent knowhow... the basics! There is an important correlation between business and promotional concepts combined with artistry and creativity. There are personality and work ethic issues as well as one's intrinsic talents. All of this should be up for discussion.
I do not want to dwell in the past and gush false nostalgia about the good old days of film photography. There is nothing all that "good" about dragging a bulky 4x5 press camera to a wedding or spending hours in a chemical-laden darkroom but that's the way we started out in the olden days. It was simply that the large format and precise darkroom craftsmanship yielded great quality prints with adequate sharpness and resolution and provided a decent dynamic range to accommodate good detail in the whites of wedding gowns and the shadow detail in dark formal attire. As films, optics and processes improved as to grain and sharpness, medium format and even 35mm formats became mainstream among wedding shooters.. Although technologies have radically changed, what with digital imaging, the basic concepts still hold true in that the largest practical and affordable format still remains the best approach to equipment choices. The choice of most wedding professionals, nowadays, seems to be cameras with large sensors and shooting in RAW format. We used to say that the more "information" on the negative, the better the final image potential will be. The same basic theory apples to digital files. The term "noise" has replaced "grain" and with today's fine lenses, well crafted images can surpass what was previously only obtainable with fine quality large and medium format film gear of the past. We can talk about pixels, DPI amd lens specifications 'till the cows come home but we can suffice it to say that most high-end consumer and so-called professional gear will do the job. The brand, type, style of camera bodies and lenses are oftentimes just a matter of each photographer's individual working style, camera handling methodologies and budgetary considerations. My last reference to the "good old days" will be that those of us who remember the Speed Graphics and Rolleiflex cameras know that theses cameras mostly were used, for wedding coverages, with one fixed NORMAL lens. We came in tight for closeups and walked back for groups and long shots- it sounds downright primitive but many fine quality albums and portraits were produced by savvy, resourceful, and creative photographers- stuff that would still stand up nowadays as darn good work.
Whether we are talking about the past or the present state of wedding photography, one concept that remains unchanged is "Murphy's Law" which boils down to "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong". Sounds pessimistic or even paranoid? Well, it just a precautionary and preventative approach to the many technical, mechanical and even business and planning difficulties that can arise. Even the very finest equipment can fail and unceremoniously and unexpectedly drop dead, midst in the middle of a shoot- usually at the most inopportune times, like right in the throws of a church ceremony. Overlapping backup equipment is imperative! This apples to cameras. lenses, flash equipment and all things electronic. You can't have too many spare batteries,cards and whatever else can die, runned down or become depleted. It's a great idea to back up everything that you shoot. while still on site, on a laptop and NEVER erase or re-format anything until everything you have shot is definitely saved and secured in the best possible media. Back in the day, we worried about darkroom and lab failures- with electronic media, accidents are still possible, so the utmost preventative care is mandatory.
Murphy's Law can also apply to business issues. Creating a solid business plan, formulating good protective contracts and scheduling procedures can avoid other kinds of business "disasters" that arise from ambiguities, misunderstandings, negative consumer issues and even can result in devastating lawsuits and business eventual failures. Sadly enough, theses things do happen!
So...I'm an OLD grouchy "old school" photographer but at age 73 I am still getting lots of word of mouth recommendations- referral business in the wedding market. I no longer advertise in that area and the bulk of my studio's income is derived from commercial photography. I am still asking high prices for my wedding services and am trying to train some younger folks to take over that aspect of the business. I don't want to discourage folks, come off as a doom-sayer or scare the heck out of people- we have enough of that nowadays! I do sincerely, however, feel that there is a downturn in the wedding photography industry brought on by a lack of professionalism. There is some good work being done out there but that is becoming a rarity. The basics of photography, in terms of aesthetics, are sorely lacking in allot of the work I have observed lately. I have always believed that there is a segment of the market where folks will pay well for higher caliber and quality work but will not spend there hard-earned money on a mediocre or run-of-the-mill product or service. When certain buying motivations no longer exist, the sales potential and profitability deteriorate proportionally with the absence of quality and consumer benefit.
I have always held to the concept that consummate professional wedding photograph is a balanced blend of photojournalism and fine portraiture. Trends have gone toward a more spontaneous coverage but folks still want to LOOK GOOD (at there very best) in their wedding pictures- it pretty basic! In many cases, the principles of fine portraiture as to posing, lighting, rendition of textures, proper draping of wedding gowns, placement and rendition of bouquets, and many other aspects of aesthetically pleasing imagery, have gone by the wayside! There is a way of adding a touch of elegance to candid coverages that make all the difference. I have also noticed an absence of romance and family relationships, expressed in the photographs, in many of the coverages I have seen online and at a number of print competitions that I have participated in on the judging panel. Of course, family values, relationships and the inclusion of the parents in the planning of weddings but there is still a great deal of sales potential lost in the mix. We are still selling multiple albums and larger display portraits to parents.
A basic professional photographic education can be difficult to access nowadays. The days of serious organized apprenticeship in photography are long gone. Sometimes assisting or tagging along with a wedding photographer can just lead to a newcomer learning bad habits- it's like having your "crazy Uncle Oscar" giving your kids driving lessons- they would be better off in the long run with a professional instructor! Seriously, on-the-job training is very important but good academic teachings make for a solid foundation and grounding in the basics of technique and professional procedures. Professional associations such as the P.P.of A and the Wedding and Portrait International are good to connect with in terms of their availability of educational seminars, workshops, literature and publications as well as opportunities for various levels of accomplishments, masterships and honors.
Well folks...what do y'all think. If anyone is interested, I will write more stuff. There is so much to discuss. Just think...even if we just get into the many fine points of lighting we could probably use up all the bandwidth on the form...here's a short list: Multiple flash, bounce lighting, lighting modifiers, bare bulb techniques, angle of incidence, ratios, natural and available lighting, subtractive and additive methods, feathering, exposure issues, color temperature and white balance, selective focus/lighting combinations, inverse square law issues, flash fil, off and on camera lighting, diffusion, reflector usage, window lighting, north light, studio techniques, portable background usage, colored gels, candle and fire light, shutter dragging, radio slaves and much more! All of this may seem quite rudimentary but applying finite techniques to wedding photography require a number of unique approaches and skills because we are routinely working under very uncontrollable and oftentimes rushed, emotionally charged and somewhat difficult circumstances. An old and wise teacher of mine once remarked that studio photography is "The Minuet Waltz" while wedding photograph is "Jungle Drums"! The did not have break-dancing in those days. Perhaps it ain't all that bad but it certainly is not for the faint of heart or the impatient.
Let me know! Best regards, Ed
Feb 20, 2017 14:25:32 #
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
Hi, Gang! br br Surprisingly enough, this section... (show quote)
Excellent read Ed . . . I would say go for it. You might just save one poor "would be" wedding photographer and motivate him/her to do it right!
Feb 20, 2017 14:37:29 #
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
Hi, Gang! br br Surprisingly enough, this section... (show quote)
Ed, I always enjoy reading your posts and will consume anything you have time to post in the future. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. I do think that low ball amateurs are saturating the wedding industry and making it more difficult to acquire weddings at a respectable price point. I try to price my services below the market average, but recently lost a referral to what Bob calls FWAC (friend with a camera). They will likely get images far from the quality you described in your post, but it seems that expectations have fallen as well.
Feb 20, 2017 14:46:53 #
jaysnave wrote:
Ed, I always enjoy reading your posts and will con... (show quote)
I attribute the move to brides using amateurs to cover their big day, a result of the "Walmart" attitude. "It's good enough" . . .
Feb 20, 2017 17:22:27 #
Weddingguy wrote:
I attribute the move to brides using amateurs to cover their big day, a result of the "Walmart" attitude. "It's good enough" . . .
I think Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are to blame as well. People go nuts over bad images posted there and it becomes the new normal.
Feb 20, 2017 18:10:05 #
Thanks folks! I am encouraged by the response. I an going to start with an article that I going to work on tonight. It's President's day and I too the day off, Up here in Canada we call it FAMILY DAY so I an gonna spend some time with my HOG family.
We all want to provide great emotional memories of each and every wedding day that we cover. Of course well relate this philosophy to out potential clients and we hope to carry this promise out every time we go out on the job. After all theses years of shooting, I often wonder hoe many of my wedding albums are still being enjoyed. What with today's unfortunate rates of divorce and broken families...well in gets me to reflect of theses things. I have been married for 48 years and we still cherish our wedding photographs.
Well... a few months ago, an old client came to me with their wedding album that I made for them 45 years ago. The images were perfectly intact, the color was amazingly stable but the album binding became brittle with age and needed to be repaired. I contacted the leather album binder that did the original job and arranged to have the book re-bound in leather.
The big deal for me was I got to see what I was up to almost half a century ago. I carefully removed the prints from the pages and was kinda surprised to see that the were printed on FIBER BASED color print paper that was the standard just before RC papers were introduced. After all those years, I no longer have the original negatives and did not get a chance to scan any of the prints. The client wanted the newly repaired album ready for an anniversary celebration, so just before hurriedly packing the prints for shipping to the binder, I popped a polarizing filter in front of my I-phone lens, threw a polarizing gel filter on a soft box and knocked off a few shots for my personal keepsake- just for fun!
I am going to attempt to post those images to illustrate a few points that I am trying to get across. So...please excuse the lack of reproduction quality from the smart-phone.
Back in the day, we usually stared our wedding coverages in the bride's family home. I always tried to include the decorative and sentimental elements of the home so that the bride would have an everlasting memory of where she spent her childhood or adolescent years. The parents were always included in theses images and I took the time and effort to capture the emotional connection, the relationships of the family- something that is somehow getting harder to accomplish nowadays.
Many of my portraits were made with simple lighting from a window with northern skylight and a simple silver reflector. Sometimes I would replace the light bulb in a decorative lamp with a #1 blue Photoflood lamp so as to gain an sufficient illumination level for the 100 ISO film.
During that era, so-called special effects, double exposure and lab manipulations were becoming quite the fad to the extent where wedding albums started to resemble comic books. I always shied away for those trends but would create the occasional in-camera montage with romantic or religious themes. I always tried to maintain consistent exposures and do any special effect, vignetting, diffusion or edge softening in the camera so as to make production more economical and efficient. We printed most of our wedding pictures on our 8-S automatic printer except for the ones that I occasionally printed through a Mortensen contact texture screen- the image of the bride and her mom is such a print.
My approach was and still is somewhat classical and of course styles and weddings have changed radically over the years. I still incorporate some of my old techniques and those are what separates me form the selfie shooters and all that stiff on Instagram and Facebook. I gotta admit that nowadays it is hard to work around the "Paparazzi" of crazy cell phone shooters but for a mere 5 grand, I'll still go into combat and come out with a job.
So...no I'm gonna attempt to post the images form my cell phone. Look for the later tonight in my next post and tell me what y'all think.
Thanks again and best regards, Ed
We all want to provide great emotional memories of each and every wedding day that we cover. Of course well relate this philosophy to out potential clients and we hope to carry this promise out every time we go out on the job. After all theses years of shooting, I often wonder hoe many of my wedding albums are still being enjoyed. What with today's unfortunate rates of divorce and broken families...well in gets me to reflect of theses things. I have been married for 48 years and we still cherish our wedding photographs.
Well... a few months ago, an old client came to me with their wedding album that I made for them 45 years ago. The images were perfectly intact, the color was amazingly stable but the album binding became brittle with age and needed to be repaired. I contacted the leather album binder that did the original job and arranged to have the book re-bound in leather.
The big deal for me was I got to see what I was up to almost half a century ago. I carefully removed the prints from the pages and was kinda surprised to see that the were printed on FIBER BASED color print paper that was the standard just before RC papers were introduced. After all those years, I no longer have the original negatives and did not get a chance to scan any of the prints. The client wanted the newly repaired album ready for an anniversary celebration, so just before hurriedly packing the prints for shipping to the binder, I popped a polarizing filter in front of my I-phone lens, threw a polarizing gel filter on a soft box and knocked off a few shots for my personal keepsake- just for fun!
I am going to attempt to post those images to illustrate a few points that I am trying to get across. So...please excuse the lack of reproduction quality from the smart-phone.
Back in the day, we usually stared our wedding coverages in the bride's family home. I always tried to include the decorative and sentimental elements of the home so that the bride would have an everlasting memory of where she spent her childhood or adolescent years. The parents were always included in theses images and I took the time and effort to capture the emotional connection, the relationships of the family- something that is somehow getting harder to accomplish nowadays.
Many of my portraits were made with simple lighting from a window with northern skylight and a simple silver reflector. Sometimes I would replace the light bulb in a decorative lamp with a #1 blue Photoflood lamp so as to gain an sufficient illumination level for the 100 ISO film.
During that era, so-called special effects, double exposure and lab manipulations were becoming quite the fad to the extent where wedding albums started to resemble comic books. I always shied away for those trends but would create the occasional in-camera montage with romantic or religious themes. I always tried to maintain consistent exposures and do any special effect, vignetting, diffusion or edge softening in the camera so as to make production more economical and efficient. We printed most of our wedding pictures on our 8-S automatic printer except for the ones that I occasionally printed through a Mortensen contact texture screen- the image of the bride and her mom is such a print.
My approach was and still is somewhat classical and of course styles and weddings have changed radically over the years. I still incorporate some of my old techniques and those are what separates me form the selfie shooters and all that stiff on Instagram and Facebook. I gotta admit that nowadays it is hard to work around the "Paparazzi" of crazy cell phone shooters but for a mere 5 grand, I'll still go into combat and come out with a job.
So...no I'm gonna attempt to post the images form my cell phone. Look for the later tonight in my next post and tell me what y'all think.
Thanks again and best regards, Ed
Feb 20, 2017 20:56:54 #
Ed, please keep it coming. You are a fount of knowledge and experience that we can all learn from.
Feb 20, 2017 21:09:00 #
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