At 06:38 PM 9/1/03, you wrote:
The situation may be different here, we never use any film over ISO400 for
wedding, it is too grainly. Most situation will allow flashes and the E-20
digital flash is very accurate.
I wouldn't dispute the flash capability. About half my weddings are "no
flash" during the ceremony itself. The person officiating has the final
word on the matter . . . along with restrictions on where I cannot be
during the ceremony. Some are quite restrictive.
If digital's color is not good I don't see how film can work out.
The great majority of the few "problem shots" can eventually be pulled in
to match the rest. The time it takes to work these few exceptions isn't
small though. There is also the time spent ensuring everything is
consistently the same throughout over a large number of prints.
If you really need available light ISO1600 you need a N*kon or C*non,
they are less grainly than film.
Last I looked, the max for Nikon was ISO 800, but that may have changed. I
use 1600 color and 3200 B&W only for the ceremony itself (and indoors) and
only if no flash is allowed. I personally prefer it that way, but the
client's desires come first with the persion officating the ceremony having
the last word on the matter. It's exceptionally rare if any of them are
ever made bigger than a 4x6. Everything else is done using Portra 160NC
and the portraiture of the bride/groom (individually and together) are
medium format, for exactly the grain reasons you mention.
I think most pro edit digital file themselves, in most cases you need less
than 2 minutes for a picture.
True; the cost of a lab doing it is outrageously high. Now multiply the
time per image by 180 and add to it the time to make prints. Vertical
integration of a darkroom and its workload into a studio's business has
been going on for decades with top end, expensive professional film
photography studios. They use "master printer" assistants to do the
routine developing and print work. Their business model with its revenue
stream can justify it. One-person sole proprietor studios that serve the
Everyman cannot afford the capital investment, facility space or time
required to operate a vertically integrated film lab. The workload is
shifted to a full-service professional lab that prints proofs when the film
is developed. The cost of the proofs is about 1/3rd that of reprints
making them economical. With digital, this workload shifts by necessity to
the studio regardless of its size, business model and revenue. Labs charge
for printing digital files as if they're reprints (at least 3X the cost of
proofs from film made when it's developed). The capital investment is
lower, but that doesn't alleviate the time required to do all the
work. It's the reason an assistant must help with routine "back end" work
leaving [hopefully] a few "problem image" exceptions for the photographer
to deal with personally.
BTW:
Weddings in the U.S. for "first marriages" are unlike those nearly
everywhere else in the world, including Europe. IMHO it involves our
culture, how girls are raised here, and the commercialization of weddings
that touts all manner of "must haves." It's the most important day of her
entire life, during which she reigns as emperess of the universe. Let
there be no doubt whatsoever the photography is for the bride, and usually
for her mother as well, as is all the rest of the wedding and
reception. The groom is her tag-along "consort" for the affair. That may
be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. It's a generalization and there
are (thankfully) some sane exceptions. At the extreme end is
"Bridezilla." A term coined here, it's graphically descriptive and
applicable to a few who expect total perfection with every miniscule
detail. They go on outrageous rampages if it's anything less, teeter on
the brink of mental adhesion until the reception is completely over, and
emotional breakdowns are not unheard of. Fortunately I've only encountered
one of them; reminded me of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland.
Expectations for low budget weddings still range around 175-200 prints,
even if all they ever get is the proof book (no reprints or
enlargements). Expectations of quality in composition, print "clarity" and
color accuracy/consistency through the entire book are very high,
especially for the portriature, and for perfect timing with "decisive
moments" on the candids. On "low budget" affairs, the only expectations
that get dropped are enlargements (a quantity of 5x7's and 8x10's), and
separate books of prints for the parents.
-- John
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