The Digital Wedding Dilemma

These days, the discerning couple has more choices than ever before when it comes to choosing the right wedding photographer for their big day. Will you choose a traditionalist who uses medium format cameras and opts for a more pose-based approach to picture taking? Or are you leaning towards the more photojournalistic style of photography that seeks to capture the flow of the day without being an overly burdensome part of the process? Within this latter category, choices range from those who use 35 mm film to those entering the emerging realm of digital wedding photography.

As a relatively new medium, it is important to understand that not all digital cameras are created equal. A vast gap lies between the consumer, point and shoot, models and the top of the line digital Single Lens Reflex cameras (SLRs). With mid-range digital cameras now available for only a little more than one thousand dollars, some photographers are opting for this less expensive, all be it poorer quality, approach. By eliminating film costs many photographers believe they can then pass on their savings to the budget conscious couple.

This is where a little knowledge on the part of the consumer can come in handy. When you meet with a potential photographer who shoots digitally, make sure you look at printed photographs, not just on screen images. Quite a bit of editing is often needed when shooting digitally, and this doesn,Äôt always translate well into a good print. Many cameras don,Äôt work well in either low light, or extremely bright conditions, either. Many cameras also have a very difficult time capturing black, so pay close attention to photographs of tuxedos and suits to make sure they don,Äôt appear to have a speckled, snow like, appearance.

Almost all digital cameras capture images in colour. This means that if you want black and white pictures, you,Äôll have to ask for the photographer to convert them to a black and white format. While this sometimes works, making a black and white photo from a colour image isn,Äôt always advisable. Black and white film is still light years ahead of its digital cousin in terms of quality.

Unlike studio sessions and engagement portraits, you only get one chance to have fabulous photographs of your wedding day. With that in mind, it is also vitally important that the photographer shooting digitally have more than one camera body in case of mechanical failure. To that end, some believe it,Äôs also a good idea to use multiple, smaller sized, memory cards on the off chance one is either lost or in some way damaged. Redundancy becomes all the more important when dealing with the joys of modern technology!

One of the biggest benefits for the digital photographer is the ability to be able to tell, right away, whether or not that all important image was captured perfectly. This, unfortunately, also leads to a problem with the instant gratification factor. Next time you,Äôre at a party, watch the people with digital cameras and more importantly, those around them. You,Äôll notice that many people are so enthralled with the new technology that they,Äòll spend more time looking at the tiny view screens than enjoying themselves! This is especially true for the professional photographer. Everyone, from your favourite aunt to the boyfriend of your sister,Äôs best friend, will want to look at the images right away. This can seriously hamper the photographer,Äôs ability to do his or her job. A strict ,ÄúNO LOOKING,Äù policy is best for the day ,Äì And that goes double for you, the newlyweds! You,Äôre there to enjoy yourselves and get married, not to look at the pictures!

You should also remember that high quality digital shooters aren,Äôt always cheaper than their film using counterparts. A good digital unit is considerably more expensive than a film camera, and once you,Äôve added the costs associated with new computer systems and software purchases and the increased time spent editing digital photos you realize that the film savings aren,Äôt as significant as one might think.

All this said, when a good photographer is using good digital equipment the results can be both exciting and conveniently captured. The digital realm puts more creative control into the hands of the photographer than has been previously available. It allows him or her to take more chances, to try new things and to better ensure that the right moments are captured. These issues are all secondary, though, to the primary issue of whether or not you feel comfortable with the person you hire and if you truly like his or her style. Whether shooting film or digitally it is the end result that matters most ,Äì how that,Äôs created is of minor importance.
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Article Written By

Denni Russel
Wedding Photojournalist
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