WHY SHOULDN'T WE HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE TAKE OUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHS?
Wedding photography is both an art and a science, requiring someone with the proper equipment and the right skills, plus the demeanor to be effective and creative under pressure. It is almost impossible to be a guest and at the same time, concentrate on the technical details of photographing an entire day. It is a mistake to trust your once-in-a-lifetime wedding to a non-professional.
WHAT ABOUT 35MM? HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO MEDIUM PHOTOGRAPHIC FORMAT?
Most professional wedding photography is done in medium format (6x4.5, 6x6, or 6x7 cm) because of its inherent superior technical quality and ease of enlargement production. A larger negative will make inherently sharper enlargements. The 35mm negative is 3.6x2.4 cm and requires a higher enlargement factor for a given print size, so grain and focus errors are much more apparent. Medium format has lots of flexibility for cropping and alignment. It is much easier to retouch blemishes, scars, lines, and pimples in medium because it can be done right on the negative -- 35mm is too small for this. When considering the production of a 10" album, the lower cost of 35mm equipment and processing is overshadowed by the cost of custom printing the material to make it work in the album
IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET BLACK AND & WHITE PICTURES ALONG WITH COLOR? WHAT IS THE BEST WAY?
If using the Black and White just for the newspaper, then ask for a Panalure (Black and White) or glossy color print. If you want some Bb&wW for their artistic merits, your can either have some images originated in Black and White film, or have it all shot in color and decide later which ones are best for monochrome treatment. Some pro labs now offer and print/process called Ektamax which gives fabulous Black and White images from color negatives. Advantage is that you get a nice print, while avoiding the logistical hassle of having two film types shot. (Doing so complicates the photography and increases chance of a foul-up.) However, Ektamax is really a color paper with Black and White dyes. If you are asking for Black and White for its archival properties, or want substantial Black and White coverage, get traditional B&W film and materials (Kodak agrees)
WHAT ARE THE POPULAR ALBUM TYPES?
After processing and sorting the photographs, there are many choices for albums including:
LIBRARY BOUND-Simply the best. Bound as a real book. Photographs are individually matted, then matte-pages are bound as a book with a personally tooled leather cover. The most expensive, but the most elegant and long lasting. To my knowledge, the only ones in the US are made by Leather Craftsman (Farmingdale NY) and Capri (Mount Vernon, NY)
Z-PAGE-Photographs are slid into a slot in the page, which forms the border or matte. The page has steel pins on one edge with which it is snapped into a cover. Most covers simulated leather, such as Aristohyde. Less expensive that library bound and allows pictures to be changed later. But less elegant and in my opinion, less durable. Several offerers;including Art Leather (Elmhurst, NY). Most popular in US today
HOW ABOUT GETTING LOOSE PICTURES AND PUTTING THEM IN AN ALBUM?
These albums will not preserve your pictures. In time, the adhesive will deteriorate and the covering will fall off. It may adhere to the picture surface and destroy the emulsion. Pictures won't stay put! A danger with any album that puts a picture surface behind a plastic cover is the picture sticking to the plastic, which ultimately pulls away the color layers, or mildew growing under the plastic. I have yet to see an off-the-shelf album that compares in quality, workmanship, and durability to a custom-made pro album.
WILL THE PHOTOGRAPHER BE INTRUSIVE?
Not at all!! In terms of lighting, some cameras are even more sensitive than the human eye. All of Elite's Photography staff are well trained and are always extremely sensitive to the responses of the crowd. We always read our audience and knowing when the moment has arrived to get our subjects on film. Of course, some people may not want to participate and we always respect their desire for privacy.
HOW LONG WILL OUR PHOTOGRAPHS LAST?
Several labs claim 100 years for their color prints when not abused. I think properly-sprayed and mounted prints will last as long as the marriage! Kodak has now instituted a Promise of Excellence program which effectively gives a lifetime guarantee to portraits done with their products through studios in the P/E program.
CAN WE SAVE MONEY BY GETTING BLACK & WHITE INSTEAD OF COLOR?
No. Black and White film is about $1-2 per roll cheaper; that's it. Otherwise, it is more expensive to get BW coverage because of the higher developing and printing cost. BW has not been automated to the extent of color. So expect to pay a 30-50% premium for Black and White coverage.
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