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Think capturing your wedding on
digital files is futuristic at best, risky at worst? Think again. Today's
professional digital cameras are incredibly advanced, resulting in
crystal-clear pictures, and possibly faster turnaround times and more
convenient sharing options than with conventional photography. Some of the
industry's best photographers are shooting digitally -- and are even
beginning to prefer it to 35mm. "The technology and quality of
imagery has advanced to such a point in the past year that I think it's an
appropriate and exciting choice for wedding photographers," claims
renowned photographer Denis Reggie, whose work has appeared in Vogue,
Bazaar, and Elle, and who shot the now-classic image of
newlyweds John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline Besset. With all the buzz about
digital photography, we thought we'd share the top ten things you should
know about it.
GET THE RIGHT GOODS
You know a wedding photographer isn't going to pick up any old 35mm camera
to shoot your wedding. So of course she isn't going to use the ubiquitous
point-and-shoot varieties you've seen and used. There are a handful of
high-end cameras that professional photographers use, and what makes them
stand apart -- aside from the $3,000-$7,000 price tags -- are resolution
and pixel size, and, like any other professional cameras, all the options
and settings that allow a photographer to tweak the picture for the very
best image possible. These are way beyond basic digital cameras, which
means the quality of your pictures will be too.
SNEAK A PEEK
Photographers agree that one of the greatest things about shooting
digitally is that you can see results as you go along, on the camera's LCD
screen. This means the photographer will know right away if he or she
needs to take a shot again, because, for example, the exposure was bad or
a bridesmaid had her eyes closed. It also gives photographers more
creative freedom, allowing them to compose pictures with different
lighting, angles, and cropping, because they can tell instantly if the
shot worked.
CONTRAST & COMPARE
Worried digital files won't produce nice pictures? Thanks to the quality
now of both cameras and printers, your 11x14 digital prints may be just as
good as 11x14 35mm prints. In fact, you probably couldn't tell the
difference between side-by-side samples, a test that wedding photographer
Joe Buissink, whose work has been featured in such magazines as InStyle
and in books by entertaining guru Colin Cowie, gives his brides to
demonstrate the merits of digital prints. But beware: Only the newest,
most advanced pro cameras are up to this task.
SHARE THE LOVE
As soon as two weeks after the wedding, you can share your wedding
pictures with everyone online. Or, as Reggie puts it, digital
"enhances the after-effects of a wedding." And since the images
are digital, it's easy for photographers to offer the option of online
viewing (often sooner than it would take to get conventional proofs). As
soon as your photographer uploads the images to a password-protected site,
PICtage.com being the unanimous favorite, you get to see hundreds of
pictures from your wedding -- and share them with everyone, no matter how
far away they are. Even better, everyone can order their own prints
online: less hassle for you, instant gratification for your family.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
When it comes to who owns the digital files, don't assume that they're
automatically yours -- even if they are posted online for everyone to see.
Much like the issue of negative ownership with traditional photographers,
it all depends on whom you hire and the terms of your contract. Some
photographers might give you the files but maintain the copyright, others
might charge you extra to own them, and still others might download
lower-resolution copies of the images on a CD for you, but keep the
original, high-res files that would be appropriate for enlargement. As
always, make sure the contract terms are acceptable to you before signing
on the dotted line.
MAKE IT LAST
Like any pictures printed on high-quality photographic paper, your digital
prints may last for decades, depending on which printing system your
photographer uses. And instead of worrying about protecting fragile
negatives that are easily scratched or lost, you can archive your digital
files on DVD or CD -- technology that should last for many years to come
-- and then you (or your photographer) can convert the files to the Next
Greatest Thing.
ADD SPECIAL EFFECTS
Think of all the enhancements and techniques photographers use on
"regular" photos. Now it's even easier to manipulate images
because they're already in a digital format. Not that your photographer is
going to give you shockingly pink hair or superimpose your image on the
moon, but she can greatly enhance a picture with computer software like
Adobe Photoshop and Genuine Fractals (say, if you want a poster-size
wedding portrait). A more artistic technique might be printing onto
watercolor paper using an Iris printer, resulting in images that look like
paintings. Check out photographers' portfolios to see what artistic
techniques they might use.
SAVE CASH ELSEWHERE
Sure, your photographer saves on film and processing costs. But the actual
time spent shooting at your wedding, equipment costs, and printing
expenses remain. And because what you're really paying for is the skill of
the photographer, no matter her medium, and a package with a set number of
images, your cost benefit comes when you get to pick from a better
selection of pictures.
EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS
The percentage of wedding photographers who have taken the digital plunge
is still low -- an estimated 30%. But with industry leaders like Denis
Reggie and Joe Buissink raving about the exceptional results, it's only a
matter of time before digital goes mainstream. "This is the biggest
photography revolution since the 35mm," raves Scott Whittle, whose
photographs have appeared in various wedding magazines as well as in Travel
& Leisure and The New York Times. Once other photographers
start learning the ropes and investing in the equipment -- the two biggest
barriers to entering the digital arena -- you can bet they'll rely on it
more and more.
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