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Question:

This is a simple question from an untrained hobbyist. When producing a quality look in wedding photography is there a special kind of film that is used or recommended or does the look come from (of course the talent of the photographer) and the finishing?

I was asked to photograph my friends wedding (HELP!! Why me??) and I am wondering if I need to buy special film to get better results? I take good pictures of my kids, I guess that is my portfolio! But I am not even close to anything professional, just a mom who likes good pictures of her kids!

Any help you could offer on the subject would be appreciated! Thank you!

Answer:

It really depends on what your friends expect from your photographs of their wedding. What I mean is; will they be happy just having "snapshots" that are properly exposed and well composed? Or will they be picky and think that you should be able to produce pictures that are comparable to those of a wedding studio - which would charge $5000.00 and more? In which everyone is properly posed, jackets are straight, bouquets are held at the proper angle, etc.

The big difference between what you can produce and what a professional can produce probably lies in the equipment. They use medium format cameras; these give a much larger negative. More importantly when it comes to the creative filters that are used quite often by wedding photographers - these filters only work with medium format cameras. The other disadvantage that you have is your flash, wedding photographers use very powerful flashes and lighting equipment.

So in the end it really depends what your friend wants - but I can tell you that you are in a lose/lose situation. If they want you to photograph the wedding, you won't enjoy yourself - it is extremely stressful. Despite what they say before the wedding that will all change during the wedding and after. For some reason, couples generally think their wedding will go off without a hitch, on the day that they're getting hitched. (weak attempt at humor) Then comes the day of their wedding, and despite all of their planning something is bound to go wrong. Everyone will be rushing around, having their photos taken will be the last thing on their mind, at least until the wedding is over. Then they'll ask you way you didn't take more pictures of them. Think about the wedding photographers that you have seen - aren't they normally bossy telling everyone what to do and trying to organize everything. They have to be; otherwise they wouldn't get the "expected" photos.

So in the end, if your friends only want grab shots of their wedding, you can tell them that you would be able to that. If they want anything more than that and then they should hire a professional photographer.

Good Luck!