Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/02/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I worked as an assistant to many wedding photographers for many years, early in my career. I consider a good wedding shooter, by definition, to be a top photographer, period. It's a tough job: I've done it a little myself with decent (but not great) results. I've shot mine with F5 or other Nikons, and M-cameras, and have always considered this a very amateurish way to do it. I wouldn't have 35mm for my own wedding. Nothing to do with the size of enlargements to come. Every top studio shooter I know uses Hasselblad, RB/RZ67, or even Graflex XL (remember?) for one main reason: the ease of retouching 6x6 or 6x7 negatives. I realize in the 90s this is becoming a dying art but, for me, it's the mark of a serious studio. You'd have to be nuts to try retouching 35mm. Finally, IMHO, the true art of traditional wedding photography lies in the realm of "human relations", plus the availability of plenty of portable flash equipment for main and fill lighting! Nowadays, it's true, some prefer a more photojournalistic style (even in b&w), but this is a recent development.