articles/Weddings/digitalweddings-page1
by David Simm Published 01/05/2001
With all the proliferation of digital cameras in recent months, many of which are low cost and exceed 3megapixels, there are clearly new opportunities for low cost entry into digital wedding photography. You have to realise that at the speed with which all this is happening, digital will take over sooner than later.
Of course I'm not suggesting that you should now make an immediate switch from film to digital technology, although I may very well do just that in the coming months. I am old enough to hang on a see my career out with film, but that is not the way I am made. Back in my early days in Wigan, I was one of the first social photographers to print colour in house, that was back in the sixties, now I want very much want to be a part of the digital revolution.
The idea I'm about to share with you, is something I put together to promote my film based wedding services. Whenever I got an email or telephone enquiry, I needed something to send out to show off my work, so I burned a CD with three files, one a complete set of proofs, two a Demo slide show from different weddings and three a digital wedding album.
What I would like to suggest, is that you add a new product range to your existing albums and parent albums, one that won't cost you more than a quid or two, once you have the basics.
The digital wedding album could be made up from the image you shoot at the wedding, and would revitalise your add on sales. One of my last memories of working back home in Wigan in the early eighties, was how badly sales of parents albums and guest orders had suffered due to the point and shoot brigade that are in abundance at every wedding.
Here's what you are going to need to get you in on the ground floor of digital imaging and to make your work look respectable, if not blow the socks of your clients.
First a Prosumer model digital camera, i.e. at least three megapixel and with sufficient electronics to have some degree of control over noise. I started with the Olympus E10, primarily because I had previously tried and liked their C2000 for web design work.
A couple of viewing software and at least one image manipulation software. Although Photoshop is number one for high end work, it certainly isn't necessary for this exercise. I would highly recommend Professor Franklin's Instant Photo Effects. You also need a viewing programme such as Flip Album or Arc Soft's Media View 2000.
Remember the days of b+w photography, back in the early sixties, when we used to shoot all the wedding in monochrome, but would also sell a roll of colour slides as an add on. Well here's a novel idea you could try with digital.
There are 0 days to get ready for The Society of Photographers Convention and Trade Show at The Novotel London West, Hammersmith ...
which starts on Thursday 1st January 1970