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Digital or Film for Wedding Photography?

By Hardy Klahold, pixelArts - photography www.pixelartsphotography.com 720-936-8076

Digital or film? Many people have pondered the difference between these two forms of professional photography. The purpose of this article is to give some easy understandable answers to these questions.

I worked with my first digital camera when Kodak invited me in 1994 to experiment with the first professional digital camera, a Kodak DC100 in Germany. This experience wasn’t very satisfying. My judgment was that this new system still had a long way to go, before it became a useful tool to the professional photographer. We all know what happened over time: Now digital SLR (SLR = single lens reflex) cameras are very useful tools and they have almost replaced film in some sectors of professional photography.

Let me say in the first place: Film and digital are two completely different forms of photographic media. Neither is better; each is best for its intended purpose. The controversy pitting film vs. digital may just be used to sell photo magazines and digital cameras. Personally I use both. I like the look I get on film using my 35mm Leica M6, but I prefer the speed in my workflow, which I get from my digital Canon D1 Mark II. Digital is far more convenient and offers great quality for wedding photography, photojournalism and portraits.

Another big difference: Professional digital cameras like the Canon 1D Mark II, have no grain. I get cleaner results at ASA 200 on digital images than I get with A 50 film. The colors are the same with a digital camera, as you change the speed, not so with film. Therefore, if I need speed I get better results shooting on digital than shooting film. Digital also gives me better and more consistent color than I get with regular print film.

The quality of the images shot with digital vs. film cameras has been a subject of discussion for some time. Just let me say that with a professional photographer there is no difference in the images when you compare the prints.

Let's talk about the workflow speed. If you are already working with digital camera equipment you know how great it is to have ready to print photos straight from the camera. It's wonderful not to have to process negatives and then print each of your film images. With digital I post web galleries with hundreds of images the same day I shoot them.   My digital camera allows me to shoot a thousand images at a wedding on Saturday and hand the couple a CD with proofs of all the images on Monday. Simple!

This brings me to another important point: One needs to define what sort of digital camera he is using. There are the consumer digital point-and-shoot cameras with fixed lenses. Most clients have one of these at home. The prints they often receive from these cameras are not high quality and this may lead them to assume the professional digital photos would look the same. This is certainly not true. All professional photographers, whether using film or digital cameras, print their images with professional labs. All of the compact fixed lens cameras, regardless of cost, are too slow to be used professionally. And the SLRs all work immediately with no waiting, just like a film camera. Point-and-shoot cameras have a smaller image sensor, which might be enough to keep vacation pictures, but are not for professional use! SLR cameras have a much larger image sensor than the point-and-shoot cameras and that gives a better image quality because they also have bigger pixels. Bigger pixels equals picture clarity. The professional digital SLR cameras also have the advantage of using changeable lenses.

The key here is to view a photographer’s prints.  No matter where technology will take us, it will always be the photographer who takes the pictures, not the camera.

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