Photographers for Weddings: Film vs. Digital

Over the past ten or so years, the argument between film and digital has dominated professional photography. Numerous advancements in digital technology have caused many photographers to gradually switch only to shooting with digital equipment. The film that these identical photographers used to shoot is now all but extinct in their eyes. In the past, only film was used by wedding photographers, and the majority of them used a combination of 35 mm and medium format, as well as both color and black-and-white emulsions. Although this combination has worked well for wedding photographers for many years, it may not be the best choice in the modern world due to costs as well as issues with workflow, time, and quality.

The industry has seen significant changes as a result of the development of digital camera technology. Film and processing can be excessively expensive these days. Prices for the film are progressively rising as demand declines and output declines in tandem, and availability is typically restricted to the few surviving professional labs. Many film manufacturers have shut down in recent years, and those that are still in business no longer produce all the emulsions they formerly did.

The majority of film wedding photographers will use 35 mm with a combination of medium format. Modern high-end digital cameras are capable of producing photos of greater quality than 35 mm film and are comparable to medium format. We may now advance this discussion if we consider a typical wedding scenario: low light. One needs to utilise a high ISO when taking pictures in low light conditions. Essentially, this is a measurement of the light sensitivity of a film or digital sensors. If you want an example, consider the old photo journalistic images taken on high-speed black and white film.

On the other hand, modern professional digital cameras have made significant advancements in low-light performance. At high ISOs, early models produced extremely significant image noise. Unlike film grain, which can be attractive, this noise is seen as an unsightly, undesirable characteristic. The newest generation of digital cameras considered this and as a result, can record images with little to no noise, even at high ISOs.

Therefore, selecting professionals like Marc Shaw Photography & Films should be the  ultimate aim of every person.