So,

I have been very slow to update this site recently, but it isn't because I haven't been shooting. A few months ago my friend Mark was asked to be part of a wedding. But, beyond being a groomsman he was also asked to be the official photographer. This was a cost cutting measure as Mark had never shot a wedding before, though he is an accomplished photographer.

Mark agreed without hesitation, but I'm not sure he realized what he was getting in to. I almost as quickly volunteered to join in the fray as a second camera for the wedding. It seems that wedding photography is a common market for all levels of photographers, many are looking for a quick buck. As for myself, I really enjoy weddings.

It's not that I enjoy going to them particularly, and I find many of the customs to be odd (mostly in the reception), but I love the big dresses and the fine suits. The event is so full of real emotion and hope. The photography from weddings can be really beautiful and tell a good story.

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The event

I'm still going through all the photos, so I'm just going to give a brief overview. The wedding was top notch - the location was absolutely stunning; the palace theatre in Waterbury CT. Mark was shooting with a Nikon DSLR and a very nice Speedlight (Nikon flash). I've never put the money into a fancy flash and I would like to think of my style as being more Cartier-Bresson-esque. A big stretch of the imagination to be sure, but it sounds better than saying I just haven't put the money into a flash.

But, even though I have been pushing the Nikon F with manual lenses and the Hasselblad with waist level view, I knew that for weddings I would want to have some other options.

I had an old Canon EOS 650 and fixed angle flash that belonged to my father and a Canon DSLR. I put a new battery in the EOS and shot off a roll of 400 NC Kodak Portra a couple of nights before the wedding to make sure it worked. I have a 50mm 1.8 AF lens for the Canons and I figured that the speed would come in handy. I had neglected to borrow a f1.4 lens for the Nikon from Bill before he left for vacation, though he had extended the offer. In retrospect it would have been very handy.

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A little foreshadowing - I broke some cardinal rules in shooting this wedding; using equipment that I was not intimately familiar with, a whole different camera system, experimenting with flash, shooting with slide film, and using many different kinds film (which doesn't lend itself to a uniform look). At the end of the 2 days I had shot 22 rolls of film; Fuji Velvia 100f 120 format, Kodak Portra 400 NC 35mm, Kodak BW 400 CN 120 format, Kodak TMAX 100 & 400 (at rated speed and pushed to 400-2400), and Kodak Tri-X 400. I had also shot over 300 digital images. I didn't bracket much. If I were Jeff Ascough it would be because I didn't need to, but I'm not Jeff Ascough - I just didn't bracket much.

I've have often wondered what the first wedding shoot is like; and so I will share my story in the next day or two (really! I promise).

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On a happy note, Bill just gave me a ring as he is back in the country and he has brought back some special goods from Japan. If I'm lucky I'll get a chance to try out Fuji Fortia - a super saturated special run film available only in limited quantity and only in Japan. Also a new (old) lens - not just any lens, but a 24mm multicoated Nikkor manual f2.8 (which is optically superior to the f2 version of the lens).