What a pain!

[kzphoto]

I just spent the last 11 hours photographing a wedding for a family friend. I was using a Nikon D3, and a 24-70 lens, with an sb-900 flash. Additionally, over my right shoulder was an m2 and a light meter in my pocket. As the day progressed, I used the Nikon and put the camera through it's paces. I'd swap over to the Leica when I was seeing something I thought would look fantastic as a B&W image.

5 hours into the shoot my neck and upper back were very sore. I'm a 28 year old male in fairly decent physical shape -- an SLR with lens and flash shouldn't make me sore! I put the Nikon down for about an hour and began to shoot with the M2. Much to my surprise, I felt 'liberated' mentally and physically -- No more weight on my neck, and no more chimping! I'd take an incident reading every 20 minutes or so to make sure my exposures were tolerable, and I kept firing away.

I couldn't believe the excitement I was experiencing while shooting a wedding using an M camera. I had brought the camera strictly as a 'candid' capture device and ended up using it to finish a sizable chunk of the wedding.

I think from now on, I may use Leica M cameras *only* No more zoom lenses, no more complex menus, matrix metering, iTTL, buttons, bells whistles -- I just want to make photographs and enjoy the process at the same time. My Leica lets me do this.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Yup.

And it'll get more important as you get older (I'm 31 years older than you).

See also http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/ps weddings.html for Leica wedding shots.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

I just spent the last 11 hours photographing a wedding for a family friend. I was using a Nikon D3, and a 24-70 lens, with an sb-900 flash. Additionally, over my right shoulder was an m2 and a light meter in my pocket. As the day progressed, I used the Nikon and put the camera through it's paces. I'd swap over to the Leica when I was seeing something I thought would look fantastic as a B&W image.

5 hours into the shoot my neck and upper back were very sore. I'm a 28 year old male in fairly decent physical shape -- an SLR with lens and flash shouldn't make me sore! I put the Nikon down for about an hour and began to shoot with the M2. Much to my surprise, I felt 'liberated' mentally and physically -- No more weight on my neck, and no more chimping! I'd take an incident reading every 20 minutes or so to make sure my exposures were tolerable, and I kept firing away.

I couldn't believe the excitement I was experiencing while shooting a wedding using an M camera. I had brought the camera strictly as a 'candid' capture device and ended up using it to finish a sizable chunk of the wedding.

I think from now on, I may use Leica M cameras *only* No more zoom lenses, no more complex menus, matrix metering, iTTL, buttons, bells whistles -- I just want to make photographs and enjoy the process at the same time. My Leica lets me do this.

but have you seen the results yet?😉
Dave.

 

[brainwood]

You've hit the nail on the head for me.

As an amateur photography the simplicity of a mechanical camera and the sheer enjoyment of using it is why my main camera is now the Leica and the DSLR has not been out for months.
For me the combination of film, prime lenses and a tactile camera works well so I see where your coming from

 

[kzphoto]

but have you seen the results yet?😉
Dave.

I have the unedited take from the D3! For whatever reason, I feel like the photographs from the M2 will be at least on the same level, if not better. Only Developer will tell!

 

[kzphoto]

You've hit the nail on the head for me.

As an amateur photography the simplicity of a mechanical camera and the sheer enjoyment of using it is why my main camera is now the Leica and the DSLR has not been out for months.
For me the combination of film, prime lenses and a tactile camera works well so I see where your coming from

I'm in the same boat -- I've been trying out different cameras / formats I keep coming back to my Leica.

 

[larmarv916]

You have found the "true" fountain of the creative process..that transcends shooting pictures...and now captures emotional moments that have several levels of importance blended into a single visual statement. Many people never discover this path. Dancer and dance become one. Savior the moment.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Up to a couple of years ago, I was shooting weddings - most weekends, for about forty years, mostly with TLR's and Nikon SLR's. I got that 'liberated' feeling, when -for the last few - I moved to a Fuji S3 pro DSLR, no more separate light meter readings, no more changing film, no more wondering about closed eyes, or facial expressions, no more taking film to the expensive labs!....I don't do it now - as since we moved into the 21st. century, too many people can take excellent pictures easily at events! and I just enjoy nostalgia, and play with my old rangefinders and SLR's 🙂
Dave.

 

[kzphoto]

You have found the "true" fountain of the creative process..that transcends shooting pictures...and now captures emotional moments that have several levels of importance blended into a single visual statement. Many people never discover this path. Dancer and dance become one. Savior the moment.

Well spoken. Thank you for the kind words.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

You have found the "true" fountain of the creative process..that transcends shooting pictures...and now captures emotional moments that have several levels of importance blended into a single visual statement. Many people never discover this path. Dancer and dance become one. Savior the moment.

Yes! - all very fine and eloquent, but most people that shoot weddings need to get the job done well, efficiently, and economically - before they think about 'savouring moments' 🙂

 

[Pickett Wilson]

If your livelihood depends on wedding photography, you would soon understand why that D3 and heavy lens is the goto camera between the two. You can break up concrete with a hammer and chisel, but while heavier and and noisier, a jackhammer is a more efficient tool.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Yes! - all very fine and eloquent, but most people that shoot weddings need to get the job done well, efficiently, and economically - before they think about 'savouring moments' 🙂

I agree. When I was in art school, a fellow student hired me to photograph her wedding. She had a wedding photographer who was going to shoot her wedding in the traditional manner on color film (this was in the pre-digi days), but she wanted me to shoot it on black and white film, all 35mm on Tmax 3200 cause she liked the grain and didnt want me using flash for anything. I shot 7 rolls of film and it took me FOREVER to make her a set of 4x6 proofs (her dad paid generously for all this work, which is why we didnt just do contact sheets...she wanted actual proofs) and took longer still to do the final enlargements. I was paid well for it. Like $3500, 13 yrs ago. I would not do this to myself again unless I made even more now.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

You have found the "true" fountain of the creative process..that transcends shooting pictures...and now captures emotional moments that have several levels of importance blended into a single visual statement. Many people never discover this path. Dancer and dance become one. Savior the moment.

Uggh. This is the kind of thing that artists write up as an 'artists statement' when they get their first one man show. No one reads or or takes it seriously, but it has to be written and displayed nonetheless.

This is wedding photography, so people care even less about your creative process and less still about what gear you used. Did the photos that you got paid the big bucks for come out or not? Thats all they really want to know. Really! The example of my art-school friend in my post above is a fluke because she was an art student so she DID care about my gear and materials and process. lol No one else does though.

 

[Debusti Paolo]

Well, I Suggest You To Try To Shot A Wedding With A Bronica Rf645 & A Hassy 903swc😀

 

[user237428934]

You did this for a friend but I still think there were some expectations in the results. So let's change the perspecitve. If I needed a photographer for my wedding I want someone who focusses on bringing good results and not only thinks about his own fun.

You said that you took exposure readings every 20min so that exposures were tolerable. Sorry to say that but "tolerable" is something that is not acceptable in a wedding. Unless the couple does not care about the results.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Well, by definition, 'tolerable' is probably a step down from 'acceptable'. But equally, one person's 'tolerable' may be superior to another's 'acceptable'.

Also, if 'tolerable' is take to mean 'within tolerance'...

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I agree. When I was in art school, a fellow student hired me to photograph her wedding. She had a wedding photographer who was going to shoot her wedding in the traditional manner on color film (this was in the pre-digi days), but she wanted me to shoot it on black and white film, all 35mm on Tmax 3200 cause she liked the grain and didnt want me using flash for anything. I shot 7 rolls of film and it took me FOREVER to make her a set of 4x6 proofs (her dad paid generously for all this work, which is why we didnt just do contact sheets...she wanted actual proofs) and took longer still to do the final enlargements. I was paid well for it. Like $3500, 13 yrs ago. I would not do this to myself again unless I made even more now.

Dear Chris,

Exactly. Either that, or it's for a VERY close friend, akin to a very dear sister, brother, etc. AND you can't get out of it. (Not just a ordnary sister or brother!) Then it's a wedding gift.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Nugard]

http://jeffascough.com/

Look at this guy!.. It did impress me, when I saw video of how does he work on every wedding... Having about 4-5 Leica Ms (not digital)...
Find this video, it might be usefull and plesant - Masters_of_Wedding_Photography_Jeff_Ascough

Hope you will show us some shots... 🙂
I'm sure, they will be just fine!..

PS: S3 pro is Super when you are looking for digital camera for weddings... But for me... It's all about the FILM... I've just stuck with frame advance lever 😉

 

[Keith]

Surely the customers decide if the output is suitable by voting with their wallets and my feeling is that the majority of wedding photo consumers (right or wrong) will be happier with clean precise digital.

I'd be curious to know what percentage of weddings are shot with film still ... it can't be very high I wouldn't think and if a DSLR and compact zoom is going to cause a twenty eight year old's body this much stress then go to the gym, build up those neck muscles ... man up a little please! 😛

On a more serious note ... this job was screaming out for an M9 surely! 🙂

 

[marke]

http://jeffascough.com/

Look at this guy!.. It did impress me, when I saw video of how does he work on every wedding... Having about 4-5 Leica Ms (not digital)...
Find this video, it might be usefull and plesant - Masters_of_Wedding_Photography_Jeff_Ascough

Wow, that stuff made my eyes tear up! What an incredible arttist. Thanks for posting that link, Volodimir.