Wedding Photo Expert: Film Still Trumps Digital

Digital versus film is a debate which has raged over the last few years and is something that every wedding photographer has discussed or argued about at some time. Many photographers are now taking the leap over into the digital world and not looking back. There will always be those who oppose digital photography and that will stand by the motto ‘you can’t beat the good old traditional way’.

Well I beg to differ, having used both film and digital I think that I am in a perfect position to offer some insight into this debate. This is by no means to be taken as gospel; this is just an opinion of one photographer.

I am now an avid digital photography fan, having worked in both mediums I have found that the benefits of digital far outweigh that of film. Below I have listed in point form some of the reasons that a wedding couple or photographer should use digital over film.

*Digital gives you greater variety and flexibility, you can turn a color photograph into black & white or sepia at the press of a button. Whereas with film if you take the photos in black & white then they can’t be changed to color, you’re stuck with that decision.

*If needed you can view your photographs on the computer within less than 15mins, this is especially convenient for pre wedding studio sittings. This means you can order straight away and not have to worry about coming back in a week to view the photo’s then order as you do with film.

*One of the best things I have found with digital when shooting a wedding is being able to see on the back of the camera straight away the image you took. This is very handy because you can see if you got the shot you wanted. With film you don’t know if you got it right until you pick up the film from being processed.

*Also you can create some amazing montages and effects with your wedding photos and albums. There are some great computer programs that can really add another dimension to your photos.

Digital is at the stage now where the high end cameras are far superior in quality than 35mm film based cameras and they will continue to get better as technology advances.