Wedding Photography: Benefits of Digital Photography

I primarily shoot weddings with a digital camera (please note: I DO NOT make prints on an inkjet printer - the photos are printed on the same machines as all other film based prints).

This page contains more information than most people are interested in when it comes to digital wedding photography! However, for those of you who have questions about whether digital cameras can deliver professional results, you might want to keep reading! My goal is to present several of the advantages my digital gives in a clear and easy-to-understand fashion.

• Digital images do not require "film" processing
  • Processing film always involves risk. In fact, I am not aware of any lab that will guarantee the processing of film without damage. Obviously, professional labs have a better record than consumer labs, but, there is still risk. With digital files, there are no film negatives to have ruined in a processing machine full of chemicals!
• Total control over images
  • Film is printed at photo labs by technicians. These technicians print hundreds and thousands of images every day. Professional labs are supposed to adjust each image for the best color and exposure output. However, even using the best labs in the country, I have never received the quality results that I am able to achieve myself when I process my own digital files. I have control over the images. In fact, I can brighten all the colors in an image, adjust just the reds, lighten the dark spots of an image, brighten the whole image, add contrast, etc, etc, etc.
• Instant review of images
  • A second after taking an image, my camera will display the image on a 2 inch LCD located on the back of my camera. I able to instantly double check lighting and composition! This is one of the biggest advantages to digital I have experienced yet!
• More images per "roll"
  • Instead of using film, I use disks to store the images. Film would need to changed every 36 images - but digital enables me to shoot 125 pictures before changing to a new disk.
• Better image resolution
  • I use a 6 megapixel camera which captures incredibly large amounts of data. Digital 8x10's and 11x14's are a much higher quality than I was ever able to achieve with film! Even 16x20's and larger have better resolution from digital files than my film negatives!
• Other results might vary
  • Keep in mind that not all digital cameras are alike. I use a digital, professional SLR camera and I also shoot a few rolls of film as backup. If you are looking at using a different photographer that shoots digital, make sure you discuss these issues with them!

Above: original

Above: digitally retouched (removed house in the background, sharpened the face of the little girl on the horse, removed telephone pole).