Wedding..which film?

[fursan]

Hello folks,

I shall be attending my niece's wedding in Manchester, England in a couple of weeks.
I would like to photograph during the wedding ceremonies. Using print film, which one would
you folks recommend. no flash. mostly color.

later on I shall be taking my son to visit Cambride, Oxford and Bath. I need a color print
film recommendation, please.

For bw, I shall be using xp2. would this be the right bw for this time of the year?

Appreciate your guidance.

Regards.

[rubenkok]

Fahim,
I really like the Kodak Portra series
KODAK PROFESSIONAL Color Negative Films
KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA 400NC and 400VC Film
Have a look here: KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA Films: Image Gallery
Hope this is some help

All the best,
Ruben

[stunsworth]

ISO 400 is always useful in Manchester, regardless of the season <grin>.

After saying that, we must be due some sunshine soon!

[Rolo]

Originally Posted by fursan

Hello folks,

I shall be attending my niece's wedding in Manchester, England in a couple of weeks.
I would like to photograph during the wedding ceremonies. Using print film, which one would
you folks recommend. no flash. mostly color.

Regards.

Fursan,

I shoot weddings in Manchester all year round; might even be shooting your niece's wedding.

A wedding in August with a Leica and one film stock would cause me to shoot Portra 160.

Where's the venue and the reception? If it's a dark and dismal church, it may be worth packing a roll of 400 iso, but no more. If it's Manchester Town Hall, might advise otherwise.

Rolo

[fursan]

Ruben, as usual I am grateful to you for helping me out, most time I have asked for it.

Just one more question...rate it at 400 or ?

Grateful thanks.

Originally Posted by rubenkok

Fahim,
I really like the Kodak Portra series
KODAK PROFESSIONAL Color Negative Films
KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA 400NC and 400VC Film
Have a look here: KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA Films: Image Gallery
Hope this is some help

All the best,
Ruben

[fursan]

Steve, thanks. is it not the middle of summer in Manchester yet?

Regards.

Originally Posted by stunsworth

ISO 400 is always useful in Manchester, regardless of the season <grin>.

After saying that, we must be due some sunshine soon!

[fursan]

Rolo, Thanks for your help. I don't know the venue exactly! but we are freeloaders, and
thought I am an officail photographer, I shall do my thing and present it to the
bride/groom and families as a present of the occasion.

I shall let you know the venue asap for some further guidance, if you don't mind.

Regards.

Originally Posted by Rolo

Fursan,

I shoot weddings in Manchester all year round; might even be shooting your niece's wedding.

A wedding in August with a Leica and one film stock would cause me to shoot Portra 160.

Where's the venue and the reception? If it's a dark and dismal church, it may be worth packing a roll of 400 iso, but no more. If it's Manchester Town Hall, might advise otherwise.

Rolo

[stunsworth]

Yes, it's summer, but the weather's been bad so far.

I'd take Rolo's advice, he's got far more experience at weddings than I have - though I'd take a roll or two of fast film just in case.

[honcho]

Fuji NPH 400 with it's fine grain was the standard colour neg film and something like Kodak T400CN for anyone who was photographing weddings in the UK around 8 years ago when film was still being widely used. Anything slower than 400asa and you could be having problems if the light is less than good.

Portra 160 would not be a sensible choice, imo. Why risk it?

[Rolo]

Originally Posted by honcho

Portra 160 would not be a sensible choice, imo. Why risk it?

Why risk what ?

Surely with your experience you could shoot a wedding at 160 iso in the middle of summer in the UK with a Leica and a Summilux lens. Lots of photographers still can and do.

[andybarton]

If you want to shoot wide open, and outside, 400 ASA film is going to be a real problem for you, unless you are using an R8 or R9

[honcho]

Originally Posted by Rolo

Lots of photographers still can and do.

Really? Who?

Incidentally, 400asa is giving somewhere between 1/4000 - 1/8000 sec at f1.4 in Manchester today. Last Saturday from mid morning to mid afternoon it was around 1/500-1/1000 depending on how black the cloud was overhead. By late afternoon it was down to around 1/125-1/250 sec at f1.4 with heavy rain.

Work it out for yourself.

The reason we mainly (full-time professionals) used films like NPH 400 in the bad old days is because the emulsions were (are) so good in terms of colour saturation and fineness of grain that it was pointless to use slower emulsions.

Fursan may be glad of the extra speed during the ceremony, even at f1.4 Portra 160 would not be very useful to him and I don't know anyone who would want to set their Nikon or Canon dslr to 160asa, if they could.

The advice I offer to Fursan is based on many years full-time experience as a wedding photographer.

Good luck Fursan, I hope you enjoy the wedding and get some great shots for your friends.

[Rolo]

Work it out for yourself.

The reason we mainly (full-time professionals)

at f1.4 Portra 160 would not be very useful to him

The advice I offer to Fursan is based on many years full-time experience as a wedding photographer.

[rubenkok]

Originally Posted by fursan

Just one more question...rate it at 400 or ?

As said before, you can't use it for wide-open outside picture taking.
But 400 iso is very versatile.
Kodak Tech Pub E-4040: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/profe...4040/e4040.pdf
Hope this is some help.
All the best
Ruben

[fursan]

Ruben, thanks a lot.

[thomasw_]

Hi, TriX 400 @ 320 or 250 is very versatile... Below, I managed to catch a ray of sun streaming in through a window while the crowns were being blessed; a rather decisive moment If you like the grain of TriX, it has a lot of latitude; with a Summilux and a film that affords you ASA 250 to 800, you are the photo-ready man Enjoy your trip and all the best to the couple! Thomas

[stunsworth]

There's nothing to stop you taking a few rolls of each speed - I don't know how many shots you expect to take.

There are two dilemas as I see it. If you take slow speed film you may end up having to take everything wide open, or nearly wide open, with slow shutter speeds - as far as the aperture is concerned this won't be a problem with Leica glass. On the other hand if you take fast film and the light is good you'll be shooting at f11 or f16 all the time and you'll get some very boring images where there is no chance of using selective focus. If you take a few rolls of 160 and 400 you'll have all your bases covered.

Personally I'd use the slow film until the exposures got to 1/30th or below. I assume there's an official wedding photographer, try to take photographs that are different from his. No point in you repeating what he's doing. Since you're a member of the family you may well find that people behave more naturally when you are photographing them compared to when the photographer's taking their photograph. If the photographer is only doing the formal type of group photographs you'll have the field to yourself.

The only other thing I can suggest is not treading on the official photographer's toes. He's there to earn a living, and some are very sensitive to guests taking photographs.

Most important of all, have a great day!

[fursan]

Thomas, that is a beautiful image. I wish i could get such on film! The only problem with
TriX-400 is develop and processing. I don't iota about this. I was thinking of xp2/cn400bw.

On behalf of the couple...thank you too.

Regards.

Originally Posted by thomasw_

Hi, TriX 400 @ 320 or 250 is very versatile... Below, I managed to catch a ray of sun streaming in through a window while the crowns were being blessed; a rather decisive moment If you like the grain of TriX, it has a lot of latitude; with a Summilux and a film that affords you ASA 250 to 800, you are the photo-ready man Enjoy your trip and all the best to the couple! Thomas

[fursan]

Steve, thank you taking the time to offer your experienced advice.

1. I do not know who the official photog is, but could it be Rolo

2. A very newbie question/issue. I do not have the knowhow to change an partially
exposed roll of film in Ms

3. I am taking my M8 and M7. I love the look and feel of film.

4. I shall stay far away from the photog.

5. I have portra 160 vc and nc, but only 400 nc/vc + xp2. lots of them.

6. During the ceremony ( 2 days ), I might expose 4 to 5 rolls. more digital.

7. It is after the wedding when i intend to visit a few towns and villages that i want
to expose more film than digital.

Thank you once again for all the advice.

Originally Posted by stunsworth

There's nothing to stop you taking a few rolls of each speed - I don't know how many shots you expect to take.

There are two dilemas as I see it. If you take slow speed film you may end up having to take everything wide open, or nearly wide open, with slow shutter speeds - as far as the aperture is concerned this won't be a problem with Leica glass. On the other hand if you take fast film and the light is good you'll be shooting at f11 or f16 all the time and you'll get some very boring images where there is no chance of using selective focus. If you take a few rolls of 160 and 400 you'll have all your bases covered.

Personally I'd use the slow film until the exposures got to 1/30th or below. I assume there's an official wedding photographer, try to take photographs that are different from his. No point in you repeating what he's doing. Since you're a member of the family you may well find that people behave more naturally when you are photographing them compared to when the photographer's taking their photograph. If the photographer is only doing the formal type of group photographs you'll have the field to yourself.

The only other thing I can suggest is not treading on the official photographer's toes. He's there to earn a living, and some are very sensitive to guests taking photographs.

Most important of all, have a great day!

[vieri]

Originally Posted by fursan

2. A very newbie question/issue. I do not have the knowhow to change an partially
exposed roll of film in Ms

Hello Fahim, hope you are doing well

I will not be able to offer any different advice about color films, as you know I am more of a BW guy when it comes to film, but 160 vc & 400 vc sounds good to me (use 160 nc if you prefer subdued colors, but for 400 I'd stick with vc).

What I can help you with, is the changing roll half-way problem - it's in fact very simple to do so, here some directions: note the exposure you are at when you want to take the film off, then push the reload lever and start reloading (not too fast!); when the film will disengage from the right-side spool, you will definitely hear a noise and feel the difference in the winder at the same time (it gets lighter in action). This is the moment when you have to stop rewinding, open the bottom and take your film off. Load your new film, use it to your leisure, and when you want to go back to the old film just load it as normal, then set a fast shutter speed, put a cap on your lens and shoot until your noted last exposed frame +1. Start taking pictures again from the next frame, which should be last exposed +2, and you are good to go and safe.

Hope this helps, enjoy your Manchester trip and all our best wishes and congratulations for your niece's wedding!