 BetterPhoto Member |
To Develop or not to Develop I have recently been asked by several friends and family members to shoot portraits, weddings, etc for them in the next six months. I am working on adding to my camera equipment and know the basics things I need. However, I have been wondering as this is basically going to develop into a business if I need to learn to develop my own film. Right now, I can get by with sending off pictures for enlargements etc. But, as this is developing on it's own free will I want to make sure I am taking the correct steps. Do most professional (not that I claim be) photographers develop their own film. Do they use digital over 35mm? Should I invest in equipment and classes for developing? I have had no formal training in photgraphy other than books and practing since age 12. Any addvice would be appreciated.
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TERESA J. SWEET |
Hi Mandy, to be honest, I haven't had the opportunity to develop my own film since high school, then again, I'm only 26. But in my experience with photography, I would rather leave it to the professional 'printing' companies. It may vary of course, if you use medium format but I've never used that equipment. I have a 20D and order enlargements. But should you decide to invest in the equipment, I do know it is very expensive but it sure is a lot of fun to learn. You could always research and look into it to find out all the details and see if you think that would be your best route. Good luck with what you decide!!
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Kerry L. Walker |
Most pros do not develop their own film, primarily because of the expense of the equipment needed plus the time required to process it. It is much easier to just let a pro lab do it. Some pros use digital and some use 35mm film. It is just a matter of choice. Using digital requires more time at the computer. Some use MF film (my choice).
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Mark Feldstein |
I'll be bluntly honest with you Mandy. "Basically developing a business" is like being a little bit pregnant. Either it is or isn't a business. If it's a business, you need to run it accordingly. And know going in this is a highly competitive, very tough business at that. Also, the business of photography is NOT the same as being a photographer or "into photography". Before you decide anything, you need a flexible, yet comprehensive business plan with a budget for things like marketing, insurance, and last of all, equipment. As for processing, I highly recommend that you learn how to process and print film. While most digital photographers will disagree with that, I firmly believe that knowledge of film and related processes just makes you a better photographer in areas like understanding light and the color of light, contrast, exposure, etc. You don't need your own darkroom to do that although I process and print a lot of my own work because it gives me complete control over it as opposed to trying to explain what I want to the lab. Besides, any education you get in anything, whether it's formal or informal, will tend to make you better at what you choose to do for a living. And BTW, a course in business law and another in accounting will help you as well. 90% of the successful wedding photographers I know shoot in medium format and on film, not digitally. AND, before they went off on their own in that particular specialty, they served an apprenticeship with someone who was already established in that area of our craft. Now a caveat: I've been a photojournalist for about 28 years. I've shot two weddings; one when I was 16 years old and didn't know any better, the other about two years ago for a friend who works for the same publication I do, along with 18 other photojournalist friends of his. I would never, ever shoot a wedding by myself. It requires a lot more knowledge (which builds confidence0 than a lot of people around here will admit to needing. AND a fair amount of back-up equipment. Remember, if you blow a wedding gig, you are going to be devastating a lot of people because it's virtually impossible to recreate and reshoot. Portraits...are entirely different. But a wedding is a unique event. You can't just sort of "dabble" in wedding photography. So my advice is you really need to prepare for this kind of work. And although family and friends may be encouraging you to pursue it, it's not likely they really know what's involved and think it's just like shooting snapshots at a picnic. Not quite. Practicing on the weddings of friends and family is pretty risky.
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robert G. Fately |
Hey, Mandy. LIke the ladies have said, few pros develop their own film (other than for their own personal artisticuse, perhaps), and virtually nobody develops their own color film because of the very controlled conditions that must be maintained (a quarter degree off temperature can screw up the colors completely). Ergo, the pro lab route is the way to go. If you are in a larger city, no doubt there are a few labs to be found - go and check them out. If not, you could use a place like A&I labs in Hollywood - they do excellent work by mail order (their website is www.aandi.com) and they are not alone. I imagine that you'd want to use a lab less geared to consumer-level work, so you could have them fix or alter things as needed. The digital versus film thing is still in hot debate, though the weight is shifting to digital. FOr shooters needing fast turnaround time (photojournalism, sports, perhaps weddings) digital is virtually a necessity, but for more sedate type work film is fine, especially if you have a local lab. The only real caveat about mailing film is the (slim) possiblity of it getting lost. Which it does, on occassion - and that just sucks. Still, in the short run film is cheaper - never minding the cost of the camera, the requisite computer, storage (both online and optical for backups) and software can start to add up quickly. Photo image processing is not something to try with a computer that's 5 years old...
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