Q: Do you use Digital Cameras?
A: Yes. All my latest work was shot digitally. This gives me far greater control over my image quality than I ever had with film. To find out more about my Digital photography
services, please see my Intro to Digital Photography
page.
Q: What resolution?
A. Mostly 12MP. Pixel count alone isn't what makes a superb image. Timing, creative composition, perspective, exposure choice, depth of field choice, white balance, camera responsiveness,
steadiness, lens sharpness, accurate focus, image sensor quality, and image file format (RAW), all play a major role. Only when those aspects are right does sensor size have any relevance. Then output size (e.g. print size) becomes the determinant as to which sensor size is appropriate.
Q: Do you do Black & White?
A: Yes. This is the area I have specialised in, and remain most
passionate about. Having built up my skills in traditional chemical darkroom techniques, I now use specialised digital darkroom techniques.
Despite B&W photography having been around for centuries, new
technologies are once again making it an exciting and rapidly
evolving art form.
Q: Do you do colour?
A: Yes. With digital, all my images start out in colour, and any can be
used to create B&W images. For film based packages, typically
about 80% of coverage I do for each wedding is in colour. But how
much colour or B&W you choose is up to you. I can help you
decide once I know what your preferences and plans are.
Q: Do you do video?
A: No, but I can recommend good videographers if you need one.
I work exclusively in still photography. This allows me to focus on
giving my best in what I am good at.
Q: What are your packages?
A: I have a set of sample packages listed on my Packages page, to make choosing simpler for
you. However, I usually customise a package for each couple, to meet their
more specific needs.
Q: Do you visit the venues with us before hand?
A: Yes, wherever practical. For Johannesburg based weddings, this
is my standard practice. For weddings in other parts of South
Africa, or in other countries, pre-planning and site visits are
just as important, and arrangements are subject to costs being
covered by my clients.
Q: What equipment do you use?
A: For each shoot, I bring a minimum of 2 Nikon professional digital cameras and a range of professional series lenses, on-camera flash units and
power packs, and a sturdy tripod. Portable studio equipment, such as
backdrops, studio lights, power packs, stands and reflectors, is an optional extra.
For studio and location work, I use 12MP Nikon D3 and D2X digital SLRs. Medium format (6x7cm) film equipment is available on request.
Q: Do you print your work yourself?
A: Yes. I manually edit every image I print because of the
personal interpretation involved in printing my images.
To ensure the highest possible quality, I shoot every image in RAW format. I then personally work up each image for colour, contrast, saturation,
localised brightness adjustments, & sharpness. I then have my pre-adjusted
images accurately played out on Polytronica or Fuji Frontier machines,
without modifications to my settings.
For fine art printing, where specialised papers are desired, I print premium grade Ultrachrome®
digital prints, up to 30x45cm.
The exception is for printing off film onto colour paper.
For this I get a professional lab to print to the highest wedding and
portrait printing standards.
Q: We don't want prints - do you also offer images on CD only?
A. Certainly. The digital files are all edited before being sold, so the costs of full resolution files are higher than those provided with many printed wedding packages. For packages over R15 000, I do provide all images in high resolution on DVD, as those packages cover my time for producing the basic minimum quality as well as the editing of the purchased images.
Q: Is B&W more expensive than colour?
A: I now charge the same for most black and white and colour images. The difference comes in where more art work is involved to give a particular look, such as black and white images that are hand tinted or selectively toned. The art work puts these images into an advanced pricing category, much as it would for colour images requiring extensive art work.
A good B&W image usually involves subjective interpretation and requires carefully tweaked contrast and luminosity to give it the edge,
so there is often more work involved in advanced B&W printing.
Digitally captured images can be converted from their native colour
format into black & white or sepia. (See more on the Introduction to Digital Photography page)
Q: What is "Sepia"?
A: Simply put, it is a brownish (single colour) photograph. Sepia
toning was originally done centuries ago to make black & white
prints more durable. It is quite in fashion at the moment, as it
looks warmer than plain black & white, and sometimes conjures
up nostalgic feelings of timelessness.
There are several ways of achieving this colour on monochrome
prints (single colour prints).
In digital images, it can be achieved in a variety of ways, all ultimately converting a colour image into a black and white image, adjusting the contrast and luminosity, and applying the desired single brownish colour. Much like a good black and white image, its appeal is largely in the way contrast between shadows and highlights is emphasised, so the best prints usually take more time to fine tune.
Q: Do you compile an album for us?