Wedding Portraits with 4x5?

Hi Folks,

 

I'm wondering whether anyone has taken any wedding portraits using

4x5. I think potential issues could be depth of field with shorter

lenses. Flash power is not a problem. I don't have medium format and

the other alternative is 35mm where depth of field would be an

advantage. I do have 6x7 roll film back and wouldn't expect to take

many photos. I think I can get the focus fine with a small ornament

or bare flashlight bulb.

 

Am I crazy?

 

Denton

this would be for me, if i was going to go medium format via 4x5 i would have someone that is fairly competent taking photos with flash on camera in 35mm using some of the new fast film.. the bride will want the cake, the garter, the dance, the minister etc etc.. you will be left in the dust trying to catch up just takeing light readings and setting up flashes.. unless its what the bride wants and she makes everyone wait while yo set up, you will get only a few shots of the wedding.. some huge churches like our cathadreal will give you a black background without a big backlite equipment.. im an ameture and if the bride is going to save money your better off using the 35 and get three rolls of 36 shots and some will come out fine.. you could get a couple in the church with large formant but those id use full 4x5 and back up with 35 mm.. unless the bride is going to go over 8x10 there will not be much of a reason to use over 35mm..what ive seen is usually thelarge print made is of thebride andgroom at the alter.. this you should have the time you need for.. im sure there are d0zens wedding photographers here that will have better advice than i can give so wait for thier input..very important shots like weddings shouldhave a backup cameral shots anyway.. good luck, dave

i shot my engagment photos with my 4x5 rig. my father-in-law was there to trip the shutter, of course. i didn't find depth of field to be a problem at all. most were shot with a 150 or 240 lens. the main problem, unless you're very good, is going to be timing. unlike smaller format cameras, you can't see the composition as you make the exposure. once you get everything just so, you've got to block the gg with a film holder.

Not something I've done, but...

 

The most obvious choice to do this with would be a press camera of some sort with a RF. Couple in a grafmatic or similar, and you could be set.

 

I'd assume you'd not be using the 4x5 exclusively, but only for selected shots.

 

Paul

I think potential issues are more the time required for this? Most B&G's are anxious to get to cocktail hour. And I suspect that watching you focus under that black cloth, will make them pretty hungry & thirsty.

My friend had a wedding business in the 50`s, 60`s 70`s. Some work was done with RF 4x5 like a Speed Graphic and Graphmatic film holders that hold 12 shots of 4x5.

 

If you are talking a field or studio camera, forget it.

I have used both an 8x10 and a 4x5 for weddings. Spectacular shots. Just of the The bride and groom, Not the wedding party. Formal portaits and kisses. The big camera and the event makes them serious. They compose themselves, they are in control and are happy easy portraits. This is an opportunity to catch true emotion. The white and black and the detail in the lace and pearls make great prints. Classic black and white heirlooms. Advertised as silver prints that will last as long as their love. There is a market here.

OK, so I'm not too crazy. Of course I'm not going to do most of it in 4x5, just select shots, and I'd back those up with another format.

 

I'll get my kids at the church several months before to do test shots and figure out if it's going to work.

 

Thanks for the advice. My current lenses are 150mm/6.3 and 300/f9. For 35mm I have all the Nikkors and strobes i need, plus three bodies.

 

Denton

Denton,

 

In two weeks I'm photographing a friend's wedding. It's not the sort of thing that I

normally do, but he likes my work and said he and his fiancee would appreciate it if I

could do it for them. Flattery can be so effective...

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I would probably do it MF if I had MF, but I don't, and the

budget doesn't allow me to rent. So I am shooting the formals (twelve groups in a half

hour window and an hour or so before sundown on the top of a mountain) with a 6x9

back on my monorail. Lenses will be 90mm for the larger groups and 125mm for the

smaller groups. For the B&G I'll also shoot several sheets of 4x5 b&w. This will be

available light with a reflector or two. I'll probably back this up with 35mm as well.

 

I'll use Fuji NPH to give myself more DOF (than my normal NPS) and to match the

speed of HP5, which I'll use for b&w.

 

The ceremony, reception and second reception are all going to be 35mm. Probably

also NPH or possibly an 800 speed film. Lighting will either be available light or a

single flash held off camera.

 

I'm basically approaching this like I would approach anything else. It's just a different

subject in front of the camera. What I'm more worried about is crowd control and

wrangling everyone into place. I'm going to have the bride's mother help me get the

groups together and keep order--this is as much to get her out of my hair as to make

use of her, uh, demanding nature.

 

Good luck.

 

-michael

Michael,

 

I'd like to hear any lessons learned from your shoot. I won't have the option for any outside shots since the wedding is Dec 31st in Ohio. I'm doing this for one of my brothers who simply doesn't have the money for a professional, but he's not really poor since his daughter has a heart of gold!

 

I'll share shooting responsibilities with my oldest brother, whom I learned the craft from by developing 120 ortho film in a tray! He does the "informal" and I do the formal although once I'm done with 6x7 and 4x5 I'll pick up the Nikon. I'll do the B&W myself, probably use Ilford 400 or maybe TMAX400 if I get the right developer.

 

How are you going to get the 6x9 prints done? My local pro lab doesn't have a 6x9 carrier since it's unusual. I have both 6x7 and 6x9 Horseman backs and was also wondering whether I could squeeze a 220 into the 120 film back. Guess I'll just have to try unless someone has the answer.

 

Looking forward to a report....

 

Denton Hoyer

Michigan

Guilty as charged. I also use a 5X7 camera for wedding work as the aspect ratio is more to my liking. I have an example of a 4X5 bridal portrait here:

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/1198753

 

Different bride, shot with a 6X9 rollfilm back on a 4X5 view camera:

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/1440025

 

Another reason I like using 5X7 is the 2-up sliding split back I have for my Eastman #2. I can shoot two 3?x5 images on 1 sheet of film quite quickly - a big help in keeping the session moving along.

 

I have a bunch of different lenses that I use for both cameras. Among my fav's for portraits are a 10" Ilex Paragon for 4X5 head & shoulder shots, a 180mm Rodenstock Sironar for 4X5 full length shots, 12" and 14" Goerz Red Dot Artars for 5X7 head & shoulders, and an 8?" Series S Ilex Paragon for 5X7 full length. If I anticipate large groups, I'll bring a 90mm Ilex-Calumet Wide Field Caltar for the 4X5 or a 5" Ross Wide Angle Xpres for the 5X7.

Dare to be different! 4x5 is no problem, especially with rangefinder assisted focusing. The MOST important thing is to KNOW the camera`s idiosyncracies. Grab a few shots prior to ceremonies at the distances you`re likely to encounter using Polaroid film as a test. I wouldn`t rely solely on LF for a wedding, but if you get it right, you`ll have the ultimate result. A 150mm or 210mm focal length is ideal for the closeups, a 90mm for the group shots is handy. The golden rule: Shoot first, ask questions later.

You said that you were doing the formal pix with 4x5 and that should not present any

problem at all, in fact they should be excellent. Make sure to talk with the folk at the church

well before the wedding and get their permission to bring in modest lighting equipment (two

lights and an umbrella or reflector/diffusion screen should do it ... of course you can get

more elaborate if you have the equipment and interest). Don't try to do any formal shots

during the actual ceremony, pose them afterwards.

 

As for your "professional" lab that says 6x9 is an unusual size I dislike sounding harsh but

find another lab!

are you kidding? why on earth would anyone bother using a 4x5 at a wedding. what do

you think the largest size print the bride and groom will want. even if it is 16x20 do you

really think that the bride would notice the diffrence between a print made from a 4x5 or

a 6.45 or 6x7 using a finer grained film. will the print be viewed from 6 inches away? you

will save yourself a lot of grief shooting the ceremony on medium format as well as the

formals at the park and 35mm photojournalism style for everything else. as far as the

couple being more in tune with someone hiding behind a dark cloth thats a bunch of crap.

bye the way if this wedding is on a hot summer day i hope you have air conditioning under

that cloth. why dont you try using a finer grained film and a sturdy tripod with your 35 or

spend $40.00 and rent a medium format kit for the weekend? personally we use 35mm

and 6x7mf for weddings

For clients who enjoy posing with a photographer who writes this way a cell phone is probably adequate, for civilized brides and grooms something finer is appreciated.

Denton,

 

Take from a guy who shoots wedding regularly, don't.

 

The reason is very simple TIMELINE.

 

Normally the you are in control of the schedule before the ceremony, after the ceremony starts the clock belongs to the church and the reception sites, and normally you don't have much time between the ceremony and reception to start with, don't forget the reception line at the church.

 

An alternative is to convince the bride and groom to do everything prior to the actual ceremony but even then it could be a problem since you need time to setup and packup after the fact, and weddings by the way never run on time regardless of what the bride and groom assure you.

 

Don't meant to rain on your parade, it just the way things normally go.

 

Hugh

cell phone = mf? intresting. its one thing if in addition to the park they are willing to come

to your studio. its another to do it all in the field. we photograph on average 24-30

weddings. whenever i have been told "you will have all the time you need,2-3 hrs no

problem." the reality has always been 1/2 to 1 hr. less than we were told. just the way it

goes. if you are really stuck on doing some 4x5 then maybe you could convince the bride

and groom to get all dressed up a week prior to take care of those shots. some of my

contemporaries are doing that on occassion.

p.s., denton; please don't refer to your prospective wedding clients who would rather not

pose in front of a 4x5 camera as "uncivilized" it probably won't win them over,though it

seems to work for mr. ryder.

For formal portraits, if you know that you will have the bride and groom for at least half an hour for formal portraits, then 4x5 is good...

Be absolutely sure that you are very proficient with the camera, because the chance of screwing up is greater in LF than smaller roll-film formats, and you will have a smaller number of images...

 

I know a guy who recentl did this "formal portrait at a wedding" thing with a 12x20 banquet camera...

 

Cheers,

 

PJ

<i>"why on earth would anyone bother using a 4x5 at a wedding. what do you think the largest size print the bride and groom will want. even if it is 16x20 do you really think that the bride would notice the diffrence between a print made from a 4x5 or a 6.45 or 6x7 using a finer grained film. will the print be viewed from 6 inches away?"</i><p>...Because it's not <i>just</i> about "fine grain". If I were able to get a lens for my Bronicas that had the <i>look</i> I can get with my Ross Homocentric, I'd buy two. Truth be told - it ain't gonna happen. It's not just the lenses (though I wouldn't take my 5X7 anywhere without my 8 1/2" Series S Paragon), it's also about image real estate. 4X5 (or larger) is going to have a very different look as an 8X10 than will a medium format negative, and dramatically different than a 35mm negative.<p>Having said that, though I take a large format camera to every wedding, it doesn't come out of the equipment truck at every job. While <i>most</i> of my shooting is 6X6, there are many occasions when all the pieces fall just into place and out comes the 5X7...

In plain English this means: we are cheap and would like to take advantage of our friendship and have you do it for free.

 

 

No way I would do this on the day of the wedding. It could be considered for formal shots before wedding day or later, but wedding day was such a PITA for me, I won't do weddings any more, not even for friends. So far it's been 12 blissful wedding-free years. I get to enjoy weddings and relax...and I only used 35mm, and a few 120 formals...

one more - the bride's mother is the last person I would rely on, or even ask to do this....you should have the bride provide you with a friend to do this, someone not in the party...I think someone else mentioned it, but the time is never as much as they say or you plan on. I did my brother's wedding, and got nothing I asked for in the way of crowd control/scheduling...Good Luck. Will be interesting to see how these turn out. Tom in Seattle

Thinking of shooting some 4x5 film at wedding also. Sometimes I just miss good old film. Maybe some shots with a 4x5 Press camera. Something different to do.