trw Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Hello,<br /><br />I'm an amateur who's been asked to shoot a wedding for friends.<b>YES</b>, I have <b>strongly</b> encouraged them to hire aprofessional wedding photographer.<br /><br />I have one question at the moment:<br />I know that colour print films like Fuji NPS and NPH are ideal forweddings because when exposed properly, they preserve detail in bothhighlights (the bridal gown), and shadows (the tuxedos). Unfortunatelythe ceremony will be in mixed fluorescent and incandescent lighting,so black & white is the best option when the flash cannot beused. What Black&White 220 format film do you recommend forphotographing the ceremony in available light? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franka t.l. Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Any decent 400 ISO like the Ilford Delta-400 or Agfa APX-400 should do fine. the problem would be getting hold of the 220 Stock. I think the first on the agenda is start asking around for available film stock .. Personally I prefer old style Silver halide, so I tend to stick with Kodak Tr-X or Ilford HP5+, but IMHO they have too high a contrast for wedding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James G. Dainis Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 A lot of people would shoot everything in color and desaturate in photoshop to get black and white when needed. James G. Dainis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiyen Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Wow. The _only_ b&w 220 film out there is Kodak BW 400CN and Tri-X Pan (the 320 speed variant). It really is getting rare. I find that, sometimes, in mixed lighting that desaturating color film doesn't always give the results I want. Some of the tones just look a _bit_ off after desaturating. Maybe it's just psychological. As for getting low contrast, you could use TXP and pull development, or just shoot the 400CN. The C41 stuff is almost always fairly low in contrast. allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trw Posted March 7, 2005 Author Share Posted March 7, 2005 I specified 220 format because if I photograph the ceremony I'll probably be using a Mamiya C220, which does not have interchangeable film backs. Changing film during the ceremony will likely not be an option. It looks like I'll probably be using Kodak Professional 320TXP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiyen Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 If you are using TXP...I took pictures of a friend's dog a while back, which is completely white and black. I used TXT rated at 250, even though I usually rate at 320, since I was using matrix rather than spot metering. I then pulled development by 25% from my usual (again, which is for EI 320) and got nicely controlled contrast. Not that I'm comparing TXT to TXP (or dogs to brides and grooms, for that matter), but just saying that such a technique worked quite well. allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted March 8, 2005 Share Posted March 8, 2005 XP2 Super. Unless you plan to use digital tools, in which case you can desaturate and tweak color negative films. The main advantage to XP2 Super is low to moderate contrast, which is usually suitable for photographing people, especially with direct flash. It also responds the same as traditional b&w films when used with yellow, orange, red, green or other filters. Color films won't respond the same way if used with these filters, so even desaturated you won't get the same results. I don't think XP2 Super is available now in 220. For that matter, I don't think any Ilford film is being made in 220. So you'll have to plan on buying more rolls and changing more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_tuthill Posted March 8, 2005 Share Posted March 8, 2005 Lex, I like XP-2 also but it won't fit in his Mamiya C220. I'm no expert in B&W but wanted to post a recommendation that nobody else has so far. <B>Do not shoot B&W film</B> just find a digital minilab that can produce B&W prints for selected frames or rolls. E.g, I find the Frontier produces better B&W prints from color film than from Kodak BW400CN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmc Posted March 8, 2005 Share Posted March 8, 2005 I did some photos a while back at a wedding. I shot Tri-X (@1600 speed!) using an old Leica. They did have an official photographer and lots of other friends took photos but the ones they liked the most were mine. They just loved the look-and-feel of the grainy b/w. Looks very classic. So I guess I'd recommend Tri-X pushed to 1600 speed (good for inside the church [provided there'll be one] - no flash needed!) to ge the ultimate classic look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth_beatty Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Huge fan of Agfa APX 400 but since you want 220 go with Tri-X dev Rodinal 1:50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_tuthill Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Trent, do you have a home darkroom, or know a lab that produces good prints from B&W film? If not you're taking a big risk with TXP or Tri-X. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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