Wedding Photography by Sarah Fox

To shoot a wedding well can be technically demanding. Some shooting must be done in natural light, as the church may prohibit flashes during the ceremony. Only a recent digital camera is capable of extremely low-light capture without appreciable grain or color noise. A fast lens is also required, preferably one with gyroscopic image stabilization. I have the equipment to make this happen.

In some situations, the noise from even a very quiet shutter is forbidden during the ceremony. I have a shutterless camera to use in such situations. Although it is not as good a camera as my Canon EOS 10D, it is better than no camera at all.

Wedding receptions can be equally demanding, as it is necessary to illuminate very large areas for even exposures. This requires much more powerful strobes than most people own. To keep the background from blacking out, multiple strobes are required throughout the room. I have the lighting equipment to make this happen.

Although shots of the couple in pre-ceremony settings are less challenging with regard to equipment, the uncontrolled settings nevertheless require considerable experience of the photographer. In particular, a photographer should have a good grasp of zone metering and light polarity for planning outdoor shots. As a very technically oriented nature photographer, I have the experience required to shoot images of a consistent quality in a wide variety of difficult lighting situations.

Finally, a good wedding photographer must be highly skilled either at color darkroom work or at graphic editing. Because I am primarily a digital photographer, I am heavily invested in graphic editing and printing. I have over 10 years of experience with rather elaborate graphic editing and routinely perform procedures that most people don't know. I am able to make just about any imagineable correction to a photograph, including photorealistic hand-painting when absolutely necessary. So if you want to remove a half dozen pimples, a nose ring, a tattoo, a stain, or even an unwanted relative, that's not a problem. Please see my Photoediting Services page to see what sorts of things can be done with modern digital photoediting

How do I compare to most wedding photographers? Most wedding photographers still shoot film. Furthermore, they take their film to be processed by Eckert and then send off for any enlargements that are required. Thus, they have no creative control and place their complete trust in the kid who runs the processing machines. I've had these kids ruin my film before. Is that a chance you want to take with your wedding photos?

Perhaps the biggest difference between myself and most wedding photographers is my use of light. I hate direct flash and won't use it. Thus, my lighting is soft, diffused, flattering. Most wedding photographers use direct flash because they don't have the skills to do anything else.

Finally, I do all my own printing. Unlike most photographers, I have my own professional, wide-carriage, pigment-based printer. This is an added expense and "bother" with which most photographers don't want to deal. However, I find that making my own prints is the only way I can get the results I want. Furthermore, I am very picky about the materials I use, and as a result, my prints are rated to last a century or more in normal room light before any fading becomes noticeable.

I don't claim to be the very best photographer that money can hire, but I do claim to be well above average in the wedding photography market, and I can offer you a very good value. Please contact me to set up an appointment to discuss your wedding photography needs.