It has begun! So, I'm transitioning to primarily film in a near future...

Vtec44

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And to celebrate the transition, I got my self this little puppy. It's a Pentax 645Nii with a 75mm FA 2.8. I also have the Pentax 67 105mm f2.4 coming along with a 67 to 645 adapter. I've been shooting my 35mm along with my digitals as a base to match the skin tone in my photos. So the transition isn't as drastic. Still, at about $2 a shot it makes you slow down a lot to take a shot. LOL


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Did your rates just triple?
 
why?
is there a thread where you talked about this?
I'm just curious
 
Why? Well I can't speak for other photographers but for me there are a few reasons

Skin tone: For me, film is just better at showing more pleasant skin tone. I can get my digital work to match but it's a lot of post work.
Highlights retention: I can over expose 3 or 4 stops and still retain most details in highlights. The brighter style suits me a bit better.
Medium format DOF: Pentax 6x7 105mm f2.4, Zeiss 80mm f2, and Mamiya 80mm f1.9 are some of my favorite portrait lenses
Aesthetic: Film suits my style better since I shoot mostly outdoor, rustic, day light, softer style. I'm well versed with OCF but just prefer the natural light looks.
Personal: Shooting film has actually made me a better photographer. I'm so much more aware and deliberate now because each shot costs money. Each shot has to be carefully thought out . I have to not only know my equipment well, but I also have to be at the top of my game with my photography knowledge.
Business: It's a niche and I can attract higher paying clients.
 
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Why? Well I can't speak for other photographers but for me there are a few reasons

Skin tone: For me, film is just better at showing more pleasant skin tone. I can get my digital work to match but it's a lot of post work.
Highlights retention: I can over expose 3 or 4 stops and still retain most details in highlights. The brighter style suits me a bit better.
Okay........ but that depends soooo much on film, and even more on processing. Given how few true professional colour labs are left, I would think that might be a bit of a risk; shooting a whole wedding only to find out that Ralph wasn't paying attention and the chemicals were ten degrees too warm, or...

Business: It's a niche and I can attract higher paying clients.
Do you have market research to support that? I agree on the niche, but are there enough people willing to pay enough more to make it worthwhile? Not arguing, just curious...
 
Business: It's a niche and I can attract higher paying clients.
Can they see a difference?
How will they know?
Will they really care?
Why does it cost more?
Do they get a discount because you're no longer editing on your computer?
Any limit on the number of shots?
Prints or transparencies or both?
 
Okay........ but that depends soooo much on film, and even more on processing. Given how few true professional colour labs are left, I would think that might be a bit of a risk; shooting a whole wedding only to find out that Ralph wasn't paying attention and the chemicals were ten degrees too warm, or...

Goodman Film Lab, Richard Photo Lab, and The Find Lab are 3 professional labs that I use.

Do you have market research to support that? I agree on the niche, but are there enough people willing to pay enough more to make it worthwhile? Not arguing, just curious...

This is based on the 2 years of my own research. Sites like Wedding Wire & The Knot cater to different clients and market. The budget chart they have there is way off for even my current pricing. The visitors there won't pay for my current work. I'm connected with various venues and vendors and I'm going for the smaller boutique market . No, your normal 3-4k bride will not know the difference. When you get to 6k+ clients, they're different. People are shelling out 10k+ for film photographers in my area. Jose Villa charges 20k+ :eek:

I'm still shooting digital as a backup. Nothing beats 6400 ISO at night! :D
 
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