[LargeFormat] Large format at weddings

[rstein]

Dear friends,

     Uncle Dick takes off his comic hat and puts on his serious one for a
moment. I have an enquiry that may have commercial benefits.

     I do small wedding photography - by that I mean it is not a constant
money-making venture that is essential to my survival. Those of you who do I
salute - please do not be offended that I am lurking  in your field of
endeavour. Be content that the weddings I do would never have been big
payers to a commercial worker - nor are they big payers to me. They are what
might be termed niche coverage.

    They are not great art - whatever great art is. ( Aside - Art is what
you can't sell and fine art is what you couldn't sell in a fit....) They are
cheery documentation of the day with a few mantlepiece masterpieces that
will be dusted for decades and then pressed into a family history book.

     I employ a servant, Igor, to haul cases, load magazines, hold flashes,
and bring me unconscious females during thunderstorms. Igor comes from a
long line of Igors and is very professional at it. See Terry Pratchett.

    Up to now I have been experimenting for years with the right
combinations of cameras,films, flashes, and accessories to do the coverage.
Some weddings have been like an explosion in a camera shop - and some have
seemed like hauling ammunition up to the Somme. I have longed to reduce the
amount of gear needed.

    To that end, I am devising a three-part plan for coverage. A,B,and
possibly C. A and B involve 35mm and 6 x 6 camera outfits respectively -
different amounts of coverage, different results for the size of prints,
different prices. I have plotted a reasonable return on the investment and
will only be hauling one type of camera in each scenario - spares, of
course, but not 2 systems at once.

     The C option is the one I need advice on. I am contemplating offering
huge pictures taken on 4 x 5 sheet film. I have enough holders to do 50
shots at one time, though I am contemplating only doing 32 per wedding. As
you can imagine, the price will need to be high, but the whole package will
be quite large - proofs at 8 x 10 for instance. I am contemplating using the
Linhof E on a Gitzo tripod to do it.

    Does anyone else in the list use their large format cameras for wedding
coverage in the field? How do they manage the practicalities of it? Is there
a market? How many pictures do they take? Equipment? Lighting?

     I would be very grateful for any advice.

    Uncle Dick