Digital Photography.
Reprint of an article by Amy Thomas on The Knot.

Think capturing your wedding on digital files is futuristic at best, risky at worst? Think again. Today's professional digital cameras are incredibly advanced, resulting in crystal-clear pictures, and possibly faster turnaround times and more convenient sharing options than with conventional photography. Some of the industry's best photographers are shooting digitally -- and are even beginning to prefer it to 35mm. "The technology and quality of imagery has advanced to such a point in the past year that I think it's an appropriate and exciting choice for wedding photographers," claims renowned photographer Denis Reggie, whose work has appeared in Vogue, Bazaar, and Elle, and who shot the now-classic image of newlyweds John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline Besset. With all the buzz about digital photography, we thought we'd share the top ten things you should know about it.

Get the right goods. You know a wedding photographer isn't going to pick up any old 35mm camera to shoot your wedding. So of course she isn't going to use the ubiquitous point-and-shoot varieties you've seen and used. There are a handful of high-end cameras that professional photographers use, and what makes them stand apart -- aside from the $3,000-$7,000 price tags -- are resolution and pixel size, and, like any other professional cameras, all the options and settings that allow a photographer to tweak the picture for the very best image possible. These are way beyond basic digital cameras, which means the quality of your pictures will be too.

Sneak a peek. Photographers agree that one of the greatest things about shooting digitally is that you can see results as you go along, on the camera's LCD screen. This means the photographer will know right away if he or she needs to take a shot again, because, for example, the exposure was bad or a bridesmaid had her eyes closed. It also gives photographers more creative freedom, allowing them to compose pictures with different lighting, angles, and cropping, because they can tell instantly if the shot worked.

Contrast & compare. Worried digital files won't produce nice pictures? Thanks to the quality now of both cameras and printers, your 11x14 digital prints may be just as good as 11x14 35mm prints. In fact, you probably couldn't tell the difference between side-by-side samples, a test that wedding photographer Joe Buissink, whose work has been featured in such magazines as InStyle and in books by entertaining guru Colin Cowie, gives his brides to demonstrate the merits of digital prints. But beware: Only the newest, most advanced pro cameras are up to this task.

Share the love. As soon as two weeks after the wedding, you can share your wedding pictures with everyone online. Or, as Reggie puts it, digital "enhances the after-effects of a wedding." And since the images are digital, it's easy for photographers to offer the option of online viewing (often sooner than it would take to get conventional proofs). As soon as your photographer uploads the images to a password-protected site, PICtage.com being the unanimous favorite, you get to see hundreds of pictures from your wedding -- and share them with everyone, no matter how far away they are. Even better, everyone can order their own prints online: less hassle for you, instant gratification for your family.

Know your rights. When it comes to who owns the digital files, don't assume that they're automatically yours -- even if they are posted online for everyone to see. Much like the issue of negative ownership with traditional photographers, it all depends on whom you hire and the terms of your contract. Some photographers might give you the files but maintain the copyright, others might charge you extra to own them, and still others might download lower-resolution copies of the images on a CD for you, but keep the original, high-res files that would be appropriate for enlargement. As always, make sure the contract terms are acceptable to you before signing on the dotted line.

Make it last. Like any pictures printed on high-quality photographic paper, your digital prints may last for decades, depending on which printing system your photographer uses. And instead of worrying about protecting fragile negatives that are easily scratched or lost, you can archive your digital files on DVD or CD -- technology that should last for many years to come -- and then you (or your photographer) can convert the files to the Next Greatest Thing.

Add special effects. Think of all the enhancements and techniques photographers use on "regular" photos. Now it's even easier to manipulate images because they're already in a digital format. Not that your photographer is going to give you shockingly pink hair or superimpose your image on the moon, but she can greatly enhance a picture with computer software like Adobe Photoshop and Genuine Fractals (say, if you want a poster-size wedding portrait). A more artistic technique might be printing onto watercolor paper using an Iris printer, resulting in images that look like paintings. Check out photographers' portfolios to see what artistic techniques they might use.

Save cash elsewhere. Sure, your photographer saves on film and processing costs. But the actual time spent shooting at your wedding, equipment costs, and printing expenses remain. And because what you're really paying for is the skill of the photographer, no matter her medium, and a package with a set number of images, your cost benefit comes when you get to pick from a better selection of pictures.

Explore your options. The percentage of wedding photographers who have taken the digital plunge is still low -- an estimated 30%. But with industry leaders like Denis Reggie and Joe Buissink raving about the exceptional results, it's only a matter of time before digital goes mainstream. "This is the biggest photography revolution since the 35mm," raves Scott Whittle, whose photographs have appeared in various wedding magazines as well as in Travel & Leisure and The New York Times. Once other photographers start learning the ropes and investing in the equipment -- the two biggest barriers to entering the digital arena -- you can bet they'll rely on it more and more.

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