When you shot film - how many did you take/proof.

[bigrob]

It is very interesting to read threads about what people's expectations are for the quantity of proofs and or final images.

Just out of interest for those that shot weddings with film - roughly

1) how many did you take?

2) how many did you proof to the client?

[rrookey]

400- 500 and 300-400......

[tim]

I've never used a film slr...

[bigrob]

I've never used a film slr...

The question obviously wasn't for you then Tim :D

[tim]

Yeah but I have to post on every thread to keep my post count going up ;)

[bigrob]

And I thought you were just posting because you were interested and wanted to subscribe.

[tim]

No, you can subscribe to a thread without posting. I doubt many people here have used film... Stu and a few others :)

[breal101]

Back in the film days most pros used MF film cameras. They shot about 10 rolls of film which was 100 to 150 exposures depending on which format (6x7, 6x6 or 6x4.5) camera they used. Most proofed all of them, they were good! OK, I'm kidding about the good part. Some were not so good. I worked in a pro lab in the 80's and that's what was about average in those days.

[bigrob]

Hopefully more film shooters will post. From what you say it is interesting to see how times have changed with many newlyweds getting 300 to 1000 images.

I had a small wedding and one album of photos is plenty.

[breal101]

Film and processing wasn't free then, it could cost over $100 for film, processing and proofing alone. I edited my post for a typo I'm talking about the 80's. We charged about 50 cents per proof, I don't think they pay that much now. I shot a few weddings then but only a couple family and friends weddings in digital and delivered on DVD so I really don't know what prints cost anymore.

[wndrlst]

I've never shot a wedding with film, but I'm old enough that my wedding was shot with film - does that count? :/

My wedding photographer's upper tier packages included "unlimited" shooting which usually amounted to about 500 proofs.

[Edbee]

In my time a 4x5 Speed Graphic was common.

[ScullenCrossBones]

I usually figured about 180-200 shots and delivered about 120 proofs. We estimated that each shot cost about $1, including film cost, processing, printing and a proof album. For bigger packages, more shots, for budget packages, a bit fewer.

[Peacefield]

I shot about a dozen film weddings back in the late 80's. The general expectation was to deliver 100-125 prints. I'd shoot 250 to do it. But don't forget, those were the days of shot lists and it was back before journalism/story-telling. Many of the shots that are the most popular today weren't even taken back then. And where I might blow 500 images in just the general shenanigans out on the dance floor, back then, it was just about the couple and then maybe less than 10 of general dancing/partying.

[111t]

For my first film wedding i shot 17 36exp rolls... It was clear to me when i was putting the album together that i had taken way to many. Over the next few years i got the average down to about 10-11 rolls. I learned a documentary style at that job so most of the shots were turned over. If I shot dupes of formal groupings, i would pick the best one and eliminate the others. I guess they got anywhere between 270 and 300 proofs.

I was perfectly happy limiting myself to 360-400 shots with film. Usually I found myself reigning myself in at the reception. After all of the 'standard' events were taken then it basically was party time. You can only take so many shots of people dancing. I becan experimenting with dragging the shutter to get interesting streaks to make the dancing/party shots more dynamic. It's a hit and miss process with film or digital, but at least with digital you can see what you got. I find with digital less pressure to end it as i get to that 350 shot mark. It's really not costing me anything... Except the time to sort through them later.

[RDKirk]

I shot weddings with both 35mm and MF during the late 70s and early 80s. It would usually amount to two of 120 film (24 exposures) for the group and posed shots, with three rolls (about 100 exposures) of 35mm. I was doing PJ work at the time, and using 35mm for weddings was extremely controversial, so I was probably one of the early "PJ style" wedding photographers--it was not a marketing point at the time, it was something to be overcome.

I have never, ever shown a client everything, and I was doing my own processing and printing at the that time even in color...probably about 2/3 of the total exposures were shown to the client.