Wedding photography in Crete

Gary Holliday · Jul 24, 2007

I've been asked to photograph an outdoor street wedding in Crete this September and looking for a recommendation for B&W film.

I have never shot in extreme sunny conditions like this before so need some guidance in film choice.

They want a documentary style album so I'll take the 35mm camera.

Cheers.

JohnArs · Jul 24, 2007

Delta 100 in XTOL undiluted!
Armin

DBP · Jul 24, 2007

Pan F in Rodinal.

George Papantoniou · Jul 25, 2007

Pan F might be a bit too contrasty... I would rather recommend FP4 or, if you want the grainy (reportage-style) appearance, Tri-X.

Remember to wear a helmet, stray bullets have killed and injured many people in Cretan weddings... they usually are shot towards the sky, but they eventually come back down :rolleyes:

film_guy · Jul 25, 2007

What about some Tri-X or HP5+? I know it's going to be bright and sunny, but during weddings there's going to be a lot of times when you wished you have faster film. Personally I think it's easier to overexpose rather than underexpose when the time calls for either to be done.

Ian Grant · Jul 25, 2007

Gary, I shoot a lot of B&W film in the Aegean region, Greece/Western Turkey and while light levels are quite high and it's a almost always very sunny the contrast is not as severe as you'd imagine.

The sky really is a deep blue and compared to the UK prints as if you've used an orange filter to accentuate it. There is so much light everywhere that shadows retain plenty of detail.

Currently I'm shooting TMax100 and TMax400 processed in Pyrocat HD, typical exposures are 125th/250th at f16 with 100ISO film.

Ian

coigach · Jul 25, 2007

Have you considered using dr5 reverse processed HP5?

The reason I suggest it is because as a tranny it can be shot at 1000 without any increase in grain so you can use it in just about any conditions, inside and outside, without worry. It looks good in dr5's sepia process 2 also.

I use HP5 at this speed with my 35mm rangefinder all the time and it works great

See http://www.dr5.com/hp5.html

and here for 1000 iso sample

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Hope this helps,
Gavin

Ian Grant · Jul 25, 2007

Gavin, have you considered the huge disadvantages in using dr5

1 Requires postage overseas for processing, these are wedding photographs and so this adds a huge and unnecessary element of risk.

2 Time required for processing, instead of a few hours is probably at least a week minimum.

3 dr5 produces positives not negatives, so analog B&W prints are not feasible.

That's not to say the dr5 process is not good, it's just totally inappropriate where prints are going to be rquired.

Ian

Mike Richards · Jul 25, 2007

My Experiences in Greece

I took some photos in Western Greece a couple of years ago. You can check out the images in my Dead Link Removed. Most of the images were in shady or sunny/shady conditions, most likely what you will encounter at a wedding. It's not likely that participants will spend a lot of time standing around in the hot midday sun, so a sunny/shady mix or late afternoon service is likely what you can expect. You probably won't get any other recommendations for the film/developer combination I used, but it's one of my favorites. Scala @ ISO 200 developed as a negative in 1:25 Rodinal for 8.5 minutes @ 65F (18C).

I did cover a late afternoon Dead Link Removed using my Digilux 2, and I believe these are more likely the conditions you will find rather than noonday sun. They included a parade through the streets from home to church.

A lot depends on the time of the wedding and other events you want to cover. Best to pin this down early as it will likely affect your choices.

arigram · Jul 25, 2007

FP4+ and HP5+ are commonly used films and you can still buy them in Iraklio. Ilfosol-S goes well with them.
The light's strong contast is a feature of the cretan landscape. I suggest you accept it and use it in your composition.
Is the couple Cretans or foreigners? Probably the latter.
Cretan weddings are an enormous and chaotic event which like George said might include stray bullets but lately they have been shooting fireworks instead.
Have fun.
Let me now if you are in need of film to tell where to get it on the island.

coigach · Jul 25, 2007

Ian Grant said:
Gavin, have you considered the huge disadvantages in using dr5

1 Requires postage overseas for processing, these are wedding photographs and so this adds a huge and unnecessary element of risk.

2 Time required for processing, instead of a few hours is probably at least a week minimum.

3 dr5 produces positives not negatives, so analog B&W prints are not feasible.

That's not to say the dr5 process is not good, it's just totally inappropriate where prints are going to be rquired.

Ian

Cheers for reply. You make some good points, I'll try and answer them as best I can based on my experience.

One of the reasons I mentioned dr5, apart from the versatility of the film speed, is that the original poster did not go into great detail about the type and number of prints. I myself used the dr5 / hp5 combination to shoot a reportage-type wedding for a friend. The couple selected the slides they fancied prints of, and we got a mixture of standard machine prints and some Cibas which were more formal and now sit framed in their living room! Horses for courses, not sure what the expectations of the marrying couple are, or how 'formal' the wedding and pohotography is going to be. It's another option to consider anyway.

Postage. Yes, there are time and cost implications for posting, but if the poster wants to go down this route, it can be factored in to the planning easily enough pif the marrying couple want to go down this route. As for risk, make sure the parcel is tracked and insured and there are unlikely to be any issues. I've posted many hundreds of rolls of film to dr5 from Scotland for the past few years and never had any issues.

Hope this is helpful,
Gavin

Gary Holliday · Jul 25, 2007

They are an English couple with family living in Crete, I am guessing its a non- religious Greek Orthodox wedding. I'll get the full details when I see them again. Thanks for the heads up, the locals could add some authenticity to the day!

I was thinking of Pan F for it's speed but of course the contrast worries me. I had thought of XP2, but then it's quite a fast film.I'll be wanting to shoot at large apertures.

I will use flash wherever possible and the locations will include the beach and the (shaded?) street where the main event will be.

Delta 100 is a new film to me, but I am a growing fan of it's use in portraiture.

Neal · Jul 25, 2007

Dear Gary,

Take your favorite film and go and practice now (I assume you'll have a few bright sunny days in August). I would rather verify my exposure and development method than worry about small differences in film and developer types.

Neal Wydra

coigach · Jul 25, 2007

Whatever film you plump for in the end, good luck and have a good time!

Best wishes,
Gavin

arigram · Jul 25, 2007

Gary Holliday said:
They are an English couple with family living in Crete, I am guessing its a non-religious Greek Orthodox wedding. I'll get the full details when I see them again. Thanks for the heads up, the locals could add some authenticity to the day!

So, does the wedding include a church or not? I am confused.
Strobes and hot lights are part of the wedding ceremony in a church, so be free to use them (and you will need them).
English couple eh? Then, the wedding will be pretty tame, no need to bring your bulletproof vest and kevlar helmet.
Its really hot though, have that in mind.
Because of global warming, its unusually hot this year.

I was thinking of Pan F for it's speed but of course the contrast worries me. I had thought of XP2, but then it's quite a fast film.I'll be wanting to shoot at large apertures.

You will need the speed if you shoot indoors and in the evening.
The sun will be deadly during the day and too blinding for your film and people. I use a lot of PanF+ in MF, but in a "controlled environment" to be certain I have the contrast tamed.

I will use flash wherever possible and the locations will include the beach and the (shaded?) street where the main event will be.

The ceremony will be on the street?
Give me the place and time and I might tell you the conditions.

If you buy film in Crete or in Athens, have in mind its expensive.

Gary Holliday · Jul 25, 2007

I'll find out more about the intinerary to see where I will be working. Thanks for the advice.

Gary Holliday · Sep 19, 2007

Just got back from Crete last night. The wedding was at the Vasia Hotel in Sissi. Lovely location by the sea, with great food and Greek dancing. Fireworks replaced the bullets! What a shame I'm back home.

The ceremony was a mixture of Greek and English tradition with the Greek element providing some great photographic opportunities. Should get into that darkroom!

Wedding photography in Crete

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