Black and White Wedding Photography Looks So Groovy, Baby!
Rainy NYC wedding shot with Kodak Tri-X film and flashbulbs. © Dan Wagner 2023
As Austin Powers might say, “Nothing looks more artistic and groovy than black and white wedding photos, baby! If you’re planning on decorating a wall with your wedding photos, then black and white might be the way to go. Next to colorful walls, fabrics and furniture in your home, tasteful black and white photography will really stand out. There’s something about marrying a modern image with a vintage look that’s so timeless—especially if your wedding photographer shoots real film like I do.
Black and white photos by © Dan Wagner 2023, Long Island Wedding Photographer.
Is converting a digital color photo to b&w just as good as shooting with b&w film?
That’s a great question. Essentially, the answer is yes—there are benefits to converting color photos shot with a digital camera to black and white. With an image editing program like Photoshop you can convert to black and white with the default settings, which look pretty good, and also take it a step further by using the built-in contrast and other filter sliders. Contrast filters are used for digital and film photography.
Red and green often show up as very similar shades of gray in black and white. The lack of contrast between the two shades of gray is a problem. By using a red filter, red objects will appear lighter and green objects will appear darker. The color of the filter will lighten anything that’s a similar color. That’s the advantage of converting from digital color photography to a black and white image.
Black and white photos by © Dan Wagner 2023, Long Island Wedding Photographer.
Why shoot b&w film if I can get the same result with digital color photos?
The main reason I love shooting with film is because it slows me down, and forces me to really think about what I’m shooting. With the added expense of film and processing, and only having 12 to 36 exposures per roll of film, every shot is more precious. There’s also a certain analog look to shooting with film that people positively respond to. And it’s not just the photos that intrigue people, but the actual film cameras as well. When shooting with my vintage film cameras, people often want to tell me about their film camera memories, and also ask me to photograph them. That doesn’t happen as often with a digital camera.
Can I hire you to photograph my wedding with black and white film?
Yes! I’m happy to photograph weddings with black and white, and color film. My process is to shoot with multiple film cameras loaded with black and white and color film. I’m also happy to be hired as an additional photographer. So, if you’re hiring a main photographer to shoot digital—having me as your film photographer to shoot portraits and candids will be a nice complement and added bonus to the your digital wedding photography. In general, hiring me as your secondary film photographer will cost around 2K plus film, processing, and prints.
How do I know if a wedding photographer who shoots with film is talented?
The easy answer to this question is look at their work. However, to really discern how committed your photographer is to color and black and white film photography, ask them why they love shooting with film. It’s always great to hire people who are passionate about what they do. Photographers who’ve shot for magazines and advertising offer an added skillset that photographers who only shoot weddings can’t match. As a professional fine art and commercial photographer with published books, editorial, and ad work—I have the desired skillset you’re looking for.
Fine art photo book, Never Seeing Nothing, by © Dan Wagner 2023
My book, Never Seeing Nothing, published by Ink Books, is a 500-run limited edition book with 92 black and white duotones printed in Iceland. All the photos in the book were shot with 120mm black and white Tri-X film and vintage Rolleiflex cameras. Many of the photos in the book have won awards and are featured in art galleries. Please contact me for a signed and numbered copy. The cost is $35 shipped. It’s also available through Amazon at a higher price.
Sepia of the bride’s dad, next to a spot-color black & white of the bride & groom by © Dan Wagner 2023.
What can you tell me about Sepia and Spot-Color black and white treatments?
Given the right wedding photo and subject matter, I think sepia and spot-color black and white treatments can really elevate the photograph to the next level. Take the sepia photo of the father of the bride above. While I love this photo is color and in pure black and white—there’s something about his chiseled handsome face that looks fantastic in sepia. He looks like a Hollywood film star or a cowboy.
The spot-color photo of the bride and groom walking hand-in-hand up the hill was photographed at the Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport, Long Island. It’s a great location to shoot at—although site fees are involved. So often you see photographers using spot color treatments on the bride’s bouquet. This is a somewhat dated look. Whereas the spot color for just the sky feels more contemporary to me. I used the photo in the couples album as a background photo. The ability to select a specific color-range in Photoshop made this intricate photo possible. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this groovy article baby, baby, baby! Too many babies? Well, blame it on Austin Powers!
Stay tuned for more wedding photography tips and advice!
“My friend recommended Dan to my husband and I, and we could not have been happier. Dan is calm, cool, and professional. I have a large Italian Family, and my husband has a large Irish Family. Dan was able to gather all of us for pictures, followed lists we had previously prepared, and did not miss one minute of our special day.”
—Christine and William
Every Bride and Groom Deserve Beautiful Wedding Photos!
Please feel free to share your thoughts on why black and white wedding photography looks so groovy, baby in the comment box below. And thanks for visiting my Long Island wedding photographer blog!