We’ve only ever used the Pro TL and the AF models.

In my opinion, I’d purchase the AF model as the older Mamiya 645 models do not offer a high enough shutter speeds.

The Pro TL’s fastest shutter speed is 1/1000 and the AF is 1/4000.

Higher shutter speeds come in handy when you’re shooting wide open in bright situations.

Hope this helps!

- Seth

Hey there!

If you’re broke:

Canon AE 1 – 50 1.4

If you have a few bucks:

Canon EOS 3 – EF 50 1.4

If you’re loaded:

Canon 1VHS – EF 50 1.2 L

This should get you started.

Practice, practice, practice and amazing things will happen.

- Seth

Hello! I'm assuming there is going to be NO natural light and only tungsten lighting in the theatre?

Most of the widely available colour films are "daylight" balanced and even though they say they can handle "mixed" lighting conditions, the results are less than average without compensating "in camera". If you don’t compensate, your subject’s skin tones are going to take on the yellow/red cast from the tungsten lights. This can be adjusted in post and your lab can tweak in scanning however from my experience the results aren't that great without compensating for the tungsten lights.

A) You can bring in some "white lighting" , LED's etc... to cool down the light temperature in the theatre.

B) You can shoot a higher speed colour film + 80 A filter which will compensate for the yellow/red tungsten lights. Be careful, an 80 A filter will lose a stop or more (hence the need for higher speed film)

C) Try to find a tungsten balanced film (which is usually a low speed, too low for something indoors)

D) Shoot high speed daylight balanced film "Portra 800, Fuji 800z, Superia 1600" and correct in post.

I personally would go for option A or B.

Hope this helps and all the best from your theatre shoot, sounds FUN.

- Seth

1) of course:)

2) We shoot 35mm for most of our photojournalism work. i.e getting ready, ceremony etc..

3) For colour, if you can still find it fresh, Pro 160S and 800z. Of late, I've been shooting Portra 800 but I'm finding the skin tones too yellow for me and it doesnt handle mixed lighting very well IMO.

For BW films we use mainly Kodak Tri-X these days.

4) Each film has its own "colour palette". Some films work better with greens and blues. Others yellows and greens and others magenta and reds.

Those colours and more pronounced based on how you expose the film and the lighting conditions/environments you shoot them in.

Tenielle and I have our preferred stocks, Pro 400h for colour and Kodak Tri-X for BW however when lighting conditions or the environment we're shooting in doesn’t suit those stocks, we switch to stocks that will.

- Seth

thanks pop quizzer!!! this has by far been the best metaphorical question we've received to date ;)

- Seth

Not a bother at all. If you're shooting people, you will want to be spot metering under your subjects chin. Get right up in their face with your lens, put the spot in the shadow under their chin and use this reading.

If you can't get that close to them (if you're taking candid shots) then you need to find a mid-tone to meter in the same light as your subject.

Identifying mid-tones will take some practice. If you're unsure of what a mid-tone is I suggest doing some research on that topic before attempting.

At the end of the day, In camera metering can work very well however they will never be as accurate as a light meter.

- Seth

Hello there. If I'm metering in camera, I rate it at 125 and expose for shadows. In flat light, I try to over expose 2 stops however, if I'm shooting in harsh light or really "contrasty" situations, 1 - 1.5. Remember to expose for shadows, its especially important when your shooting 400h.

We do shoot portra 800, but only indoors when there isn't enough light for us to shoot pro400h. I do love the colours of portra 800 however it leaves skin tones too yellow for our liking.

- Seth

Thank you, great question and don’t worry no offence taken.

In my humble opinion the Contax is overpriced and overrated.

I’ve achieved a look that Tenielle and I really love with the Mamiya 645AF, 80 1.9 Sekor that I just don’t see the need to spend more than double for the extra contrast and sharpness that the Contax delivers.

At the end of the day, I’m after lighting, composition and feeling in the photos I take.
The colours we achieve are 99% the film stock we shoot, how we expose it, the light and “environment” we shoot in and the lab that scans our work.

The Contax or I should say the Zeiss glass from the 80 F2 planar is really only going to make a 1% "difference" to our work in my opinion.

I can live with that.

- Seth

Hello again! No worries at all. Happy to help.

For negative and slide film. Fridge all the way, all the time :)

We also store our film in a cooler bag when we shoot. Looks funny, but keeps the film from getting hot when we're on location or in the car.

For Polaroid and peel apart instant film, a cool dry place.

- Seth

Hello Brissy Local :)

We purchase almost ALL our film from http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ and occasionally from http://www.adorama.com/ and http://www.ebay.com.au

- Seth

pre formal portraits. tick. :)

just about to email you.

- Seth

hello! I don't know of anything free however http://intothedarkroom.com/ and http://showitfast.com/#/slideshow/ are pretty good if you dont mind spending a little bit of $. Hope this helps!

- Seth

Hey Tim. We always go back to the first enquiry and give them a chance to lock in the date. If they can’t commit within a few days, we will open it up to the next couple. Practicing the golden rule in this business ( & in life) goes a long way. {s}

Hello. We only provide our prices via email once we know more about you and your wedding plans. We do this to ensure we're the right fit for your big day and vice versa. If our work resinates with you please send us an email with a date and description of your wedding and we will respond with our price guide.

Warmest

Seth

great question. We tend to freak out a little when we get those requests so far out too. Our motto is to only take a booking when we’re 100% positive we will be available for the wedding. Generally speaking we only know what we’re doing 12 months in advance and so we end up declining most bookings that fall outside of a year. It’s a little scary saying no sometimes but more often than not it’s what’s best for us and the couple.

- seth

Hello there! Great question.

As each location is different we really don’t have a set method of billing for overseas travel. In some cases, the travel cost could be limited to booking airline tickets and a hotel stay for 2 nights or we may estimate the cost of travel and quote a flat fee.

Lastly, there may be some instances when we may be able to cover our own travel costs as we may already be planning a trip to the country allowing us to combine our work/holiday.

If you’re interested in having us shoot for you overseas just send us an email with a little blurb about the shoot and its location and we will see what we can work out.

Warmest

Seth

Hello there. I wish we could be of more help but we’re self taught and wouldn’t know where to start when it comes to recomending courses. I see a lot of merrit in enrolling in a courses though, I think it would speed up the learning curve when it comes to the techinical side of photography.

In my humble opinion, If your dream is to become a professional photographer, make sure you also learn the business side of the business as I think this is as equally as important as knowing your camera.

Best wishes and practice practice practice!

Seth

I don't mind at all!

Film:

3 x Canon 1V HS

35L, 50L, 85L, 45 TSE

1 x Mamiya 645 af / 80 1.9 Sekor C

Sekonic L358 and L508 Light Meters

a ton of Fuji Pro 400h film

Digital:

2 x Canon 5D Mark II

I own more (too many) cameras, but this is what I shoot with 90% of time.

Hope this helps! {s}

WOW. What a question. Best in this case has no bearing on the people or the event as such. If you were to ask what wedding so far have you shot that you feel you performed best as a photographer? My answer would be, a wedding we shot in Byron Bay a few months ago that we haven’t blogged yet. Look out for “Krystal and Joseph” {s}