I rate this film at 1600 (if I can) and spot meter on their cheek (looking for middle grey). But I generally know what my settings should be without the meter, as it doesn't change much from reception to reception. This one was 2.8 @ 1/60th. The video light was provided by the videographer.

It's hard to answer this question without knowing what you're shooting, what other gear you have and what your budget is. If you're shooting weddings professionally I would look at the new Mark III.

The prism makes a huge difference. No way would I be able to shoot anything documentary with it without one. Only other tip, is slow down and enjoy the process. There's something very soothing about shooting with this camera. I love it.

That really depends on if I'm shooting indoors or out, available light or flash. I try to shoot them outdoors with natural light if at all possible. I like to keep the group shots simple and the posing more natural. I look for symmetry and balance in the grouping and I like them to be pretty casual and relaxed. Here's one of my favorites: http://www.katbramanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/IMG_8238-Edit.jpg

I think it starts far before the wedding day. People are generally relaxed around people that they are comfortable with, so I work on building that trust and comfort level from the very beginning.

My number one recommendation is to shoot everything in Manual: camera and your flashes. Forcing yourself to do all the settings yourself is the best way to learn. I shoot most receptions starting with off-camera lighting (typically one on, one off) and then typically switch to on-camera direct flash with a slow shutter. I think if you're starting out, I'd master bouncing first. Some great resources are:

Planet Neil (bounced)
http://neilvn.com/tangents/

One Light DVD from Zack Arias (off-camera)
http://zackarias.com/workshop/onelight-dvd/

Strobist.com also has a ton of information but when I was learning this stuff I found it really overwhelming.

not really. I think as a wedding photographer you need to be able to embrace and shoot comfortably in any lighting condition.

Definitely the Hassy. I've shot with it a lot more so I'm way more comfortable with it. I'm still getting used to shooting with the Ikon so who know how I'll feel in a few months. I think I'll always love the Hasselblad though. I really love the 6x6 format, love the way it flares, love the way it sounds.

I made a very deliberate decision not to start too low. I felt confident in my work, my work ethic and my ability to over deliver on my client's expectations. I also had a very good full time job so I decided it would be better to start higher and book fewer weddings. I was ok with building up my business at a slower pace. My first year I shot 2, then 14 (with full time job and having a baby) and then 30. I raised my prices according to demand to get to where I am now. As far as client's go, I didn't set out to convince anyone of anything (still don't). I put my work and myself out there and booked people that responded to that.

I don't think it's possible to make digital look exactly like film because of the dynamic range but you can get pretty close. I've found that shooting a custom wb really helps with my raw editing. I don't know why, but it's just something I've noticed. A good way to make the transitions smoother is not to shoot the same scenes on film and digital so your eye isn't doing a direct comparison. Jen Huang is probably the best at shooting both film and digital and making them look almost indistinguishable so you may want to check out her work.

But I also think that your style will come through whether you are shooting film or digital and that's what will tie your work together and make it look cohesive.

it varies by wedding but on average somewhere between 600 and 800. I don't think the final image count has much to do with being a storyteller. Just like some writer's tell stories in 1000 pages and others in 250. It all depends on the story you are telling and how you want to tell it.

around 30. this year I am traveling for at least 8 of them. that's about all I can handle with 2 small kids.

I export the images at the correct size from Lightroom and then put the pairs together in Photoshop.

I generally buy all my film from B&H and I buy a lot at one time. I know there is a lot of sellers on ebay you can buy from. Just check the reviews.

Thank you :) I pay 2nd shooters $50/hour or $500 per wedding. A couple of photographers you can check with are Daniel Lateulaude, Courtney Ortiz and Jessica Lorren.

there's definitely no domino effect. The first one was a referral from a portrait client. I get a lot from Google as well. Referrals from other photographers and other clients has also been huge. There's no magic formula. Work hard, create beautiful images, treat your clients better than you'd treat yourself, be generous with your time and your knowledge with others. Easy right? ;)

I shoot AWB almost all of the time at weddings. I use a customized version of the Fuji Reala for color and Tri-x for BW in ASE.

thank you!

I highly recommend getting a prism. It makes it so much easier. Beyond that it is just practice. If you already manually focus with a 35 mm, you should have no problem getting the hang of it. The more you do it the more you get a feel for it and it gets to a point where you aren't thinking about it anymore.

I shoot with 2 original 5D's and primarily use the 35 1.4 and 85 1.8 lenses. I also use the 135 f2 sometimes. I've recently been shooting some film and am using the Hasseblad 500cm with a Zeiss 80 2.8 and an EOS 3.