Dualing banjos {Choosing the right crayon}

posted September 7, 2012 in Photographer Resources

Choosing the ‘best’ crayon in the box sounds easy. And while there’s a rarely a wrong choice, sometimes one color is ‘more equal’ to another. There’s a difference between Granny Smith Apple and Green. Apart, viewers might not be able to discern subtle differences next to a thousand other colors. Pair a dozen Green Crayolas together, differences contrast.

Crayons and cameras aren’t much different. They are both creative tools. Yet, nuances viewable by the artist but not always by the client.

Shooting a destination wedding using a medium format digital system represents a significant departure from the norm. It’s a new box of crayons. I appreciate the difference, especially with 16-bit color depth and rich dynamic range.

While it’s nice to have different tools at the same time, it’s always important as a photographer to maintain a preference for a certain ‘look’ given a situation. So often, I rely on intuition on which camera to pick up. I turn the question to my readers:

Which do you prefer? Why?

One lucky commenter will win a $25 iTunes gift card by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.
The Nikon D700 (left) vs PhaseOne IQ 140 w/strobe (right). To get the creative juice flowing, another favorite photo from Lindsey & Matt’s wedding in Chicago: