Hello Shel, For me, it all depends. I do have some clients where the digital workflow (fast time to see proofs) is valuable. For others, it doesn't matter so much. It can be very handy to chimp for group arrangements and also for seeing the results of lighting (this would be studio work). It is not uncommon when shooting a family, after I get a pose set up, to take one quick shot and show the mother - if she likes the pose, then we will go on to shoot a bunch (dealing with eye blinks, head tilts and such). Then another pose and another quick shot for the mother (in families, it is always the mom that cares, not the dad) to look at.
Another aspect for me is the ability to speculation shoot. When shooting the 67's, the cost per frame to shoot (film/develop/proof) was about $1.35. I was never going to do any shooting without payment to cover the cost and tended not to shoot as many - fewer choices in the end. With the digital, I can shoot more of the same pose and/or more poses and can also shoot venues where there is no upfront money. Sports club/team pictures, dance pictures, kid's action photography, etc, all are shot first and then prints sold later. I couldn't do that at all with film. I guess to sum up a little - most subjects aren't concerned with turnaround time for final prints, but are concerned with turnaround time for proofs. With digital, I can show proofs on the spot or load to web shortly after. With film, I could not. All in all, I find digital to be a big improvement for portrait work - the clients are a bit happier (immediate feedback, quick proofs), my cashflow works better (ability to speculation shoot and cover more on prepaid shoots) and my quality has improved (due to chimping on tough lighting and immediate feedback on poses). -- Best regards, Bruce Friday, November 11, 2005, 10:03:30 AM, you wrote: SB> A question for those who are doing portrait photography: SB> Do you find that it's important for your subjects to get their results SB> quickly, and that a digital workflow is important in that regard, or is SB> turn-around time not a big concern, and would film work just as well for SB> you as far as the needs and preferences of your subjects are concerned? SB> Shel SB> "You meet the nicest people with a Pentax"
