As couples perusing Internet and Instagram to find the perfect wedding photographer for you, you will certainly come across film photography. Some of you will know exactly what it is, and some of you will have an idea. Some of you will also have no clue what I’m talking about. So here’s a guide for everyone, from newbie to film photography fan!
WHAT IS FILM PHOTOGRAPHY?
It’s the OG of photography. It came way before digital photography (the first analog pic was taken in the 1800’s!) and it’s seen a massive spike in popularity these past few years because it looks cool and edgy.
Film photography is taken with film (or analog) cameras, on physical rolls of films that need to be loaded in the camera, rewinded, and developed in a photo lab to produce physical negatives.
HOW MANY KIND OF FILM CAMERAS ARE OUT THERE?
There are a whole lot of varieties of film cameras out there, with different formats, shooting styles, sensor types, etc. I don’t want to get too technical here because it’s not that interesting and relevant to this post, but let me explain a few main differences among film cameras.
CAMERA FORMAT
There are 3 different formats: 35mm, 120mm – or medium format – , and large format.
35mm cameras are the most common because they’re usually more compact and faster to use. I personally only shoot 35mm because I travel a lot and I love how easily I can pack my 35mm cameras. In the wedding world, 35mm are the easiest format to use because they often have less settings than medium and large format cameras, so they’re better fitted to take candid photos on the fly.
Medium format cameras can also be used at weddings, although they might be better suited for portraits. Large format cameras would be too time-consuming to use at weddings because they are very heavy, require a tripod, and take a long type to set up and load.
These three types of cameras require different types of film, with 35mm being the cheapest and large format the most expensive one. Kodak, Ilford, and Fujifilm are among the oldest film makers out there, and they have been joined in recent years by newer brands like Lomography and Revolog.
WHY CHOOSE FILM PHOTOGRAPHY FOR YOUR WEDDING?
1. IT PACKS A LOT OF EMOTION
Trends come and go, and I am so happy to see clients being drawn to film photography for the past few years. When I started in 2011, technique is all that mattered. Today, it’s all about the feels. Because we have less control over the outcome, and because film costs so much, our shooting style is more intentional when we’re using our film cameras. And when we capture a tear or a heartfelt laugh on film, it feels that much more special.
2. IT’S EDGY
Film photography can add a layer of edge, or funkiness, to an otherwise typical scene. The level of technical performance of our digital cameras is so high that we can shoot in almost any situation and come up with very sharp and perfect images. But as humans, I feel like we’re drawn to the imperfect. I don’t know about you, but I find old school special effects more interesting than the perfect, smooth CGI we see in every movie these days; it’s the same with film photography.
3. IT’S A LITTLE MAGICAL!
As I said above, there’s a lot we can’t control with film. Sometimes there will be really crazy light leaks or light beams that we cannot explain, making the photos truly magical. And there’s nothing better than to get some negatives back and discovering such photos.
HOW ARE FILM PHOTOGRAPHS INCORPORATED IN YOUR WEDDING COLLECTION?
Once the photo lab develops my photos and creates negatives with them, I scan everything at home on my own scanner so they are digitized. I then edit them like I would edit any digital photographs.
I used to send a separate folder with all the film photos, but now that I shoot more and more film at each wedding, I just incorporate them in the main collection. Check out Dana and Kai’s wedding as well as Elyse and Danton’s wedding, you’ll see a mix of digital and film in their sneak peek.
I hope this little guide helped you decide whether you like film photography and want it at your wedding!
