ADDING FILM TO YOUR WEDDING DAY

ANALOG AND INTENTION

Once upon a time, all weddings were film weddings by necessity. Wedding photography typically followed a pretty tight script and for good reason: without the immediate confirmation of a screen, photographers had very little room for error. Experimentation carried a whole lot of risk. With a limited number of frames available, art often took a backseat to playing it safe.

WHAT FILM ADDS TO YOUR WEDDING DAY

Shooting film is innately slow and limited, polar opposite to the notion that a wedding day is a rapid-fire checklist to be completed. Film requires a careful consideration of light and framing. You can shoot quickly with film but that also lends itself to an in the moment feeling. The moment is interpreted and tucked away rather than fussed over.

WHY I SHOOT FILM ON A WEDDING DAY

I began as a film photographer, learning to process film by hand in a high school dark room and then shooting everything from toy cameras to 8×10 studio cameras in college. What I’ve always loved about film is the way it responds to light; soft and glowy, deep and grainy. Film images have an innate romantic quality, as if distilled from a movie. The unpredictable quirks of old cameras and even shifts in processing chemicals create perfectly imperfect photographs.

While I shoot the bulk of a wedding day digitally, shooting film shaped the way I see weddings. I approach each celebration without needless hurry. I typically shoot digital in tandem with film, ensuring there is a guaranteed capture of a moment as well as a softer, more freeform complement. Mixing film and digital mediums provides flexibility and encourages thoughtfulness.