WHY I SHOOT FILM

My first camera was a small point and shoot 110 film camera. This was 1981, and I was six years old. The camera I take to weddings is a similar age. It’s a Pentax my brother brought home one day when I was 16. I’ve been taking photos with that camera for THIRTY YEARS. I’m giving away my age but also blowing my mind that I still get so much use out of that camera. Lifting it to my face is so inspiring!

Safe to say, I’m a little bit in love with film photography. Ok, a lot. I am delighted to see more and more of my couples showing an interest in having their wedding photographed on analogue. The last six years, all the weddings I photographed are on analogue film.

How do you know so much about film photography?

With the photography obsession firmly in place, I went to Central St Martin’s to study photojournalism.
I started my photography career using a film camera.  I was a photojournalist in London in the early 2000s, and I had no option but to do it all on analogue. Digital was not even a choice. In the cut-throat world of photojournalism, getting ‘the shot’ was a deal-breaker. If you didn’t get the photo, you didn’t work.
And with the pressure on to get the shot, you also have a limited amount of exposures on your roll of film.

Thrilling.

But also – it becomes instinctive.

Imagine knowing you have limited chances! Suddenly you’re in the moment, not a single other thought on your mind. This is what shooting film is like for me at weddings. Although I have digital cameras and I do use them for backup, film is where I’m happiest. The ability to take an endless amount of photos is removed. Each image has to be thought about before pressing the shutter. Take the photo and move on, no second guessing and trying to perfect what is probably already perfect.

There is so much fun to be had in the darkroom too, the OG Photoshop. Most of my time at St Martin’s was spent in the darkroom (and the pub, I won’t lie).

Will we get less photos?

If what I see doesn’t excite me, I won’t take a photo. The limitation of not being able to just mindlessly shoot a thousand images as with digital makes me so much more present in the moment and we end up with more bangers.

(I am a bit of an overshooter though. That comes from the photojournalism background. Winner. It means more photos for you.)

Although I’m really looking out for the following:
Compelling composition
Storytelling
A display of emotion
Iconic moments
Unique moments
Contrasting concepts
Lighting
Colour.

Those are the images you will receive. All killer, zero filler. (Averages around 400-600, for those of you looking for numbers).
But I do admit to a fondness for shoes.

How can you trust an old camera?

It’s a common misconception that digital is the ‘safe bet’. So much can go wrong! Batteries fail, memory cards fail, the camera fails and I’ve had issues in humidity and cold. I’ve never had a film camera fail on me.

At a very hot Joshua Tree wedding, all the digital cameras turned off in the heat. I shot the rest of the day on a $40 compact film camera and the results are gorgeous.

I’m careful. Each camera has a twin backup. They are maintained, cleaned, checked, and babied. These cameras have been with me for years, a few of them I’ve had new since the 90s. I know their sounds, quirks, and flaws. Any new camera that joins the team is thoroughly put to the test before I let it loose on my couples. And, luckily, I speak Japanese. Very handy for camera hunting missions.

Some of my older film cameras are tanks. They are fully mechanical and can withstand a torrent of abuse. One of my cameras is the same one used by war photographer Don McCullin. His is on display in the Imperial War Museum, still working and complete with the damage from the bullet that was fired at him. That camera saved him from an AK-47.

These images below were all taken on a Yashica 635 TLR from 1959. Its fully mechanical, no battery. I call it my old faithful. As a film wedding photographer, it also invites the most curiosity from guests. Of course I let them have a play!

Could our film get lost in the post?

I walk all my film to Gary, the man responsible for the final polish to my photos. He’s a whizz in the darkroom and is trusted by many top photographers in London. Film is far too precious, even though it means a two hour round trip each time.

What happens if something goes wrong at the lab

The chances of something going wrong at the lab is so minimal. In all my decades of shooting film, I have never had a problem with developing. Even the one-hour photo places back in the nineties delivered 10/10.

Gary, the best darkroom technician I’ve ever met, hand develops all my film in the darkroom now. We use the best Kodak Brand Chemistry and Ilford for all my film processing. I’d trust the process more than a memory card, any day.

But doesn’t film look weird?

Only if you want it to 😉

Film is how I started and what I feel most comfortable using. It has an amazing dynamic range. It delivers tones and texture unlike anything digital could try to replicate. Used correctly, its incomparable.

I’ve had some interesting requests. The movie ‘Punch Drunk Love’ was the inspiration behind this image. Grainy, contrasty, out of focus. We can go as freaky as you like.

Or we can keep it clean OG. Choice is always yours.

Film wedding photography was popular from the 1880s. It’s beautiful and timeless. In my opinion film is beautiful and nothing comes close. Each image is a tiny piece of art, carefully thought about and hand developed. Its also immediately nostalgic. My style is very much ‘messy 90s’, and film fits right in to that.

REAL WEDDINGS ON FILM