WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “FILM”?
Before I jump into why I shoot film… I want to clarify what “film” is, since I’ve had more than a few people be unsure, and it’s not a silly question. When I say “I shoot with film”, I’m not referring to using a video camera to capture audio and moving visual… I leave that to the videographer. I’m talking about taking a roll of photographic film that you load into a camera and have developed.
Now that we’re all on the same page about what I mean when I say “film”, lets chat about my why and few commonly asked questions.
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WHY I PHOTOGRAPH PART OF YOUR IMAGES ON FILM:
To me, film has a unique way of capturing light, color, and detail. The richness and depth that comes from a film image is equally balanced by the dreamy skin tones and overall softness. When I look at a film image, it almost looks like an artist painted it… capturing so much more of the moment, because I know it was carefully curated.
Because shooting film also has a direct cost associated with each time the shutter button is pressed, unlike with digital, it also makes me a much more intentional photographer. Previously I would click away at almost everything, but now I find that my “eye” is much more sharp and purposeful. The result is a more artful and beautiful gallery for my clients. Now, don’t get me wrong… digital definitely has it’s place and time, which is why I’m a “hybrid photographer”, meaning I shoot both film and digital images.
WHEN/HOW DO YOU DECIDE TO SHOOT WITH FILM VS DIGITAL?
I prefer to shoot with film during any natural (or bright enough) light setting during the day. In most circumstances this means any image up through dusk will be captured on film. I always have a digital camera with me incase I need it, and your second Photographer will be shooting digital alongside me as well. Once the sun has set or we are indoors with low light, I will likely then transition to primarily digital from that point on.
CAN WE GET DIGITAL FILES FROM FILM PHOTOS?
ABSOLUTELY! After I’ve shot a roll of film, I send it to my professional lab to be developed and scanned into a digital format on their professional scanners. This means that whether I’m shooting on a digital or film camera, you will still have a digital file of the images provided in your gallery.
WILL THE FILM AND DIGITAL IMAGES LOOK COHESIVE IN OUR GALLERY?
The short answer is YES!
The long answer…. Film is a very reactive thing. The final image is greatly impacted by not only the type of film you are using, but the camera and lens used to capture it. Each combination also reacts uniquely in the different kinds of light being photographed. So if you are trying to make a digital image “look like film” without a film image to match it to is nearly impossible. However, when you have captured film images in that lighting scenario, with that camera/lens/film combination, you have something to match it to.
