Your wedding on 35mm film
TIMELESS AUTHENTICITY
35mm film is the original photo medium, which still has relevance in a digital world.
I learned to take photos on film back in the 90’s, back when there was nothing else – digital images, mobile phones, nothing else existed. Film, or analogue as we know it, was the only way to capture your wedding. When I transitioned to digital from film it was a steep learning curve, but digital has of course brought a wealth of benefits, including the ability to shoot thousands of frames to absolutely capture that decisive moment, as well as capturing the full range of detail and exposure in RAW files to allow you to adjust the exposure afterwards.
It’s strange, because I always thought I wouldn’t shoot film anymore having progressed to digital, and the cost and time involved in working with film has meant that of course it fell out of favour. Yet nowadays, I find myself looking back on the tangible and physical nature of things such as film, and music on vinyl, there is just something about it, so I think the appeal will always be there.
However, being back ‘on trend’ is not my reason for offering film. It’s because film is how I learned, how I honed my skills as a photographer many years ago. I’m not trying to master a new skill, I’m just unlocking what was always there.
Shooting film is totally different. You don’t get to see the image as you shoot it which you can with digital, you have to get it 100% right in camera, then wait for days for the results. The beauty of putting the film and paper through a series of trays of chemicals under a red light in a darkroom, and seeing the image slowly appear was like magic. There is also no hiding behind editing software, the exposure has to be perfect at the time you press the shutter.
Film is expensive though, in material cost each frame costing around £1 in 2025 money, so when you press the trigger, it has to be with purpose and conviction. When I shot weddings purely on film, I’d take 10 rolls of film, that’s 360 photos, and no out-takes. Back then that cost around £100 in materials alone for a wedding, at today’s money that’s now £350 in materials alone per wedding. With digital, I can shoot thousands of images without the material cost on the day, save of course for the investment in multiple memory cards which aren’t cheap, but can be used again and again.
The beauty of film though is that it is tangible, it is physical. In a digital world, this matters. There is just something timeless about photos taken on film. So while it doesn’t have the convenience of digital, it will always have a place in my heart and hopefully is here to stay, for those who appreciate it.
How It Works
My digital coverage is of course my primary focus through the day, as it allows me to shoot as much of the day as possible as things move pretty fast. I also carry my 35mm camera, and at times when we can shoot through the moment, I will capture a frame or two, to give you a collection of images that tell the story of your day in around 72 frames.
You simply decide how many rolls of film you would like me to shoot through the day – 2 rolls is a good base, which will give you 72 frames.
I can of course shoot your whole wedding on 35mm if you absolutely wish, or shoot more rolls, it is entirely up to you. I also pass the choice to you whether you want colour or black and white film.
35mm coverage is priced at £75 per roll of film.
What You Get
The film is processed and scanned, with the scans being added to your online gallery, and you can easily order prints on your chosen type of paper. I then also send you the original negatives for you to keep.
What Equipment do you use?
I shoot with a Nikon F4, which is one of the most beautiful professional film cameras ever made. When I was a young boy, it was the camera I always dreamed of, but could never afford. It’s 30 years old now, but still works as absolutely perfectly as the day it was made, and is the perfect camera to sit alongside my Nikon digital cameras, which themselves are a natural evolution of the F4.
For black and white I shoot either Ilford HP5 film or Ilford Delta 100, and for colour, Kodak Portra 400 or Kodak Proimage 100 are my go to for the best and most natural skin tones, to sit alongside and complement the digital images.
