perfect imperfect - film wedding photography — London Wedding Photographer | documentary + editorial wedding photography

35mm wedding photography

Film photography is having a huge come back (I’ll talk about why is it happening a bit later, so keep on reading), no doubt about that. But is it good for weddings? In my opinion - absolutely! No edit would give this timeless film look, no digital camera is able to provide us with the levels of authenticity that film has.

Having only a limited number of exposures, film forces you to be selective and intentional with each shot. You can’t have two thousand captures, hoping that a few of those would be amazing. You have 35. Load a new film. Another 35. And each one of those 35 need to be taken mindfully. And that’s where the magic lives - in your careful selection of moments, your need to focus so you shoot only when the perfect opportunity arises. Slowing down is the key. And in the fast, chaotic environment of weddings, one must learn to be focused and translate the moments of perfection into timeless frames of art.

bride and groom smiling at each other, flooded with light — this image was shot with Contact G2 on Kodak Porta 400

So why do I shoot film at weddings?

We are surrounded by fast fashion, fast images, immediate content that we consume and forget in one second. That’s not what weddings are about. They are the beginning of a life together, they are the meeting of families, they are making memories and they are a milestone that would be talked about and remembered maybe even for generations (did you love looking at your grandparents wedding photos as a child?) Wedding have trends and I don’t mind them at all, but with the arrival of wedding content creators and Pinterest boards, I want to give my couples something timeless, something perfectly imperfect and slow. Something that would age like the best wine and gain value over time (let’s face it - iPhone images won’t ever do that)

groomsmen and a groom captured on a film camera. Amalfi coast, Villa Cimbrone

a sense of artistry and romance - that’s a wedding shot on 35mm

I also use a medium format :-)

But yes - in a world of instant gratification, film brings back the romance, the wait, the art. Those are the notes to myself that I try to incorporate into each and every wedding I photograph with my analogue cameras:

resist the urge to play it safe, aim high
spot the perfect light and coax your couple there. Then - let them be themselves.
imagine the photo they would love 20 years from now
remember all the masters of light that you love (Dutch paintings…)
small moments of true emotions are what it’s all about. Focus on them
slow down