I’m shooting film again!

TL;DR Shooting film in the pre-digital days was hard and gave me anxiety. I said I’d never go back but the aim of film now isn’t perfection, it’s a feeling. I love it again.

I first started assisting and second shooting weddings in 2000 when I was a teenager. It was hard. Like really hard. It was drilled into me how important the pictures were and everything had to be done correctly because it was a once in a lifetime day. The photographer would yell at me if I didn’t have her film loaded quickly enough or didn’t have my own camera ready so to avoid having to go cry in the car, I got faster and faster and better and better. There were certain things I could not control though. When I was at a type of ceremony I hadn’t shot before, anticipating when the kiss would happen was impossible. I’d look down and see two shots left and have to make a decision about whether to save them or take a chance on loading a new roll. I could rewind and load in less than a minute but what if it happened during that minute? So much pressure and anxiety but I kept at it because it felt really special being with a couple on a day that was so important.

At that time I also worked at the photo lab that processed the film of all the pro photographers in town. I’d color and exposure correct every frame before printing but some were near impossible to make usable. In addition to the lack of flexibility of the film, sometimes the worst happened. Through no fault of our own, film would get stuck in the machine. We’d shut it down and pull out the wet rolls, hoping they had got through enough of the chemicals to be usable when they dried. Most of the time they were not.

When digital cameras got good enough for wedding photography, I decided to go to photography school to learn how to work in the new medium. Digital was such a relief. Instead of 36 frames, I’d have hundreds. Weddings were still high pressure but nothing like they had been. When I started to see film becoming popular again, I told anyone that asked that there’s no way I’d go back. It took years for me to even consider it. When I rebranded I decided it was time to try again.

Film now is less about getting every moment lit correctly and perfectly focused. The images don’t have to be perfect. Actually, it’s charming that they aren’t. I’m not at a point where I would want to shoot a wedding using only film again because the lack of control both in camera and what happens in the lab. Shots like family pictures I will always make sure I have a digital version of. Sometimes it’s the last time people are together and keeping that record safe is important. Vibey portraits and dance floors I’m absolutely up for though.