Why You Should Hire a Film Photographer | Colorado and New England Film Photographer

I write this post while waiting for film scans to hit my inbox. There is always a "Christmas morning" feeling when I recieve my scans. Not only is it almost like a surprise; because you forget what you shot on a roll sometimes, but they always come back perfectly imperfect.

I love film because in a world full of AI and perfect images from high tech cameras, it brings me back to simpler times. To my childhood. Not only is it what I learned photography on, it is how this entire thing started. Freezing moments in time using camera obscuras and wooden box cameras and developing tin types; it was all sorcery back then and still is. Analogue photography is an ode to true photography. It takes a skilled photographer to be able to meter, select correct film stocks for desired effects and lighting situations; even to anticipate the ISO of a situation.

So why film for you? Why film for your family session and your weddings? Because when you choose a film photographer, you are choosing someone who is a master of their craft, a manipulator of light and wizard of the process itself. Your photos will have feeling. They won't always be perfect but within that imperfection is an analogue art process.

If a fully analogue session or wedding scares you; don't worry. For 15 years, I have shot digital alongside film (yes, before it was cool and at the height of digital photography I was still shooting film. No one really understood or cared. After COVID, when film became a trend, I finally was being saught after for it! Whew!) and have always matched my digitals as closely to my film scans as possible using film emulation. Film can be wiped in TSA machines-which, I always hand check- or it can be lost in the post. So having digital backups of important moments is important to me.

But that magic of the film scans in your gallery, it will always stir up feelings in my clients. I get feedback of "I love the film!" more often than not. I have recently booked an entire film wedding (no digital!) for the first time that I can not wait to shoot. For families, film is an heirloom item, with the film scans outlasting any technology that exists. You know your memories are safe with film. Shooting film has also made me shoot slower, with more intent. Each shot costs me money and so I do not waste them. I look for moments that film will adore. Clicking away is for photographers who do not value what they are shooting.

For those who do not know the process: I select film stocks based on the aesthetic of the day or your session. Even the venue or location we are shooting at. I then shoot the film, send it or drop it off in person at a local lab, waiting for development and then the scans are delivered via e-mail. Sometimes I tweak the scans but very rarely; as film comes back perfect the way it is. Then I upload your film to your gallery in a separate tab. Instant gratification does not exist with film, which makes it fun!

If you are someone who loves nostalgic photography, film grain and unique portraiture. If you have an old soul.

If you value art.

Hire a film photographer. You will not regret it.