Enhancing Your Wedding Memories: Why Adding Film Photography Makes All the Difference
Imagine writing a letter on an old typewriter where every you type a letter it is thoughtfully considered because there is no option to backspace. Each typed word has its own unique character from the keystroke and the ink, this is much like film photography and how it has a timeless and nostalgic feel. When you compare a typewriter to typing on a computer keyboard, which is quick and easily edited, it is much like digital wedding photography where there is room for revising. Both have their own value.
The same goes for your wedding day with a digital cameras offering endless clicks saved to a card that can later be easily edited to deliver perfect photos, while film adds a unique grainy warmth that can’t be on digital. Film has made a big come back with people wanting to return to that nostalgic thoughtfulness that film offers. Here is how combining film and digital can elevate your wedding photos!
The Value of Film and Digital Photography
The Nostalgia of Film Photography
Capen House - 35mm film
Film captures emotions in a way that feels both raw and real. The grain on the film creates a soft and organic quality that is hard to achieve with digital photography. Every time you take a photo with film, it is deliberate because there are only so many photos on a roll. With the grainy texture and unique film tones adding a warmth that makes each image feel like a nostalgic memory. The result gives your photos that raw and nostalgic feeling.
The Ease of Digital Photography
On the other hand, digital photography offers a level of ease and reliability for fast paced wedding days. With the ability to take endless photos, digital allows your photographer to capture every important moment without missing a anything. Digital photos are also easy to review and edit quickly making sure every moment is properly captured. Digital promises that your photos will look fantastic creating beautiful images.
Benefits of Combining Film and Digital at Your Wedding
While the 35mm film captures emotions with a grainy warmth, digital is amazing at capturing all of the fast-paced moments that make up your wedding day. Using them together creates more of a depth to your images. According to a recent survey, 80% of couples felt their wedding’s emotional moments were captured more authentically on film, while digital helped tell the entirety of their day with speed and reliability. Using the two together complement each other beautifully.
By combining film and digital, your wedding gallery becomes full of textures, story, emotion, and styles that only digital photography can offer. Film adds a nostalgic charm that works perfectly with the flawless digital images. This gives you a wedding album where each image tells a unique part of your story, giving you a variety of perspectives that work together to create a fun and full narrative.
Choosing the Right Photographer for a Hybrid Approach
Key Qualities to Look For
When choosing a wedding photographer who can blend film and digital, you want someone with experience in both. Not all photographers are comfortable working with film, so asking to review their portfolio is important. Look for weddings where the photographer has seamlessly integrated both digital and film images to tell a story.
Questions to Ask Potential Photographers
Don’t hesitate to ask about their experience with film. Have they shot weddings using film? Can they show you an album that includes film images? Working with film is very different than working with a digital camera and it would require experience to use it confidently on a wedding day.
Why Film Photography is Personal to Me
Growing up, film was the only option. My mom took her camera everywhere from birthday parties, our sporting events, and vacations. She always had it with her. When I was about eight, I became very interested with the photos she brought home. I didn’t realize how magical it was at the time, but looking back, there was something so special about holding those prints in my hands. They weren’t stored on a phone or a hard drive; they were real, and every shot mattered. My mom was thoughtful with moment she wanted to remember, knowing film was limited.
In high school, I took a multimedia class where we shot film around campus and even took the cameras home for personal projects. My friends and I would develop them in the darkroom, and watching them come to life on paper was magical to me. That’s when I truly fell in love with film.
Digital photography has so many benefits—reliability, convenience, and flexibility. It lets me capture the fast-paced moments of a wedding with precision, making sure I never miss anything. But film is different. It forces me to slow down and be more intentional with each shot like my mom would.
Incorporating film into a wedding gives it a timeless, nostalgic feel. By blending both digital and film, I can return to my roots where what’s inside the film camera is a bit of a mystery and story to later be told, while my digital camera is my tool to tell a complete and full story not missing a beat. This balance is what allows me to capture a wedding day in the way I love most.
This image shows a side by side of film vs digital.
FAQs
1. Why should I consider adding film photography to my digital package?
Film photography is known and loved for adding a raw and nostalgic feel to your wedding photos that digital can’t replicate.
2. Is film photography more expensive than digital?
Yes, film photography does costs more due to the price of rolls of film as well as the added time and expense of film development and processing.
3. How long will it take to receive my film photos?
Film photos take longer to process, since they are mailed to a lab where they develop the film and scan your images. Your photographer will give you an estimated timeline during your consultation.
5. Can I get the same photo shot on both film and digital?
Yes, it is typical for photographers to capture the same moment using both formats to provide you with options for your final album.
