Recently I made the decision to purchase a Contax 645 rather than upgrading to a 5D Mark III. It was one or the other and film won! As a digital wedding photographer this was quite a big decision as I know the Mark III would be fantastic and, to be honest, would probably have been a more sensible choice! However, my love of photography started with film when I was 17 when I did a City & Guilds course and so borrowed all of my Grandad’s darkroom equipment to scan and develop my own prints – my Grandad was also a professional photographer and had his own photographic shop! I loved the creativity film gave me. I loved staying up all night seeing images develop in front of my eyes. That feeling of anticipation, not knowing if the image would turn out as you imagined and the elation if it did! I’ve also always be drawn to film photographers, preferring the gorgeous pastel tones and the organic beauty of their images. My inspiration has always come from incredible photographers such as Jose Villa, Elizabeth Messina, Feather & Stone, Taylor Lord and UK based Polly Alexandre, whose work is truly beautiful and magical.
This all being said, when a Contax 645 became available I knew I had to follow my heart and go for it. In a fast digital age, film allows you to slow down, and I love this. Film forces you to really gen up on your stuff and think about each and every photo as you don’t get immediate results and you can’t simply press delete. I’ve now shot my first 4 rolls of film (Fuji Pro 400H) and I have really enjoyed the thought process and love that goes into each and every click. My husband may get annoyed that a single frame can take up to 20 minutes whilst I faff around with various compositions but he just might have to live with it as shooting film has enabled me to rediscover my passion by following a slightly different photographic path. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the confidence to shoot an entire wedding in film, the thought honestly fills me with dread but I would love to carry on experimenting, discovering and learning. Film forces me to do this, so much more than digital and has given me even more respect for film photographers, especially my Grandad, than I ever had previously. A huge thank you to Christian and Erica Ward (my fantastic wedding photographers) for creating the amazing UK Film Lab and for all their help and guidance in the daunting world of film. I’m so excited about what the future holds now I’ve rediscovered film, who knows where my photographic journey will lead as a result…
Here’s a couple of images from my first roll, taken in Ibiza with my gorgeous friend Lauren and all developed and scanned by UK FILM Lab. Film, you rock! x
I will be honest, when I looked at the first photograph, I thought……weeeelllllllll you COULD replicate this using VSCO but NO you can’t, these are BEAUTIFUL I love every single one, the difference between these and film replication software is gargantuan. What special, sublime images. LOVE.
Love Love Love xxx
Film just rocks.
I shot 100 people with beards and moustaches yesterday (30/11/13), just one shot per person. It was so much fun as was the developing the black and white film too.
Every shot was considered. Every shot was bang on. And every shot has so much depth and character!!
Your images are lovely and I am going to have to do some colour work next 🙂