Why I shoot weddings only on film

Film is timeless

Analog photography is able to represent the world in a way that feels very close to how we experience it emotionally - it makes us think instantly of memory, with its vibrant colors and blurry backgrounds, and it seems to always get the essence of the moment just right. More and more people are going back to film now, be it to document their travels, their children or their wedding, and I think it has to do with us all realising that the fabricated perfection of digital images is not enough to translate how we feel about the things that matter to us - no matter how intensely alive a moment is, I find that with digital images something crucial is always lost in translation.

Film, on the other hand, seems to be capable to dive deep into any scene, shedding light on certain essential details and making any moment, no matter how far removed, feel at once familiar and wondrous. Film is memory, and memory, with all her fantastic and mostly unrealistic ways, is my first muse.

Shooting film is an artistic choice, so my main reasons to photograph weddings on film are not necessarily related to the more technical aspects of film, but I still believe that film is a superior (if a slightly less versatile and way more expensive) medium.

When a photo is taken on film, light travels through the lens and into the camera to reach the film emulsion, a very thin layer of silver halides held together by gelatine. All the light that reaches the film will permanently transform the silver to create what we call a latent image. The film is then developed with chemicals in total darkness to create what we call the negative, which can then be scanned to become a digital file. This journey feels long, slow and, well… analog. Film is artisanal and very real, even if the very fact of its existence still feels quite magical. Film is precious, unique and timeless, and this is exactly what any wedding image should be.

Film is a limited resource

Because I don't have an unlimited amount of images to make, I take each image way more seriously. The work becomes intentional. I spend less time looking through the viewfinder and more time observing my surroundings and contemplating what happens in front of me - less time worrying about the images I think I should be making, and more time recognising and learning from the moments that are already happening. This gives me a much wider view and a better notion of context and dynamics. I let the wedding guide me, and not the other way around.