I’m so excited to now be offering some film photography to my clients! Film is just absolutely beautiful and there’s really no comparison with digital photography. I do get questions about why I chose to start shooting with film when it’s obviously much more expensive and a much longer process (sending film to lab, waiting to receive scans, etc.). Today I’d like to address those questions and hopefully shed some light on why so many photographers are choosing to go back to “their roots” and shooting more film these days. I’m somewhat new to film (although I learned in college), but this is what I love so far. I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to say as I continue to shoot and learn!

• Skin Tones – You’ll hear this from most photographers who shoot with film: the skin tones are just wonderful. They’re creamy and beautiful. With digital photography, I almost always end up having to edit the skin tones to try to replicate film. So when I shoot with film, that eliminates a step for me. This brings me to my next point:
• Less Editing – Plain and simple. If you’re exposing correctly in-camera, there’s just less or no editing with film. I may edit a bit just to create more contrast, but that’s usually it. It’s so nice to not spend so much time in front of the computer editing. For now, I still have to spend time matching my digital images to the film ones, but it’s worth it to have a consistent “style” for each shoot.

• Slowing Down – This is one of my favorite reasons to shoot film. It forces me to slow down. If the shot isn’t perfect, I’m not going to click that shutter. My friend, Elizabeth, said it perfectly: each shutter click is like “cha-ching” with film. Film isn’t cheap so I want to make sure the images I’m capturing are worth the money. With digital, it’s tempting to “click click click” until you get the shot you want, but film has helped me to step back, focus, and shoot less. Less is definitely more in this case.
• It Challenges Me – Film photography keeps me on my toes. I’m loving having a new medium with which to create my art. It’s familiar but so different at the same time. While I still love and plan to use digital photography in many cases (wedding receptions and births are very dimly lit, usually, and much easier to shoot digitally), I love the challenge and the art of film photography. Plus it’s seriously like my birthday when I get that email telling me my film scans are ready to be downloaded!!

While it will be a slow process, I hope to be transitioning into mostly film with a little digital mixed in. Right now, I plan to shoot at least one roll of film per portrait session and wedding. Please get in touch if you have questions about film photography or if you’d like to schedule a session. If you’re SUPER excited about film (like me), I’d love to talk to you more about scheduling a film-only session with you! Contact me at lauren{at}laurenjollyphotography{dot}com :)

Happiest Tuesday to you all!