Why Film?
When did this all start?
It started back in 2018, with my beaten-up Pentax K1000, a totally analogue manual camera. I am so inspired by Bruce Davidson's documentary Photography (you should definitely check him out!).
I shoot in London, which is my home, and I travel, taking my film cameras and bags full of film with me always.
What is film?
Film works by exposing tiny pieces of silver-covered plastic to light. This means the film from your wedding day has the light from each moment, etched into each tiny image.
A wedding day or weekend is revealed on these rolls of film, both 35mm &120mm.
Grounded in our physical reality, photographs shot on film come across visually much like moments in life do, sometimes complex, sometimes simple, often moving.
Does film mean fewer images?
The number of images may be smaller than when working with a solely digital photographer, as it's less about coverage and more about narrative, as each moment has been carefully paid attention to. This means what you receive will sing of how I saw your day. From the tiny details of your aunt's tired feet to the bustling dance floor.
How I describe my style
Raw, emotionally charged, vintage, with moments of humour.
Sometimes I push film to its limits, by purposefully under or overexposing and playing with the way I shoot to add further layers of narrative to each story. With unobtrusive photography, I always plan the day out so I can be as perceptive and gentle as possible; each moment unfolds first, photographs either shot discreetly or second.
Film ‘stock’ is key to the look of the final scans or prints; it's like the first round of editing already in the film itself.
The film stocks/type I LOVE are:
KODAK GOLD: super warm and colourful, rich tones in low light, saturated and poppy with flash.
KODAK TRI-X: Full of character, gorgeous grain, a true documentary film stock.
FOMAPAN 400: is a black and white film that's both soft and gritty; with flash, this film makes moments glow
This Photograph was taken with a pre-2000s 35mm analogue camera:
The themes my eyes are scouting for are:
The secret narrative of your wedding day as well as the obvious one
Huge smiles
Teary eyes
Hands touching
Iconic outfits
Kisses in action
Lighting that tells your story
Moments of complete chance caught on Kodak Gold 35mm film (like a poodle's fluffy hairdo blowing in the wind as the bride struts past on her London wedding day)
Is there backup?
On the day, you will see me with two film cameras and my digital, each loaded with a different complementary film stock. I always lead with the film and have my amazing digital Sony with me, shooting simultaneously, so the essence of the special moments is safely documented no matter what.
I can say that there has been a time when my digital camera has briefly overheated on a scorching summer day, and my film camera carried the whole thing off no problem!
My main camera is similar to the one Lee Miller used in her later life; Japanese design is everything!
In a nutshell: yes, having film and digital coverage leads means no lost images.
Yes, it's true! I hand develop film myself
Most black and white film has to be developed in a tank by hand, and I love to spend time with the images this way. First in complete darkness, then red light, finally taking them to scan, and often print large. I shoot the 35mm analogue film in colour and black & white. The black & white I hand develop, scan and print in my own darkroom in Brixton.
Colour film I get developed by the experts in Shoreditch, where I always drop it off myself before getting some lunch.
Film is a precious way of capturing precious moments.
I hope this has covered any initial questions. If you have any more, please do email … or book in a call. Let's talk all things film!