Whenever it comes up in conversation that I shoot film, most people inevitably get a quizzical and slightly confused look on their face before immediately asking why. Friends, I get it. We live in a digital world. You won’t find most people carrying around rolls of film with them so it’s not a shock to me when most are surprised that I choose to use this medium in my professional work. And while I do still shoot digital work as well, film has captured a part of my heart for both creative and practical reasons. For starters…

Film forces me to slow down

When you have to buy a roll of film and send it off to be developed and scanned, you realize that each frame costs you money. Depending on the type of film, I also only have either 15 or 36 shots. This means that every time I click my shutter, I’m hearing $$ fly out of my pocket. Because of this, it makes me more intentional with my work and teaches me patience. When I don’t have a digital camera in my hand, I don’t have the luxury of taking multiple shots of the same setting and hoping one of them turned out how I envisioned, or that at least one shot had everyone’s eyes open. The ability to look at the image on the back of my camera to double check is also gone. With film, I’m forced to slow down and take in my entire scene, think carefully about my composition, settings, and subject, and anticipate the perfect moment to press the shutter before moving on to the next shot. Since film slows me down, I am able to “get it right” the first time, which in turn makes me more efficient. Which leads to my next reason…

It saves me time

Film saves me time; and time is valuable. Not only am I more efficient while shooting and therefore am able to accomplish a lot more in a shorter period of time, but I also spend less time at the computer editing. With digital images, I upload them to my computer, narrow the images down to the best of the best, and edit them. When I receive the digital scans of my film back from my photo lab, the images are basically done and my image retention/keep rate is much higher. If there is any editing that needs to be done, it is minimal. When I don’t have to spend as much time at my computer editing, I am not only able to focus on other aspects of my business, but I am also to able to maintain a healthy work/life balance. When there is less editing work to be done, the less pressure I feel to work beyond my office hours and into my evenings/weekends. This means more time for my marriage, family, friends, and other activities that bring me joy.

It inspires me

When I am not busy taking multiple shots of the same thing and adjusting my settings, I am able to focus more on what inspires me in the moment and be more creative. Film enables me to do this. Plus, there’s an added anticipation that comes with not being able to see what I created right away. There is a exciting thrill that comes along with sending the film off to be developed and waiting to get the images back! There’s nothing more exciting than getting to see what I’ve created for the first time after having to wait for it (sometimes up to a couple weeks!).

Film is timeless

There is something so special about film. It captures colors in a completely different way than digital does and it handles light during even the brightest times of day so wonderfully. At the end of the day, film is timeless. Look at photography trends over the last decade alone, and you’ll find styles that are now dated and almost embarrassing to think they were once considered cool. I love that film creates a finished product that is timeless and will endure the test of time and continually changing trends.

All in all, film has my heart. I’m not saying it’s necessarily better than digital-I still use both formats and they are each required tools in my toolkit. However, I’ve found that for me, film speaks to both my creative heart and practical mind. Which is why you shouldn’t be surprised the next time you see me loading a roll of film during your portrait session or wedding!