Why I’ll Always Choose Film (Alongside Digital)
If you’ve ever seen me on a wedding day, you’ll know I come armed like I’m about to move house: digital cameras, lenses, flashes, batteries (so many batteries)… and then, tucked in amongst all the sleek modern gear, you’ll find my film cameras. Old-school, and completely unapologetic.
So why film, when digital already does the job so perfectly?
The truth is: I can’t give it up.
Film forces me to slow down in a way digital never does. With digital, I can click 100 frames in a heartbeat and know I’m covered. But film? Film asks me to pause. To notice. To breathe with the moment before I press the shutter. It’s not forgiving- each frame counts. Which makes every frame mean something.
It’s that slowness that pulls me in. Slowness= intentionality.
I think of the albums upstairs in my parents’ home, pages filled with imperfect but irreplaceable prints. Slightly blurred, sometimes overexposed, yet brimming with life. Photographs that remind me of the truth: perfection isn’t what makes an image timeless. Presence is.
And yet, I’ll never abandon digital. Digital is what allows me to keep up with the rhythm of a wedding day, the laughter, the dancing, the whirlwind of hugs and confetti. It’s fast, it’s reliable, and it lets me give my couples the reassurance of knowing their memories are safe.
But film and digital together? That’s where the magic happens.
Digital lets me capture the rush. Film lets me capture the hush... One is clarity, the other is nostalgia. Together, they tell a story that’s not only seen but felt.
So when you look back at your gallery years from now, I don’t just want you to see perfect images. I want you to feel them. I want you to remember how the air felt, how your heart raced, how the light touched your skin.
Because one day, your children will open an album, flip through those frames, and see you: radiant, loved, alive.
And they’ll know: this is what it felt like.
