Film Wedding Photographer
Why I love shooting weddings on 35mm film
Photographing weddings on film in the UK, Europe and Worldwide
Throughout the 2025 and 2026 wedding season, most of my amazing couples have opted to have some, if not all of their wedding, captured on 35mm film. I’ll be lucky enough to be capturing weddings on film in London, Italy, Spain, The Cotswolds, Scotland and of course my home county of Yorkshire and of course all over the UK.
Why do I love shooting film at weddings?
As a London Film Wedding Photographer, I'm constantly asked why I choose film over digital for capturing life's most precious moments. The answer runs deeper than just aesthetic preference – it's about creating something truly authentic and timeless for couples on their wedding day.
Raw, emotional and honest
Film wedding photography captures emotions in their purest form. There's an unfiltered honesty to how film responds to light and shadow that digital simply cannot replicate. When I'm working as a film wedding photographer, I witness genuine tears, spontaneous laughter, and intimate glances – and film has this remarkable ability to preserve these raw emotions exactly as they unfold.
The grain structure and organic imperfections of film mirror the beautiful imperfections of real human emotion. Unlike heavily processed digital images, film wedding photography presents couples with images that feel authentic and unmanipulated. Each frame tells an honest story, free from the artificial perfection that can sometimes strip away the genuine essence of a wedding day.
Intentional, slowed-down process
Working as a film wedding photographer requires a completely different mindset than digital photography. Each frame matters. With only 36 exposures per roll, I become incredibly intentional about every shot I take. This deliberate approach means I'm fully present in each moment, carefully considering composition, timing, and emotional significance before pressing the shutter.
This slowed-down process benefits couples immensely. Rather than machine-gunning hundreds of images, film wedding photography encourages patience and mindfulness. I wait for the perfect expression, the ideal light, the genuine interaction. This methodology results in a more curated collection of images where every photograph has purpose and meaning.
The anticipation of waiting for film to be developed also adds a special dimension to the film wedding photographer experience – couples get to relive their wedding day weeks later when the developed images arrive, extending the joy and excitement of their celebration.
Light handling
Film's relationship with light is simply magical. As a film wedding photographer, I've witnessed how beautifully film responds to challenging lighting conditions that would frustrate digital sensors. Whether it's the golden hour streaming through church windows, the warm glow of candlelight during evening receptions, or the soft natural light of an outdoor ceremony, film wedding photography handles these situations with grace and beauty.
Film naturally compresses highlights and maintains detail in shadows, creating images with incredible depth and dimension. The way film renders skin tones is particularly flattering – there's a warmth and luminosity that makes every couple look their absolute best. This superior light handling is why many London film wedding photographers continue to choose analogue methods despite digital advances.
Analogue in the advent of AI
In our increasingly digital world dominated by artificial intelligence and automated processes, film wedding photography represents something genuinely human and artisanal. While AI can now generate images and digital photography relies heavily on computational processing, film remains beautifully analogue – a chemical process that's remained essentially unchanged for decades.
This authenticity resonates deeply with couples seeking something real and tangible in an age of digital saturation. When working as a film wedding photographer, I'm offering couples images created through a purely photochemical process, free from algorithmic enhancement or artificial manipulation. Each negative is a unique, physical artifact of their wedding day that cannot be replicated.
Film wedding photography stands as a testament to traditional craftsmanship in photography. In a world where anyone can take thousands of photos on their phone and apply AI filters, choosing a London film wedding photographer means investing in expertise, artistry, and a time-honored approach that prioritizes quality over quantity.
The tactile nature of film – from loading the camera to developing the negatives – keeps the entire process grounded in physical reality, creating wedding photographs that are not just images, but genuine pieces of photographic art that will be treasured for generations to come
