Arkansas Weddings from A to Z: F is for Film Photography

One of the hottest trends in wedding photography right now is actually quite retro. Remember when cameras actually used rolls of film? Well, film photography is back, and several Arkansas photographers are already on the bandwagon. In fact, a few of them are already seasoned pros.

Take for instance, Drew Cason, owner of Drew Cason Photography. His experience at both digital and film has him at the top of many bride’s wish list. We couldn’t help but pick his brain about this trend.

Why is film so hot right now?

Film gives you a different look than digital does. It really enables you to get that airy look that so many brides love. The popularity of going back to shooting film can be attributed in large part to Jose Villa. He is strictly a film shooter and creates amazingly beautiful images all over the world for his wedding clients. Some of the popularity is just that it’s different from digital and everybody wants to stand out from the crowd. Others, myself included, picked it up out of curiosity and to challenge themselves with something different.

What do you like most about shooting on film?

Film makes you slow down and think about every frame before you take a picture, whereas with digital, you can always check the image after you shoot it, make adjustments, and then shoot it again. Being more intentional with every frame produces better work in fewer shots. For a wedding shooting digital, I may shoot 2,200 images by myself and deliver 700-800 of those to the client. When I shoot film, I usually end up delivering 14 or 15 images from every roll of 16 exposures.

What will film photography cost a bride?

It costs about $2 per frame to buy the film and ship it off to be developed and scanned. When you are spending $2 every time to press the shutter button, the cost can add up pretty quickly, which is why being more selective and intentional is a must. The additional overhead cost for shooting a wedding is $1,000+ for the film, processing, and assistant to load film all day.

What’s the biggest difference between digital and film?

Film is very forgiving if it is overexposed, whereas digital is very forgiving when it is underexposed. When you can overexpose the film, it allows you to capture the details in the darkest parts of the images while still retaining the details in the lightest parts of the image.


See more Arkansas Weddings From A to Z

Related Articles