Film: The Original Filter

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Film: The Original Filter

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Film: The Original Filter

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A women feeding pigeons in Paris, France

Film: The Original Filter

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"Digital photography is science. Film photography is a chemical miracle"

STEVEN SPIELBERG

Shooting with film is a gamble: Focus on manual cameras that use 20 year old technology (at best) can be questionable. Someone may blink. An airport metal detector can cook your film. Small variances in timing or chemical temperatures in the darkroom can skew color balances.

If you’re willing to slow down, have fun, and accept these sometimes uncontrollable variables, film offers an unmistakable vibe that cannot be imitated with any filter or software . Believe me, I've tried. Why else would I do this to myself?

Film FAQs

Is film still a thing?

Yes believe it or not. Although we don't have as many options as we used to (Rest in Peace Tungsten Balanced Ektachrome 50 and Kodachrome), film is actually making a small comeback. Much in the same way music lovers have rediscovered vinyl records, new photographers are starting to rediscover film. In 2025, Pentax put a film camera into production--the first time any company has produced a film camera in over 20 years, and film companies are bringing back or inventing new film stocks all the time now. As of October 2025, Kodak brought back a film called Kodacolor that they haven't manufactured in 10 years.

It's 2025. Why would I want images captured on film?

I like to think it depends on your event. Are you getting married in your grandmother's dress from the 1960's? Did you pick a 100 year-old location? Do you have a handlebar mustache? If you or your event lean heavily on a vintage aesthetic, film shots are a great way to continue the curation of your look.

Film FAQs

Does it cost more?

Unfortunately, yes. I usually quote a $50 per roll upcharge for film shoots. Unlike digital photography where you can store tens of thousands of images for 'free' on a memory card, with film you get 36 shots per roll on a 35mm film cartridge that costs around $15 to purchase and $10 to chemically process, and $20 to scan and edit. And in the end, you'll probably only keep one or two of those pictures.

Can't you just make our digital pictures look like film?

I can get close, and I've spent an obscene amount of time and money buying filters and books from people who really study the color science of different film stocks, but the truth is it will always be an approximation, and honestly, it can come across as inauthentic at times.