NICOLE
MARCELLE
PHOTOGRAPHY

What is it? In the simplest terms, a traditional analog camera transfers light rays onto a roll of celluloid film. Once the roll is used up (about 36 photographs), the film is developed at a professional photo lab. Nowadays, the images are then scanned with complex scanners into a digital format for viewing, sharing and printing.

Before digital photography, film photography was the norm for over a century. 

WHAT IS FILM PHOTOGRAPHY?

WHAT IS MY EXPERIENCE WITH FILM?

When I started photography, I used film (because digital didn’t exist yet), and when I moved to digital, I edited those images to look like film - specifically Kodak Portra 400. Today, this is still the basis of my digital editing/aesthetic. 

for me, film photography is not so much a different aesthetic as a different process.

It has a built in cinematic + nostalgic quality - which paradoxically makes it a timeless way to document real life and emotion.

It memorializes serendipitous moments in a way that digital photography can’t. Images are tangible moments captured by light falling onto actual film.

Film photography encourages you to slow down and be present in each moment. It’s ideal for couples who value serendipitous moments, and want to remember the experience of their wedding day.

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WHY DO COUPLES ADD FILM?

It encourages wonder and an appreciation of real life - making it especially meaningful in our fast, tech driven lives.

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HOW ARE FILM AND DIGITAL DIFFERENT?

Digital

Digital photography is sharp, flexible, and fast and there are endless editing options. It works beautifully for indoor moments, family groups and low-light situations. It allows me to document the fast-moving parts of the day with flexibility and speed. Technically and aesthetically, digital offers more control and consistency across the bat.

Film

Film excels in strong light, outdoor ceremonies and for candid and editorial portraits. It worked well for more than a century - and that hasn’t changed - but overall it’s less controlled and aesthetically consistent than digital. It adds a serendipitous, imperfect magic. Colors, skin tones and highlights shift, grain adds texture. And it’s processed in the lab, scanned and delivered as is.

COST: $1750

This includes shooting, developing and scanning 3 rolls of Kodak Portra 400 negative film on 35mm cameras. After your wedding, you will receive roughly 70-90 scanned film images via the “film” album of your online gallery. These images can be downloaded and shared or printed up to 8 x 12 in.

Film, lab processing and professional scanning is expensive and time consuming, and analog cameras are costly to maintain and repair. The rough cost per image is roughly $20-25, and I say this so couples will carefully consider this decision in light of their overall budget.

THE ADDITIONAL COST TO ADD ANALOG FILM PHOTOGRAPHY TO A WEDDING PACKAGE IS $1750.

Due to the speed of processing, this album will be available within 8 weeks (your full digital gallery will be delivered in 6 weeks).

After your wedding, I will deliver roughly 70-90 scanned film images via the “film” album of your online gallery.

You’ll get the consistency of digital along with some film magic, and you won’t miss out on any key moments.

I will shoot both film and digital throughout the day, choosing the best tool for each moment.

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HOW IT WORKS

Honestly, it depends.

Should we add film?

If you are primarily interested in capturing your wedding day as an experience between you and your loved ones (and you have it in your budget) adding film is a lovely, serendipitous way to do that. Since film photography offers less control, and images are not edited after the fact, couples adding film should be prepared to embrace the real life of their wedding day and the way that film captures that.