Why I Love Film Photography
Mya here! I’m a sucker for film photos. There is something about film photography that digital just can’t quite replace for me. And I say that as someone who has spent more than two decades photographing people professionally with digital cameras. I love digital photography. It gives me incredible control, consistency, and flexibility. But film gives me something completely different.
It makes me slow down. With digital, it is very easy to take another photo. And another. And another. With film, every frame matters. There are only so many exposures on a roll, so I find myself paying closer attention to the light, the composition, the expression, and the exact moment I press the shutter. Then comes my favorite part: waiting.
In a World of Instant Everything, Film Makes You Wait
We are so used to seeing everything immediately. Take a picture and look at the back of the camera. Take a picture with your phone and see it instantly. Film doesn’t give you that. You take the photograph and move on, and sometimes I don’t see that image again until weeks later. Strangely, I love that.
By the time I get my film back, I may have forgotten some of the photographs I took, so looking through the scans feels a little like opening a present. There are usually a few surprises and sometimes a few imperfections. Sometimes a frame turns out completely differently than I expected, and every once in a while, there is one that makes me stop and stare. Those are the photographs that keep me shooting film.
Film Isn't Perfect, and That's Kind of the Point
Digital photography has become incredibly polished. Cameras are sharper than ever, editing software can correct practically everything, and we can make photographs incredibly clean and technically perfect. Film doesn't always behave that way. There is grain, colors can shift, focus might be a little softer, and highlights can glow. Different films also have their own personalities, and sometimes there are little imperfections that I would probably correct in a digital photograph.
But on film, they belong there. Film has texture and character. It feels less like a perfectly manufactured image and more like a memory. That is probably the biggest reason I love it.
Film and Boudoir Are a Beautiful Combination
Boudoir photography on film has a completely different feeling. It can be soft, intimate, moody, romantic, grainy, imperfect, and incredibly beautiful. There is also something about the slower process of shooting film that works really well during a boudoir session. Instead of constantly taking photos, I slow down, adjust the pose, look at the light, wait for the right expression, and take the photograph before moving on to the next one.
For someone who wants boudoir photographs that feel a little more artistic, nostalgic, or cinematic, film can add something really special to the session. And yes, you can absolutely request film photography as part of your boudoir session with me.
Weddings and Elopements Were Made for Film
There is a reason so many old wedding photographs still feel incredibly romantic decades later. Film has a timelessness to it, and I especially love it for intimate weddings and elopements because those days are filled with little moments that happen once and disappear. A hand squeeze during the ceremony, wind catching a veil, someone laughing, or a quiet look between two people when nobody else is paying attention. Those moments don't need to be perfectly polished. They just need to be remembered.
I photograph my weddings and elopements digitally, but couples can request that I bring film along too. It becomes another way of documenting the day alongside their regular wedding photography. The digital photographs tell the story beautifully, while the film photographs can feel like memories of that story.
You Don't Have to Hire a Photographer to Fall in Love With Film
This might actually be my favorite part. You can try film photography yourself! You don't need to be a professional photographer, own an expensive camera, or understand every technical part of photography before you begin. Pick up an inexpensive film camera and take it somewhere. Photograph your family, your dog, your garden, a day at Disney, a weekend trip, your kitchen in the afternoon light, or your kids or grandkids doing absolutely nothing important. Especially the nothing important, because those photographs have a funny way of becoming important later.
You can find old 35mm cameras at thrift stores, flea markets, antique stores, camera shops, and online. There are also new reusable film cameras if you don't want to figure out whether a vintage camera actually works. Put a roll of film in it and give yourself permission to experiment. Some photographs might be terrible, and that's okay. Some might be wonderful, and one might even become your favorite photograph you've taken all year.
Film Changed the Way I Look at Photography Again
After photographing professionally for so many years, film reminds me of something that is very easy to forget. Photography doesn't always have to be perfect, and it doesn't always have to be for a client, a website, social media, or a portfolio. Sometimes photography can simply be about noticing something and wanting to remember it.
That's what I love most about film. It makes me slow down, really look at what I'm photographing, and wonder what I'm going to get. Somehow, after all these years of taking photographs, it makes photography feel a little bit magical again.
If you're booking a boudoir session with Negroni Studio or an elopement through Elope to Orlando and love the look of film, ask me about adding film photography to your experience. Or maybe this is your sign to pick up a little film camera of your own, load a roll, take it somewhere, and see what happens.
