Adding Film to Family Sessions

Adding Film to Family Sessions / By Brittany Olander

One of my favorite things I’ve done in my photography career is adding film photography into my sessions.  

In high school photography classes I was taught all about shooting film, and even developed it myself in the dark room.  After years of shooting digital, I wanted to push myself to relearn.  Teaching myself to shoot film, and integrating it into my business was something I did for me– to help me define my brand, achieve a style and look that I wanted, and most importantly, to push me as an artist.

Adding Film to Family Sessions / By Brittany Olander

Why film?

The simple answer is – it’s everything my iPhone is not.  It’s intentional – you only get one shot to get it right. And even then, you don’t know if you got it right!  Because you have to wait to see your images. There’s no instant gratification. Waiting for the scans to come in feels like the night before Christmas as a kid.

Film isn’t perfect. There is a natural graininess, the soft focus, the light leaks… every imperfection just adds to the aesthetic.  Film is nostalgic and timeless – there’s something about a photo taken on film that feels like it could have been pulled out of my childhood photo albums.  

While I know some photographers like film because they don’t enjoy editing, I actually do LOVE editing my digital images.  It’s fun!  BUT using both mediums has helped make my digital photography better, because the limitations you have on editing your film images makes me work harder to get my images as close to perfect in camera as possible.

If you are interested in adding film to your repertoire, I recommend starting with a 35 mm camera.  On one roll of 35mm film, you get 36 exposures – which means 36 shots, 36 frames, only THIRTY SIX times you get to press the shutter button (this is actually a lot compared to medium format cameras where you only get 16 shots!).  While 35mm film typically has more grain than medium format film and produces a smaller image, for me it is definitely “easier” than my medium format camera and works perfectly for hybrid shooting. 

Here are some popular 35mm film cameras to check out and get you started on your film journey: Canon EOS3, Nikon F100, Canon1V, Nikon FM2, Pentax1000, Canon AE-1.   I use a Canon 1V and highly recommend it!

Hi, I’m Brittany.  I’m a mom of three, married to my high school sweetheart.  We live in chilly Minnesota, but I dream of summer all year round.  I’m a big believer that motherhood deserves more than a selfie. As moms, we are often so busy doing all the things for our family, and yet we’re often left out of the photos.  My hope is for mothers to feel seen and adored in my work, because they were there too.

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