Film photography is rising in popularity among families and photographers. Fans of film are quick to highlight its allures, but photographing families on film requires a different process than shooting digital. Each comes with its own delightful gifts and unique challenges, so before you dive into photographing a family on film here’s what you need to know:
1. Film photography is SLOW and requires a different approach.
You won’t get away with “spray and pray” when you’re shooting with film. Each click of the shutter costs you money, so you have to be intentional. A roll of film has between 10 and 36 exposures, depending on what format you’re shooting, so you’ll also be stopping often to reload film. The slowness of the process can be a welcome respite, and I love the opportunity to be present with the families I photograph instead of rushing around taking hundreds (if not thousands) of photos in a family session.
The slowness of film requires a different approach. When shooting digitally you can often shoot through uninspiring moments and wait for that ‘wow’ photo to reveal itself. It’s a process of discovery that happens through shooting, and you’ll end up with several images based around an idea that you can then sort through to find the strongest one or two when culling. But when using film you have to cull as you’re shooting. If I was shooting digitally I might take 15 to 20 images of a particular idea or pose, but with film I limit that to one to three images.
I used to take more images than I needed when shooting digitally, just to fill the time or feel like I was doing something in a shoot. With film, I proactively create the moments and images. If that sounds controlled, you’re right. The dirty secret of my images is that, while they look natural, they are very directed, or — dare I say it — posed. But posed doesn’t have to mean inauthentic.
Family photographers sometimes get a little frantic and think they have to uncover something ultra unique or special about the family in front of their lens to make their images authentic, but it’s the littlest things that make an image feel real and reflect your subjects. It’s the way a mama grabs her child’s hand, the way a little one squishes his dad’s cheek, or the way a wife looks at her husband. Hunt for these serendipities and you’ll find them shining through no matter what family you’re photographing.
How much film do I use?
During a family photo session on film, I usually shoot 6 to 8 rolls of medium-format film, depending on the shoot, and one roll of 35mm film. That’s a total of about 132 to 164 film images per family session.
2. With film, it’s better to stay in one place.
With fast moving kids and slow film, how can you get them to hold still long enough to capture anything? If you’ve ever had a family session with high energy kids, a stressed out mom, or a dad who’d rather poke out his eyeballs than do family photos, you might be thinking film is a death sentence. Here’s my hottest tip: Stop moving your clients!
In teaching family photographers, I see them rush around a client’s home or outdoor location, feeling like they need to shoot in every corner to add variety to their images. Every time they get stuck, they move their clients to a new spot. This kills the energy in a shoot. Work one spot for as long as you can, and then move.
3. It’s easier to create the moment rather than chase it.
These images were created for a workshop I was teaching, so in addition to the pressure of shooting the family, there were 12 other photographers watching. Oof. When I walked into the home on this cloudy day I was flooded with dread because it seemed like there was nowhere to shoot. The bedroom was covered in dark bedding and the room that had the best natural light was filled with junk. I pulled the sheets off the bed and the dark cover off the comforter so the white bedding could reflect more light. I photographed on the bed and in the window for virtually every image, and then ended the shoot in the sink at the window.
Even when I don’t have the challenge of limited spaces to photograph, I still shoot in one place as long as I possibly can, and often do entire shoots in two or three spots in a home. This helps contain those fast moving kids (bonus points if you’re in a home and can close the room’s door) so they can bring the energy to a setting you’re already prepared for.
How many times have sweet moments happened at a shoot when you weren’t ready and you tried to say, “do that again?” When you aren’t moving your clients, these moments are much more likely to happen when and where you’re ready, because you’ve already set up the space beforehand — you’re creating the moment rather than chasing it.
4. Film photos can be bright and airy or dark and moody.
A common misconception about film photography is that it is bright and airy. Many photographers have made this style popular and claim it’s the look of film. While film does have hallmark colors, like more vibrant reds, its look can be manipulated to suit any style. Manipulation happens in post-processing for digital, but for film it happens in camera, development, and scanning.
While digital cameras often have a certain look to them, the look of your film depends much more on the film you shoot than the camera. I shoot Portra 400 film on my Nikon F100 (a 35mm camera) and on my Pentax 645NII (a medium-format camera) and the colors look very similar.
Film is light hungry — my settings indoors on the Pentax 645NII are often 1/60, f/2.8 and 400 speed film (the equivalent of ISO 400), so it shines in shooting situations with a lot of light. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shoot film in low light. As you can see with these two images, you can shoot film in a way that feels bright and airy or dark and moody.
5. The highlight retention of film will blow your mind.
One of the biggest reasons to shoot film, especially if you shoot indoors or want to shoot indoors, is the highlight retention. I adore strong indoor backlight, and if I tried to shoot any of these images on a digital camera the highlights would be blown to bits. It’s virtually impossible to blow highlights on film, so feel free to bathe in that bright, golden light streaming through windows because the results will be beautiful.
6. Film photography is a visceral process that can breathe new life into your creativity.
Instead of your image being recorded on a card that will eventually be erased, every image you take is physical. It has a negative, a record. With so much going digital, it can feel good to return to the analog and the disappearing beauty of having something tangible to experience as you create.
As creators the process itself should feel good, not just the outcome, so if you’re feeling uninspired lately, using film can be a beautiful resurgence to your creativity. Don’t dive straight into photographing families on film. Try shooting your own family, friends, or personal projects first, until you confirm that it’s something you want to bring into paid gigs.
Brooke’s film photography faves:
Film: I use Portra 400. It is the most forgiving of any film stock and can be slightly underexposed or wildly overexposed and still look great. When in doubt, overexpose! Film is the opposite of digital in this way.
Lab: I use The Find Lab. They also offer feedback on film scans to help in your learning process when getting your feet wet with film.
Cameras: I have a Nikon F100 (a 35mm camera) and a Pentax 645NII (a medium format camera).
7. You can start with your digital lenses.
The best part about getting started with film photography is that you can use all of your digital lenses with a 35mm camera body. Pick up the Nikon F100 or the Canon EOS3 or AE-1 for a fraction of the price of a digital body. I still photograph families with the Nikon F100 with my digital lenses. My main workhorse is the Pentax 645NII with the 80mm f/2.8 lens (about the equivalent of a digital 50mm lens).
In a family session, I shoot 6 to 8 rolls of medium-format film (128 exposures) and 1 roll of 35mm film (36 exposures) through my Nikon F100.
Shooting film is not necessarily “better” or “worse” than shooting digitally. While each have advantages and disadvantages, they require a different process. If you’re feeling lackluster in your photography, trying film might be the revitalizer you need to see your clients and the world with fresh eyes.
Photos by Brooke Schultz
Excellent tips!! and I don’t shoot film ! I love your work and could totally apply what you’ve shared here to my work with a DSLR. Thank you