You Keep Talking About 35 Film.... What Is It?
In the past few years, I've completely changed my approach and brand to include and revolve around 35mm film photography and digital photography, rather than solely digital photography. I opened my wedding photography business in 2016, so 2025 is now my tenth year as a professional wedding photographer. Time flies... I began with just using digital photography, and in 2020 I started to get back into 35mm film. I say back into, because as a child of the '90s 35mm film was what I grew up with. I didn't get my first digital camera until the mid 2000's, which was a NOVELTY. You don't have to wait a week to get your pictures back? You can see them immediately? Oh my gosh.
Unfortunately, as with most digital mediums, you start to lose the beauty of the analog craft it was based off of. Have you wondered why physical vinyl records have become so popular in the past decade, even though Spotify gives you access to most music in the whole world in your pocket? It's for the same reason; analog music has a different quality than digital. A lot of people describe music on vinyl as "warm and comforting", which is exactly how I describe 35mm film. Digital images tend to run cool unless edited very warmly, whereas Kodak 35mm film (which is what I use!) has a natural warm quality. It feels like the 80's and 90's photos of your grandparents celebrating their birthdays, but on your wedding day in 2025.
Here is an example of 35mm film wedding photography versus digital wedding photography. These photos were taken at Our Lady of Malibu Catholic Church in Malibu. Thankfully it is one structure that was saved from the Palisades Fire in January 2025.

Our Lady of Malibu Catholic Church. On 35mm Film.

Our Lady of Malibu Catholic Church. On Digital.
The photo on the left is on 35mm film developed then digitally scanned, the photo ON THE RIGHT IS completely digital from start to finish.
The Process of Working with 35mm Film as a Wedding Photographer
I realize that this format of photography makes a lot of sense to me as a child of the early 90's, but may not make sense to everyone. Let me first explain the process of working with 35mm film, and why it is more expensive than just digital wedding photography. 35mm film is a photographic medium that consists of a strip of light-sensitive material wound inside a film canister. When exposed to light through a camera’s lens, the film captures an image, which then requires chemical development to reveal the final photograph. Unlike digital photography, where images are instantly viewable and can be uploaded to a computer instantly, film photography requires patience and a hands-on approach. Film also encourages a more deliberate style of shooting, as each roll has a limited number of exposures—typically 24 or 36 frames—compared to the unlimited shots of digital cameras and SD cards.
Personally, I use Kodak 35mm film, which comes with 36 exposures in the roll. That means that per roll that I purchase, I can get a maximum of 36 photos. They must first be developed chemically, and then scanned or printed to see the final result. Even the result after developing is not immediately useable- it shows up as a negative exposure (meaning dark areas appear light, light appear dark, and the colors are inverted as well). That's why a professional film lab must be used to properly scan the negatives into a digital format or print them onto photo paper. Physical 4x6 prints are probably what you're used to the most with your parents or grandparents photos- think of what's in your family photo albums from the 90's and before.
So that means, as a 35mm film wedding photographer, I must first purchase the unexposed film, then send it off to my local photography lab to have it developed and then scanned or printed depending on my client's wishes. Which brings me to my next common question!

Last Vegas Nevada Wedding on 35mm Film

The Wynn Wedding Salons in Las Vegas Nevada on 35mm Film
What Final Product Will I Receive with 35mm Film?
This is the most common question I receive, and why I am writing this blog post! All of my wedding photography packages in California or anywhere in the world include both digital and 35mm film. What that means for you, is that you will receive digital high-resolution images, which may be printed physically, or shared digitally! This is what most modern wedding photographers offer.
I stand out from the normal use of digital wedding photography by also using 35mm film which is an analog form of photography. Along with your final digital gallery, you will receive either:
- Digital scans of the developed and processed film. These scans can be then physically printed or shared digitally. It's the best of both worlds since you can include them in a wedding album along with your digital photos, print them to hang on your walls while still having the security of a digital backup copy.
- 4x6 Prints Only. With this option you are getting the pre 2000's experience of getting physical prints back from your film camera, but you lose the stability of having a digital backup copy. You will also receive the negatives which can themselves be scanned and/ or printed again.
- Or both! If you would like to have both the digital scans delivered to you, and the physical 4x6 prints, you may do so, but this will be an extra cost on top of my pre-constructed packages. That is because both the scanning of the negatives, and the printing of negatives onto photo paper are costly to me from my film lab.
I personally think that having the digital scans is the way to go, since you can then easily print those yourself onto paper if desired, with services like Shutterfly and Freeprints easily available. For my own personal 35mm film photography, I have my lab develop and scan my rolls, then I back up my digital scans onto Google Photos, and print my favorites using Mootsh Photo Printing.

Film scans are also easily sharable on social media. Birch Room at Calamigos Ranch.

35mm film photography at wedding reception.