JADE & DOM
Gosfield Hall, Essex
VINTAGE ANALOGUE FILM PHOTOGRAPHY AT A GORGEOUS STATELY HOME
When I was a child, I used to use film cameras all the time, so I was delighted when I was approached by Isabelle Elliot Photography to do analogue photography as a second shooter for her weddings, and the first one I was booked in to do was Jade and Dom’s wedding which took place at Gosfield Hall, in Halstead, in Essex.
A former royal palace, Gosfield Hall is a really striking Georgian mansion set in 10 acres of land, and there are so many options inside and out for your wedding. It’s both grand and elegant and you can have up to 116 guests at the ceremony and the wedding breakfast, and up to 250 guests at the evening party celebrations.
The couple wanted 35mm, medium format, and Polaroid analogue film photography, which gave me lots of different ways to capture creative shots of their wedding, in both black and white and colour.
Capture a Different spirit of your wedding with Analogue Film photography
35mm wedding film photography
My main camera for this ceremony was the Nikon FM2n, a fully manual focus camera. It’s well built, small and tough, uncomplicated, reliable and easy to use. I used a variety of films, including Kodak Portra, Ilford HP5, Kodak T-MAX 400 and Cinestill 800T, and I switched from black and white to colour films during each stage of their wedding day.
I used a roll of Ilford HP5 in my Pentax 645n, a medium format camera, for the ceremony to capture the couple hugging each other as their guests clapped and applauded…
For this wedding I used high quality black and white and colour films from Kodak and Ilford to ensure consistent tones and quality throughout the day.
I mainly used black and white film (Ilford HP5 in this case) for this wedding as I feel it works really well with the Nikon FM2n. It’s all about the light and the framing—there is almost no editing done to these images.
I FOUND MY GUESTS TOTALLY RELAXED IN FRONT OF MY POLAROID CAMERA – THEY SAW IT AS A ‘FUN’ CAMERA TO POSE TO…
A TOTALLY UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT ‘COUPLE’ SHOT TAKEN WITH MY POLAROID CAMERA…
POLAROID WEDDING PHOTOS
For a real vintage feel, you can opt for some or all of your photos to be shot using Polaroid. I use traditional vintage Polaroid cameras to capture these with the signature ‘square’ Polaroid look.
THE BOUQUET TOSS – TAKEN WITH MY POLAROID WHILE THE MAIN SHOOTER SHOT IT DIGITALLY FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM FILM PHOTOGRAPHY
What you have caught on film is captured forever…
You can either hire me as a second shooter (I welcome enquiries from both photographers and couples) and we’ll chat about you and your wedding, what shots you want me to focus on, and if you have any favourite ‘looks’ you want for the photos, so I can choose the right film for your wedding. And if you want, I also offer short Super 8 vintage analogue videos alongside my analogue film photographs.
I use a trusted lab to process and scan all my film; this takes about 2 to 4 weeks in total, and then you’ll receive your images via an online gallery. You’ll have the option to download the scans or you can opt for gorgeous prints to make up a beautifully made photo album which you can keep to look back on in the years to come.
…it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.
FAQs about analogue film photography
DO YOU OFFER HOURLY OR HALF-DAY RATES?
If you’re local to Tunbridge Wells (I live in the centre) then I can offer hourly and half-day or shorter day rates for film photography.
If your wedding venue is further away, or you’re using multiple venues for your wedding, I’ll need to charge for travel time or a full day (whichever is cheaper).
I’m able to travel anywhere in the UK and overseas, but I would need to add on additional costs for accommodation and any visa/carnet requirements.
HOW MANY IMAGES WILL I GET?
This is really down to you but normally if you hire me as a second shooter you can expect to see around 125 to 350 photos—it really depends on how many you want and decide to pay for. I don’t take nearly as many photos as a digital photographer but I have a very high rate of ‘keepers’ (meaning they’re good photos) as I’ll have carefully chosen the composition, lighting and colours for the shot.
If I’m your main photographer then we’ll agree the balance of digital and/or film photographs that you’d like me to shoot. If you want more analogue photos that’s an option too, but the developing and scanning costs will need to be added on.
DO YOU WORK AS A MAIN SHOOTER OR A SECOND SHOOTER?
Although I offer myself as a (digital) main shooter, if I’m shooting film, I love second shooting as it means I can take the time to get some amazing angles and capture unique shots of your day. I’m easy-going and friendly, I love working alongside a main shooter.
I can overlap with your main shooter, if they leave after the first dance, so that you get more photos of your evening celebrations, fireworks, sparklers, and evening performers, so you don’t miss out on having photos of this part of the day.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET MY FILM PHOTOS?
It’s possible I’ll get the scans back from the lab within 3 weeks; so much quicker than for digital as there’s almost no editing required for film photos—the picture is created at the time of taking and the ‘look’ and the gorgeouos grain comes from the camera and the film itself.
If you’re having Polaroid photos, normally I’ll send these over in the post once they’ve fully developed, as I also scan these for you.
DO YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS YOU’D LIKE
TO ASK ME?
Just ping me an email or get in touch via Instagram, Facebook, or Tiktok and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
WHEN WORDS BECOME UNCLEAR, I SHALL FOCUS WITH PHOTOGRAPHS…
If you’re interested in having analogue film photos taken of your day, either as a second shooter or a main shooter, why not get in touch to check if I’m free for your date, let me know your budget if you have one, as well as tell me about you both and all about your wedding day.
Essays are welcome—I love hearing all about weddings!
