How I photograph weddings on analogue film
I photograph weddings entirely on 35mm and medium format film, in Berlin, across Germany, and wherever a wedding takes me. The work is documentary at heart: I follow the day as it actually happens, and I only step in when a quiet word of direction genuinely helps.
A wedding day has its own rhythm. I try to stay inside it rather than pull you away from it. Portraits are made in a calm pocket of the day; the rest is watching, moving quietly, and staying ready, with a second camera always loaded.
Film renders light the way memory does. Highlights fade out softly instead of cutting off, skin keeps its warmth in every kind of light, and the grain gives each image a surface of its own.
On big days a second photographer can join me, shooting film the same way I do. Every wedding is a little different, so the best place to start is a conversation.
Why analogue still matters
The film stock sets the look in the camera: the colour, the grain, the way warm light sits on skin. Development, scanning and my final edit carry it through. I shoot 35mm and medium format film, mostly Kodak Portra, with Kodak Tri-X when a moment suits black and white.
Film also changes the pace of being photographed. There's no screen pulling attention away, no pressure to perform. I shoot less, think more about each frame, and let the real moments come to me.
Most of my couples are planning full, unhurried days, and they come to me because they love the look of film and want the whole day photographed that way. And afterwards the negatives are yours: not copies, the film itself.
Medium format and 35mm
I work with two film formats and move between them as the day changes.
Medium format is slower and more spacious. I shoot it on a Contax 645, the camera system I trust most. I use it for portraits, tender moments, interiors, and scenes where I want the frame to feel settled and immersive.
35mm is quicker and more responsive. I use it when people are moving, when the room is changing quickly, and when I need to stay very close to what is happening.
Together they carry everything from a quiet portrait to a loud dance floor.
Motion on analogue film
I also offer Super 8 wedding films in collaboration with an experienced cinematographer. These are short, atmospheric pieces on real motion picture stock, adding movement and passing time to the still photographs.
If you're interested, I can include Super 8 as part of your quote.
If you're planning a wedding on film, I'd love to hear what you have in mind.