As a film photographer, I feel as though it is important to educate my clients on what sets KTP apart from other services. Besides a special client experience, I am primarily a film photographer, meaning that I shoot mainly on those fun, old-fashioned rolls of film.

The primary reason for shooting in film is that the medium generates images of an unmatched quality, and many clients that receive their gallery agree……the difference is almost ethereal. The best photographers shoot on film, and some of the best work in my corner of the industry is shot on film, and that’s my goal…..excellence. So I want to provide my clients with the highest quality and most excellent work.

I’ve done a few posts already about film but none about how my decision to shoot in film affects your client experience. Because to be honest, shooting in film affects very few (but VERY impactful) elements of your experience. Those being: cost, time, and final product. These days, many people want to invest as little as possible into cost and time, yet still have an incredible final product. The icing on the cake is…..they can. Which there is nothing wrong with. Digital shoot-and-burn services are no less wonderful or useful than film photography….it’s just a different service for the people that value it and want it. You see, to help illustrate the difference between modern, digital photography services and film services I’m going to give you a picture of two restaurants that offer similar but very different services.

First is McDonalds. This is digital/modern photography. It’s a service you can access easily and be served quickly, at low cost. Usually the food/materials are mass produced at low cost beforehand resulting in an edible product that is tasty but really probably not all that good for you in the long run. You use their services because you don’t have the desire or want to invest money and time into a quality experience.

Second is Ruth’s Chris. You make reservations ahead of time for a whole evening. You invest in a nice dress and fixin’s, and you spend time fixing your makeup and hair. The high-quality steak you’ve invested in was curated from the finest, highest quality sources, and service you receive there is one of excellence. It’s a place you go to enjoy yourself and be treated with the highest quality. It’s also a special occasion restaurant, and for the average Joe and Jane, not somewhere you’d visit every week (and honestly, you’d probably only eat at Ruth’s Chris once or twice in a lifetime.).

You don’t go to McDonald’s expecting to receive an experience like Ruth’s Chris, and vice versa. And so, the same goes for digital photography and film photography.

Another quick example of the worth in investing in film photography is that the film photographer experience is a lot like how I feel about my couch. Yes, my couch. As we proceed with the moving process, I’ve gained a lot of business insight from my couch. It’s a lovely blue-grey fabric couch from Ashley. I worked hard for the money to pay for it, went through the process of choosing it, invested in it, use it, and I enjoy it. There are some couches available in the house we’re moving into, and they are nice couches! But I like my couch and I want to keep and use my couch. Why? Because I worked for it, bought it, enjoy using it, it’s good quality so it’s worth the investment, and I like the way it looks(which is why I bought it in the first place.)

I think you catch my drift, right? Film photography is a look that many clients desire, are wiling to invest in, provides a unique experience, and truly is an excellent way of photography service.

So here are a few things about your client experience that change when booking a film photographer.

1. Pre-shoot: when you book with me, you’ll be required to make a deposit to hold your spot and for me to purchase the required materials (aka film) for our session. I use the best film available: “Kodak Portra - The World’s Finest Grain Professional Film”. I also shoot two different mediums, which is another post in itself. 35mm and 120mm. A roll of 35mm costs around $9 or so, and 120 film costs about $7 or so. I buy multiples at a time because I shoot around 4-10 rolls of film at any given session.

2. During your session, the only thing that differs from a digital session is that the pace is a bit slower and more intentional. I don’t waste frames or pose you and fire off 3 or 4 shots of the same scene. Every frame is intentionally curated because every frame costs something. Ah, but the beauty and memories that result are simply amazing.

3. Post-session: This part is where you really start to see the fruit of what you’ve invested in. Firstly, I have to pay shipping to send your film off to my lab in Orem, Utah. Then, they process each roll for me (which comes at a cost), scan them into the computer(also a fee for that), and if you don’t request rush shipping or rush developing, it takes around 7-10 days for scans to arrive in my inbox. After that, I make minimal tweaks to the scans, and then they are on their way to you!

   There is a cost for high quality. Usually in money, time, and the product. But in today’s world, everything is fast, cheap, and temporary. Not the best investments if you ask me. But again, that’s what a lot of people want and like.

   The investment into film photography isn’t just one that film photographers advocate for because it makes them more money or makes their work life less stressful, but that they know the trade off is worth it for the client. Film photographs are what our legacies are on, what our parents as babies are captured on, and what the first reproductions of history are on. It’s a soul-moving medium and with good reason. It’s lasting. It’s reliable. It’s the OG of photography. It’s realizing that your skin actually looks amazing. It’s realizing that you’re actually photogenic in your own amazing way. It’s seeing yourself through a new lens away from social media, selfies, and the digital world. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll see how beautiful you really are.