Wedding Videography & 35mm Film Photography | A Little Something Different
I was booked to film Rob and Amiee's wedding. Naturally, I turned up with a film camera too.
Because apparently one camera isn't enough for me.
Now, wedding videography and photography are two very different things. With video, you're thinking about movement, sound, atmosphere and how everything will come together in the edit.
But somewhere amongst all that, I couldn't resist taking a few photographs on good old-fashioned 35mm film.
And I'm so glad I did.
A wedding through two different lenses
There's something I absolutely love about wedding films.
The voices, the movement, the little interactions that happen in the background. Photography can tell you what a moment looked like, but video has this wonderful ability to bring you straight back into it.
That's what I was there to create for Rob and Amiee.
But alongside the video, I wanted to document little fragments of their day on film.
Nothing overly elaborate. No big lighting setups or stopping everything for a photoshoot.
Just a few frames here and there, whenever something caught my eye.
And that's the beauty of it.
Why I love 35mm at weddings
Digital cameras are incredible. They're fast, reliable and give you an extraordinary amount of control.
Film is a little different.
You can't immediately check every photograph. You can't fire off hundreds of frames and decide which ones you like afterwards. You have to slow down, notice something worth photographing and trust yourself.
Then comes the best bit.
Waiting for the scans to come back.
There's something genuinely exciting about opening a roll of developed film and seeing moments you'd almost forgotten you'd photographed.
The grain, the colours, the softness. The occasional slightly imperfect frame that somehow ends up being your favourite.
Film doesn't need to look flawless. That's rather the point.
The little moments in between
While the wedding film was my main focus, having a 35mm camera with me gave me another way of looking at Rob and Amiee's day.
Video tells the bigger story. It brings together the movement, the atmosphere and the moments as they unfold.
Film photographs do something slightly different.
They take one tiny piece of time and leave it there.
No movement. No soundtrack. Just a photograph.
And when you put the two together, I think they complement each other rather nicely.
There's something about the unpredictability of film that feels particularly suited to weddings. You can't control everything, and quite frankly, I wouldn't want to.
Some of the best moments are the ones nobody planned.
A little extra something for Rob & Amiee
The photographs you'll see here were taken on 35mm film alongside my work as their wedding videographer.
Not a full photography gallery or a replacement for their wedding photographer. Just a little collection of moments that caught my attention while I was filming.
It's also a pretty good example of why I've become so fond of bringing analogue photography into my work.
There's a place for polished, cinematic wedding films, just as there's a place for photographs with a little grain and character.
And sometimes, having both is rather lovely.
Rob and Amiee, thank you for having me along. I came to make you a wedding film and couldn't resist bringing back a few frames of film too.
Wedding films with a little analogue character
I'm Jay, the photographer and filmmaker behind Amarsi & Co, based in Derbyshire and available across the UK and beyond.
My approach to wedding films is much the same as my photography. Natural, observant and focused on what actually happens rather than manufacturing moments for the camera.
And yes, there's a fairly good chance I'll have a 35mm camera somewhere nearby.
Some habits are worth keeping.
