Andrew Tallon

I believe the role of a wedding photographer has changed.

When I first started out, I was the only one at a wedding with the gear (and memory-card space) to be able to capture high quality images of every important thing that happened on the day. Almost like an archaeologist - of course artistic images were appreciated - but the main goal was to gather evidence of the dress, the kiss, the cake-cutting, the dance and so on. 

Now, every wedding guest has a smartphone in their pocket capable of taking unlimited pin-sharp digital photos at any time. That advantage of pure capability is gone, and your photographer must offer a service with a truly unique point of view. Something that elevates the memories of the day, rather than simply archiving them. More importantly, something that exists in a physical form that will stand the test of time.

That’s why I’ve made the decision to shoot weddings exclusively on analog film.

Images shot on film have a naturally beautiful and nostalgic look, with subtle tones and small imperfections that mirror the way we store memories in our own minds. They are also, by nature, designed to be printed and presented physically in a way that will encourage you to interact with them long into the future.

On top of that, the limitations built in to the process encourage me to be the best photographer I can be. That is to prepare meticulously, shoot thoughtfully, and make every frame count. 

Shooting weddings is already tough. Why make it even harder?

It is a tough job, thank you for noticing! There are so many things to consider for every wedding that are equally or even more difficult to manage than simply the equipment. Like with all creative processes, over time I’ve found that the more preparation and knowledge I have going into the shoot, the better the outcome.

Analog forces me to prepare to the utmost detail; to know as much as I can about all of the locations, events and people that I’ll be shooting. Based on analysing the light available in each location, and the average amount of photos I’ve delivered in my digital work, I will choose in advance which film stock and how many rolls I will use for each part of the day, and schedule appropriate times for changing rolls.

What I won’t need to do is spend up to 20 hours sitting in front of a screen in post-production. Working with Scandinavia’s largest and must trusted film lab, and using specific film stocks that I’ve tested to work best with my personal shooting style, I will be receiving scans that are basically delivery-ready on arrival.

So in terms of the overall process, I don’t see shooting analog as inherently more difficult than digital. Mainly that I’m shifting the bulk of the work from post-wedding to pre-wedding, and in doing so, creating a workflow that allows me to capture the best images possible on the day itself.

Do you trust this technology? What if something goes wrong?

No setup is perfect. Even the latest digital cameras and memory cards can fail. At every wedding I’ve shot, I’ve had at least 2 cameras on me and a slew of memory cards and pre-charged batteries to swap between as the day progresses. I haven’t once lost a single image, let alone an album, and I will be just as cautious and careful while shooting analog.

My analog kit consists of 3 cameras, countless spare batteries and enough rolls of film to shoot the wedding twice over, just to be sure. I’ve spent the 2023 wedding season practicing and ironing out my process, shooting film alongside digital and assessing all the failsafes and checks I need to consider. I have also tested multiple development and scanning labs, and have committed to using the most trusted and renowned lab in Scandinavia for post-production.

In the event of a camera failure - just like digital - I will simply swap the camera out for another. If there’s an issue with a film roll, I will remove it and replace with one of my spares. Compared to memory cards where a failure could result in 1000 photos wiped out, the absolute worst case is 36 photos going missing.

Will you bring a digital camera as a backup?

No, I will stick to analog only. This ensures a consistent look across the album, and keeps the workflow as simple as possible for me on the day so I can stay focused on shooting great photos.

The only situation I’ve seriously considered this for is family and group photos. If you’ve invited every distant relative and need 50 different combinations of them all photographed, then I can see the use case.

Seriously though, to keep things moving in an already stressful part of the day, I’ve always encouraged couples to give me a list in advance of all the groups they need shot, and to try and limit these to around 10-15 in total. I haven’t had any issues with this so far.

Shooting a dedicated film roll for these will give me 2-3 frames of each group, where I will use techniques to ensure everyone is smiling with eyes open and looking into the camera. And if someone blinks, photoshop works just as well on film scans!

How do the deliveries change? Do we still get digital copies?

Of course - digital images are crucial to how we share memories with friends and family online. All modern labs offer scanning on top of development, and these scans will make up the main part of my delivery. Just like my digital work, these will be provided both in high resolution (for print) and web resolution (for social media and online).

The only small disadvantage is a change to the “first-look” delivery: instead of approx. 30 quick edits delivered the next day (usually Sunday evening), I will have two rolls (up to 72 photos) rush-scanned and delivered on the first working day following the wedding. We can consult on which rolls should be scanned; most likely one from the ceremony and one from the bridal shoot. Note that “rush-scanning” does not result in a loss of quality - the lab just charges extra for those two rolls to be at the front of their queue that day.

But one of the key drivers of this change is to actually improve my deliveries overall. Here are the multiple improvements and extras that will come included with each package:

• Maximum two-week delivery time on the digital scans
• Hand-designed album of up to 25 double-sided pages, with prints on professional photo-paper manually placed using archival photo glue
• All of the film negatives pre-cut and placed in contact sheets in chronological order
• A portable light table and loupe to give you the best experience while viewing the negatives

All of this is designed to encourage you to physically interact with your memories and revisit them long into the future.

These products will also create a sense of excitement when you share them with friends and family. Instead of handing over a 5-inch phone screen for them to scroll and scroll, they will see the photos professionally printed, and feel the magic of film as they look through the negatives - a physical souvenir that was right there alongside you during all those awesome moments. 

Won't we get fewer photos now?

Short answer, no. But feel free to read on for the why and how, which has actually been heavily influenced by my recent digital deliveries:

I had an eye-opening experience a few years ago where I was sitting with some relatives as they received the link for their wedding photos - around 1000 in total. These weren’t 1000 individual scenes, more like 100, where each scene was delivered with 10 slightly different poses and expressions. Don’t get me wrong, the photos were beautiful and the couple were happy, but the experience of that first look through them became tiring, the opposite of what I hope for my clients. The process of cutting these down to a smaller album to post on socials or send out to family undoubtedly caused headaches too.

Since then, for a full day shoot I’ve cut my approximate delivery numbers from 400 photos down to 250. This has not affected how many photos I shoot on the day, nor is it compromising my product. I’ve simply put time into selecting the best possible frame from each individual scene that I captured, making it easier for you to select your favourites to share onwards, and ensuring that each time you click to the next photo, it’s something new and exciting.

As I touched on further up the page, the analog process is all about taking this kind of post-production work and shifting it to the preparation and shooting on the day. Every time I press the button, it’s costing me a dollar. Instead of running up and shooting 100 rapid-fire digitals when I see something nice happening, I will have have my gear prepared, get in position for the best possible composition, and anticipate the right moment to capture it.

I can already see the results of this reflected in both the quality of my analog work, and the delivery numbers that come with it. Here’s some stats from my last wedding that I shot with both digital and analog:

120 film (12 shots per roll): 12 captured / 12 delivered

135 film (36 shots per roll): 128 captured / 90 delivered

Digital (click, click, click..): 3221 captured / 240 delivered

The bottom line: sometimes less is more, but I’d already figured that out. Keeping the above capture/delivery rates in mind, I will ensure to shoot enough film to deliver the same amount of high-quality images that I currently do shooting digital.

Does this mean your prices are shooting up?

For 2024, I am capping a price increase to 10%, which will still result in a loss of profit overall. Considering the special nature of the format, and the extra deliveries mentioned above, I believe this is more than fair.

After that, I will revisit my prices yearly as I always have, keeping in mind the demand for my services and state of the market.

For an overview of my current packages and pricing, please get in touch at hello@andrewtallon.com

Why should we trust you?

This is the crux of it all. In my perfect world, I didn’t have to make this FAQ. I’m simply making an equipment-based decision that I think works best for my work as an experienced professional.

In reality though, your wedding is likely the most important (and expensive) day of your life so far. It’s only natural to be worried about paying a lot of money to someone using equipment that could be seen as outdated or untrustworthy.

Ultimately, regardless of the format, you are placing a huge amount of trust in me as your wedding photographer.

You’ll probably see me more on your wedding day than you will your own family. The photos that I capture will become the main way you access and share your most treasured memories long into the future. 

Whatever format I’m shooting, I’m staking my pride and my livelihood on the success of this work. I’ve spent almost all of my spare time this wedding season researching and testing my analog workflow, and I have complete confidence in the process.

Just as I have at over 150 weddings I’ve shot in the last 13 years, I will continue to do everything I can to capture and deliver beautiful photos safely, on-time, and to your complete satisfaction. 

I’ve been collecting vinyl records for years now. The process behind selecting and playing albums, and the rich quality of the sound that comes out of them, gives me that same special feeling I get when shooting on analog.

At a very competitive price compared to most wedding DJs, I’ll extend my service by firing up the vinyl decks to get the crowd moving with a mix of dance-floor heaters spanning generations and genres.

No crazy scratching, mixing or tricks: just great music that will get the Gen Z’s off their phones and grandma on her feet. I’ll even have the best vantage point for a few more dance floor photos to round up the night.

Note that this service is limited to weddings in Denmark and Southern Sweden.

Get in touch at hello@andrewtallon.com for a full list of packages and pricing.