How to Shoot Film Photography at Weddings - Film Costs, Process, & More

Breaking down my process, costs, gear, backups and more regarding film photography at weddings. Everything from the average cost per wedding in film, developing and scanning and answering all your questions you had on Instagram and Facebook.
Correction: 5 rolls of 35mm film currently costs about $50.
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[@TonyWodarck]

Got more questions about shooting film at weddings? Leave them in the comments below!

[@MatchaPawStudio]

Wedding photographers that shoot with film are elite

[@TonyWodarck]

Julia Skiles it’s a challenge but so fun!

[@roiloubia4483]

Exactly. We'll said

[@DimitrisPapadopoulos1980]

In Orthodox weddings where there is A LOT TO SHOOT.Back in 2000 when I used only films ( KodaK Profoto 36+ ) I had the all wedding (before,Wedding, party) within 15 films. No more no less. So now when I shoot film i do it in 10 Films. The "problem" is the low light in the big orthodox churches but with the mobile lights i use I usually solve it. The big PLUS when you shoot film is to know what pictures you need. Then you can use the smallest amount of film. Think like it is 2000. ! Nice video !

[@TonyWodarck]

Wow that’s awesome. Shooting a wedding on 10 rolls takes a very focused vision. Love it!

[@evtimstefanov8377]

Great video Tony! Thank you!

[@TonyWodarck]

Thank you!

[@BelowZero]

Fantastic video. I shot my last wedding on film and your insight helps quite a bit. I do have a question about the cost…you mentioned you shoot Portra 400 on 35mm and the cost for 5 rolls is $30. Where I live (Canada), a single roll costs almost $20.

[@TonyWodarck]

@@BelowZero this video was made a few years ago. Film has gone up significantly in that time.

[@BelowZero]

@@TonyWodarck I missed that part 😁. Yeah, the cost of doing film went up astronomically…still feasible if you know what you doing. Cheers!

[@hannahpennington-uu9cb]

Hey Tony, I know this is years later, but would I be okay shooting my eos 3 at a wedding in auto until I get comfortable with Manuel?

[@TonyWodarck]

100% you may miss a shot or two a roll but it's very accurate.

[@hannahpennington-uu9cb]

thank you so much for the reply! I know I am suppose to set my iso to whatever film I buy but after that im lost since I can't see what im filming lol @@TonyWodarck

[@TonyWodarck]

It might be worthwhile to invest in a mentor session www.tonywodarck.com/film-mentor-session@@hannahpennington-uu9cb

[@ChrisTurnerPhotographer]

Such a great video man. No bulls@@t ego or anything just solid advice. Cracked up when I saw your shot standing there with 3 cameras and thought “people be moaning about weight with DSLRs” 😂

[@TonyWodarck]

Hahaha thanks dude!

[@Optomusb]

Wow this was crazy to stumble upon, felt like I'm word for word near the beginning stage of integrating film into weddings. Great videos man!

[@TonyWodarck]

Thomas Bullock awesome. Hope this video was helpful for you. Let me know if you have any questions.

[@karlieaustria1335]

Love this video! Im trying to implement film into my professional work and totally needed this!

[@TonyWodarck]

Karlie Austria yay I love hearing that. Thanks!

[@sirobinson3945]

Hi Tony, You mentioned you were a little unsure using flashed film in low light. I spent many years shooting Velvia and Provia under all conditions. When digital came out and I was shooting on both for important shots you can use digital as a sort of preview to see what your flash is doing ( flash can easily give unexpected results with reflections etc) and then use the settings and flash position on your film camera. All the Best Si

[@juanm.lomeliphotography7799]

Bro you are awesome! Such an inspiration to get into film 🎞

[@TonyWodarck]

Thanks!!

[@arvindabasol4747]

love this vid..very helpful

[@TonyWodarck]

Thanks!! Glad to hear that!

[@roiloubia4483]

Hi Tony. Just came across your video, and like it very much. Regarding film vs digital, I agree 100% with you. I moved out from digital back to film, many years ago, and will never go back to digital till there is no film in the market or in my freezer and refrigerator where I stock a lot of rolls. I don't shoot in Studio settings where you can control your lighting, I do more Landscape photography where we are the the mercy of the locations, the weather, le natural light that keeps changed, and also luck, but, despite these constraints, you cannot imagine how much joy I get, even if after a long day trip to a location, I end up with no shot or just a few shots, because of the light conditions that were not there despite my planning. Looking to my 35mm slides shot on Fuji Velvia or Provia, on my good quality and large screen, is a fantastic experience by itself. Film quality cannot be duplicated with any digital camera. Not talking when you use medium format.The large print on good quality paper, you can get from these format are just amazing. Let's keep film alive. Good job Tony will follow you. Could you, please, share with me the information about the lab you are using in California for development and scanning, name, addresses & phone number). My lab here in South Florida is limiting his services for E processing, (no pushing or pulling they used to do in the past), and might shut down totally the E processing, and I am searching for a good alternative. Thank you very much

[@TonyWodarck]

Thanks so much Roi. My film lab Goodman Film Lab in Irvine doesn’t do E6. I use Pro Photo Connection down the street for that. Hope that works out for you. Keep film alive!

[@roiloubia4483]

@@TonyWodarck You are very welcome Tony. I like people like you who care about quality work. I saw your prices comparing to digital weddings, I think they are very fair, and like your approach towards your potential customers. You have to like what you do, and people will appreciate that. Film has a SOUL that digital doesn't have, just binary number, film is matter (silver halide). A negative we'll archived, can be developed in a century or centuries. while a digital image, I doubt you can visualize it with software that will be available in 100 years down the road. Also, you have the delete button, you touch that button by mistake, off their gone. A lost or damaged print, you still have that negative, and now you still have the scan too. So you have two medias instead of one. Take care Tony. Keep film alive.

[@TonyWodarck]

Thanks so much!

[@ktnvls]

Love this. I'm not brave enough to do it though. I have several film cameras! My favorite is my Canon AE-1! I do take it to weddings along with my digital cameras and develop the film. It always doesn't turn out 100% great though! You do amazing work. Good job!!!

[@KeaniSoa]

This is really good content ! I don't shoot film photography but I have found this video to be very interesting ! And I love your photos by the way, the colours, the contrast ! Cheers from France

[@TonyWodarck]

Jou thanks so much for the kind words and for checking out my work. Hiii from Southern California!

[@RewDowns]

To the people who struggle with manual focusing film cameras, there are several great autofocusing film cameras out there. For 645 the contax, mamiya, or pentax for 35mm there are tons of options including canons, minoltas, and nikons are all great options.

[@TonyWodarck]

Totally. I loved the Canon EOS 3 cause I shot EF glass for digital. Manual focus is something that takes time but is worth it to learn. I got a rangefinder M6 TTL and love focusing with that. I hit over 95% of the time.

[@jorgemacias]

Great video. Great guy. Explain everything so easy 👏🏻

[@TonyWodarck]

Thanks so much!

[@tiagopinheiro503]

Amazing video man!! Thanks for sharing so much good stuff! As for your editing, how do you work sharpness? The example you show at 01:41 looks very sharp compared to the film with no edit. I have a Contax G2 and I'm working to get used to it and blend it into my digital work too, but getting frustrated since I'm missing focus a lot, since you used it before, do you have tips? Now for example I'm using a lot f5 so I get safe, but I don't love the look. By any chance can you share a recent wedding gallery with film and digital? Thank you so much!!

[@phatcrayonz]

I..........totally.............LOVE..........THIS. WOW!

[@TonyWodarck]

Hahaha thanks dude!

[@jamesking306]

Hi Tony, this is a great video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this, it's super helpful. Keep up the awesome work and I'll keep my eye out for your future videos!

[@TonyWodarck]

Thanks so much. Glad the video was helpful!!

[@twosimilareyes]

Found this video amazing. Thanks, Tony appreciate you sharing your experience transitioning into shooting more film at weddings. Learnt loads. - Kev from Sydney.

[@TonyWodarck]

So glad to hear it! Thanks for the comment. I love Sydney BTW. I spent a couple months out there in Manly for the Australian Open of Surfing.

[@carsonmenke2953]

I'm a young photographer and love your work! I'm about to start living in a camper and traveling! I'd love to meet sometime in southern California!

[@kiyah_c]

Great video, Tony! A few questions :) Can you share a Pixieset gallery from one of those 5 film weddings? How often do you get people with eyes closed on film? How many additional film backs do you have rolled and ready? I'm worried about missing a shot not having film ready. Do you meter for pretty much every scene or have you been able to know what settings you should be on without metering?

[@TonyWodarck]

Kiyah C thanks! Yes no problem, shoot me an email at [e-mail] and I’ll send you a link. I’d say on the medium format I shoot, if I shoot 20 rolls that’s 320 frames. Of those 320, maybe 280-290 or so I’m happy with and will share. Maybe 30-40 photos are either not that great of photos, eyes closed, blurry, missed focus etc. usually metering isn’t the problem. I meter pretty regularly. Anytime I’m in a different scene or using the light differently I meter. I rigged up my meter to connect to my Holdfast so it’s super quick to use. I have a few inserts but only use two throughout the day. In major moments like the ceremony the second one is ready to go. With portraits it’s nice to keep the flow moving but I’m okay taking a minute to reload and letting my couple relax and have a break. I hope that helps!

[@daryoushrahimi]

Love it

[@TonyWodarck]

Thank you!

[@nubscrub]

Love it. Today's cost of film has really changed though.

[@TonyWodarck]

Yeah wild. Thanks for watching.

[@gerardasigurado516]

Watching this right now sir!!! 🤍😍

[@gerardasigurado516]

I AM LOVING EVERTHING SIR TONY. 🤍🤩

[@JulianGuevaraphoto]

Question about your light meter retractor clip. Is that a retractor with the holdfast clip sown on?

[@TonyWodarck]

Julian Guevara hahaha yeah how sweet is that!?! It’s a key fob ID retractor and I connected it to a Holdfast clip.

[@TonyWodarck]

Julian Guevara KEY-BAK SECURIT Heavy Duty Retractable Key Holder with a Retractable Kevlar Cord Secures Keys, Gear www.amazon.com/dp/B01N53Z3SM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fab_0MXFFbWPG7SP4

[@JulianGuevaraphoto]

I love it! I’ve been playing with a similar idea. Thanks for tip and for linking it. Love the video! Cheers!

[@AustinLiberato]

Do you strictly shoot your cameras in manual mode at weddings or do you ever shoot in aperture or shutter priority?

[@TonyWodarck]

I know some photographers who shoot aperture priority with their Contax at weddings. I always shoot all my film cameras manual though as I prefer to use an external meter and shoot backlit quite a bit.

[@AustinLiberato]

@@TonyWodarck thanks! Your video has inspired me to start bringing along my film camera to weddings I shoot and start incorporating it into my work.

[@TonyWodarck]

Love hearing that. Yeah start slow. Try and finish a roll from start to finish of the wedding. It’s a fun secondary story, the cliff notes of the wedding. Then work your way up more and more.

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

Hey, Tony, I got a few more questions. You said that you push Portra +1 but do you still overexpose by +1? If you don't charge your customers an extra $600 for your films are you generally more expensive than the digital photographers in your area? I mean 600$ is a lot of money to put back in your pocket, there must be a reason except that you have less post processing.

[@TonyWodarck]

I charge more than $600 on average of the photographers around me. I would say majority of photographers in my area are in the $3000-4200 range. My average wedding is about $5500-6000. The process of how I capture these weddings is more important than the money though. The money allows me to keep doing it but shooting film keeps it fun and keeps me able to manage it all with saving me time in the post processing.

[@stoianpenov]

Hi there ,very nice video :) will be awesome to create one video with short BTS of key moments in wedding in film and one video with matching digital and film

[@TonyWodarck]

Great ideas. I definitely will be doing both at some point!

[@stoianpenov]

@@TonyWodarck Awesome :)

[@jonathanbaxter4366]

Hello Tony, I am looking at shooting film for weddings, I am an experienced film photographer ,so technique is not a problem and I use a good pro lab for all my film processing, My question is what is your usp for attracting your clients, as digital is very popular for weddings, it must be difficult to sell your film photography services.Any tips or advice would be appreciated. Best

[@TonyWodarck]

Focus on creating beautiful work that stands out from everyone else. People are attracted to my results not necessarily that I shoot film. I’d say 1 or 2 out of 10 of my couples know or care that I shoot film. They just like the photos I create and don’t necessarily understand why. I’m not selling film photography to them. I’m selling my art & services, film is just a medium I use. I definitely educate them a bit in our consultation on why they may like my work. But film is only one small piece of that. How I direct my clients, how I focus on candid moments, how I use light. Those are much more noticeable things to most my clients. The film just adds a timeless feel to the colors and look of the photo. I hope that helps! 🙌🏽

[@jonathanbaxter4366]

Thank you. will take that on board.

[@tomtafola4518]

Love your video

[@rickylenss]

Hi Tony, I’m curious to know that how much is the rolls for 120 films each? Does it cost the same as 35 mm films?

[@TonyWodarck]

Similar. A 5-pack of portra 400 is going for about $60 so about $12 per roll.

[@rickylenss]

Thank you Tony! This month I’m starting my own business as a film photographer. “How to shoot film” was the first videos I saw and I’m glad I did because it made me realize why I love film. There’s something about film that makes it feel like you’re in movie that’s been shot on film. I love film and I hope they don’t go away forever. I’m a little nervous to start my journey as a film photographer but I’m also excited at the same time. I think the best part of being a photographer is meeting new people. Do you have any advice for beginners like me?

[@TonyWodarck]

That’s awesome to hear!! I’m so glad my video helped. Film is so fun to shoot. Here are some tips. Slow down. Take your time and really compose a scene. Film is more expensive than digital and it costs a lot per photo you take so slow down and make sure you’re composing the photo how you want. Sometimes I see a scene, put my viewfinder to my eye, try to compose and never take the photo cause it just doesn’t interest me enough to click the shutter. It’s okay to walk away from a photo you thought was going to be good. Other times I’ll take a photo just to see how it looks on film. So it goes both ways. When I get my scans back from the lab I look through each photo closely and see what I like and dislike. Really critiquing my own work. The goal is to get more and more frames from each roll that you love. Increase your percentage of bangers. Lastly, follow a lot of photographers you like and study their work. How do they compose a photo, what in the photo do you like, how can you bring some of that into your own work? How that helps!!

[@rickylenss]

@@TonyWodarck Thank you Tony!!!

[@MystThaMyth]

Have you tried more film with flash? I'm shooting a wedding in May and contemplating taking a speedlite in case. Any tips from anyone appreciated!

[@TonyWodarck]

I’ve shot a bit more. Unfortunately my M6 has an electrical issue that needs to be fixed where it only fires like a 1/4 of my frame with flash. I think it’s firing too soon. Anyways, my suggestion is practice a lot so you feel comfortable. Shoot at a closed down aperture like 5.6 or greater so you nail focus. And don’t try to get creative shots at first. Focus on just shooting it like a direct party flash and as you get comfortable with your settings you can start to incorporate some more shutter drags and whatever other creative stuff you want to do.

[@hannahpennington-uu9cb]

@@TonyWodarck I have been looking everywhere for someone to talk about flash with film. About to start shooting my eos 3 at weddings as an add-on but nervous about shooting with flash

[@TonyWodarck]

@@hannahpennington-uu9cb practice before. Get a flash that shoots TTL so it is basically auto and you don't have to think too much.

[@hannahpennington-uu9cb]

And you keep the settings on the camera the same as if you are outside? I know with digital you can reference your images and adjust, but with film you can't haha @@TonyWodarck

[@juiceboyxd9310]

How do you deal with reloading the contax between rolls?

[@TonyWodarck]

I try to time how many shots I have for a break in the scene. I’ll use my digital and canon 1v to get more shots in between each part. But when I do need to reload and keep going I just tell the couple to take a break for a minute and I reload. No one minds taking a minute to chat and relax. If I have a second shooting with me I’ll have them jump in and shoot while I reload. I can reload a roll in less than a minute so it’s not too big of a deal. I also have extra inserts loaded if I really need to rush.

[@RustyTripod45]

`Quite informative and encouraging.

[@TonyWodarck]

Great to hear!! Thanks for watching.

[@JacobChristiansen1]

Would you ever shoot a wedding on something like a pentax67/Mamiya rz67 or are they too slow? I think the contax 645 is too expensive, so currently considering the Pentax 645, Mamiya 645 or Pentax67

[@TonyWodarck]

Jacob Christiansen with a 6x7 you’re only getting 10 shots per roll. I personally think that would be too slow for a wedding to constantly be reloading that. With 645s you get 16 which is quite a bit more shots per roll. With my Contax I also have separate inserts that I have ready and preloaded with film. That can make switching the rolls out a lot quicker. When there’s a minute of downtime during the wedding I can reload those other inserts and have them ready. I’m not saying you need a Contax but I’d just consider the amount of time it takes to reload and see if the system has the ability to have extra inserts.

[@JacobChristiansen1]

@@TonyWodarck Thanks for the fast reply. I guess I have to go for the pentax or mamiya 645.

[@63MacGuy]

@@JacobChristiansen1 I loved shooting with my Pentax 645 when I started out shooting weddings. I switched to Hasselblad so I could switch backs mid roll.

[@normantesch7884]

do you find color is more forgiving than black and white

[@TonyWodarck]

Norman Tesch in terms of dynamic range?

[@BooksAndTempeh]

I can’t believe 4 years ago 35mm Portra was $30 for 5 rolls. It’s $75 now.

[@TonyWodarck]

Yeah different times! Haha

[@hyer9118]

Thanks for this awesome video great breakdown I been looking for a video where a wedding film photographer breaks everything down very GREAT information from someone in the field 👊🏻 , I’ve been slowly integrating film to my weddings and At the moment I’m just paying for the film out of pocket bkuz I want to build a strong portfolio and being able to shoot 1 or 2 rolls during weddings that I’m currently shooting is helping a lot, 95% of my creative work is shot on my mamiya RB67 and I agree get comfortable with a specific film stock yuh enjoy wether it be Portra 400-800 , Fuji 400 , or hp5 learn all its limits and how it reacts to all light scenarios being 100% comfortable and knowing how the film you’re using will react to certain types of light is a VERY important key factor! Keep up the awesome work, make a BTS video of you shooting a film wedding would love to see something like that in the future!

[@TonyWodarck]

HyeR 91 thanks so much for the comment. Definitely want to do a behind the scenes video of a wedding at some point.

[@anonimo120797]

do you shoot the entire wedding on film or you also shoot on digital?

[@TonyWodarck]

I shoot the whole day on film first and digital as a backup. With my second shooter shooting some film and mostly digital. At night/reception I switch to mainly digital with some film.

[@TonyWodarck]

Goal is to use all of about 95% of my film shots from the day and the digital is just in case. Sometimes I capture a moment on digital that I missed on film though and I use Mastin labs presets to emulate my film and add it into the gallery.

[@seanaliakbar]

Do you shoot weddings in aperture priority?

[@TonyWodarck]

Not with my Contax. I manually meter. I’ve been shooting with a eos 3 or 1v on aperture priority though. Been working pretty nice.

[@stephaniemichellephotog]

On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest, how much pain are you in after carrying all your gear on wedding days?

[@TonyWodarck]

I’m sore for sure. Not unbearable though. Stretching prior, comfortable shoes and taking off your cameras during the day if you ever get a break really helps.

[@Skandalista_fotograf]

Ohh your smily face again 😁😄😃😀😊😋

[@TeshornMakingMoves]

or just set pricing based on the cost of film.

[@TonyWodarck]

I don’t like to get so granular with my pricing. My costs are my costs. My clients don’t need to know how much film costs in my opinion.

[@TeshornMakingMoves]

I totally understand.

[@levesz1]

you look much younger than your age

[@TonyWodarck]

Hahaha well thank you!

[@charleskoonu]

So you should charge a lot of money just to justify all thes prices, at least five to eight thousand dollars per wedding.

[@TonyWodarck]

Yeah, my starting wedding price is $4900 and my average is about $7k

[@charleskoonu]

@@TonyWodarck What a good price, something great about USA and Canada is that you can charge this prices and it´s affordable for the mayority of couples, in Mexico you charge eight hundred or 1k only if you´re a very recognized photographer, it´s very sad.

[@TonyWodarck]

Yeah that’s tough. I’ve heard the same with lots of parts of Europe. I imagine the cost of living in SoCal vs Mexico is drastically different though too.

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

Hey, Tony, I got a few more questions. You said that you push Portra +1 but do you still overexpose by +1? If you don't charge your customers an extra $600 for your films are you generally more expensive than the digital photographers in your area? I mean 600$ is a lot of money to put back in your pocket, there must be a reason except that you have less post processing.

[@TonyWodarck]

Dan Nolle I overexpose by a half a stop. So I typically shoot Portra 400 rated at 640 and pushed a stop. And yes I’m more expensive than the average digital photographer in my area. I’d say most photographers in my area are $3-4K and my prices start at $4900. I work a full time job as well so to me, less time post processing is worth a lot.

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

@@TonyWodarck Ah, thank you. That was enlightening. I will certainly try to push Portra, too. With your pricing, not passing on the extra costs to your customers is exactly right. Your quality also speaks for itself.

[@TonyWodarck]

Dan Nolle thanks so much. Let me know how it goes!