You either grew up in an “Analog” world or a “Digital” world when it comes to the photography.  I grew up in an “Analog” world however I adopted Digital Photography way back in 2003 in my trip to San Francisco with my first digital camera purchase.  My first Digital camera was a Sony DSC707 – a 5 megapixel monster with a gorgeous Zeiss lens.  Mind you I had no idea of what a Zeiss lens did for me back then.  Fast forward seven years and the digital photography has evolved through more megapixels, more features and ground breaking advancements in shooting high ISO with useable images.  I love the advancement of the digital age however there is just something about film that draws me back to its imperfections, it’s rawness, it’s tones and the beautiful imagery it continues to deliver.

So after much deliberation, learning and speaking to other film shooters world wide it has come down to these simple things on why we still love film photography (or analog for the purist).

• Colour palette from Film is seriously unbeatable.  There are more and more photographers trying to emulate the film look by using presets that adds, grain, colour tones that resemble the type of emulsion one is trying to get that “look”, no doubt I was one of them.  Short term satisfaction from the presets were satisfying to a degree, however it did lack a few things “soul” & “warmth”.
• The latitude of film especially in the highlights or bright areas are not blown out as it would in a digital capture.
• Skin tones is the other winner in film.  When you shoot mostly people, couples and families, skin tones are pretty critical.  The warmth in the skin tones from film in my personal experience is unbelievable and it’s a proven formula today amongst the many who continue to shoot film.
• I receive my developed images as High Resolution JPEGS like any other digital image, however the difference in the final product is very pleasing especially when it comes to print.  The whole film development process has not changed.  They way it is now handled after development has.  What you take away to print is the JPEG’s files and not the negatives.  Scanning is now a critical part of the Film development process and thankfully we have found a Local pro lab that can satisfy our needs.  And more importantly we will continue to support our local businesses where we can.
• The final image is more than magical, there is depth, there is character it delivers for timeless images removing any current fads in Photoshop presets or actions.
• We know what the special sauce is when it comes down to awesome photography that is why we are incorporating it into our service offer.

The results have been amazing, feel free to check out our first 100% film sessions!  Not all creative professionals are the same, and not all will be equal when it comes to the final results.  The current trend is the film look,  even digital shooters are emulating it with various presets.  Why?  because film is proven to be good.  So if you’ve booked your wedding with us it’s all part of the package.  The best thing is you still receive your high resolution JPEG’s as you would normally do with our digital photography and typically you won’t know when we are shooting digital or film.  The magic is there and we already know it so that is why I am so passionate in sharing this magic and providing the best and continue to master our craft.

Irrespective of what medium we choose to use to use, we will deliver.

John Yau