Images: justrob.it and skripnik.wed

It’s LENSEL. News and insight to keep you ahead in the wedding photography game. Here’s what we have on today:

Film Problems: why shooting film isn’t your photography voice.
A Passport Camera
A 3000m high ceremony shot while skiing
Samm Blakes Curation Class - next wednesday.

Let’s dive right in ⬇️

NEWS

Happening this Week

The Passport Camera. In 2004 Sony released a camera made specifically for passport photos. Make it cool again. Would you use this old film camera at a wedding?
Meta announced two new smart glasses, now for prescription users.
Photo books. Four Eyes has published Roxane Cassehgari’s work in a new book titled, ‘The Return’ as she return to her home in Iran.
Inside the Vogue Wedding machine. NY Mag just published a fascinating look at what actually goes into getting a wedding featured in Vogue. "Every bride says they don't want to be basic. Part and parcel of not being basic is not being thirsty, either." Wild read. See it here.
Lens Development. New lens manufacturer Typoch continues to up their game. This time with a new 24-50mm autofocus zoom lens for Sony users.
Film Scans in C1. Deeply nerdy, but this video is a detailed run through of Capture One’s new negative conversion software using a Phase 1. Go nerd out.
Fuji 400H is back and other April fools day camera announcements really had us going yesterday... Here are some of the best.
Canadian Workshop Goodness. ‘The Bridal Edit’ is new workshop in Quebec happening this May. Ha Nguyen as the lead photographer. Details here.

THE BIG IDEA

🎞️ Film Problems: why focussing on the format misses the point

Images: @sashadove.ph and haute.weddings

Hot film takes coming in.
Shooting on film isn't your ‘photography style and voice’. It's just a look.

Film is a tool just like any other. Your unique eye and perspective is your voice.

Right now, ‘film photographer’ is the hottest bio line in weddings. And a huge chunk of the wedding photography industry has built their entire identity around being a film photographer. That's the whole brand. That's the website headline. And apparently, the unique point of difference.

Yes, we are ALL loving the film aesthetic right now.

BUT when everyone says 'film photographer' and everyone's sending to the same labs, WHAT GIVES?

Here is the problem hiding in all the film noise ⬇️

Images: bykatiemichelle and weddingsbytianamichele

To be clear, we absolutely love film. BUT….
When your identity as a photographer is in the format or camera system you shoot, you've confused the tool for your talent. THINK instead about what makes your work yours….
It’s how you read a room.
How you see light.
And PEOPLE.
It's your instinct to move left instead of right.
To concept up a frame and pose your couple.
How you see that moment that’s about to disappear.

Film is beautiful, YES. The way it renders light and captures the atmosphere - real things worth loving. But they are the qualities of a tool. Not an actual style and point of view.

We love how Si Moore (wildly good photographer who happens to shoot a lot of film) put it in his Lensel PRO workshop last month: "No one cares if you are a film photographer. Just make great work. Whatever you have to do to get the look - just go do that."

SO don’t just point a film camera at your couple and call it a good photo, JUST BECAUSE IT’S FILM. A good photo and a strong voice is good no matter the format…

So what to do? Instead of relying on the aesthetic of film to make your images great… Ask yourself these 3 things ⬇️

Images: mari.trancoso and alebigliazzi

1. Moments
Is there something actually happening in this frame? Ask yourself honestly: would you keep this frame if it was shot on digital? If the answer is no, film probably didn’t save it.

2. Composition
Would you have framed this the same way on digital? A strong frame is a strong frame. A weak one is a weak one, regardless if it’s film or not. Film doesn't make a lazy composition interesting. Your eye does.

3. Light
Is the light actually doing something here, or are you relying on film to make it work? There's a difference between using the light in an interesting way and just shooting without thinking. Don't let the format do the seeing for you.

PHOTOGRAPHERS POV

A 3000m High Wedding: Come Behind The Scenes in St Moritz with David Bastianoni

See the photographers POV feature here

A ceremony at 3000m. Installations and florals flown in by helicopter. The photography team moving on skis just to stay in position. The groom arriving on a snowboard. THIS is a wild and unique place to capture a wedding.

Dive in to see how David Bastianoni did it…

"It feels effortless in the end, but it's all happening under pressure - and we think that tension ended up giving the images more of an energy."

READ THE FULL FEATURE HERE

UPCOMING LIVE WORKSHOPS

The Art of Curation: Join Lensel PRO to be there

Join the Inner Circle

Being in the right room can change everything. One line at a workshop. One idea. A photographer who says the thing you needed to hear at the right time. That's what being in Lensel PRO is about - it’s being the right room.

This week in Lensel PRO have Samm Blake joining to teach a practical class on curation.
- How you build a portfolio that actually shows what makes you special
- How you sequence and deliver galleries that represent your best work
- How you make more decisive decisions

You'll leave with homework, but the good kind.

This workshop joins a lineup in Lensel PRO that includes Jose Villa, Danilo & Sharon, Anni Graham, Greg Finck, Daniel Kim and more. 19+ workshops already in the archive - ready for you to view from day one.

Lensel PRO is not a course. You're buying continued access to the best conversations and thinking in the industry, all year long.

Come join Samm Blake, and 300+ other photographers - in the right room.

Samm Blake - “The Art of Curation” - 8th April in Lensel PRO only.
5.30PM CET / 11.30AM ET / 8.30AM PT

SEE LENSEL PRO DETAILS