Film Wedding Photography for Bloomington, Indianapolis, and Central Indiana Weddings.​​​

 

Seth Teeters is one of the few film wedding photographers in Bloomington, Indianapolis, and central Indiana. Here is an overview to answer some of your questions about hiring a film photographer for your wedding day: ​

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Why film on your wedding day matters —

Film is always a deliberate choice, both from a technical and philosophical standpoint, and it is about far more than just aesthetics. Film carries an emotional weight and authenticity and requires a commitment to be fully present in all the meaningful moments. It requires intentionality and experience, but it also forces a break from the safe, vanilla shots that a digital camera will capture. I believe it is extremely important to not just play it safe on a wedding day, but to take the bold steps to create a small number of images that are truly artistic, representative of the emotion and significance of the day, and worthy of being passed down. 

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To hold time in your hands, in the form of a physical archival print, is a priceless artifact with emotional honesty that captures the perfect alongside the imperfect. True to you and one of the most important moments.

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Hiring an Artist for your wedding day —

I pride myself on being a photographer whose goal is printed photography, on the wall or in a book, rather than just shared online. I believe there is a true difference between booking a photographer who is an artist first, vs a wedding photographer who adds film as a trendy bonus option. I've studied photography my entire life and have dedicated honing my craft so that the clients I work with benefit from having a photographer who is going to capture more than just what things looked like, but to create a true lyrical impression of what it felt like to be there for one of the biggest days of your life.

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The luxury of Film —

The term luxury wedding has nothing to do with price tiers, but rather an indication that you are willing to go beyond the essentials for your wedding day. Having photos is an essential, but I believe the biggest luxury worth investing in is an album that will be cherished long after the day is over. It is an investment in the memories that would otherwise fade. To me, a timeless album with film photos that feel true to your memories is the defining characteristic of a luxury wedding. Real photography is the one luxury worth investing in.

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Film and Digital, Together —

I typically shoot a mix of digital and analog so that I can create a final album that has both the artistic, timeless shots, as well as the coverage to show the full day. The digital camera allows me to move quickly when necessary and capture exquisite detail in low light and fast-paced moments. The film cameras allow me to slow down the moment and capture true art that can't be replicated, even with digital cameras and film presets that try to mimic film. 

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What to expect: During the day, and after —

My approach to the wedding day is to create a stress-free environment, moving through the day alongside you, while capturing the intimate details. Shooting on film doesn't change that, and it actually helps me slow down and capture the moments as they come. During your day, you can expect to have curated moments where you forget the camera is even present. 

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After the cameras are put away, the film photos are securely delivered to my lab where they are professionally developed and scanned at extremely high resolution. I do develop my own film, but for wedding days, I have a designated lab that I have been working with for years to ensure there are no mistakes. The final scanned images are delivered in your digital album, and a key selection is printed on art-quality giclee photo paper to be cherished for the rest of your life. Additional high-quality prints can be commissioned, or you can save the full-resolution digitals to print on your own terms.

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Medium Format Film at a Wedding —

For a once-in-a-lifetime wedding, some moments need to be captured with the true fine-art aesthetic that medium format does like no other. With a negative that is nearly 4x the size of 35mm, a medium format image brings a higher resolution with finer grain, shallower depth, and softer color and tonality that creates incredibly beautiful, large printing. A roll of Medium Format film is only 12 images, which also forces more impactful decisions in those moments where we decide to create your most intentional images.

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Part of your team —

I often work on my own, but for the comprehensive album, I have a short list of second shooters I bring as part of my team, and I'm always happy to serve as a designated film photographer, working alongside a digital photographer you hire to capture your more standard photos. Having a digital photographer, or even a content creator, who knows what you want for "right now" allows me to fully focus on creating wedding day art that will go in a timeless album and hang on your wall for decades. Either way, I always coordinate with your wedding party and all vendors to ensure we are all one team on the wedding day.

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Located in Central Indiana, and traveling:

I'm based in Bloomington, Indiana, but I love to road trip and travel. I serve as one of the few film wedding photographers in Indiana, and I do not charge any travel fees for weddings in Indianapolis, Central Indiana, Southern Indiana, Louisville, Evansville, and surrounding areas. For luxury wedding packages, I don't charge travel for Chicago or Nashville, TN. Beyond Indiana, I'm eager to capture new and interesting places and only charge a minimal travel addition. If you aren't sure, please reach out, and I'm happy to give a free planning consultation.

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A note on film stocks and camera equipment — 

I use the best tool for the job. For me, I pull from my camera inventory based on the plan and the location of your wedding, but the most common camera duo I reach for is a Mamiya TLR Medium Format camera and my Nikon FM2 35mm SLR. These two cameras are fully manual, allowing me to have total control over the final image, and are battle-tested as the most reliable cameras, and have lenses that are still optically superior to most glass produced today. 

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The film I chose is also based on the feeling of the day and the preferences of the couple I'm photographing for. Film at a wedding is incomplete without Black and White mixed throughout, but I also use professional color stocks. I am typically shooting a mix of Kodak Portra for color, Kodak Tri-X, and Ilford HP-5 and PanF Plus for Black and White.

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The timeless look of film.

As a film wedding photographer, there is a certain tangible and indescribable aspect of a true film photograph. Despite all the technical advancements since the film camera was invented, it still persists as the primary tool in the art photography world. The digital camera, the phone capture, and the videographer can all give you an exact account of what happened, but what a film camera captures goes beyond the explained and into the deeply felt. It is ok to want everything, and every moment captured, but I believe it is deeply important to invest in pursuing the one, singular image that will resonate beyond this generation, giving a true sense of how deeply this moment meant to you.

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