with the rise of digital media, i've found that people are generally very surprised when i tell them i'm a 100% film photographer. they oftentimes ask me why i don't shoot with the latest technology, & even express worry that somehow my work isn't as reliable. my answer is always this: it's more reliable, and embodies true skill and true beauty.

​don't get me wrong, i love technology & couldn't maintain my business without it. however, as someone who loves history, once i took a darkroom class in grad school, i came to truly appreciate the long-lasting quality of film, & wanted to preserve & share that history with a modern society, who, in general, know nothing of how hands on & technical photography was a century ago. most of my clients have no idea how i capture their day, but they trust me. & that's all i ask. 

i've shot film for 15 years, but it wasn't until 2016 that i really devoted hours (and college credits!) to learning about a time when artists took months, even years to create a finished piece of work, and then consequently how the discovery of silver brought about experimentation of it on paper when exposed to sunlight. i was enthralled seeing paintings of primitive box cameras, and seeing the very first photographs ever made. i knew when i started my business that i wanted to keep that art alive. 

there are a lot of digital photographers i love. i think both digital & film work can instill emotion & awe on its viewer, but there's just something so raw and real with film. it takes longer to create, it lasts longer, & i can hold it in my hands. when i shoot film it reminds me of when my grandparents sat down with me on the floor, showing me their black & white prints; a passed moment in history otherwise forgotten, except for that one print, or that one dusty photo album. film is so nostalgic. 

when you hire a film photographer, you can have peace knowing that your photos will last forever. not just on your phone or laptop, but in the darkroom, in my own hands.

film captures colors so uniquely, & brings a whole new vibe to a moment. its forgiving on skin tones & imperfections, & enhances the beauty of the human body with gentle grain & rich tones. 

it requires less editing, allowing your photos to be more authentic snapshot of the moment, rather than a showcase of a lightroom filter. (anyone else tired of seeing the same orange/yellow filter on everyone's portraits?) 

when you hire me as your a film photographer, you can expect real, true-to-life moments that you'll be proud to pass down from generation to generation. 

you can expect a beautiful photo album, handcrafted by me, with your vision in mind, & my artistic eye for detail and storytelling. 

you can expect fresh darkroom prints of your black & white film photos, made by me in the boulder darkroom. photos which have been carefully printed on silver paper, enlarged on whatever size you wish, & virtually everlasting & effervescently timeless. 

you can expect my expertise in the field, and extremely stylish, beautiful photos. 

you can expect my guidance as i walk you through my process & try to teach you how i make my art. 

you can expect coffee dates and discussions on your vision & your dream. 

with a film photographer, you can expect me to turn your life, your family, your brand, into a work of art.

You know that i love about film?

​it's timeless.
it never lets me down.
it doesn't inhibit my art, but rather heightens it. 

but what i love most is that it's complicated, and that scares people. 

​digital photography is easy to pick up and learn. it's easy to pick up a digital camera, learn its tricks, maybe throw it into manual mode, and then edit photos in photoshop. in our day, that passes as being a "professional." 

with film, you don't have that luxury. many of the old cameras I've collected over the years have no pdf manual uploaded anywhere, and as a young artist, i had to clean, rebuild, and learn each camera's unique ways of shooting, alone. 

i love that about film. it takes stamina and patience.

i began my artistic journey on film, but sadly, fell trap to adopt a "hybrid model" of shooting both film and digital. i found that brides were in a hurry on their big day and didn't want to sit down and plan lighting and location and how to properly document their day on film, because it seemed inconvenient, and they had way too much planned for any photographer to document, let alone a film photographer. 

so i found myself shooting film when it was convenient for me, and digital the rest of the time. 

that meant that these brides weren't really taking into consideration that my depiction of their day could either be a work of art, or just grocery list of the day's events. after a few weddings, and feeling very dissatisfied with my work, i knew that shoots and weddings could be documented better by:

--finding clients who were willing to sit down & plan out breathtaking moments because they actually cared,

--& changing how i did my photography. 

film is so hearty, and raw, and like i said, timeless. it's stood the test of time because it is, in and of itself, high art. it's all about mirrors and mechanics and beautiful lighting, rather than photoshop, digital reproductions, and jpegs. it's EASY to be a digital photographer. a digital photographer is the antithesis of an artist who knows and understands the background of photography, and respects the old, tried and true ways.

i sold all of my digital gear in 2017 and vowed to never pick it up again. if i was called to be an artist, then i wanted to do it right, and do it well. i wanted to stand out from the crowd, not be another digital photographer who edits their photos with film presets, or only shoots 10% film when it works out for her. 

because, who wants an artist to work for them who never gives their all? who just wants the lazy, easy way out?
​
I've worked hard to build the beautiful business i have, and continue to build it by urging clients to understand my way of seeing the world through film, and how it can elevate their big day, whether that be a wedding, a maternity shoot, or an intimate family home session with a newborn. 

film is worth the wait.

it's worth the effort, the money, and the time.