Authentic Family Photography
Just bopping in here to remind you: I primarily shoot weddings, but my heart + eyes are trained to capture your family moments in ways that are as authentic + beautiful as they can be. I’d love to get you in front of my camera this fall.
This’ll be the first year I won’t shoot any “mini session” day - but I will make time to get your family on my schedule in a way that works for both of us!
a return to myself
You know how, in life, you never know what you’re missing until you find it? Being a mom felt like that, for me. Finding a film camera (obviously not to the same extent) felt like that to me. When I picked up a film camera and shot ALL THE THINGS in 2016, it felt like I had finally started living a true version of who I was supposed to be. As I type it, it’s weird to feel such a sense of self entangled in this job that I do…but here we are.
I feel most like myself when I can tell a story. My mode isn’t paper and pencil or computer..it’s my camera. Not my phone, man I hated when the pandemic hit, and I stopped shooting film. It’s the dark ages of our family’s history. And there’s nothing wrong with digitally recording life, it just isn’t my mode of doing it. As I’ve been feeling something shift in the past few months, it’s felt like home. Picking up a camera and working to get the light reading in my head, getting the shutter stop and aperture set before I look through the viewfinder..that is a meditation sort of exercise that keeps me present in moments, in ways I didn’t even begin to understand!
from a “work” point of view, what I love about film is that it lets me feel like I’m capturing the feel of my clients. It doesn’t have to always be clean and bright…because sometimes life, and love, are blurry and fuzzy and remind you of the way the warmth was in that moment…plus, now that I’m developing at Midwest Photo Exchange (vs. sending to a lab across the country, holla for supporting local!), I have my film scans back the next day. THE NEXT DAY! WILD!!
So while I know digital is still queen, I’m so glad to once again WANT to see your world through a film camera + hope you see the light in that, and bring me along!!
the best coast!
Big news for us! We're traveling (on an airplane) for the first time as a family of FIVE. Our kids are used to traveling and being out of their comfort zone, BUT doing anything involving an airplane, with three children all in big old car seats felt really overwhelming. Till now!
So as we're planning our trip, I am opening up some time to get to schedule in some sessions (family! couples! engagement!) while we're there. Here are the details:
Early February, LA area, all film sessions. Do you think you're interested? Know someone who just got engaged and would love to shoot with me? Want to get a late Christmas present for a family member who'd love a family session!? Email me! I'll go through all the details with you!
jessicalovephoto@gmail.com
but, WHY FILM?
This post. It's been being written in my head like, a lot, over the past few months. My sister. My husband. They ask it, so, no doubt, you are too. Like, WHHHHYYY FILM????
Here we go:
I've been shooting digitally, as a professional, for 7 years now. I've seen a lot of changes to the industry - and one major one is that digital is soooo accessible. It's great, in a lot of ways. It offers families the chance to get a DSLR for an affordable price, and be able to capture really wonderful moments and memories of their growing family. It also makes becoming a "professional" really easy for a lot of people. Everyone has to start somewhere, and I believe that can be a really great thing - people can learn the technical side of photography, and through social media can rapidly build their business, and spread the word of what they're trying to do. Now, I don't want to sound like I'm discounting what we do, as digital photographers, but sometimes, sometimes, I think this excess of photographers leads to professional photographers feeling like a dime a dozen.
Now, I'm not one to care too much about what's happening outside of my own desires - when it comes to my art. I don't want accolades. I don't want to have thousands and thousands of followers - I want to continue to challenge myself to create what makes me, and my clients happy. In a lot of ways, digital still does that for me. Obviously! I am nowhere near shooting a wedding 100% film - and I love wedding days! So, instead of worrying about where the industry is going, I figured, let's try something that everyone isn't doing. And, you know what? it stuck. big time.
I started shooting film in July (ish), exclusively at home - during times I would've picked up my DSLR to shoot. I learned. I took online courses. I got reacquainted with memorizing how light changes things. I slowed down. I stopped shooting so much. I brought my camera everywhere, I shot my children's portraits and candids probably more than I did had it been digital - but in all that, I have less meaningless photos. This is huge! This means, I don't spend hours in front of my computer culling through the saveable ones. They're already here!
I have more "keepers," and whole days that are perfectly documented because I had the restraint to take my time, make it perfect, and stooooppppp shooting!
IT'S SO AWESOME!
Even when I'm typing, I'm hoping + wishing someone reading is like "YEESSSSSS! this moves me!" I know it's not for everyone...but I am betting that the people it is for are people who are passionate about the moments they want to have captured when it comes to their photography.
is that you!? I'm at the point that I'm ready to start exclusively offering film sessions to people who want them! (for family / couple / in home .... nooooot weddings! not yet!)
is it you!? wanna chat about it? email me! jessicalovephoto@gmail.com or use the contact link. I'm so excited, and I hope you are too!
film is not dead
I'm super excited I've been shooting (so much, oh my gosh so much) film lately, and only after this long realizing, I can share these on my blog, instead of bombarding instagram with images of my kids. (not that I think there's anything wrong with that, but I'm just not a big fan of doing that)
What initially drew me into wanting to try film (again) was the way the images looked, the color, the tones. What's caused me to become hooked is the authenticity behind it. The attention to detail, being completely present in the moment, and shooting for that one great snap. I'm excited to continue to grow - I signed up for the Embrace the Grain workshop that starts tomorrow!
On to some images! These are all taken with my 200 *ok I'm exaggerating* year old Rebel G camera (I have a EOS 3 to arrive in the mail today, I can't wait), with my L series, and Sigma lenses. I decided to upgrade to a new body because the photos were just not sharp - and I know it isn't my lenses, as they work perfectly with my digital body. I edit my digital images with film based presets, but I'm quickly learning there's nothing like the real thing. Portra 400 is my favorite. I'm sending in some rolls from vacation (vacation! I can't wait to share these) including Fuji Velvia 50, and Portra 160. I can't, can't, can't wait!
welcome to Ingrid! | in home newborn session
Look at me blogging, like this is really my job or something (some time management, and adding a babysitter to our lives will allow for things like that, but that's a different post for a different time!). I'll often get emails, "do you still shooting lifestyle/family sessions?" YESSSS! I most certainly do.
Most recently I was able to meet little Miss Ingrid, little bebe of Signe and Drew, who's wedding I shot in 2013. I loved them back in 2013, and now I am happy to report I love them as parents, too. They were so calm, so natural with Ingrid, and it was wonderful to get to spend some time with all three of them!
I won't shoot newborns super posed, but I think, as you'll see, a lifestyle session works just perfectly.
Like I talked about in my intro post, getting to make my own schedule and all, I have much more time for these type of in home, true lifestyle sessions this winter. If you're expecting this fall, don't hesitate to get in touch, I would love to capture these precious moments for your family as well!
Enjoy!
