Khara Deurhof, the driving force behind House of Lucie, has been documenting beautiful weddings for over 10 years. While she absolutely enjoys shooting digitally, film photography has a special spot in her heart. As a little girl, Khara would spend hours pouring through her parents' wedding album – a short stack of 15 photos. All prints, all film. "Looking through those photos meant so much to me. They transported me to a different time, an important moment. I wasn’t there, but looking at those photographs made me feel like I was a part of it," Khara fondly remembers. Her awe and appreciation for those frames were the reason she actually became a photographer. Now Khara is excited to share her passion for film with others. Below find her carefully curated list of four reasons to include film photography on your big day.
Slow things down, with a more thoughtful approach to photography
Wedding days can often be fast paced. They’re a whirlwind of anticipation, connection and reunion. Emotions are heightened, excitement is intensified. Thousands of tiny, different moments are happening to and around you throughout the entire day. Digital photography captures this special, once in a lifetime chaos perfectly – it’s designed to tell a tale of momentary exchanges and split-second interactions.
Film photography is a slower, more thoughtful approach to photography. It requires closer observation and extra attention to detail. Beyond the challenge of aligning the elements: lighting, angles, aperture, shutter speed and composition – manual film photography demands a sharper sense of creativity. Shooting film on your wedding day allows the opportunity for you – as a couple, and me, as the photographer – to pause intentionally and breathe thoroughly. We move into a space that’s a little more subtle and gentle. I love the essence of romance that comes with being still.
Slow scenes are a constant in the analogue arena. Much like capturing the frame itself, developing film is a process – there must be a perfect mix of chemistry. Every element ties together – soaking, rinsing, drying – each one is as important as the other. It sounds in depth, because it is. But it’s also absolutely magical.
There’s beauty in honesty –
let’s celebrate the imperfections
Life isn’t perfect and your photographs don’t need to be either. Slowing down and staying present means you’ll express yourself in a natural and honest way. You allow yourself to get lost in the moment rather than overthinking it. I believe we connect with the in-between moments most, because they’re a glimpse of what we are when we’re not trying to be anything else. Shooting on film is as real and honest as it comes. There’s no hiding, no filtering. It’s just you and your partner, completely as you are.
The rise of digital mediums and artificial intelligence has made it so easy to alter a moment and edit or transform the people and places within it. Film doesn’t have to change anything to make it beautiful, that’s what makes it so special. In a standard roll of 35mm film, you’re given 36 frames. That’s 36 chances to create a story. 36 opportunities to convey a feeling. It’s limiting, but it’s also thrilling. There’s a subtle art to taking a single frame and preserving that exact moment forever.
One of the best things about film photography is its unpredictability. We live in a world where everything is so instant. We take a photo on our phones, and we see it straight away. It’s immediate gratification. Shooting with film means the result will always be a surprise. As your photographer, I have an idea of what I’m capturing, but as the people being photographed, you have no idea. The anticipation of waiting to find out which precise moment you get to relive is unlike anything else you will ever experience. That’s because the rush of seeing your wedding film photos for the first time is so satisfying – you have to see them to believe them.
Timelessness is trending
Film is known for its undeniable sense of nostalgia. The softness of the grain, the timelessness of a film stock that never changes, and the core memories of our childhood captured on film. In the 90’s, film was our own access to photography. Inevitably, when we reflect on film, we’re transported through time and back to moments that felt simple and easy - aka the “good old days”. The thing about the “good old days” is that you don’t know you’re in them, until you’re looking back at them.
Film & Digital: the perfect pair
Film photography is a simpler, more authentic approach to telling a story. In some ways, it’s a rebellion against our modern day, faced-paced, instantaneous society. In others, it’s an accompaniment to the digital realm, a sidekick or the perfect partner.
In today’s world, digital photography is as accessible as it is necessary. Film photography is not a substitute, but a compliment. It’s the simplicity of candid moments standing alongside polished digital work that creates a gallery full of character and a truly timeless keepsake. I believe each method of documenting a wedding day is equally as important as the other.
In the same way film photography connected me to a time before my own, I want to give you the opportunity to share your life, yourselves, with generations to come. It’s a chance to reflect on a version of you, in an era of your life, through a medium that is completely timeless and forever relevant. Yours will be a story captured and re-told in a film stock that has and will stand the test of time. Film photography is your own history in the making.
