A beautiful mama and a cuddly, but curious boy, who loves his mama + a dreamy house…. all in this Nashville motherhood session on film. It only seems fitting to have my first blog post also be my first session on film while mentoring with Grace Paul Photography. Film is not to be confused with video, but the old school way of loading a roll of film into a camera and getting 16 shots per roll.

Film had been a dream of mine for a long time — the unfamiliarity of it was both what drew me to it and scared me away from it. As much as I wanted to incorporate it into my work, I didn’t know where to start. I reached out to Grace from Grace Paul Photography about her film mentorship options and it has been the easiest “yes” I’ve said since I starting photography. I opted for an in person mentor session with Grace and our time together was everything I could have hoped for! I spent the morning with someone who instantly felt like a friend while learning all about film in a way that was both relaxed, but to the point and full of information. After our morning together, we did a in-home session where I was able to put all that I had learned into practice and this dreamy motherhood session is the result. 

So why film? Film allows me to slow down during our time together and allows me to see those moments that organically happen. Instead of being 100% hidden behind my digital camera clicking away, I look for those moments that tell your family’s story — each of those 16 clicks of the camera are intentional and uniquely beautiful. I’m not a photographer who has a checklist of poses that I use for each session, instead I capture lifestyle photos of your family doing the things you do every day — snuggling your loved ones, playing games with your children, and being who you are together naturally!

As a photographer there is something so special about sending off your rolls of film to be processed and not having that instant gratification of uploading images as soon as I get home — sounds crazy I know! But when your film scans hit my inbox, I am so inspired to go back to your digital images and match them to get the same dreamy tones film produces.

With all things that have pros, there come a few cons as well. Im my opinion there are three cons of shooting film. The first being cost — purchasing the film, sending it off in the mail, and then having it processed by the film lab — it all adds up. The second being the time from start to finish — film has to be sent off to be developed + scanned, so it takes longer for you to get your images back. But I promise, it is worth the wait! And the final con — film thrives on light, so if it’s a really gloomy day or your house doesn’t get a good amount of natural light, it’s harder to get those dreamy skin tones and color film is known for. Not to worry though, this is why I also shoot digitally because it makes up for the areas that film lacks! 

At the end of the day this may be nothing more than words on a screen to you as a client, but just know that my decision to use both film and digital is to be a better photographer for YOU. Film keeps me inspired to not get stuck in the same routine each session and tell YOUR story for you.

More images of Nashville Motherhood Session on Film

Please contact me here if you are looking for a Nashville Photographer specializing in families, newborn, maternity, and motherhood sessions. I would love nothing more than to capture these moments for you!

Film images — Pentax 645 using Portra 400 rated at 200 scanned by Photo Vision Prints

Digital images — Sony A7iii and 35mm 1.4 lens edited with The Archetype Process Profiles

Want to browse more motherhood sessions? You can view them here as well as family, newborn, and maternity sessions!