Why Film?


Film is fun. It's nostalgic. It's authentic. With a film add-on to your session, you get to experience the best of both the digital and analog world.


My film add-on gives you an additional 36-ish images taken on 35mm film. Why 36-ish? Because film is like that sometimes (more on that later). You choose between black & white or color film. You receive your images as 4x6” prints sent to you in an old-school mailer just like it’s 1995.


Process and Details


  • During our session, I'll use a second camera to shoot film alongside digital. The film shots will have a more snapshot feel to them as I’ll focus more on the in-between moments of our session.
  • The exposed film is developed by Photo 60, a self-proclaimed "old school photo lab" located near the studios of Matthew Ashby Photography (AKA: my house) right here in Woodbridge, VA.
  • Once I receive the negatives, I personally scan each frame, and then perform basic edits. Please note that my editing of these images is much less intensive than what I do for digital ones. I only make straightforward global adjustments (levels, contrast, color, etc.) because part of the charm of the film add-on is the genuineness of film.
  • The images are then sent to a professional lab for printing.
  • I receive the prints, give them a quality check, and then mail them to you.



Color or Black & White


Tough choice. People look great in black & white. Plus all the digital photos from our session will all be delivered in color (unless we’ve previously discussed it), so black & white film would offer a nice contrast. Although… color film renders color in a different way than digital, so they won't look identical to the the digital images. And, because we experience the world in color, color film is technically a more accurate representation of the moments during the session. So like I said, tough choice. Luckily, though, there’s no wrong choice.


A Few Caveats


You won't receive digital versions of the images taken on film. If you would like scans of those images, they can be purchased in high-resolution digital format for $15 each.


Due to the nature of film photography, you shouldn't expect all the images from the roll to be perfect. Despite my best efforts to look through the back of my camera, I can’t review film images until after they’re developed. That means the focus might be off on a shot. Maybe someone is a little blurry. Sometimes there's fewer than 36 images and sometimes there might even be 37. Your digital images will be perfect, but with film we have to embrace wabi-sabi, the traditional Japanese aesthetic of finding beauty in imperfection. With that in mind, I'm sure you'll love the results.  If you want to know more about why I like film, check out my "ode to film."