Make Your Wedding a Highlight

Why Film Photography Is Right For Your Wedding

June 19, 2020 DJ Josh Woeckener Season 1 Episode 2
Make Your Wedding a Highlight
Why Film Photography Is Right For Your Wedding
Show Notes Transcript

In the digital age, it may seem odd to suggest adding film photography in addition to the digital photos we are accustomed to. BUT, Holly Ferris from LaFleur Photography gives us many reasons why! She also shares how she started photographing weddings, why couples should consider film photography in addition to digital, her favorite moments in a wedding, and personal fun facts about her as well as her book of nighttime street photography, Night Lights.

This Highlight Weddings & Events Podcast was edited and produced by DropHouse Voiceover Production Studio and Tony Tee Neto, Voiceover Artist & Audio Producer. For more info on branding elements, editing, and post-production services, visit http://drophouse.com.

The intro and outro used for this episode is Crush - Royalty-Free Music by https://audiohub.com
License: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

[Crush - Royalty-Free Music by https://audiohub.com License: CC by (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)]

DJ Josh: This is Episode 2 from Make Your Wedding a Highlight. My name is DJ Josh from Highlight Weddings and Events. And my guest today is Holly Ferris, owner of LaFleur Photography.

Tony Tee Neto from DropHouse: If you’re getting ready to, or already in the process of planning your wedding, you’ve come to the right place. DJ Josh, owner of Highlight Weddings and Events, interviews other local 30A wedding pros to offer insight about how to make your wedding a highlight.

DJ Josh: I have Holly Ferris from LaFleur Photography.

Holly: Hello.

DJ Josh: She has been gracious enough to join me today and let’s start by talking about yourself. 
Holly Ferris: Alright. I am a local here on the Emerald Coast. I have owned my business for 17 years this year. Starting out with wedding photography, and I do all other types of photography but weddings are up there along with families. I have a daughter who’s almost 10. And, I stay busy pretty much doing photography all the time.

DJ Josh: Awesome. So, how did you get into photography and then weddings? How was your trajectory to where you are now?

Holly: It actually happened by chance. My mom’s friend owned a wedding/event planning company and knew that I liked to take pictures. This was back when we only had film. And, she knew that I took pictures for families here and there. And she asked my mom “Do you think she’d want to tag along to a wedding this weekend?” And, my mom asked me and I said, “Of course.” And it was pretty much history from there.

I did a wedding with somebody that weekend and then they started giving me weddings after that. And, at that time I would actually take the photos, at the end of the wedding, I would hand the bride and groom all the rolls of film and I never saw one image. Now, they would report back and tell the company “Hey these are great!” That’s how I knew they were good. But I really had nothing. I had no portfolio or anything so at that point I had to start branching off on my own to get a portfolio but yeah it was crazy times. I don’t think that anyone that does photography now could imagine just handing over the images and just never seeing one of them. 

DJ Josh: That’s crazy to me because it’s almost like, for me it would almost be like DJ Joshing but not being able to hear or see the reaction. Like DJing in a little box where I can’t see anybody.

Holly: Right? And the viewfinder, of course, is not digital back then. It’s just a regular viewfinder so I always kinda hoped I did well. Just went for it.

DJ Josh: How would you describe your style? Because I know different photographers have different styles that they focus on. Like some are more hushed tones. Some really make it bright. How would you describe your style?

Holly: I try to edit super natural. Um, Natural not supernatural. Naturally, very natural. Colors. I’m not personally a huge fan of changing colors, of muting tones, desaturating colors. I don’t like matte finishes. That’s just my own personal preference on pictures. So I shoot how I like to see pictures myself. Everything is natural. I’m not really big on presets. Doing actions in photoshop isn’t my thing. So as natural as possible. I like to pull the contrast up usually. Make colors a little more vibrant than they are straight out of the camera but as far as changing the image I feel like if you’re going to shoot something, and this has a lot to do with my film photography background where I couldn’t change anything, I don’t do that now. Because I learned on analog where you couldn’t change anything and that’s just how I am now. I don’t want to change a lot of things. So I do have the tools to, you know, get something out of the background which is always people on the beach off the background you know I have the ability to do that now but I am not going to make you look how you don’t look in person. I want it to be very natural.

DJ Josh: I like the fact that you brought up beach wedding specifically because depending on where you have them on the Emerald Coast, you cannot control who is going to be there.

Holly: Oh, definitely.

DJ Josh: Especially if it’s like a public beach. You’re kind of at the mercy of who ever decides to hang out or stay.

Holly: I have seen it all. I had a wedding a couple years ago and a family setup directly behind. Not only did they setup behind them, the dad was in a speedo. They had two circle rainbow colored umbrellas. And I could not get them out of the photos. I ended up just centering my bride and groom on the rainbow colored umbrella behind them because I could not get it out of the picture. I knew I was not going to be able to photoshop it out. It was just too everywhere. But I did get the dad in the speedo out. But yeah removing people from the background is, I have to do that with every single wedding, every single family shoot on the beach because unfortunately there’s no such thing as a private beach but at the same time I guess that’s good because we have a lot of people coming to visit and it is our livelihood.

DJ Josh: Right. The only way you can get people out of your shot is if you have the wedding at a private venue like the Hilton Sandestin or other places where they have security and people will be like “Hey you guys need to move.” and the guests will oblige.

Holly: But even then. Everyone is excited to see a wedding and it’s not uncommon to see people kind of sunbathing at the edge of where they can be watching. And it’s really nice that they’re doing that but at the same time I’m kind of like “Could you move?” But you know, when I’m taking pictures, all I can do is kinda wave my hand one way or the other if they’re behind the bride and groom but other than that, we’re just gonna take it out in post and not worry about it.

DJ Josh: How would you describe your ideal client?

Holly: My ideal client? I don’t know. I guess the ideal client would be someone who is not stressed out which is hard to tell a bride, “Don’t stress out.” But I feel like as my job as the photographer is to give them peace of mind and let them know that I’ve been in the business for a long time. I know kind of all the ins and outs, and I’ve pretty much seen it all at this point. So, ideally I like to destress if I can, but if they come to me already destressed. The less stressed client the most ideal they would be. But you know, that never really happens. Weddings are stressful for everybody.,

DJ Josh: They are stressful but I think if they are in a position where they trust the professional to do what they’re supposed to do.

Holly: Yes. See and that is a big thing that photographers struggle with. Because if you are a bride. I want a bride and a groom to come to me knowing what they want. If they look at my work and they move forward booking with me I’m going to assume that they booked me based on my portfolio. They know how I edit. They know how my style looks like. So the ideal client is someone who is knowing what they’re getting into with their vendors. I guess. Because I have had clients ask to “Hey can you edit all of these warm?” “Hey can you go light and bright?” “Hey can you do a matte?” And my answer is always, “No. That’s not how I edit.” I can’t change up my style because you could book based on that style. You know? So the ideal client for sure would be someone who knows what they want in their vendors when they approach them.

DJ Josh: And for you it’s someone who likes your style already.

Holly: Right and that’s why it’s important for me to have a really large portfolio on my website because I want you to see the wedding that’s at a garden, the wedding that’s at a beach, the wedding that’s at a church so you can see my style. It’s going to be the same and consistent along all of those kind of venues but so you can see the look of each of those venues, too. Because a lot of times when brides come they don’t always have their venue picked out. It’s kind of still they’re trying to hear from a farm and then they are still kind of like “I kind of want to go to the beach. Our parents want the church.” So, definitely having a portfolio and having people look at that and knowing what they want is super important.

DJ Josh: For clients to be able to make their photos, the best they can possibly do, what are some things that they can do themselves that can set you up for success?

Holly: I don’t want to put so much on the client, necessarily. It is nice when they know what they want, but I think having a general idea of posing that you like. Or if there is something that you don’t favor about yourself. Like for me, I really don’t like my profile. So I’m going to, if I was the bride, I’m going to make sure that it is flattering for me to look at myself. I think if you know what you like about yourself, and you know your physical looks, if you go ahead and let your photographer know, if you have any concerns, “I don’t like my profile. Try not to get too much of profile.” Let them know ahead of time. Because the worst feeling in the world is when a bride doesn’t like necessarily how they look in their photos and you think they look completely amazing. But we are all our biggest critics. So yeah coming and, like, knowing what makes you happy and what you like to see in yourself in photos is really huge for me. And I do ask those questions. Is there anything I need to avoid, you know?

DJ Josh: It’s good that you include that in the planning process so it’s not like you just kind of essentially wing it.

Holly: We’re not going to go in willy nilly. We’re going to know what you like.

DJ Josh: So, let’s talk about why film? What differentiates it from digital and why should a couple consider doing both?

Holly: So, I just started shooting film again. I quit shooting it probably in 2012 when I did go digital, kinda like the rest of the world. I found a newfound love for it recently. Mainly in medium format. I think that it’s more authentic for one. And, you only have a certain number of shots per roll so you’re shooting with more intention, so the shots to me are a little more special on film than digital. I think it’s a fun thing too you know it’s the year 2020 and you just got some film work done. I think that’s a fun thing, you know. You’re bringing it back. I’m very nostalgic. I love everything vintage, so for me it’s just something I enjoy. So I like to offer it. And, it gives it another look. You have all that beautiful fine grain that’s in film that you can try but cannot duplicate that in digital. You just can’t get the same look no matter how hard you try. So it’s just something fun and I think film is making a comeback with a lot of the younger crowd. And a lot of them want film. They want to have that film experience because a lot of people that I tend to forget are born after the digital age. So the ones that are getting into film now that are in their mid to early 20s they never even owned a film camera. You know, and then I started with a film camera. I think it’s definitely a trend right now to shoot film, so it’s actually helping bring it back and resurrect it from the dead. I think the hashtag on Instagram is #filmisnotdead. And I just think it’s a fun thing to offer your clients.

DJ Josh: When you said “medium format” what do you mean?

Holly: So there’s 35 mm, which is the standard roll of film in the little canister. And, then there’s medium format. And, it’s actually on a roll with a paper backing. And, it’s basically the size of the negative is bigger so it can be a 6x6, 6x7. Then you have large format, which is going to be, guess to describe it. The cameras with the bellows and have the sheet over the back of them. You know, it’s on a big tripod. So I like medium format because it’s kinda in between both and the negatives are very detailed. It’s more than you can get on a digital camera. The details are just insane. It captures a lot more. So, I just enjoy it personally myself, the look of the films and also the camera I have is a medium format as well.

DJ Josh: How many cameras do you have?

Holly: I’ve been asked this before. I shoot with 2 medium formats and 1 digital are my main camera bodies. But, I own probably upwards of 20 or 30 cameras. Some are on display. Some still work. I collect them. I have problems. I have some of them under my bed because I don’t have anywhere to display them.

DJ Josh: What’s your favorite camera?

Holly: I guess my current favorite camera would be my Pentax 6x7 which is the medium format that I’m currently shooting with because they actually use my favorite brand of lens. And it’s a lens I can adapt to my digital camera so it kind of merges the old with the new for me.

DJ Josh: What’s your favorite part of a wedding? And this doesn’t have to necessarily be photography just in general or you can do both.

Holly: Witnessing is definitely the vows. I tear up almost every wedding. Especially if they’re written by the bride and groom because I’m behind the camera shedding a tear. So that’s my favorite part to witness because you really, like, see a couple’s love come out. And then my favorite thing to photograph. I really like when I do the portraits of the bride and groom after the ceremony. That’s traditionally when I shoot their portraits. That’s the most fun for me because we’ve finally. We’ve gotten ready, we’ve done the ceremony, they can see each other, and now we’re at the point where we can take a picture together. Before all of that I’m kind of like all over the place scrambling and getting pictures of him getting ready, her getting ready and then the ceremony. Nobody’s like they’re not taking pictures together yet, so definitely when i can do their portraits would be the most fun shooting time and witnessing would be the vows.

DJ Josh: There’s that, it’s almost like the ceremony has passed so there’s that like that calm and like you can breathe now.

Holly: Yes, everyone can breathe now, and everyone can go party at the reception. I guess the most fun thing to see also as far as guests go is everybody getting down at a reception. Everybody’s finally letting loose. They’re having fun. You can see it on all their faces and you know if they have a good DJ Josh, they’re having even more fun. So, if your wedding is laid back after all the scary parts of before the ceremony, you’re going to have a lot more fun.

DJ Josh: Now, let’s talk about Holly, the person.

Holly: Oh, Gosh.

DJ Josh: What is the best compliment someone has ever given you?

Holly: The best compliment. I don’t know. I’m really bad at taking compliments so there’s that. I get told I have nice teeth all the time. And I have really blue eyes. But, um. I guess physical compliments are those that I get the most. And then, I get told by clients that I’m patient a lot with their kids. So I guess that. I’m really bad at taking compliments. I don’t know what to do. Do I just stand there? Do I say, “Thank you” and say, “You, too”? I don’t know. I’m the awkward person that says “thank you for the teeth compliment. I like yours as well” you know?
DJ Josh: Ok. What did you want to be when you grew up?

Holly: A photographer.

DJ Josh: Oh, you did? That’s awesome!

Holly: Yeah. I actually have an essay I wrote about becoming a photographer in fifth grade. I cannot find it but my mom keeps everything and she just found this paper I wrote in high school. And, it was like a mock business write up, I guess, about my business and it was called Hollywood Shots and it was all about my photography. So, that was when I was a senior. That was actually 20 years ago that I wrote that. But I do remember writing the one in fifth grade. Hoping my mom maybe has it somewhere. I gotta dig through all the stuff she’s hoarded of mine.

DJ Josh: What is a talent that people would be surprised that you have?

Holly: I don’t know. This is a hard one. Okay, so, I’m in a group chat with my friends and they were all blown away by how good at the facebook basketball game I was. I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily a talent but your girl can ball, ok?

DJ Josh: What’s your highest score?

Holly: Um, okay. So the one we’re doing, it takes a lot to get a high score and my score is 32. But if you miss one you have to start at zero again. I think the one under me has 28, so I’m trying to keep myself up there. If that counts as a talent

DJ Josh: Since we both work on the weekends. Typically, that’s when most of our bookings are, what is your favorite way to spend an off day on the weekend?

Holly: I don’t really enjoy going to the beach, so definitely not that because I’m there all the time for work. This is going to sound crazy but my favorite way to relax and stuff and not have obligations is to go out and shoot film. Which is so crazy, because I’m a photographer but my relaxing hobby is photography just in another format. So, I do like to do that with friends and stuff and get some more things on my film portfolio side. But I enjoy going to shoot or driving to pensacola and doing some street shooting and just going solo. Just quiet time to myself going to the camera store out there, looking around, and, of course, everyone likes to just chill at the house and watch TV. Sometimes that, I guess.

DJ Josh: I can relate to that because, as a DJ, any event I do I know have to kind of stay in a certain lane or whatever. And, I would imagine it’s the same for doing photo shoots for clients. You know you have these specific shots that you need to get. And, for me, just kind of recording random sets and just letting my taste dictate where I go as far as what songs I play.

Holly: See, and that, I was actually talking to someone about that recently, I think that it’s so important that if you’re in a job that’s creative in any aspect, any field that is a creative field. In order to keep your creativity alive you need to find a way to be creative for yourself in that field. For me, I love taking pictures of my families. They come back and see me each year. I love my weddings, everything like that. But for me, loading a roll of film into a camera and doing some street photography is my way to have a creative outlet in the field I’m in because I will get burned out. It does get tiring taking photos of families everyday on the beach. Not that I’m not blessed. I enjoy it immensely. But, I need to go out and shoot for myself sometimes. So when I do have time off that’s what I do. And, I actually just published my first book by doing that. And it was my own way of being creative. I had to go out and take these pictures. And I had to have my own creative outlet and my subjects was night time street photography. There wasn’t a person in the pictures. It’s nice to have my own creative outlet within my field so that I don’t feel like day in and day out I'm doing the same thing. In a job you’re in whether or not it’s creative you get in that slump of I may not have a 9 to 5 but the person who does have a 9 to 5, I relate to them as in, we’re doing the same thing everyday. You know? Kind of get up and do the same thing.

DJ Josh: What’s the name of your book?

Holly: It’s called Night Lights.

DJ Josh: Alright. How can they find you on social media, internet, etc?

Holly: So my business is LaFleur Photography on Facebook. My website is actually thesnaplife.com, that’s my brand, and within that website you’ll find links to everywhere that I’m listed. But instagram is also @lafleurphotography and then @itsthesnaplife. I have both of those. @itsthesnaplife is more got my film work and the @lafleurphotography has my business stuff. But thesnaplife.com you can find me on everything there. I have it all linked, so that’s probably the most simple answer.

DJ Josh: Well, thanks for stopping by and chatting with me today.

Holly: Thank you for having me. This was so fun. This is like my second podcast. I like it!

DJ Josh: Thanks for sharing with potential clients how they can make their photos a highlight, and for all you listeners out there, thank you for listening. There will be more to come.

Tony Tee Neto: Thanks for stopping by and checking out the podcast. If you like what you’ve heard, please subscribe and leave a review. It’ll help other couples just like you find it. For more resources, including our helpful blog, check www.highlightweddingsandevents.com. And make your wedding a highlight!