I often say my approach to wedding photography centers around kindness, care, and communication. Before you host the most important day of your life, you’re searching for a photographer you can trust who will prioritize the details and put you at ease. And if you’re a lover of film wedding photography like me, you’re also looking for a hybrid photographer who will tell your story with an artistic eye.
How I capture weddings on film, digital, and Super 8 comes from a place of patience, authenticity, and an appreciation for the quiet, intimate moments that make your day—and your love story—one of a kind.
Explore more from my film wedding photography portfolio below and get a real feel for what your gallery could look like when we work together.
Read More: A Hybrid Film Wedding at the MAAS Building | Philadelphia Wedding Photography
What It Means to Be A True Hybrid Photographer
For camera-shy couples wondering what it feels like to be on the other side of a film camera, I talk about that in depth over at Philadelphia Wedding Photography for Camera Shy Couples.
Being a true hybrid photographer means I deliver galleries containing both digital and film coverage of your day. You’re not getting a handful of film stills with digital carrying the rest of the gallery.
You’re receiving two complete bodies of work — a full digital gallery and a film gallery — each one touching every chapter of your day. All three of my signature collections include a minimum of 40 film photos, with elopements receiving a minimum of 20.
Whether it’s the first look or the final dance, the ceremony or the cake cutting, my film camera travels with me everywhere your day takes us. My hybrid photography approach prioritizes the artistry, detail, and genuinely candid moments.
One of my couples put it simply: “All of our pictures came out feeling like ‘us.'” That’s the intention every time — not images that look like a wedding, but images that look like your wedding.
35mm and 120mm Film Wedding Photography
There’s something that happens when you shoot on 35mm film that can’t be manufactured in post. The photos have a natural graininess, the light and shadows land differently, and the colors feel lived-in rather than applied with a preset.
For couples who care about how their photographs feel — not just how they look — film wedding photography brings a softness and permanence to imagery that digital renders differently by design. 120mm produces a better quality resolution than 35mm, while 35mm really delivers on the signature graininess that film is known for.
“The images transcended our screen and provided a true feeling of what it was like to be at those events.”
That’s what film does at its best. It doesn’t only show the moment, it holds it.
Cinematic Super 8 Wedding Coverage
Super 8 is not simply a trend or an aesthetic add-on. It’s a deliberate creative decision — and I treat it like one. This method of capturing silent film was invented in 1965, which means many of my clients’ parents and grandparents have Super 8 footage from their own wedding day.
When Super 8 is part of your day, we have the opportunity to tie together generations past and present. The footage carries a warmth and grain that feels more like memory than recording — flickering, golden, already a little nostalgic even as the moment is still happening. It belongs in the in-between moments that feel, even as they’re unfolding, like they already belong to the past.
“Shiloh is absolutely amazing. I can’t thank her enough for capturing the gorgeous energy of our wedding. Magical.”
Wedding Day Polaroids
I have to mention another fun addition that’s included in all of my wedding photography packages: Polaroids. The physical Polaroids I capture on your day are scanned and added to your online viewing gallery so you can see everything in one place. They’re also mailed to you one month after your gallery delivery date alongside an engraved glass USB box.
Polaroids add yet another texture to your wedding gallery, and having something tangible to hold onto allows you to relive the magic all over again!
Film Wedding Photography Packages
Each of my wedding photography collections includes both digital and 35mm/120 film coverage — it’s not a tier you unlock, it’s part of how I work. What changes between collections is the length of your day and the depth of what we can document together. Super 8 videography is available as its own addition, separate from photography, for couples who want that cinematic layer woven into the day.
For more guidance on what’s included in my collections and how many hours of photography coverage you need for your wedding, check out my photography packages and services guide.
Shiloh Leath is a Philadelphia-based wedding and elopement photographer serving couples across New Jersey, NYC, Washington DC, Baltimore, and the greater East Coast. As a hybrid digital and film photographer, Shiloh creates timeless, ethereal images rooted in real emotion and quiet storytelling using 35mm, 120, Polaroids, and Super 8. Shiloh specializes in making camera-shy and nervous couples feel completely at ease through her lived-in, poetic, and deeply human approach. If you’re ready to have your love story documented with warmth, intention, and every detail preserved, check availability and reserve your date here.
