Why Everyone Is Obsessed with the 35mm Film Photography Trend

By Thomas Frost: Hybrid Wedding Photographer & Filmmaker

As a wedding photographer and filmmaker, I've grown my skillset from a love of three mediums: digital photography and videography, 35mm film and becoming a certified drone pilot. Each has its own purpose, its own strengths, and its own way of telling a story. 

But There's something about 35mm film that resonates on a deeper level. The grain, the colour, the unpredictability—it's a look that countless presets have tried to imitate, but never quite replicate. And while film photography has undoubtedly become one of the biggest trends in weddings over the last few years, I don't believe its popularity is simply down to aesthetics.

I think people are craving something more genuine.

The Beauty of Images You Can't Fully Control

As photographers, we're often taught to pursue perfection. Sharp focus. Perfect exposure. Flawless composition. The advances & possibilities in editing software are endless.

Film challenges that mindset.

Every roll introduces an element of uncertainty. Light leaks can appear unexpectedly. Colours can shift. Grain becomes part of the image. Sometimes a frame turns out differently than you imagined—and often that's exactly what makes it special.

As someone who shoots both digital and film, I've learned to appreciate those imperfections. Digital allows me to capture a wedding day with precision and consistency, while film encourages me to slow down and embrace spontaneity.

The result feels less manufactured and more emotional.

Why Film Feels Different

When we remember a moment, we don't recall every detail with crystal clarity. We remember the feeling. The atmosphere. The way the light looked. The emotion we experienced.

Film naturally captures those qualities.

The softness of the image, the richness of the colours and the subtle grain all create photographs that feel more like memories. That's why so many couples are drawn to it. They're not just looking for beautiful photographs; they're looking for images that transport them back to how the day felt.

A Welcome Contrast to the Digital World

We live in a time when everything is immediate.

Photos are taken, edited, uploaded and forgotten within hours. Wedding planning itself often happens through Pinterest boards, Instagram saves and TikTok trends.

Film offers the opposite experience.

When I load a roll of 35mm into my camera on a wedding morning, I know I won't see those images until the film has been developed days later. There's no instant preview and no opportunity to endlessly review every frame. 

That delay creates anticipation—not just for me, but for my couples too.

In a world obsessed with instant gratification, waiting for film feels surprisingly luxurious.

Why Hybrid Coverage Tells a Richer Story

One of the reasons I love working as a hybrid photographer and filmmaker is that every medium contributes something unique to the final story.

Digital photography allows me to document fast-moving moments and changing light conditions with confidence. Video captures movement, sound and atmosphere in a way still images never can. Film brings texture, emotion and a timeless quality that neither digital nor video can fully replicate.

Together, they create a more complete narrative.

When couples receive their gallery and films, the digital images provide the full story of the day, the films let them hear the laughter and speeches again, and the 35mm photographs often become the images they print, frame and return to year after year.

The Nostalgia Factor

What's fascinating is that many of my couples grew up in a fully digital world, yet they're deeply attracted to something that feels nostalgic.

Perhaps that's because film reminds us of photographs with real emotional value. Family albums. Childhood snapshots. Pictures of our parents before we were born.

Film carries a sense of permanence.

It feels connected to history in a way that digital imagery rarely does.

More Than a Trend

Despite being labelled a trend, I suspect film's popularity will outlast many of the wedding fashions we're seeing today.

That's because its appeal isn't rooted in novelty. It's rooted in emotion.

Every year, camera technology becomes faster, sharper and more advanced. Yet the photographs that stop people in their tracks are rarely the most technically perfect ones. They're the images that make them feel something.

As someone who shoots digital, film and video, I genuinely believe each medium has an important role to play. But there's a reason I still carry a 35mm camera at every wedding.

Film reminds us that the most meaningful moments aren't always the most polished. They're the ones that feel honest, imperfect and unmistakably human.

And perhaps that's why everyone is so obsessed with it.