So you’re loving the look of film and super 8, but you also want digital photos, but you don’t know how to add all the mediums together. Let’s unpack hybrid sessions! This is when your photographer shoots on all three so you can get the best of both worlds!
WTF is a hybrid photo session?
Hybrid sessions are the best of both worlds! This is when the photographer (and possibly their team) works to deliver photos on all mediums: digital, film, and super 8! If you love the look of film and also how the photographer edits their digital photos, you can hire one to capture your day on all mediums! At the end of your day, you’ll have digital photos, film photos, and a super 8 video to look back on!
The differences between digital, film, and super 8
Digital Photos
Digital photos have been around for a while now and are industry standard when it comes to hiring a wedding or elopement photographer. There are many perks to having a digital camera. Settings are easier to adjust, there are more failsafes when it comes to storing images (such as having to cards recording the images at the same time) and the data that photographers have from the photos make it easier to recover pictures! You also get more photos and there’s less room for error, which is a huge perk when it comes to your once in a lifetime day!
Film Photos
Film photography has been around for ages! The colors and grain of film is unmatchable and is truly an art form. Film photographers take so much time and care with your photos that most of what they shoot is delivered back to you. Film photographers have to be an expert behind the camera because they have to be confident in every photo they take. With only having 36 images a roll, every photo is more intentional and without a screen to get caught up in, film photographers have the ability to see more small moments and capture candid events and details!
Super 8 Video
Super 8 video is such a nostalgic way to see your wedding day! It complements film so much and is a great add on when hiring film. Adding video to your day captures movement in a way photos just can’t. These short clips set to music will make you go “aweee” while looking at it! Super 8 is the home video your grandparents had their vacations and wedding filmed on and it’s such a good nod to your heritage as well!
Why digital photos are still important after hiring a film photographer
I absolutely love film, but with the advance of technology, digital is a safer bet when it comes to your wedding or elopement. Since this is a day you can’t get back, I recommend having digital and film at your wedding! Digital photographers have two card slots that records at the same time so there’s a copy if one of the cards corrupts. If they underexpose a photo it is easily recovered, if both cards corrupt, there is software that may be able to recover them. With film, there are not as many safeguards and more can go wrong. Rarely does film get destroyed by lab chemicals or light leaks, but it is a possibility and there is nothing the photographer can do to recovery the photos if something happens. Since this is a once in a lifetime day that can’t be redone, having a digital photographer with the ability to have all the backup systems is the best way to go for weddings if you’re trying to choose between one or the other.
Hiring me to capture your wedding on film, super 8, and digital
I love shooting hybrid at sessions, elopements, and intimate weddings! I’ve been a digital photographer for 6 years, but I started shooting weddings on film 2 years ago and fell in love with the process. It’s been so fun giving couples a timeless way to look back on their pictures, record a really sweet super 8 highlight video, and still have the security of digital photography!
How a hybrid wedding works:
At weddings or elopements, I have another photographer help me out! I spend my time on film, taking photos on film and recording super 8 video during the wedding day. I hire another experienced photographer to take digital photos throughout the day and we work together, me as the lead, on directing, posing, and prompting y’all as well as getting the best candid moments! The other photographer will hand me the cards at the end of the day and I’ll edit your photos! You still get my digital editing and photo selection as well as the film and super 8 I took in your final gallery!
Salt Lake City hybrid elopement at Antelope Island
Just 45 minutes North of Salt Lake City is Antelope Island State Park. It’s a beautiful island full of grasslands, rocks, mountains, hills, and the Great Salt Lake! Meg and Owen got married in the winter, and this was the perfect spot for writing vows, eating cake, and their ceremony!
Why Meg and Owen chose Hybrid
These two loved the look of film and super 8 but also knew the value of digital photos on their once in a lifetime day! Backlight looks better on digital and they knew I have two cards recording every photo from their intimate wedding. The security of digital was a huge perk for them, but they loved the colors of film, and the movement and nostalgia Super 8 video offers! They knew a hybrid elopement would fit best for their ideal day!
Eloping at Antelope Island
Antelope Island is a quick drive from Salt Lake City and is perfect if you’re thinking of a more western vibe closer to the city! State Parks are easier to get permits for, and it was only $20 to have a photographer for a day! It’s easy to spread out on Antelope Island for an intimate wedding experience and it’s fun to see the buffalo and explore the park!
Looking for a Hybrid Wedding Photographer?
Hybrid wedding packages start at $8,900 for a full, 8 hour day.
Reach out to me here to learn more about hybrid weddings and why it could be a good fit for you!
