[POTW] Photographer of the Week - Week 7

It is our great pleasure to announce that u/jensuen is our Photographer of the Week. This accolade has been awarded based upon the number of votes during week 7, with this post having received the most when searching by top submission: https://www.reddit.com/r/analog/comments/1r2w5df/engagement_session_on_film/

• How long have you been taking photographs?

I first started photography in 2015 when I was in college. Like most people, I started out taking photos of my friends for free and strangers for like $40. I then owned my first wedding photography business in Arkansas right out of school up until I joined the Peace Corps in 2018. For the next couple years, I focused on documenting my life, my travels, and landscapes, until I eventually made my way back to wedding photography in 2024 in Colorado.

• Why do you take photographs? What are you looking to get out of it?

I take photos to preserve memories for myself and also my clients. I have always had a hard time remembering moments, but being behind the camera helps me remember and preserve those memories. I’m a very sentimental person, so I aim to photograph how a moment feels over perfection.

• What inspired you to take this (group of) photo(s)?

My clients K + K planned out their engagement session to be very “them”. They’re always hiking in the mountains or going on adventures travels, so when discussing locations, the groom said “let’s do Dream Lake for my dream girl.” They wore their hiking boots with microspikes with their “nice” outfits, and it felt authentic to who they are. They love taking little videos when they travel and explore, and they often do a little dip, so I had them recreate that for this photograph.

• Do you self develop or get a lab to process your film?

I get my film developed and scanned at theFINDlab in Utah. In addition to being an exceptional lab that produces crisp, colorful scans with good contrast, the management and staff are incredible humans, and I align deeply with their values. The cherry on top is their incredible communication; you can dial their number and immediately talk with someone, and it’s hard to find that nowadays.

• What first interested you in analog photography?

Despite shooting digital for about 9 and a half years and feeling very confident with my skills, film always felt very foreign and difficult to me. I was beginning to feel very burnt out shooting hundreds, if not thousands of images at every couples session and wedding, and culling images and editing them was the bane of my existence. Don’t get me wrong, digital cameras are incredible these days. We can take 200 photos in a matter of seconds. But with that, I think it has brought complacency. It has become easier to fire away shots instead of waiting for that perfect moment. Film attracted me because of the intention behind it and the idea that it would force me to slow down and to truly see what is in front of me instead of relying on doing it all in post processing. In 2024, I bought a couple point and shoot film cameras. They were fun, but I wasn't able to control the image like I wanted to, so I decided to learn on a SLR in November of 2024. I quickly started including 35mm film in my couples shoots and weddings, and as of now, my couples sessions are entirely on film and my weddings have a huge emphasis on film over digital.

• What is your favourite piece of equipment (camera, film, or other) and why?

My ride or die film camera is the nikon N80. I first started out on a f100. The f100 is incredible, but the N80 is essentially the same camera, but is lighter and smaller and has a built in flash. Oh and it’s literally $50. I am a firm believer that you can get incredible images with quality gear without spending thousands of dollars.

• Do you have a tip or technique that other film photographers should try?

For photographing people on film, I always recommend using spot metering if your camera has it. I meter for the skin tones or shadows, and I rarely get improperly exposed images.

• Do you have a link to more of your work or an online portfolio you would like to share?

Yes! My website is www.lovestorieswithjen.com and my instagram is @lovestorieswithjen

• Do you have a favourite analog photographer or analog photography web site you would like to recommend?

One of my favorite analog photographer’s is fellow wedding photographer Katch Silva (@katchsilva on instagram). She is incredible and her artistry and creativity is unmatched. She truly captures the essence of her clients.

• Is there anything else you would like to add about yourself or your photography?

My biggest piece of advice with film photography, and just life in general, is to just try shit. I’m constantly pushing myself to photograph couples on film in dark locations people wouldn’t normally photograph. I’ve found with film that I’m able to use really slow shutter speeds (1/15 and 1/30) handheld without getting the shake that I get with digital. I also experiment with double exposures very often, and while sometimes they don’t turn out, I learn more each time I fail. So try, do stuff that doesn’t feel safe, and you might end up loving those images the most, I know that’s been the case for me. We rarely grow if we’re always doing things the same way.