Street Photography on film

I shoot film for commercial, editorial and personal work.

Most of this portfolio was made in Mexico City, on 35mm and medium format film. It moves between street photography, portraits, black and white, color and commissioned work.

Brands including Facebook, Burger King and Coca-Cola have hired me to shoot analog. I can work entirely on film or combine it with digital.

If you are looking for a professional film photographer, check out my portfolio or get in touch.

Color film street photograph of mariachi musicians performing in Mexico City.

Black-and-white street portrait on film of a man seated on an ornate bench.

Color film street portrait of an older man holding a wire beside a green lamppost.

Black-and-white film photograph of a solitary person seated beside a church doorway.

Color film street portrait of a woman in a pink hat and blue face mask.

Color analog street photograph of an older couple dancing in Mexico City.

Color film photograph of an older couple embracing while dancing in the street.

Film photography for advertising and editorial work

I use film when the process supports the idea.

It slows the work down. That can be useful.

People respond differently when every frame counts.

I have shot analog commercially for Facebook. Film was also part of my work for Burger King.

The Burger King Non Artificial Mexico campaign later won three Cannes Lions. Most of the campaign was photographed digitally, with a smaller part shot on film.

I do not want to pretend it was an all-analog campaign.

If the project needs film, I can shoot 35mm or medium format, in black and white or color.

If it needs film and digital, I can work with both.

You can also see my commercial street photography portfolio.

Black-and-white analog street photograph of a man looking from an apartment window.

Black-and-white candid film photograph of a person sitting on church steps.

Color analog street photograph of three older men in patterned hats talking on a bench.

Black-and-white film photograph of a seated street vendor on a Mexico City sidewalk.

Black-and-white film street photograph of men waiting beside a ladder in Mexico City.

Color film street photograph of five men seated together beside a green wall.

Analog street photography in Mexico City

Most of the personal film photography here was made on the streets of Mexico City.

This is where I developed as a street photographer and carried a film camera almost everywhere.

Film did not make the photographs better.

It made me choose the frames more carefully.

Sometimes I waited another two seconds.

Sometimes the person took another step.

Sometimes the frame finally came together.

That brought me closer to the idea of the decisive moment.

The pictures still matter more than the camera.

Color analog street photograph of pedestrians crossing a busy Mexico City intersection.

Black-and-white self-portrait reflected in a window with a Rolleiflex camera.

Color analog street photograph of a man pushing a loaded trolley past an industrial gate.

Black-and-white analog street photograph of a Mexico City newspaper stand.

Black-and-white Rolleiflex photograph of the empty interior of a city bus.

Black-and-white film photograph of a vintage car in close-up.

Color film photograph of street vendors beneath red market awnings in Mexico City.

Black-and-white analog photograph of machinery inside an open street workshop.

Looking for a film photographer?

I am available for selected commercial and editorial commissions.

Tell me what you are making, and I will tell you whether film, digital or a mix makes sense.

Tell me about your project

Color analog photograph of a weathered turquoise building in Mexico City.

Color film still life of red and green apples at a market.

Color analog photograph of a worn pink staircase framed by a dark passageway.

Color analog photograph of a poolside chair casting a geometric shadow.

Color film photograph of a stainless-steel ladder entering a turquoise swimming pool.

Color film photograph of a small boat beneath heavy clouds on the water.

Color analog photograph of boats silhouetted beneath a cloudy waterfront sky.

Color analog landscape of a boat crossing the water at sunset.

Color film photograph of a lone beachgoer against the blue Caribbean Sea.

Color analog photograph of a woman in red standing at the edge of the ocean.

How I started with film photography

I started shooting film around six years ago because a friend told me to try it.

My first camera was a Canon AE-1.

I fell for it quickly.

You take the photographs. Then you wait.

When the scans arrive, you see frames you almost forgot making.

Some are out of focus. Some are badly exposed.

Sometimes a photograph was much better in your head than it was on the negative.

Then one frame comes back exactly right.

I have a separate guide to film photography for cameras, exposure and film stocks. This page is about the work.

Why I chose black and white film

At one point I bought around 30 boxes of Kodak Tri-X.

That was slightly insane.

It was also deliberate.

With black and white film in the camera, the decision was already made.

I stopped wondering whether a scene would work better in color.

I had to see in black and white.

That limitation became part of my black and white photography.

I still shoot color too, mostly Kodak Portra 400 and Kodak ColorPlus.

Portra 400 works beautifully for people. But if you handed me a camera and made me choose, I would probably load black and white.

I have also written about Ilford HP5 Plus.

The Rolleiflex changed how I photograph people

When I got my first big commission for Facebook, I celebrated by buying a Rolleiflex 2.8F.

A completely reasonable financial decision.

The Rolleiflex is medium format, but the format is not what I remember most.

It is how you hold it.

You look down into the waist-level finder instead of lifting a camera in front of your face.

It feels quiet.

People seem to feel that too.

Almost everyone I ask for a street portrait with the Rolleiflex says yes.

It is also the camera I associate with Vivian Maier.

Film or digital?

For a while, I became too interested in film.

The process started to matter more than the photograph.

That was a mistake.

Now I am happy shooting both.

Film can slow me down. A Rolleiflex can change how a stranger responds. Tri-X can remove the question of color.

Those things are real.

But film is not magic.

It cannot rescue an uninteresting photograph.

The picture comes first.

Hire me as a film photographer

I shoot 35mm and medium format film in black and white and color.

I work with brands, agencies and publications on documentary, street, portrait and commercial projects.

You can also follow my current work on @trovatten.

Get in touch