Wedding + Portrait
Analog Wedding: Ashley Plante’s Naturalistic Approach
January 12, 2023
Ashley Plante of Analog Wedding is a film photographer whose approach is simple: to tell a client’s story in a way that is both genuine to who they are and to the day itself. It’s naturalistic and simplistic, and her couples love it.
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“I am lucky to be an analog wedding photographer based in New England,” says Plante. “I document a lot of couples who get married with hardly any plans. It’s something I wish more couples would consider because it is SO beautiful for many reasons. In its simplicity, there is a glow between the couple of having made the right decisions across the board. Both with whom they married but also how they married. Just knowing the other wants to marry this way is, in itself, confirmation of their love. Getting married can be simple and still be breathtaking.”
In the case of Jocelyn and Luke’s elopement shown here, Plante says that “not everyone can start their wedding day picking mountain laurel from the driveway, but if you can I highly recommend it. Their wedding day was unique in that it was so genuinely old-fashioned.”
The couple chose to marry in their yard with only an officiant and photographer present. “She wore a pristine vintage gown and veil,” says Plante. “After vows, they walked to the city clerk to make it official. On the way home they stopped at the staircase in the woods for a portrait. Over breakfast he played piano and she sliced up the cake. If that isn’t romance, I don’t know what is.”
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Plante used photographed the day on 110, 120 and 35mm film (Kodak, Cinestill, Lomography, Ilford). “As a film photographer, I use a variety of formats and cameras to allow for different perspectives. I aim to use mostly Zeiss lenses to create a visual thread but I do love to include a few lo fi cameras with fixed lenses. I think this approach emphasizes the emotion of a wedding day or elopement. I use Pentax and Contax medium format cameras to lock down dreamy, crisp images and support with 110 and 35mm film to lean into the art that’s unfolding. I incorporate a lot of location scouting and timeline studying ahead of time to help me stay present in each moment. “