Since starting my photography career in 2009 with a Nikon D60, I’ve mostly worked with digital cameras. Yet, the timeless appeal of 35mm film photography has always intrigued me. Although I own several film cameras—Nikon Fm2, Pentax K1000, and Yashica Electro 35—I had never used them for portrait sessions. Recently, I had the chance to explore film photography during a portrait session, thanks to my friend Liam, who lent me his beloved Canon AE-1, a favorite among enthusiasts. Liam, who is also a wedding photographer, planned to process the film from this shoot.

For this session, we chose Kodak Portra 400 film, known for its fine grain and vibrant colors. Unfortunately, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment when the developed scans revealed that most images were unusable. It appeared that a lens issue and chemical processing errors compromised the film.

Fortunately, not all was lost. Along with the film attempts, I captured several portraits using my Leica M, a digital rangefinder. These digital images thankfully preserved our session, allowing me to share results with friends who volunteered for the shoot. Below are some highlights captured with a Leica M240 and a 50mm Summilux lens

The shoot took place in the serene Castle Gardens in Leicestershire, with Liam Bowler assisting me . It was a learning experience that reminded us of both the unpredictability and the unique charm of film photography.

For more insights into my portrait work or to explore my portfolio, please visit my Portrait Photography page. I offer a range of portrait packages tailored to various needs, each designed to capture timeless memories.

Stay tuned for more updates from my upcoming ventures into the world of film photography!

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Pregnancy is a beautiful time in a couples life that they want to capture and remember. So I’ve had the joy of documenting a maternity shoot for my sister in law Neera and my brother Sent. Neera and Sent choose the Rothley Court Hotel to do their shoot in an early winter morning. This hotel is the same place where they did their engagement shoot four years ago.

Sent and Neera are expecting their first baby in March – so their photoshoot was always going to be in the middle of winter. So It’s still going to be a bit cold and dull outdoors at the end of November, but not all of the time! When the sun peeks out early morning, it is magical! For obvious reasons, many of my clients worry about committing to shoots in winter and often don’t know what the photos will look like, or know what to expect. This pregnancy photo shoot in the Rothley Court Hotel is an excellent example of outdoor winter portrait photography.

Check out my portrait photography page for more information on Portraiture.

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Here is a photo shoot with the lovely couple John & Li at the Barnsdale Hall Hotel and the surrounding areas of Rutland water.

John is originally from Leicester and Li from China. And with their traditional Nikah being in China a few weeks later. I’ve had the opportunity to document their love in the beautiful Barsdale hotel which offers spectacular views over Rutland Water.

Firstly starting with some portraits inside the hotel, we then walked closer to the lake. As the sun was setting, It was an excellent opportunity to infuse some artistic sun flare into the pictures. Indeed, you can see I was happy with the results from the image at the top of the page.

Below are a few examples from this shoot.

Check out my Engagement page for more information on pre-wedding shoots in Leicestershire.

You can check out another Engagement shoot HERE.

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Location: Central London, China town, Tower Bridge, Leicester Square
Gear: Leica M + 50mm

Documenting one’s milestones in life is necessary because it gives a chance to appreciate the accomplishments we share. In this case, the photo shoot was about the first wedding anniversary of two great people and friends. It was fun to have been there to document the first-anniversary photoshoot of Efra and Damaris.

THE STORY

It is a story of two Spaniards who met and fell in love in London. So, you can see why the city is of particular importance to them. Before leaving home, the couple took the time to plan their first anniversary. So they got in touch to schedule the photo shoot. Efra and Damaris had some locations in mind: Leicester Square, China town, Tower Bridge, Piccadilly square- the places they visited together at the start of their friendship.

THE SHOOT

As with all my shoots, I try to capture the special moments with my clients without distractions and with the best light available. You can guess why this was going to be a challenging shoot in central London because of the crowds of people, mostly tourists around the famous London attractions. Although a faster camera would have done the job nicely, my Leica M was the camera of choice for most of this shoot. Instead of shooting fast the Leica allows me to slow down and carefully compose every shot.

The three of us spent several hours going around the centre of London, from one metro station to the other, trying to recreate some of the magic Efra and Damaris experienced some time ago. To make sure they will never forget some of the best moments they share. When the evening fell, we even managed to get some cool night portraits.

Check out their pre-wedding shoot in Spain HERE.

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As a wedding photographer, I enjoy meeting new people and photographing couples from different countries and backgrounds. So I was pleased to get an inquiry all the way from China!!! Tan & Judy were visiting Paris, London and also Leicester, but wanting the engagement shoot in Leicester. My initial reaction was: ‘why Leicester? Why not Paris or London? and why me??’ It turned out that this couple Tan & Judy met at Leicester University as students and fell in love. So, Leicester is a special place for them, and sentimental wanting to do their engagement shoot near Leicester University. We started the photo shoot in Leicester’s Victoria Park on a cold morning in December and moved over to the area near Leicester University. After stopping in Costa coffee for a small break, we finally finished the shoot in the city centre.

It was a pleasure to meet this awesome couple, and I was happy to document their engagement photo shoot in Leicester. I hope you like these pictures – Ashok.

Take a look at my ENGAGEMENT page for more information on why you should do a pre-wedding shoot.

Remember to follow me on Instagram to keep up with my latest work HERE.

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Hello, I like to share one of my portrait photography collaborations. Earlier this week on a cold morning In Stoney Stanton, Leicestershire. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a portrait Session with the talented Singer Lexie. From a photographic point of view, I was happy to wake up super early to catch the golden rays but have to credit Lexie’s dedication, her easy-going nature and for braving the cold so we can get pictures we wanted.

Gear Used: Sony A7 + Leica 50mm Summilux.

Remember to follow me on Instagram to keep up with my latest work HERE.

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