June 21, 2025 • 6 mins
When I first started photographing weddings, I had ten rolls of film — 360 frames, total. That was all I had to tell the story.And you know what? It was enough. More than enough.Then digital came in, and like many of us, I got caught in the trap — thousands of images, hours buried in edits, and no real improvement in what I was delivering.In this episode, I talk about the mindset I built in the film era, how I lost it, and why I’ve gone back to it — even while shooting digital.This one’s for the photographers feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or stuck in the noise.If you're tired of overshooting and overdelivering, this is your reminder: shoot less, deliver more… and save your sanity.
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
What if I told you that shooting an entire wedding
with just 360 photos, yes, 10rolls of film, made me a better
photographer than shootingthousands of digital images ever
did?
Sounds crazy right?
But that's exactly how Istarted.
(00:21):
And it changed everything abouthow I see photography.
Back in the day, when I firstpicked up the camera for
weddings, I had a hard limit.
10 rolls of film, 36 frameseach, that's 360 shots for the
entire event.
No endless bursts, no scrollingthrough thousands of photos
(00:43):
later, just careful, intentionalshooting.
That limitation forced me to bepresent, to trust my eye, to
shoot with purpose, not panic.
In today's episode of HeyGeorgie, I'm sharing what the
old film mindset set stillshapes.
(01:04):
How I shoot weddings in thedigital age.
Or how I did, because I don't dothem anymore, but that's another
story.
Or I sometimes less releasemore.
So let's get into it.
Hi, I'm Pete George.
Welcome to Hey Georgie, apodcast about photography and
life.
(01:24):
As the saying says...
Hey Georgie, conversationsthrough lens and life.
So, shooting film meant everyframe had weight.
Every click had a cost in time,in money, in focus.
I didn't just hold down theshutter and hope something good
(01:47):
came out of it.
I had to compose, I had to wait,I had to think.
That taught me how to anticipatemoments before they happened.
to stay present, to trust mygut, to shoot with purpose and
not panic.
Out of those 360 frames, I'dlose maybe 30 or 40 of them
through underexposure, softfocus, a missed time blink, but
(02:14):
nothing real major, just enoughto say no, I'm not presenting
them.
But the rest, they were solid.
From there, I'd select my bestaround 80 to 100 images, and
that was the story.
That was the gallery, and thatwas enough.
It was always enough.
(02:36):
Then digital came in, and likemost photographers, I got caught
up in the freedom.
No more limits, big memorycards, fast burst rates, endless
storage.
So I started shooting more.
Not because I had to, because Icould.
And that freedom quickly becamea trap.
I'd shoot 3,000 images ofweddings, sometimes more.
(02:58):
But in the end, I stilldelivered about 100 images.
Same number of keepers, sameemotional impact.
They were just buried under anextra 2,900 distractions.
The edit.
That became the real job.
It was overwhelming,time-consuming, mentally
(03:19):
draining.
It was capturing more butcreating less.
Eventually, I pulled myselfback.
I started shooting digital likeI used to shoot film.
Same camera, same technology,different mindset.
I slowed down, trusted myinstincts again, framed before I
fired, waited for the momentinstead of chasing it.
(03:42):
I brought back the 360 framelogic, not literally, but
mentally, because I knew if Icould tell the story in 360 to
500 images, then I wasn't reallyseeing it.
I wasn't present and I wasn'tcreating something honest.
I'm not saying you should stickto 360 frames, but you should
(04:04):
know why you're clicking.
Give your future self a break.
Shoot less, think more.
Clients don't need thousands ofimages.
They need clarity.
They need that connection thatthey made with you through your
storytelling.
And that comes from intention.
(04:26):
and not volume.
The old film mindset never leftme, and it still shapes how I
shoot today when I do travel, alittle bit of sport, that 10
rolls, that 360 frames.
That was the rhythm.
That was the craft.
(04:47):
Because when you're limited, youpay attention.
You shoot with care.
You look closer.
And in the end, you createsomething that lasts.
So when you step back, most ofthe time, and this is just
experience with me, is that yourcosts get blown out because
(05:09):
you're shooting thousands ofimages.
Stop doing it to yourself.
Get more accurate.
Shoot with purpose.
Share with a heart.
And that way, you'll see yoursales increase and the passion
stay.
So If this episode resonatedwith you, please share it with a
(05:29):
photographer who might need tohear it.
And if you're shifting your ownmindset, I'd love to hear how.
You can contact with me, contactme or connect with me, leave
messages or whatever atheygeorgie.com.au or on the
socials.
So until next time, as I alwayssay, shoot with purpose and
share with the heart.
What if I told you that shooting an entire wedding
with just 360 photos, yes, 10rolls of film, made me a better
photographer than shootingthousands of digital images ever
did?
Sounds crazy right?
But that's exactly how Istarted.
(00:21):
And it changed everything abouthow I see photography.
Back in the day, when I firstpicked up the camera for
weddings, I had a hard limit.
10 rolls of film, 36 frameseach, that's 360 shots for the
entire event.
No endless bursts, no scrollingthrough thousands of photos
(00:43):
later, just careful, intentionalshooting.
That limitation forced me to bepresent, to trust my eye, to
shoot with purpose, not panic.
In today's episode of HeyGeorgie, I'm sharing what the
old film mindset set stillshapes.
(01:04):
How I shoot weddings in thedigital age.
Or how I did, because I don't dothem anymore, but that's another
story.
Or I sometimes less releasemore.
So let's get into it.
Hi, I'm Pete George.
Welcome to Hey Georgie, apodcast about photography and
life.
(01:24):
As the saying says...
Hey Georgie, conversationsthrough lens and life.
So, shooting film meant everyframe had weight.
Every click had a cost in time,in money, in focus.
I didn't just hold down theshutter and hope something good
(01:47):
came out of it.
I had to compose, I had to wait,I had to think.
That taught me how to anticipatemoments before they happened.
to stay present, to trust mygut, to shoot with purpose and
not panic.
Out of those 360 frames, I'dlose maybe 30 or 40 of them
through underexposure, softfocus, a missed time blink, but
(02:14):
nothing real major, just enoughto say no, I'm not presenting
them.
But the rest, they were solid.
From there, I'd select my bestaround 80 to 100 images, and
that was the story.
That was the gallery, and thatwas enough.
It was always enough.
(02:36):
Then digital came in, and likemost photographers, I got caught
up in the freedom.
No more limits, big memorycards, fast burst rates, endless
storage.
So I started shooting more.
Not because I had to, because Icould.
And that freedom quickly becamea trap.
I'd shoot 3,000 images ofweddings, sometimes more.
(02:58):
But in the end, I stilldelivered about 100 images.
Same number of keepers, sameemotional impact.
They were just buried under anextra 2,900 distractions.
The edit.
That became the real job.
It was overwhelming,time-consuming, mentally
(03:19):
draining.
It was capturing more butcreating less.
Eventually, I pulled myselfback.
I started shooting digital likeI used to shoot film.
Same camera, same technology,different mindset.
I slowed down, trusted myinstincts again, framed before I
fired, waited for the momentinstead of chasing it.
(03:42):
I brought back the 360 framelogic, not literally, but
mentally, because I knew if Icould tell the story in 360 to
500 images, then I wasn't reallyseeing it.
I wasn't present and I wasn'tcreating something honest.
I'm not saying you should stickto 360 frames, but you should
(04:04):
know why you're clicking.
Give your future self a break.
Shoot less, think more.
Clients don't need thousands ofimages.
They need clarity.
They need that connection thatthey made with you through your
storytelling.
And that comes from intention.
(04:26):
and not volume.
The old film mindset never leftme, and it still shapes how I
shoot today when I do travel, alittle bit of sport, that 10
rolls, that 360 frames.
That was the rhythm.
That was the craft.
(04:47):
Because when you're limited, youpay attention.
You shoot with care.
You look closer.
And in the end, you createsomething that lasts.
So when you step back, most ofthe time, and this is just
experience with me, is that yourcosts get blown out because
(05:09):
you're shooting thousands ofimages.
Stop doing it to yourself.
Get more accurate.
Shoot with purpose.
Share with a heart.
And that way, you'll see yoursales increase and the passion
stay.
So If this episode resonatedwith you, please share it with a
(05:29):
photographer who might need tohear it.
And if you're shifting your ownmindset, I'd love to hear how.
You can contact with me, contactme or connect with me, leave
messages or whatever atheygeorgie.com.au or on the
socials.
So until next time, as I alwayssay, shoot with purpose and
share with the heart.
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