A Full Roll of Psychedelic Blues Film – 36 Frames Around Manchester

24 Feb

There is something about sending a roll of film off and not fully knowing what you’re going to get back.

This one is called Psychedelic Blues film, a roll I ordered from America, LA, because obviously I did. I wanted colour. I wanted mood. I wanted a bit of magic and I’ve shot with this 35mm experimental film a few times. It came out so good!

So I loaded it into my Olympus mju i, point and shoot 35mm camera and just… trusted it.

Most of this roll was shot in and around Manchester — at weddings, creative shoots, in-between moments, family photos of my kids, bouquets mid-movement, dance floors slightly sweaty and glowing.

36 exposures.
No undo button.
No checking the back of the camera.

And that’s exactly why I love it.

Why I’m Obsessed With Shooting Film at Weddings

Film slows me down, in the best way.

When I’m shooting weddings digitally, I’m fast, responsive, ready for anything. But when I lift my film camera, something shifts. I’m looking harder at light. At colour. At feeling. Not wanting to waste a photo.

With this Psychedelic Blues roll, the tones and colours came back beautifully.

It felt a bit like Manchester itself grey skies one minute, neon reflections the next.

From city-centre elopements to colourful DIY weddings, film just adds this extra layer of texture and emotion.

36 Frames. No Safety Net.

There’s something nicely vulnerable about showing a full roll.

Not just the “best bits”.
Not just the perfectly composed hero shots.

But the in-between frames.
The accidental double exposure.
The soft focus.
The movement blur.
The frame where the bouquet nearly blocks the couple’s face but somehow makes it better.

When you shoot film at weddings, you commit. You choose the moment. You press the shutter once. And that’s it.

And honestly? I think that’s why the photos feel different.

Shooting Film in Manchester

This roll was shot:

Outside wedding venues in central Manchester
On dance floors
During quiet couple portraits
At creative shoots

There’s something about colour against brick, concrete, old mills and modern glass buildings that just works. Especially when you lean into it instead of trying to make everything “light and airy”.

I’m not really about beige weddings.
I’m about colour.
Emotion.
Movement.
Real moments.

Film makes that even stronger.