One of the three parts of our mission is to support wedding industry professionals with resources and tools to elevate their flat lays and make styling weddings a little easier. We love to collaborate with other wedding professionals to highlight the things they’re doing. Our Featured Artist series showcases some of the wedding designers, stylists and photographers who bring something special to their clients’ wedding day.
This month, we were thrilled to get to chat with Kir Tuben, a hybrid photographer who shoots fine art photography on film as well as digital.
Kir was enthralled by weddings from a young age, and her passion only grew as she herself grew up. After graduating from Duke University in 2011 with a degree in photography, Kir developed her passion for Fine Art and today combines that with her background in Documentary Studies to “create beautiful images that capture unique love stories,” as she puts it.
Q & A WITH KIR TUBEN
We got to ask Kir some questions about hybrid photography and her perspective on its impact on wedding photography.
TSR: What drew you to hybrid photography?
KT: I was a photography major in college. I spent so many hours in the dark room and just fell in love with film. If I had the space or time, I would totally develop my own film. Beyond loving the craftsmanship of developing film, I love that film photography is timeless when it comes to colors. Trends come and go but when you have the same medium used at your parents’ and grandparents’ weddings, you know it’s more than just a trend.
TSR: How do you think shooting in film enhances your wedding photography?
KT: Yes and no. Sometimes I actually like my digital more. It depends on the moment of the day. Digital allows me to capture heaps of in between movements but film forces me to slow down and be intentional in my composition and posing.
TSR: Do you have a different approach to shooting flat lays depending on whether you are shooting in digital or on film?
KT: I pretty much have the same flow but when I REALLY love a flat lay, I’ll snap it in film. Honestly, people will always trump items for me so most of my film is used on human emotion.
TSR: How do you feel that linen adds to the aesthetic of film?
KT: Film captures texture really well so almost anything with some variance to it will look better on film.
TSR: What are your go-to wedding flat lay props?
KT: Obviously ring boxes but I love to bring in vintage dishes and items that play well into the wedding. Could be an antique trinket that’s in the venue or even a themed stamp for a destination wedding!
