In a recent episode of The Camera Life Podcast (ep39), Justin, Jim, and Greg were joined by Joel Alston, known as Barefoot and Bearded Photography. Joel is a Sydney/Newcastle-based photographer who loves analog film photography at a time when more and more photographers are focused on digital perfection and megapixel counts. Joel’s approach to his event and wedding photography sees him partner with clients to explore desired outcomes with film-quality looks and appeal.
Watch the episode on Youtube, listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
The film look isn’t for everyone, but Joel certainly poses a compelling argument for the beauty and whimsy of analog images. What’s most interesting about Joel’s journey is that with a business-focused education, he chose photography as a successful business model rather than an expression of art. However, due to his creative growth and exploration of photography, he is now more an artist than a savvy business-centric gig photographer.
During Episode 39, which aired live on YouTube on Thursday 21 November 2024, Jim and Justin drew comparisons and understanding between their approach to event photography with digital cameras and Joel’s brave choice to rely on an analog medium with considerably more risk. Digital photography affords event photographers a higher degree of assurance that they will nail the shot almost every time. Digital cameras are incredible at reading the available light and making necessary adjustments to get the right mix of detail in highlights, shadows, while maximising the dynamic range. A digital camera delivers immediate feedback on the composition, timing, styling, and exposure of a single image or a fast burst. High-end event cameras, such as those used by Justin, Jim, and countless other photographers also offer reliability through dual SD/CF Express slots, and the ability to upload images directly to smart devices.
With Joel’s brave approach, the film camera is a natural extension of his honed skills to read the light and scenario and then load the best speed film while also dialing in exposure settings. Joel doesn’t have the luxury of ‘chimping’ to ensure every shot is correctly composed, exposed, or even if the horizon is level. There’s no LCD or EVF - just a heightened level of mindfulness and his internal light-meter. Before Joel even arrives for the event, he has to work with the clients to understand the location, lighting levels, and more to ensure he packs the best ISO speed film for the job. He also impresses upon the clients that analog doesn’t guarantee a perfect outcome and that while Joel will do all within his considerable power to get the shot, it is, after all, still film.
Putting aside Joel’s gear choices, we also discussed his candid approach to wedding and event photography. Given his street photography influences and approach, Joel approaches each event more as a photojournalist than a ‘cookie-cutter’ wedding shooter. Jim and Justin highlighted their approach to typical weddings and how they worked with their photography skills to create unique moments for their clients. Joel echoed this approach and talked us through his desire to capture photos that documented a big event's real and very human elements. Joel’s work is void of the standard ‘cookie-cutter’ posed family and couple shots. While there’s a place and demand for such outcomes from clients, Joel works with clients that align with his style. Capturing candid, unique, fun, and authentic moments provides clients with a realistic record of the nuances that made their day truly special to them.
Like many of us in the craft, Joel has had to navigate the fall-out of the Covid years, when events and the need for event photographers all but disappeared. Post-COVID, Joel strives for a balanced lifestyle where client demands and expectations don’t dominate every weekend. Joel is an avid photographer who is rarely without a camera in hand, and he loves nothing more than documenting his inspirations, local community, and family. All on film, of course. Towards the end of The Camera Life podcast, Justin asked Joel what his zombie apocalypse camera would be. A zombie apocalypse camera is the single camera and lens combo you would grab if society ends, but you still need to document it. It’s a question that Justin tends to ask every guest. Have you ever considered what your apocalypse camera would be? For me, it would be my Fujifilm X70 - fitted with a Lucky Straps Leather Wrist Strap. Joel has recently purchased a Leica M4-2 35mm rangefinder film camera and 35mm f/2 Summicron (Version 4) lens. He seemed pretty happy about getting his hands on this camera as his go-to kit and claims the 35mm f/2 Summicron is the king of bokeh.
Having Joel as our guest on The Camera Life podcast was an absolute pleasure. It was also great to catch up after Justin, and I spent time hanging out with Joel at the Bright Festival Of Photography. Joel was one of the many talented workshop instructors who often documented the festival with a film camera. He even appeared in several of Justin’s storytelling through photography image collection. We all learned a lot about Joel, his work, and his approach to his craft. As a street photographer, Joel’s photojournalistic approach to events and weddings was fascinating and inspirational. His work strives to deliver unique evidence of a special event, emphasizing it as real, unfiltered, raw, and relatable. While that’s Joel’s creative approach, it also reflects his nature and approach to life. Now that Joel is an alumnus of The Camera Life podcast, we look forward to welcoming him back on a future episode to explore his creative approach to our craft further.
If you’re hearing about The Camera Life podcast for the first time, don’t fret. Every podcast episode is available on our YouTube channel or via the best audio podcast platforms. If you head over to YouTube, please check out the episodes in the back catalogue. Be sure to like, Subscribe, and hit the bell icon to ensure you get notifications of upcoming podcast episodes. You can check out Joel’s work at the below links, so please be sure to show him some love, too!
Barefoot and Bearded Photography
