Film Photography

When I started studying photography in 2006 I shot all b&w film and developed it myself in the darkroom. Over the next year I switched to digital for the ease that it promised, but was never satisfied. There was something missing and I couldn’t ever find it with digital. As I switched back to film over the next year I slowly figured out that it wasn’t one tangible thing that was missing, but an entirely different mindset that film brings.

Film photography slows me down and causes me to connect more with my subject rather than just ‘blasting away’. The pace that it creates is perfect on a wedding day, where you’re already being overwhelmed with emotions and details…it allows the photography to be a breath of fresh air and feel natural and easy.

The use of vintage (and new) film cameras also changes the whole way I shoot. I use a range of cameras from Leicas – the most classic journalistic camera of all times, to Mamiya 645s, a beautiful portrait and lifestyle camera often used in the fashion industry. Having these different tools at my disposal and having shot with them consistently for the last 4 years has allowed me to really hone my style and approach to the wedding day insuring that you’re going to come out of it with not only beautiful and honest images, but with images that are timeless and classic.

I want you to have images that aren’t just good 5 weeks after your wedding, but 5 years and 50 years…images that your kid’s kids will look at and say, “wow…what a beautiful memory”. Film helps me do just that.

Fine Art Prints

In a digital age with everyone shooting digital cameras, uploading images to Facebook and blogs (not that any of that is bad!) I tend to gravitate to the classic and the analogue. It’s all too often that people’s photographs only end up online and I think you miss out on the beauty of what photos were in the beginning, a beautiful print that you can hold in your hand, hang on your wall, frame or put in a book.

In keeping with the attention to detail and fine craft that I strive for, I’ve partnered with John Hosmer, owner of J. Hosmer Studio and gallery, to bring you beautiful fine art photographic prints.

John carefully prints, inspects and hand cuts each print, making sure that they’re perfect. Once I get the prints back they’re hand packaged and shipped to you to enjoy.

Cypress Albums

After documenting a day as important as your wedding I feel like it needs to be preserved in a way that you and your family can enjoy it for generations to come. Working with Cypress albums ensures me that I’m giving you your first heirloom…something that will be with your family and tell the story of your wedding to your kids and their kids for years.

Based in Glendale, CA, Cypress albums, started by Dena Robertson, is a boutique handmade album company that cares as much about making your album perfect and lasting as you care about enjoying it for the rest of your life! They hand craft the albums and inspect them to ensure that they’re perfect and will be something you are proud of and can cherish.

The perfect way to display your wedding photos, I encourage everyone to come and flip through a studio sample to feel and see in person the amazing quality of these beautiful fine art albums.

SDW Experience

My goal when shooting your wedding is to help make it a day you will never forget. With that in mind, I make sure your experience is fun and laid back, and tailored to your exact needs. With and SDW wedding you can be confident that every important moment is captured, because my assistant and I will be there from the time you start getting ready until you leave the reception, no matter what package you book. I’ll shoot professional film, polaroids, and fun vintage cameras, and will have your schedule and shot list worked out with you ahead of time, so the day will run as smoothly as possible.

I love to tell a story with my photographs. To tell your story better, I offer custom designed, hand made Wedding Album for you to enjoy and share with your friends and family. I work with Cypress Albums in Glendale, CA, a group of artisan book makers who hand build and bind the albums that I uses to preserve your images, and your story.

Once your photos are ready, I’ll give you a high-resolution disc of your images so that you can have them printed at your leisure without any extra charges. I’ll also put up an online proofing gallery so that your friends and family can easily order the prints that they want.


I like to make the package fit your needs, so I would love to meet with you, hear more about your plans for the big day, and figure out which options will fit you best. Packages start at $3200 for weddings.

I’m also available for Headshots, Family Portrait Sessions, Children’s Portraits, and much more. If you’d like more information on these sessions, or on my wedding packages, please contact me here.

Thanks for checking out my work and I hope to hear from you soon!

Stephen DeVries

After spending most of my life in the college town of Auburn, Alabama (originally from Columbus, OH!), I moved to Birmingham in early 2007 to pursue my love for photography and a BA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  While assisting on a few weddings with photographers in Birmingham I fell in love with wedding photography, specifically shot on film, enjoying the unique opportunity to photograph people on one of the happiest days of their lives.  My background in documentary work and my journalistic approach to photography lends itself to a very honest and beautiful documentary of your big day.

I also am the founder and executive director of Bedouins International, a 501(c )3 non-profit that helps other non-profits, NGO’s and missionaries tell their stories through powerful media storytelling. Visit our site here and find out more about what we do and how you can be involved.