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How I Prepare a Fashion Film Set: From Casting to Film Stock Selection

( An analog workflow for contemporary fashion photography )

Date: April 24, 2025

Preparing a fashion set shot entirely on film is a ritual, a craft, and a discipline. It requires a different mindset than digital production — slower, more intentional, and far more sensitive to every moving part. Over the years, working as a fashion photographer in Modena, Bologna, Reggio Emilia, and across Italy, I’ve learned that directing a film-based fashion shoot is as much about what happens before the shutter as what happens after.

This article is an inside look at how I build a fashion set specifically for film — from casting to styling, from light scouting to choosing the perfect film stock. It’s a process that shapes the aesthetic of my work and defines the signature look clients come to me for.

Pentax 67II - SMC Takumar 105mm - Kodak Tmax 400 film Processed in Xtol (1:1 @ 24°) standard
Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved

1. The Foundation: Understanding the Project’s Identity

Every film fashion shoot begins with one question:
What story does this campaign want to tell?

Film photography excels when there is a conceptual backbone — a mood, a texture, an emotional temperature. Before I touch a camera or review a casting sheet, I’m already visualizing:

Color palette (muted, pastel, warm tones, bold contrasts)
Rhythm (static elegance or dynamic movement)
Atmosphere (elegant, intimate, cinematic, raw, glamorous)
Historical references (“1990s Helmut Newton energy”, “1970s softness”, “Renaissance light”, etc.)

Film forces these choices early. You can’t “fix it in post.” The aesthetic must be designed, not corrected.

This is where my background in analog photography becomes essential. When brands or creative directors choose me as their fashion photographer in Modena, or in Bologna and Reggio Emilia, it’s often because they want this coherence — a visual language shaped by film from the first idea to the final scan.

Pentax 67II - SMC Takumar 105mm - Kodak Tmax 400 film Processed in Xtol (1:1 @ 24°) standard
Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved

2. Casting: Choosing the Right Presence in Front of the Lens

Casting for film is different from casting for digital.
Film highlights presence, not perfection.
The best models are those who know how to inhabit a moment.
During casting, I look for:

Expression over symmetry

A face that transforms with small shifts of emotion works beautifully on analog formats.

Natural body language

Film punishes stiffness. I want someone who can breathe in front of the lens.

Sensitivity to light

Some models understand light instinctively — how to move inside it, how to hold a silhouette. These are the people I want.

Texture and authenticity

Film loves texture: skin, hair, fabric. A model with a strong, authentic presence becomes almost sculptural in medium format.

When possible, I meet models in person before confirming them. Energy matters. Chemistry matters. The camera feels these things.
Working in Emilia — Modena, Reggio Emilia, and Bologna — I often mix local talents with agency models from Milan or Florence, depending on the project. Fashion photography on film is intimate; the right synergy is everything.

Pentax 67II - SMC Takumar 105mm f1:2.4 - Kodak Portra 400 film Processed in C41 standard
Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved

3. Scouting the Light: The Most Crucial Part of a Film Set

I never rely solely on artificial lighting unless the concept requires it.
Film breathes differently in natural light — especially formats like 6×7 or the Rolleiflex 6×6 square.

During location scouting, I observe:

Direction and softness of natural light
How the light changes hour by hour
The geometry of shadows
Reflective surfaces
Tonal contrast of walls and floors

Film reacts to subtle variations digital cameras barely notice.
A north-facing window, for example, gives a softness that Portra 400 adores.
A narrow corridor with a single light shaft can create dramatic negative space ideal for black-and-white stocks.

When I know the light, I know the story.

Leica Minilux - Summarit 40/2,4 - Expired Fuji Superia 200 processed in C-41 standard
Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved

4. Building the Set: Simplicity with Purpose

My fashion sets — whether in Modena studios, Bologna lofts, or Renaissance villas in Florence — are minimal. Film doesn’t need clutter.

I reduce elements to essentials:

One main light direction (window, skylight, diffused artificial)
Clean background lines
Natural textures
Enough room for the model to move naturally
Silence when needed

Even the choice of furniture or props is deliberate.
Film gives dignity to objects; a single chair can become a sculptural element.

Hasselblad 500 c/m - Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm f 1:2.8Kodak Tmax 400 film Processed in Xtol (1:1 @ 24°) standard
Scan from neg - © Niccolò Barone - All rights reserved

5. The Technical Core: Choosing the Cameras and Lenses

For a fashion shoot on film, I usually bring:

Pentax 67II + 105mm f/2.4 — my cinematic workhorse
Rolleiflex 2.8F + Planar 80mm — poetic, intimate, quiet
35mm bodies (Leica M6 or Nikon F4 or FM ) for dynamic sequences or backstage documentation
4×5 view camera for editorial portraits requiring an iconic, timeless look

Each format tells a different truth:

35mm → movement, spontaneity, documentary energy
6×6 → elegance, symmetry, intimacy
6×7 → fashion power, sculptural depth
4×5 → gravity, stillness, emotional depth

Choosing the right format is choosing the emotional temperature of the shoot.

6. The Film Stocks: The Heart of the Look

The film stock is the “color profile” of analog fashion.
Every roll carries a personality.

My typical palette:

Color Stocks

Kodak Portra 160 – soft, perfect for skin
Portra 400 – balanced and forgiving
Portra 800 – beautiful in low light
Ektar 100 – saturated, ideal for bold fashion

Black & White

Ilford HP5 – timeless, grain with soul (rarely)
Ilford Delta 3200 – cinematic grain & shadows (seldom)
Kodak Tmax 400 – iconic, rich contrast

Choosing film is choosing the soul of the shoot.
Clients often ask why their images look so atmospheric — this is why.

7. The Mindset on Set: Discipline and Presence

Film demands:

Patience
Focus
Intimacy
Trust

There is no reviewing.
No “let’s check that shot.”
Every frame is a commitment — and this changes everything.

The model relaxes.
The stylist pays more attention.
The light becomes a partner, not a problem.
The shoot slows down — which is where beauty begins.

8. Why I Still Choose both Film and Digital for Fashion

Because it changes the way we behave.
Because it makes images honest.
Because it preserves the poetry of imperfection.
Because fashion — especially today — needs authenticity more than ever.

As a fashion photographer working in Modena, Bologna, Reggio Emilia, and across Italy, choosing film is choosing a language.
A language made of slowness, craft, and truth.

Fotografo moda Carpi
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Fine art photographer
analog Photographer
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