Explore Megan's work: megancharlotte.com | IG: megan.karbowski
Some artists discover their medium early and spend years learning how to listen to it. For this photographer, that medium was film.
What began as art classes, dance lessons, and a high school photography course eventually grew into a career capturing weddings, brands, and personal creative projects on film. Along the way, she learned the value of slowing down, trusting her instincts, embracing imperfection, and creating work that feels true to her vision.
In this conversation, we discuss film photography, finding your artistic style, balancing personal work with client work, and what it really takes to build a creative career.
Q: Take me back to when your creative journey began.
I tried to find out from my parents how old I was when I started taking art classes, but they didn't really seem to know. I grew up dancing and taking art classes for as long as I can remember. I learned how to shoot film photography in high school. I took my first photography class and learned how to develop film in the darkroom and everything. That was when I really fell in love with film.
From there, I always took art classes as electives throughout high school and college and always made art on the side. It's pretty much always been a part of my life.
Was there something specific that stood out to you about film?
When I took my first class in high school, I was also really obsessed with Tumblr at the time. I wanted that artsy feeling in all my photos.
When I learned how to shoot film, I thought, "Okay, everything and anything seems to look good on film." I could take a picture of an ugly fence and suddenly it looked artistic. I still think that's true. Film makes everything seem more beautiful, in my opinion.
When did photography become something you pursued professionally?
When I moved to Hawaii in 2021, I started shooting film more seriously and doing a lot more brand collaborations. It's also really easy to find beautiful things in Hawaii.
I decided to pursue photography professionally in 2022. At the time, I was going back and forth between whether I wanted to focus more on brands and lifestyle work or weddings. I ended up doing both, and honestly, I still do both. I'm not sure which one I would choose if I had to because they're so different.
Weddings fulfill me so much more because they're incredibly meaningful to the people involved. I'm always so happy for the couple because I just love love. It feels like the perfect mix of everything. At the same time, weddings are also much more stressful. There's a lot more pressure because it's someone's wedding day. They're never going to have that day again. With brands, there's a little more flexibility and a little less pressure.
Do you find one more creative than the other?
They're creative in very different ways. With weddings, I don't feel like creativity is the biggest thing being pulled out of me. It's more about my ability to observe and anticipate moments. It's about being present in someone's day while still capturing it.
With brands, I feel much more creative because I can think outside the box, experiment more, and do something a little weird if I want to.
One thing I forgot to mention is that my favorite thing to shoot is double exposure film. That's where my creativity is at its peak. For anyone who doesn't know, double exposure is when you shoot two photographs on top of each other before developing the film. I love overlaying landscapes with flowers or combining different scenes together. It's one of my favorite creative processes.
Can you walk us through your process before a shoot?
Since I only really pitch myself as a film photographer, I've spent a lot of time building my knowledge of different film stocks and testing them in different situations. With film, there's always some uncertainty. You can predict how something might turn out, but you never fully know until you get the scans back. I've spent years building up that knowledge so I know which film stock to use for different situations.
For weddings, I often use Portra because it has very neutral, natural tones. It looks very similar to how your eyes see colors.
For more artistic brand shoots, I might use something completely different.
There's a film stock called Cinestill where lights create this beautiful red glow around them. It's really fun to experiment with. The first step is choosing the film.
The second step is choosing the camera. I have different cameras depending on what I'm shooting. For double exposures, I use a fully manual Minolta SLR because I can control every aspect of the image. For weddings, I use cameras with faster automatic settings so I can quickly focus and capture moments without overthinking every adjustment.
The third step is deciding who develops the film. In Hawaii, there are two labs that develop and scan film. I've tested both extensively. Different labs have different styles, so understanding those differences is important too. Once I get the scans back, my editing process is honestly pretty minimal because I don't really like editing.
I might crop something or make a small adjustment to brightness, contrast, or shadows, but that's about it. Because I don't want to rely on editing, I'm very intentional with every frame when I'm shooting.
How do you develop concepts or inspiration for your work?
I spend a lot of time on Pinterest. That's definitely a huge source of inspiration. But nature is probably the best way for me to reconnect with my own vision rather than someone else's. It's really easy to spend time on Instagram or Pinterest and start copying what you're seeing. I actually think that's a natural part of being an artist. You learn from other artists and experiment with ideas. But eventually I have to ask myself, "Is this my idea, or am I just repeating something I saw online?" When I feel that happening, I go outside. I hike, go to the beach, look at flowers, observe little details, and spend time away from my phone. Getting back into the real world helps me reconnect with my own perspective.
You've worked with many brands. How do you find clients?
Honestly, I'm still figuring that out.
A lot of the work I've done has come through friends of friends or people I already know starting businesses and needing photography. When I reach out to brands, I'm very selective. If I don't genuinely support what they're doing or feel excited about the product, I'm not going to do my best work. The brands I reach out to are brands I would genuinely be excited to support.
I have a website and portfolio that I send out, but for me it's often about finding that initial connection. Sometimes that's a test shoot. Sometimes it's a trade. Sometimes it's just finding a way to build trust first and then hopefully continue working together. I'm still pretty new to doing this professionally, so I'm figuring out consistency, larger brand partnerships, retainers, and all of that.
How is the wedding side of your business different?
With weddings, it's very much about connecting with people.
I send couples a few full wedding galleries so they can see what an entire day looks like through my lens and understand how film photographs different times of day.
A big part of the process is making sure we're a good fit personality wise.
I also spend a lot of time explaining what it's like to work with a film photographer because it's very different from hiring a digital photographer.
Making sure we're aligned from the beginning is really important.
Do you often work alongside digital photographers at weddings?
I've done both. Sometimes I'm the only photographer. Other times there's also a digital photographer. Personally, I love working alongside digital photographers.
We see the day differently. Film is slower and more intentional. I'm often stepping back, observing, and capturing quieter moments.
Digital photographers are often moving faster and capturing more of the structured portraits and major moments.
Both approaches complement each other really well.
Because I'm focused entirely on film, I don't feel like we're competing. I think we're bringing different perspectives to the same story.
How did you find your artistic style in photography?
That's such a good question. I think it came from slowly learning how to trust what I like and trust my own vision. You always have that inner critic telling you something is ugly or bad or not good enough. Once I found more confidence and excitement in simply loving what I was creating, it stopped mattering so much whether it was technically good or not.
If I like it, most of the time other people like it too. Film taught me that in a lot of ways. Sometimes a double exposure doesn't turn out the way I intended at all. Sometimes what feels like a mistake becomes my favorite image. Sometimes it's the photograph people connect with the most. Other times I'll revisit an image months later and realize it's actually much stronger than I originally thought. Learning to trust those surprises has been a huge part of developing my style.
What did the transition into a full time creative career look like?
It was really difficult. I was doing freelance web development before photography full time, and the instability was hard for me.
Balancing work I wanted to create with work I needed to create to make money was challenging.
Honestly, it still is sometimes.
I'm just getting better at managing the stress and staying open to opportunities. When I first started, I had a very specific vision. I wanted to be a fashion film photographer. I wanted to work with certain brands. I wanted everything mapped out. But creative careers don't always unfold the way you expect. For me, learning to let go of that need for control was a huge lesson. Instead of forcing everything, I started paying attention to who I met, who I could help, and what opportunities naturally appeared.
When I was building my portfolio, I kept coming back to questions like: What do I actually want to shoot? What do I want people to hire me for? What kind of work excites me?
That's when I realized I loved weddings, couples, double exposures, and artistic lifestyle imagery. Those became the things I intentionally built around.
How do you make time for personal artwork while running a business?
I'm still working on it. I try to always have a personal creative project going.
Right now, I have a roll of film sitting in my camera that I've been meaning to double expose for months. Every week I tell myself, "Okay, this is the week I'm finally going to do it." And then I don't. But I think the biggest thing is making yourself a priority again.
Even if it's only two hours a week. Two hours isn't that much time. Most of us can find two hours. It's really about deciding that your own creative work is important enough to protect that time for it. That's what I'm personally trying to get better at.
What advice would you give someone who wants to pursue film photography professionally?
The best advice someone gave me when I was starting was simply: Keep shooting what you want to shoot.
At the time, that advice annoyed me because it didn't feel practical or strategic enough. But the longer I've worked in photography, the more I realize it's probably the most important advice I've received. Just keep doing what you want to do. If you do that, you'll eventually line up with the right opportunities, the right clients, and the right people. It's really easy to get distracted by what other people are doing or what you think you're supposed to do. But when you keep returning to what genuinely excites you, things start to fall into place.
You have to trust that process. Sometimes that's difficult. But it's worth it.
Key Takeaways
1. Your Artistic Voice Often Emerges Through Trust
Finding a style isn't always about discovering something new. Sometimes it's about trusting what you already love.
The more this photographer leaned into her own instincts, the clearer her artistic voice became.
2. Creativity Thrives When We Step Away From Constant Inspiration
Social media can inspire us, but it can also drown out our own ideas.
Spending time in nature, observing the world, and creating space away from screens can help artists reconnect with their own perspective.
3. Perfection Is Not the Goal
Some of the most meaningful images happen by accident.
Creative growth often comes from embracing unexpected outcomes rather than controlling every detail.
4. Building a Creative Career Requires Flexibility
Many artists begin with a very specific vision of how success should look.
The reality is often far less predictable and far more interesting.
Remaining open to opportunities can lead to paths you never planned for.
5. Personal Work Matters
Client work can build a career, but personal projects often keep creativity alive.
Protecting even a small amount of time for experimentation and self expression can make a huge difference over the long term.
6. Keep Making the Work You Want to Make
The simplest advice in this conversation may also be the most important.
Keep creating the work that excites you.
When your work is aligned with genuine curiosity and passion, you're more likely to attract opportunities that fit who you are and where you want to go.
Creative careers rarely follow a straight path. But by continuing to make the work you believe in, you give yourself the best chance of building a career that feels authentic, meaningful, and sustainable.
📢 Check Out the Full Interview
Watch the full interview with Megan Karbowski below or youtube @ainahcommunity
Explore Megan's work: megancharlotte.com | IG: megan.karbowski
