"The Biltmore on Film" is an ongoing documentary project. I plan to document the Biltmore only using film cameras during different times and seasons of the year.

The Biltmore Estate is a unique place for our family - we come here to explore with our toddler, exercise, have family picnics, eat ice cream, go to the park, and photograph engagement sessions. The Biltmore Estate, is the largest privately-owned house in the United States. With a staggering 178,926 square feet, this grand mansion still belongs to the Vanderbilt family. There is a lot of interesting history to be learned about the Biltmore Estate and the Vanderbilt family.

The Biltmore has European architecture design by Richard Morris Hunt who got his inspiration from the French Renaissance châteaux. This makes the Biltmore one of our top locations on the list for weddings, engagements, and family photography sessions.

However, aside from wedding photography this is more of a personal photography project with the purpose to slow down from weddings and bring out the documentary photographer in me. It's also another way to keep my film photography knowledge sharp for when we do weddings on film.

I've notice the Biltmore Estate is always changing, which makes it more interesting to document every time. The landscapes on the gardens, all the different trees and the light in different times of the year. The Biltmore and film go so well together, they're both are filled with character and a timeless essence, which goes perfect with the grain, tones, and colors of film photography.

For this project, I am using a few different film cameras such as Minolta, Konica Hexar AF, and Fuji GSW 690II. In this gallery I plan on using, CineStill, Kodak Portra 400, Kodak Portra 160, and Fuji Pro 400H and more. I will continue to update this blog as I take more photos through the year. Excited to see how the Biltmore is going to look in the fall and if we get some snow this winter. For now, enjoy this mini gallery of film photos of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.

This is an ongoing project that will turn into a photo book. If you want to stay up to date on this project send an email and I will put you on the list. These photos will be available for purchase soon, for now enjoy the process.

-Juan

Juan and Emily are Asheville wedding photographers documenting the moments between you and the people you love on film and digital.