film

When I first learned of film photography I thought, "Why would anyone want to do this??" Film is expensive, developing takes time, effort, and even more money, old film cameras need to be maintained more due to their age, there are a limited number of shots before you run out of film, digitizing takes more time and even more set up and money, and the list goes on and on.

A photo from a digital camera is forgiving, easier, and cheaper.

However, the more film photography I consumed, the more I fell in love with the look. The slightly off color shifts, the grain, the artifacts, all make me feel like I’m peering into a memory as opposed to seeing a “true to life” sterile image from a digital camera. Seeing so much character in film images gets me excited to try to find interesting subjects in what I would otherwise ignore.

And, to me, this is the beauty of this medium. It brings out mystery and interest in places I would have never found with my fancy digital camera. The shooting experience forces me to look at the world differently. The process of developing and digitizing also makes these images feel so much more precious and real than going through my SD card of 1000 digital photos and throwing out hundreds without a second thought. Being able to hold an image straight from light focusing through a lens and onto a sheet of film is also a special feeling. Film photography has opened my eyes to so many things I never thought I’d find and I’m loving the journey.

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Images developed and digitized by yours truly.