Adventures in Film Photography

When I picked up the Lomography La Sardina back in 2012, my intention was pretty clear: film photography was going to be no pressure, no strings attached. After nearly 15 years with my little toy camera, I still feel the same. But now, I’m playing with a Canon EOS 850 from 1988.

I think the lack of “striving” and low expectations has actually been pretty cathartic; I can play and experiment without the pressure of an immediate, perfect outcome. The tension of limited exposures is actually very helpful, too. There’s a purposeful slowing, allowing me to spend time relishing in the composition, rather than the immediate disposable nature of a digital image.

Do I consider myself a photographer? Absolutely not. But I’m enjoying the experience of film and the patience and care it requires.

What I’m learning about myself through film photography

The fact that it takes so long to see the final image is one of my favorite parts. It’s been allowing me to think on what I want to shoot, knowing that I won’t know what’s going to happen for potentially a month or more from the moment I snap the image. Right now I’m sending images out to Gelatin Labs, and by the time I send out a few rolls and receive my scans, I’ve forgotten what it was that I had originally shot. It’s a pleasant surprise to see what happened.

“Graphic Design Eye” is a thing and it’s been something I’ve been cultivating over many years. It’s years as an artist in high school and college. It’s YouTube, it’s having taken photos for this blog. All of those lessons in composition compound and make it easier for me to see fun things in the viewfinder. Am I any good? Doesn’t matter, but it gives me an active opportunity to train my eye, even if it’s just for my own enjoyment and desire to find cool perspectives in the world.

It doesn’t matter if film photography is expensive, I’m still really excited to play with it. Between purchasing a roll and developing it, it’s not cheap- not by a long shot. I would save way more money by picking up an old point and shoot and memory card. But there’s something to be said for the natural grain of this old 1980s camera, that the camera is incredibly loud, that it only has a few simple settings I can control, and the patience it forces on me. For as much money as I pay for these photos, it should be easier… but, I’m ok with “hard.” Still might pick up a fancy point and shoot at some point, but the rewards of analog experience are way higher.

So what’s next in this adventure?

To be honest… not quite sure yet. I’ve debated back-and-forth whether I’d like to have fun doing small experiments and small challenges for myself, to make the experience fun and give me an excuse to continue training my eye.

A few things I’ve considered include:

Doing a one-a-day photo for a month or two, leaning into exploring summertime in Arizona

Deep diving on a theme for a roll, like taking nothing but portraits of the cats, or slice of life moments

Spending rolls exploring what it looks like to be a new person in Arizona along with first time experiences as I attempt to learn about my new environment

Am I ready to add film photography into the hobby pile, along with all the other things I do? Not quite sure yet, and that’s ok.

As I noted at the head of this post, this is all purposefully no pressure, no strings attached. If I put down this 1988 Canon later this year, it has served its purpose until I pick it up again.

Shout out to Jose, for taking this photo of me in Hawai’i. I’m probably at my most relaxed in a very long time.