I remember looking through old pictures at my grandparent's house in Dallas and picturing myself as a photographer in the 1970s. How cool would it be to carry around a big old, boxy camera while capturing real and raw emotions, hoping that the logistics worked out so that the photo would actually be visible?!? Anything retro automatically turns my head, so buying and learning to use a film camera was something VERY up my alley. I purchased my first ever film camera my senior year of high school, and since then, have been shooting film as a hobby on and off for about four years.
I think I love the truth it holds. Each tiny grain is a moment of captured memory that tells a story, and even the tiniest of objects have their own messages to convey. 35mm film also gives me a sense of nostalgia. In a world that is so focused on editing and photoshop and capturing the most perfect picture, film allows you to just be. There are no requirements on how a photo needs to look because, well, you're pretty lucky if it turns out developed in general! The magic that accompanies hearing your film roll wind and your shutter click as the subjects move is thrilling- even more so when you receive your developed roll back in the mail.
Here's a digital scrapbook of my first roll of film in Australia - I'll title this one..
DOWN UNDER: BRISBANE, BYRON, & BURLEIGH. JAN 2024.
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