Whenever I tell someone that I shoot film, they generally proceed to respond in one of three ways:
1. “So, you like movies?!”
Even though they’re not wrong (I do consider myself a cinephile of sorts), I’m not talking about that kind of film…
2. “You’re a videographer? So cool!”
Unless you’re hoping for it to look like a middle schooler made it for a class project, I would not recommend asking me to film a video for you.
3. “Photos taken on film always look so cool, what a sweet hobby!”
There it is! Now that we’ve cleared that up, welcome to my first post about a great passion of mine: film photography! While future posts will likely be much more in-depth discussions of my experience as a film photographer, I plan to use this one as more of a background post.
I’d say I’ve always loved taking photos. During elementary school, my old iPod’s camera roll was packed to the brim with scenic photos from family vacations and elsewhere. Still, I never felt inclined to pick up an actual digital camera, my iPhone’s lens would do just fine.
That all changed when I visited my grandmother in Israel. You see, my grandmother is an artist; I can still vividly remember when she’d visit, and we’d just sit at the kitchen table and paint. Anyway, as she showed me all of the mediums she experimented with before she began teaching art, we came across these stunning black and white photos she had taken. Next thing I know she pulled out her trusty old Pentax K1000, a film camera commonly used by novice photographers in the ’80s. She fervently encouraged me to take it home with me to America, so that’s exactly what I did.
For about a year, the Pentax just sat on my desk gathering dust. Then, quarantine hit. With nothing to do, I finally decided to load the camera up with a roll of film, with no knowledge of where it would lead me. That night I stayed up for hours learning how to navigate the world of film photography, and I haven’t put my Pentax down since. Shooting film has brought me so much: community, patience, artistic expression, the list goes on.
So, now that you’ve heard how it all started, stay tuned as I blog about all of my favorite movies. I’m just kidding! Seriously though, I couldn’t be more excited to tell you all about the joys of observing our amazing world through a simple camera lens.
That is such a cool passion. It’s awesome that your grandmother got you into it, and makes it extra special. When you shoot on film, is there a way to digitize the photo? Or is the photo just a developed piece of film? I’d be very interested to learn more about how it works and to follow your journey as you become a better photographer.
Hi! Yes! Thank you! To answer your question – I get the developed photos scanned onto a flash drive and transfer them to my phone!
Wow, this is such a great hobby! Yeah, I too really enjoy the look of film, there’s something more unique about them than digital cameras. They seem to generally have more vibrant colors. Do you have any specific places, people, or things you like to take pictures of?
My style is pretty broad, but if you’re especially curious you can check out the photos on my Instagram (linked in the upper right corner of the page).
What a lovely hobby. I’ve recently been getting into photography with disposable cameras, because of the lovely aesthetic the pictures have once they get developed and because I’m not particularly sure of any better type of camera to use. Any advice on a camera that would have that kind of aesthetic to it?
Yup! If you want to be more sustainable, just head to your nearest thrift store and pick up a point and shoot film camera (like $15). Order some compatible film online and then you’re set! (It’s like you’ve got a disposable camera, except reusable!!)