If anyone knows me well you would know that I absolutely ADORE film cameras and pictures. Growing up, I would see old photos and think there was something so unique and special about them that I couldn’t quite place. Spoiler alert, its film (LOL). My parents got me a Canon AE-1 film camera a few years ago for Christmas and I have taken that thing everywhere. At this point I have taken over 700 pictures on it and gone through numerous rolls of film. It quite literally has been to many different countries including France, Italy, England, Germany, and the United States. I’ve seen the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, the coast of Italy, mountains in Arizona, rollercoasters in Disney, the Eiffel tower in Paris, friends in University, the Swiss alps, family during holidays, and so much more through the eyes of my film camera. To see so many memories and wonders of the world through my camera has truly been a blessing! There is nothing I love more than capturing moments and memories around me with my family camera 🙂
Here are some crazy photos I have taken throughout these last couple of years!!
Film has truly been such a unique and amazing art form to experiment with. There are so many different cameras and types of film out there, but the best thing is to just try something and stick with it to see how you like it. To be honest, I am in no way a professional or the most knowledgeable about film. However, through experimentation and trial and error, I have developed an eye for it and have fallen in love with it!
I think what I love most about film is that it captures the moment like its a memory. There is no perfection or taking 100 photos to get the “right” photo. Rather, taking one or two in each moment is enough. Capturing the people and scenery around you through the eyes of a film camera is a entirely different experience than a iPhone. The colors are exaggerated, the grain is perfect, and everyone looks flawless. It’s always exactly how I would remember that memory years later.
In an effort to be completely honest and candid, here are some film photo fails because they are most definitely apart of the creative process.
The reality is, some pictures don’t turn out the way I wanted them too. Sometimes, entire rolls of film get ruined or my camera just decides to not work. Other times, the camera doesn’t focus, there’s a light leak, or the film splits. These factors are often uncontrollable and frustrating but over time I’ve learned to embrace it and realize that it’s a lesson for even bigger things in life! Not everything will be perfect and mistakes will be made, but that’s the beauty of it. Trying so hard to be perfect and never making mistakes or doing something wrong will only hurt us in the process, prohibiting us from growth. Every single time I get a roll back, I know ahead of time there may be pictures I’m not happy with, but the ones that come out perfect and beautiful make it all worth it.
Another aspect of film pictures that I love is that there is no “editing” or “filters”. Whatever the photo looks like is usually the best it’s gonna be. I often find myself gravitating towards film in today’s age because everything and everyone seems so edited and filtered. It is no surprise that every time I scroll through social media, I see faces and bodies that look nothing like reality. The over editing and beauty filters on social media create these unrealistic standards of what we are all supposed to look like, even though its impossible to achieve. Our desire to look beautiful and seen on the internet is starting to translate into insecurity for the features or body types God has already given us. Once again, this is why I LOVE film. The way its captured is the way it is. I don’t have a desire to edit or “fix” the photo, it is already beautiful the way it is! (and you are beautiful the way you are, too 🙂
If you have read this far, thank you 🙂 My desire is that this may have inspired you to grab a film camera and start capturing the beauty around you, or to stop putting so much pressure on yourself to look a certain way on the internet, or maybe it inspired you to take up your own creative hobby that YOU love and enjoy! Whatever it is, thank you for reading and I hope you all have a fantastic week!!
