Why do I love film photography? Because I believe that shooting film is key to a photographer's creativity.
I started shooting film consistently this past Summer, mostly because I thought it was cool and trendy. I didn't know how much I'd truly love it. My Dad had these two cameras sitting in our basement, collecting dust, and he asked if I'd be interested in using them. Without a second thought, I was like "YES, I would love to have them!!!" Honestly, I'm kind of mad I didn't get my hands on them sooner. Shooting film has completely changed the way I view this craft.
I had no idea the creativity that would be sparked through having a limited number of images on a roll of film and the intention that had to go into it. One of the cameras I have is a point and shoot, with an auto setting. The Konica, on the other hand, is fully manual and there's just a light meter to reference when configuring the aperture and shutter speed. It's certainly a challenge, and I love that about it!
I started doing photography when I was in middle school when my parents gifted me a camera, simply because I loved seeing the world through a camera lens and finding beauty in everything. It's a common fate that when photographers begin making money off of their photos, it starts to feel like work, and creativity begins to lessen. To be honest, it's been really hard for me to be creative with my digital camera lately. I know what shots I need, and I get them. It becomes redundant. The thing about film, though, is that you never know what you're going to get. It's expensive, first of all, and there's also so much that could go wrong, from light exposure, to double exposure, to camera malfunction, so when you get back that roll of 36 frames from development, there's no better feeling than getting THE shot. You must be so intentional with film; you can't just take whatever shots seem decent like with digital. I LOVE THAT. It's so rewarding.
So, if you're a photographer, or another creative, or just someone who stumbled across this post, I encourage you to go pick up a cheap film camera and start shooting. It will challenge you to slow down, be intentional, and see the beauty in small, everyday occurrences. I haven't monetized my film yet because I love that it's just been something I do for myself, not for anyone else. It's my space to be creative and relearn my love for photography.
Until next time,
Sophia ◡̈
