A couple of years ago, I had taken upon myself to buy a disposable camera to capture memories. There was nothing wrong with my phone camera as it took photos just fine, but at this time, the revival of analogue photography was on the rise. People capturing moments through a camera and film that produced grainy and (sometimes) washed out photos began to be a new trend.
Overtime, I began to invest a little bit more time and money in analogue photography. As I moved away from a one-click disposable camera bought from CVS and onto a used point and shoot camera bought from eBay, I began to learn and appreciate the nuts and bolts of film photography as it surprisingly has taught me many things beyond photography technicalities.
Aside from learning about aperture and ISO, capturing moments on film showed me that while there is beauty in what you capture, there is beauty in the principle: delayed gratification and appreciation.
Film can take up to a week or two, respectively. It’s not as instant as taking a photo on your phone or on a DSLR, but waiting on it is all a part of the process. My own film photos will sometimes take up to three months to get developed because I will get lazy to drop my rolls off at a film store. The wait to see your results can be a little annoying, but it’s also exciting to anticipate how your photos will turn out. And the minute you do receive your photos, the pleasure that comes with it is a totally different feeling.
Sometimes, you’ll forget that you even took that photo and it becomes a nice reminder of the moment of when that photo was taken. Other times, you’ll even get a photo that you might end up really liking, giving yourself a pat on the back. My personal favorite part about film is when I take photos of my friends and I send it over their way right after I develop my roll. It’s almost like a nice little surprise for them and you all get to reflect on a thoughtful reminder of a memory you had.
Film photography has also taught me patience. Admittedly, I’m not a patient person— patience is one of my biggest weaknesses, but shooting film has taught me to be patient and intentional with the photos I take. Generally, you’re limited to the amount of photos you capture as you receive 24 or 36 exposures within a roll. Compared to your phone, you can abuse the shutter button as much as you want, but with film, you have to be aware of how less you are clicking and capturing. It costs money to purchase a roll and to also get it developed, so it teaches you how to be more intentional with the photos you take.
Another element to film photography teaching me patience is when I receive a photo and something goes wrong. Overexposure, underexposure, light leaks, blank photos— all of these are possibilities of flaws in shooting film. However, as much as it may feel disappointing, it only encourages you to grow as a photographer. Having those faulty shots taught me that failure is okay and I need to be more patient with myself. The amount of blank and underexposed photos I’ve received have made me frustrated, but there are some photos where I have found beauty in the faults. Happy accidents can happen a lot in shooting film, and while it may not be what I expect when hitting the shutter button, sometimes the photo can end up looking really cool.
To this day, I am still learning the nooks and crannies of analogue photography. I still get upset when I turn a roll in and some of it comes out blank, but I learn to appreciate the photos that do come out nicely. Shooting film fulfills my sense of delayed gratification, but I also learned to appreciate the art that I end up making. Capturing memories, attempting to try out new rolls, getting out of my comfort zone and taking photos that I find pleasing— all of these add to the element of capturing film.
If you are thinking about getting into film, just know that you do not need a background in photography to want to take photos. Buying a disposable camera is just one way of dipping your feet in, but investing in a used point and shoot and purchasing film from somewhere else can also help you get started.
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize how fun and special shooting film is. The lessons it will teach you can be very beneficial and overall, it’s just another cool way to take photos and solidify a moment or a memory.