Taking photos might be my favorite thing on the planet. It’s hard to put my love for photos into words and I don’t entirely know why I like them so much. What I do know, though, is that moments are best captured through film. And while there are so many ways to shoot using film, for me I have found the best way is through disposable cameras.
Often, when I pull out my disposable camera people point to their iPhone and ask why I take pictures on a camera instead of using my smartphone. iPhone photos are undeniably less expensive and more convenient. But, while an iPhone might appear to be better, disposable cameras are so much more than the parts to them that appear to be inconvenient.
A disposable camera has only 27 exposures. It doesn’t let you zoom or add filters and provides much less detailed pictures. This may seem like a negative, but for me I have found their limitations are what make each picture so special. Pictures shot with film have a sense of sincerity that iPhone pictures fail to provide.
Photos from disposables may not be the best quality. I’ve stopped telling my friends when I’m taking pictures of them and because of this, I have got such genuine moments that weren’t staged or posed. Instead, they capture the actual memory in its entirety. And since you only get one picture of that moment using film, that one picture becomes precious.
While it might depend on the week, I tend to go through a roll of a film per weekend. Each Friday, I go to a local camera store to develop my exposures and then get to pick up my pictures from the weekend before. This semester, I found Gene’s Camera Store and I couldn’t believe I had been missing out on it all last year. The people there are so, so helpful and absolutely brilliant when it comes to photography. If you want to start using film or just need a place to develop your film, definitely go there.
Every time I go to Gene’s I’m tempted to buy an actual camera. But every time I almost do, I remember how convenient disposable cameras are. I lose everything (like literally everything). Because I sometimes lack the capability to remember to bring my belongings with me wherever I may be, I love disposable cameras. I have lost one or two of my disposables, but even when that happens, it’s okay! I like to think that someone picked it up and finished the roll of film and once they developed it they got to see the moments we both captured.
Having to make the effort to develop the pictures also might seem like a negative because of the extra effort you have to put in. But, not having that instant gratification after you take them is what makes them so fun, though. Trust me when I say the anticipation is everything. Because, the instant you finally do get to see the moment’s you captured is so, so exciting. I often forget the pictures I took because of how long I wait to develop them. Because of this, once I finally do get to see them I get to relive those days all over again. Being able to do this may be the best thing since sliced bread.
Film is so wonderfully intentional. Hopefully I have convinced you to start taking pictures on disposable cameras. If I did, I will leave you with one piece of advice I learned when I developed my first roll: no matter how light you think it is, turn on that flash.