In the age of selfies and having a camera in your pocket, it seems more and more young people have an endless camera roll of photos that will hardly, if ever, be looked at again. But is there a better way?
This was something I noticed more and more as I would have all these experiences with great people, yet I hardly had any of those memories captured. And as a younger photographer myself, many my age will also live through the screen at these functions. So what is the happy medium?
For me, the more I started shooting film, the more I wanted to document my life with it. Something about carrying a film camera and the romantic nature of candid moments captured on it.
Throughout this video, I go through a lot of my thought process on the why and how of starting to document my life, as well as why you may want to. One thing really stood out to me that led me to dive further into this method. I realized when shooting film that the beauty is that you can’t see the photo afterward. Stay with me here.
I find all too often when your friends want to take a photo together, or of their outfits, a group photo, etc., that afterward, they look through all of them and you hear all sorts of “I wasn’t looking. My hair wasn’t right” and more. The thing with film is that when you can’t look at it afterward, the desire for perfection goes away and instead, you’re left with an imperfect moment that is more honest and true to life. Because life is imperfect, and why try to change that for what is just a fun little moment? This process keeps you in the moment but still allows for that moment to be captured.
I always find in my circles there is a newfound fascination with the film medium so when you pull out a camera, it can spark a conversation or even makes everyone more likely to want to take a photo together. This is why you see so many people rediscovering disposable film cameras because it’s a low barrier to entry for not only the aesthetic but also the ability to stay present in a world full of noise.
I find these are the photos that I will actually revisit in my camera roll, will share on socials, and more. Because they are higher quality and they feel more authentic. If you were to look through my favorites folder on my phone, I can almost guarantee aside from my work, these are what many populate the folder.
The photos you come away with are the ones that you will want to share with your kids, as opposed to showing them one of the thousands of selfies that you may or may not have kept.
Now that’s not to say you have to shoot everything on film. But for me, it’s been a great way to document your life while staying present in the moment.
