I have reverted back to carrying a camera with me on most excursions. A real camera – a film camera. And, more often than not it is an instant camera of some sort; either a classic Polaroid 180 Land Camera or the an integral film camera like the SX-70, 680-SLR, or the new I-2 from the modern Polaroid line of cameras.
They are compact, easy to use, and help me focus on the world around me, rather than the digital echo chamber most of spend our days within. And the. bonus is the immediacy of the result for the instant film cameras I may be using.
There is something quite magical about film cameras and more often than not, when I start shooting with an instant camera it piques people’s interest. Almost everytime I have begun shooting I will have a stranger strike up a conversation with me about camera.
Most people, around my age ± 20 years generally have a favorable memory of these cameras. Once they see me shooting, it brings many of them back to a story they choose to share with me about their childhood and days gone by.
More often then not, one of the first comments I hear is, “they still make film for those…”, and that small interaction begets a human exchange. In our digital spheres, we often lose site of humanity that surrounds us and these brief interludes are good for my sould.
I like to share some of these photos with those I meet and the other day, while at Disney’s Hollywood Studios I handed out a few pictures to the cast members dressed as my favorite Star Wars characters; from their smiles, you would have thought I handed them gold.
Every exchange, was a chance to connect – to remove the shields we all wear through the day to protect us from a seemingly very cruel period of time in our world – and to see and be seen by those sharing the day with me.
The output of these excursions are purely for my own endeavors. Those endeavors include just sharing my love of photography, either in person or online with communities like foto, or for other creative outlets likes some of the collages and manipulations you see above.
Photography has been a constant in our creative pursuits and technology has allowed the continued use of vintage cameras with sharp glass lenses that have followed us on our creative journeys these past 40+ years.
If you would like to work together on any creative projects, please reach out here, or through our socials below.
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