Friends,
I wondered if anyone would be interested in a niche hobby of mine. Maybe a self-indulgence, but I shared a couple of photos taken on my 70-year-old film camera a couple of weeks back over on X, and LOADS of people said they wanted to see more. So here we go…
In this post I’m sharing some new photos I took on film - as well as an exclusive video below and the full image set for paid members.
Not everyone is going to go through the faff of film photography, especially when the quality and convenience of a iPhone is undeniable. For me, though, in a largely digital world, there’s something about the painfully difficult and long process of taking photographs on film, getting them developed, scanning the negatives at home one-by-one, and then editing them on a computer to make them digital.
So for those of us who like the art of it, to slow down, or to just feel something in our hands again, I present you:
Old Glory
This photo was taken last Autumn in downtown Boston. This flag hands in the arch under the Boston Harbor hotel, and there was something about the colors and movement that spoke to me.
The colors, movement in the grain, and texture of film photography cannot be replicated in my opinion, and that’s why I go through the pain of doing the hobby.
Boston, by the way, is an especially stunning place is Fall, especially when you get a nice crisp, sunny day.
And here’s another from the Old State House.
All photos taken on a 1963 Olympus Pen F and Kodak Gold film.
So, a question for you is, do you still do film photography? Some folks on X tell me they still have an old film camera in their loft, but didn’t know you can still do film processing.
Well, not only are there are actually a bunch of online-only film processing businesses where you can send your films for development by post, but the hobby is making a huge comeback. Much like vinyl records, loads of people are doing it, and several YouTube channels exist on this theme as well. I recommend a dude called Grainydays, if you’re interested.
It’s not a particularly cheap hobby, and you also need patience, but it’s worth it in my book.
So if you are one of the people with an old dusty camera locked away somewhere, and are looking for something different in this digital hellscape, I strongly encourage you to give it a shot.
Below, for paid subscribers and as membership benefit, I’m sharing the whole image set, as well as an exclusive video about the photos in the set.
Cheers, Shaun
