mashindionfilm

Film. “The practice of taking photos by exposing thin plastic material we call ‘film’ to light to create an image.” In the last couple of years, film photography has been making a big come back, with people going back to the more “vintage-y” vibes of photos. Instead of the clear, high mega-pixel digital cameras that show can easily edited, the art of film photography is in the beholder of the camera. 

Recently, I have been fond of taking pictures with disposable cameras, little plastic cameras that contain a 27-film roll inside that. This admiration comes from the rawness & authenticity of taking an image. While disposable cameras tend to kook more worn & older, I personally like that style of photographs. It is also an experience within itself. Often, I don’t remember the photos I took and have no physical reminders since they’re point & shoot. Taking them to the store to get developed, waiting a week for them to be ready, the anticipation of how the physical copies of the photo will come out, and digitalizing them through the “old school CD” has been very exciting for me. For the most part, I have great success with the pictures I have gotten. 

However, film does come with much trial and error. I have gotten many photos back that were completely black & unclear, but it is also a learning experience. I’ve mastered who and who not to use the flash on, which lighting is best to take photos in, and the exact moments which the photos should be taken. In the very near future, I would love to purchase an actual film camera where I must manually choose the shutter speed, control the aperture, insert & change the film, adjust the exposure, and take photos in the style I desire. 

I would highly suggest everyone buying at least one disposable camera in their life and just clicking the shutter. It’s not your everyday, cell phone camera or your professional digital camera, but it does bring every photo to life in such a way I believe no other camera can.

Follow my film photography page on Instagram @mashindionfilm to see some of the photos I’ve captured with disposable cameras!

Janet Mashindi