Dustyrobe: Romanticisms of Film

Melbourne ; Nikon FM2

The slow process of loading a roll of film, composing a shot, winding the lever, and then taking the photograph. Film, there is something about the slow process that I can't help but enjoy and fall in love with. The colours that the film produces, how it slows everything down in this fast paced life. When I'm restricted to just a whopping 36 shots, every shot becomes a hundred times more precious. Perhaps it has to do with the costly fees of buying film and then developing it. When one just can't afford to waste even one shot.

But, there is always something very magical whenever I pick up my film cameras. At the end of it, I always feel that I've become a better photographer than I was before. Simply because (almost) every shot was carefully crafted. And sometimes, I transfer this mindset over to my digital work. Instead of rushing through my shoots and snapping whatever to see what works, I try to compose beforehand and get the shot that I want and would be proud of.

Johor Bahru ; Nikon FM2

Xuanxuan ; Nikon FM2

Me, by Xuan ; Nikon FM2

Me with messy hair, by Xuan ; Nikon FM2

What you doing? ; Nikon FM2

my fav shot ; Nikon FM2

When it comes to film however, there are two types. The first is the 35mm film camera which I would carefully craft each photograph, because I know the quality would be top notch. The other, is my disposable camera (though now, thanks to the new Kodak M35, it's a reusable disposable) where I mostly use for in-the-moment kind of shots. It's the camera I would bring everywhere with me, to capture friends when I'm out. I've always wanted to bring my camera everywhere with me, but a DSLR is simply too heavy to lug around and it's too expensive to buy a new compact or mirrorless camera these days. So the Kodak M35 is the perfect option.

Both cameras serve very different purposes for me, but they both give me the same feeling of suspense. Not knowing what kind of photos I have took, and when the photos are develop, they always surprise me. Of course, there will always be disappointing shots where it's underexposed, out of focus, or half-blinks, etc. But the feeling of being surprised by the results outweighs the disappointment.

Seanny and his unnecessarily cut up t-shirt ; Kodak M35

Max at work ; Kodak M35

Ben slurping some balls ; Kodak M35

Xinde (possibly drunk) ; Kodak M35

Seanny, about to get drunk ; Kodak M35

Shannon, smiling as she's texting ; Kodak M35

Happy Chug 2nd Anniversary uwu ; Kodak M35

A-Team ; Kodak M35

My gift for Seanny, a batman ; Kodak M35

I think I romanticise film too much, I will not deny that. But I am a sucker of nostalgia, and I think film gives me a lot of that sense of nostalgia. Even if these photos are not from the past. Even on digital work, all I strive for, is to replicate the tones of film. Is it the colours of film that I'm chasing, or am I simply chasing nostalgia? Perhaps I was born in the wrong time. Had I been born in the era where film was at its peak, would I have had more satisfaction in my creative work?

In a world that has simply become too fast paced, where photos are merely another file on our desktop, photographs and memories are taken for granted. Maybe that's why I like film so much, it gives the photographs, the memories, an anchor to the real world. A physical album of memories for me to show my children in future. These are my friends, and these are all proof of my existence, our existence. It is proof that I lived.

Cheers,

Sean