Finding and maintaining hobbies can be one of the best ways to take care of yourself. They are the ultimate adult playtime (my opinion, of course…backed up by data; see Dr. Brene Brown’s work)!
I didn’t always believe in such pursuits because I thought they took precious time away from working (sad, I know). Just before the Pandemic, however, I began to learn the power of hobbies. Photography was one of my first favorite pastimes, and it is the one that brings me the greatest joy and stress relief. One of the things COVID-19 and Quarantine gave me is extra time to do is invest in my photography, from idea creation to shooting, editing, and publishing. As a part of this unexpected dive into one of my forever hobbies, I found myself turning to film photography.
Instead of turning to my newly acquired Nikon N60 35mm SLR Film Camera, I turned to the one camera I knew I knew how to operate, from a rudimentary standpoint…a FujiFilm disposable camera.
When I think of film photography, I think of the manual winding up of the rotating pin-wheel with your finger after you snap a single shot in preparation for the next. I think about the built-up angst and anticipation during the week’s wait after dropping the photos off to be developed, just hoping that in the least, your pictures aren’t over or underexposed. And when the prints finally come back, the gratifying feeling brought on by seeing your vision in that mediocre pixelated print quality (thanks to the low-level technology) is unmatched. These fond memories, for me, are singularly attached to a disposable camera.
Full disclosure, the regenerated curiosity about disposable cameras may have also been sparked by my deep dive into film camera comparison videos on Youtube. This might bring someone to say I have too much time on my hands…to which I’d say that is an accurate observation. Lucky for me, the result of this abundance of available time were these images.
Otis Lily 