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Today’s post is the first in a new series called Love Letters to… which will be a series of posts dedicated to professing love for whatever is my current object of desire – and today’s love letter is dedicated to… a camera.
I have always loved photos taken on 35mm film. The haziness that surrounds every photo, the warmth that projects from the image, the dreamy quality that emerges when the roll is eventually brought to life in a lab. The pictures have a vibrancy that captures the essence of a place better than any phone camera I’ve tried, and helps to seal a memory as freshly as if storing it in an airtight jar.
Whenever I’m scrolling through Instagram or searching for new image inspiration on Pinterest, I’m always drawn to film photography, whether it’s frozen a place or person in time. Film seems to be experiencing a Renaissance in recent years as well as polaroid snaps (something I’m late to the party for but also wanting to give a go soon!)
With cameras built into our phones and their constant evolution over the years has led to our ability to capture the “perfect” image, tweaked to perfection. Oh, a moment didn’t come out right in the picture? That’s OK, we can just take it again, however many times, until that massive cake you were jokingly biting into has all but been devoured before you get the right shot.
It’s probably for this that I most love film photography, with the inability to know for sure whether you’ve taken a good picture or whether it’s even clear. It captures the authenticity of the fleeting moment, whatever imperfections it holds, and in those imperfections the image becomes perfect.
But for years, what put me off trying my hand at it were the technicalities involved in learning how to properly use a film camera. From my research (which I intermittently returned to again and again over some years), I gathered there were only a few steps to take, but those were a bit daunting to me. First, I had to look for a film camera, preferably second-hand in a charity shop as that was the best chance of finding an affordable one – but the challenge of finding and identifying one that was still in working condition was a lot. It felt like a game of luck and chance. Second, when you had finally managed to successfully purchase your working camera, then came the interesting part of actually working out how to use the thing! Setting the correct exposure, getting the lens right… basically, I always found an excuse not to try.
Then came 2023’s Christmas gift from my mum. I’d noticed this little camera Kodak had put out doing the rounds on my social media feeds (not sure how long ago) called Kodak Ektar H35. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the first thing that drew my attention to it was its colour (it comes in a range, but I saw this sage green one first and it’s remained my favourite), but I quickly learned that this little camera was just the thing I was looking for.
A half-frame camera, it turns the typical 36 pictures available in a roll of film into 72, making it a more affordable way to try out film (and allows for so many more holiday snaps!) which is fantastic for a novice like me. Compared to other more professional film cameras, I’m more confident bringing this one out and especially on holiday with me as it’s lightweight and definitely not as pricey as professional ones. Over the past nine months of using it, the trickiest part I’ve faced was putting the film roll in and winding it up to take it out again (had to get a friend to show me how to do the latter), otherwise it’s been a dream.
And that’s why I’ve dedicated the first in a series of Love Letters to… to this deft little camera. It’s reengaged my love for photography, and is perfect for my sentimental heart to capture beautiful memories in the unique ways it can. I haven’t had my first roll of film developed yet, but I suspect that even if my photography skills prove to be ineffective enough to solely result in blurry messes of pictures, I’ll pick up this camera again anyway!
