About a billion years ago (ok, 4) a friend lent me a Canon A-1 35mm SLR and a 24mm lens. My first taste of a film camera that pulled no punches when it came to working without technological stabilisers. I loaded up a Neopan 1600 film (with some help from the internet) and took it off to London with me to shoot a couple of frames. This was four years ago. When I got back, I put the camera in a cupboard and to my shame, forgot about it.
My friend found himself getting back into film and about a month ago and I got a gentle nudge in the direction of “Oi, gimme my camera back”. Remembering the film that was still in there, I headed out to Winchester and finished off the roll before sending it off for processing with my fingers crossed that the film hadn’t spoiled too much over time. I got the pictures back yesterday and it seems so strange to look at those first photos of London that were taken long before Leila put in any kind of appearance…
London, Summer 2008.
Oh how things had changed by the time I’d browsed through to exposure #11 of a 36-frame film, taken 4 years later.
The exposures are all over the place and my focus is off on a few but now I want a film SLR to call my own and I want to learn how to develop my own, a project for the Summer perhaps!
These are amazing! I’d advise scouring charity shops/second hand shops to get good deals to get a film one. I bought mine in a second hand shop (and haggled it down in price) and I love it. I shoot with the Canon EOS 300 which you can also find very cheaply on Amazon or eBay. I’ve yet to develop my own film though lol, I just rely on Boots to send it out and get it done for me.
I have an old Ricoh KR-10 plus a couple of lenses that I inherited, the whole lot is stuck in a bag in my lounge. I keep meaning to get some film and have a go with it. I’m nervous it will be a very long learning curve without instant access to images and a delete button!
So strange to think of you without little L in tow.
I think you should definitely get one of your very own 🙂
Oooh yes, second-hand is definitely the way to go. Fun!!!
loved the pictures of you in there. you look so elegant and tall
liloo /@tsunimee xx
My photography A-level involved lots of grainy pics and chemical-ravaged hands. These take me back… and I’ve got a Pentax SLR sitting in a drawer still.