My first roll of film 📸

我的第一卷底片攝影

✌️How I get started

The cost of a film camera is quite significant when you compare it to the phone inside your pocket. Actually, taking photographs with a film camera is a slow, inconvenient, and unpredictable process.

Too many reasons not to start. In fact, it took me about a year to start it. It starts with the surprising finding of an old camera at home, which I brough it to San Francisco and fixes it. I used it to capture moments in February. Just last Friday, the photos were developed and delivered to my email inbox.

(insert life update 🙂 this is my 4th semester in Minerva. I relocated to SF for one semester due to air quality concerns about living in India 😢)

So the result turned out to be amazing. I’ll show my selection here. Despite I believe taking photos should be a really private process, and I’d rather keep photos among my friends and myself — I still think it worth a post here. To acknowledge the process of my film camera journey. From thinking, doing, waiting, to being touched.

01: California Street

The very first photo I took.

04: Roommate Oliver capturing a march on market street

09: LNY Hotpot night in Shan’s

Sneak into post-grad life and enjoy my time there.

13: A happy moment with Shan

Shan (class of 2019, Minerva) had a super nice house — and she’s a super nice host 😇

15: A happy moment with Alberto

Alberto (m19) — a friend I respect and inspired by

17, 18, 19: Golden Gate Park, SF

Catching up with friends — long conversation 🎻

Golden Retriever at Golden Gate Park. Sunday. A lovely combination 🥰

this was such a good day. grab a coffee and talk, walk in the park.

lose focus.

21: me.

Maybe I’m biased. But I feel more and capture more with film photography. I remember the environment, emotions, and expressions about thoughts. That’s my attempt to describe the power of film for me.

Let’s see — it’s all the beginning!

Hi 📸

25: Pier and Bay Bridge

Nice capture, my friend :)

27: Alan’s Minerva Talk 🙏🏻

Albeit the photo was not focused, it still captures my strong emotions(thoughts, resonance, respect, appreciation, inspiration) at 詹雨安(Alan)’s Minerva Talk. It was such a powerful storytelling with an authentic tone and a brave mind.

“Ambitious — Grateful”

33,35: Ocean Beach

Sunset is everything 🌅 💁🏻‍♂️

🔢 Numbers

• A film roll only captures 36 moments.
• It cost ~25$ for me (I admit it’s not easy to feel like nothing, but I love the investment and enjoy the journey.)

💭 Last note

• Acknowledge friends who inspired my film camera journey: Alex Wu 吳子嘉, Kevin Hsu, Isabelle Liu, Tinei. ✨
• If you’re interested in film camera, I recommend reading Heron Yang’s piece: https://heron.photography/blog/2018/7/15/why-film.
• he also wrote another one in Chinese: 為什麼我依然拍底片？