Well, I guess it’s about time I settle into this new series I’m calling, Film Friday. And after a rather extensive introduction into the series I’m excited to finally get into what I’ve had in mind. It is my goal to share a film photograph with you every Friday and talk a little bit about it. It might be technical things, artistic things, or somewhere in-between the fine lines of technicality and artistry.

To start this series I will share with you one of the photographs that started my film adventure. Well, to be more specific, my medium format film adventure.

Let me preface this story by taking you a few steps further back to tell you another story. I used to shoot film. Anyone who’s taken a picture over 10 years ago has likely shot a 35mm film camera! We  would put the camera on “auto” mode (or just snapped the shot if it was one of those nifty disposables), snapped the shots, and then wrote every detail about ourselves on the front of those little envelopes at the Walmart photo counter just before stuffing our rolls of film into them, sealing them, and then double… no triple checking that when we dropped it into the slot it made it in there safely… no corners sticking out! Am I right?!

But since those days I’ve learned a LOT about photography and that includes learning how to shoot in manual mode… that is, I’m telling the camera what I want it to do, and not vice versa. I learned much of what I know today about photography on a DSLR. So when I picked up the 35mm camera with this new found knowledge, it was like I was being tested. No more auto mode, no LCD preview screen like on the back of my DSLRs to make sure I “got it right”, this was the true test!

To my relief my first roll of film PPE (that’s “post photographer’s epiphany” ya know, when we shoot on manual and “get it”) came out just fine. Maybe even great! But then I set my sights on the next challenge. Medium format film. It’s like crawling out of the kiddie pool and jumping into the deep end. The “big kids” play with medium format film. And this is where the other story takes off…

When my husband and I made plans to travel to California last August I decided that I would rent a medium format film camera, buy some film, and give it a whirl. I had no idea that I would fall in love with photography even more than I could imagine…

I kind of laugh at myself because I went into it haphazardly. I didn’t use a meter (I relied on the in-camera meter… which isn’t always the BEST idea when you’re working with a dinosaur of a camera), I had to watch a YouTube video on how to roll film, and I sat in that hotel room in downtown San Jose half worried that I would just be wasting my money developing film that I had ruined.

But I wouldn’t let my fears get in the way. I’ve already come this far! After all I did just drive into the heart of San Francisco BY MYSELF to get this darned thing. And then drove through downtown San Jose to buy the film! Just acquiring the gear was a feat in itself! Trust me… this small town gal does NOT relish driving into cities, especially unfamiliar ones).

So I mustered up some more courage (what little I had left), got in the rental car, and made tracks down the pacific coast highway. Soon all of those worried thoughts vanished. I pulled over to a little strip of beach that was nestled in-between two towering rock faces. Apparently this was a popular spot to surf amongst the locals. I loaded the film while I was in the car because I wasn’t sure I remembered everything from the YouTube video and I sure as heck didn’t want to look like a fumbling idiot in front of the people on the beach! Once I had the film loaded I walked around until I saw a shot I wanted. Bam! I was in love. I’m not sure if it was the seemingly thunderous shutter that got my heart racing, or the fact that I knew I was onto something really, really cool… But suddenly photography was a whole new game!

This was one of the very first photos I ever took on medium format film, and it’s one of my favorites. 

The photos that I took on that trip are some of my most prized photos. For me they are more than just a pictures. It was confirmation that I am a photographer, that I know what I’m doing (even when there isn’t an LCD screen to tell me so), I know what my mistakes are, and that I love photography.

Right above my desk, framed and hanging on the wall, are three of the photographs from California. They remind me of how far I’ve come, what I’ve been able to accomplish, and how excited I am for the future and my journey with (film) photography!

You can see many more of these photographs by clicking here to see the journal entries from our trip!

To inquire about photography services contact Kristen at kristen@kristenlynne.com or fill out a Contact Form by clicking Here!