#filmsnotdead

#filmsnotdead

My dad let me have his Canon AE-1, though he was convinced that it didn’t work. He told me he never tried using it again after his cousin had dropped it on vacation and he truly believed it had no life left. I had a sliver of hope so I thought I would risk a roll of film to test it out. If nothing developed it was either because 1) it truly didn’t work and I would have to investigate some mechanical issue or because 2) my film was an expired BW roll... probably not the best decision as I didn’t have a constant variable in this experiment of sorts.

After almost four years of being in storage, I gave both my Minolta and Canon a little more love and attention (bought new, special batteries & actually took time to read their manuals as mentioned in a previous post). The Minolta completely surprised me after I got the photos developed. The colors were rich, bold, and warm. The Canon on the other hand, still had a few exposures left. I think I left it on the back-burner because I started to question whether or not it did work and I didn't want to invest snapshots of memories into it if it wasn't going to turn out. Was I wrong?! The grain, the contrast, everything. It was all perfect.

As it turns out, the uncertainty and risk I take with shooting film excites me. I love snapping a photo and waiting...possibly even forgetting about it, only to invite itself back into my life again. It's a tease--and seductive at that. All 36 exposures were developed (yes!). Here are a select few. I will soon be making more.

(all photos taken with Canon AE-1 with Ilford HP5 400)