A BEGINNERS FIRST ROLL

03/09/26

Film photography is a new venture for me. Well actually, photography itself is new to me. Not the concept of photography--I'm no protohuman--but the act of it. Every time I'd attempt to take photos, whether that be on my phone or a friends camera, it instantly turned to shit. I didn't have any idea what I was doing, and still don't...

The last time I went to a museum I was enamored by the photography exhibit. Arthur Tress' work was on display at the Getty in LA in an exhibition called "Rambles, Dreams and Shadows". His photos are truly unbelievable. Tress' work reignited the spark of wanting to do take photos, though it remained dormant for a few years before getting doused in fuel this past January.

Preceding the purchase of my camera, I'd never held more than my mother's Canon Rebel T-2i or a cheap, flimsy plastic Fujifilm disposable. Getting my very own camera seemed like a pipe dream for years. There was always a million other things to buy. I needed a new guitar, amp, or pedal. Money was spent on food, gas, or vinyl. All of the essentials. Buying a film camera, even a DSLR, was far beyond the scope of my spending habits. 

As you can clearly see, I decided to bite the bullet and get a camera online from F Stop Cameras, run by camera blogger and photophile James Tocchio. My roommate told me to look for an old Canon 35mm SLR, so that's exactly what I did. I'd been looking on Facebook Marketplace for an AE-1, but couldn't pull the trigger on any of them. When I found James' review on the A-1 the decision was made. I own a beautiful Canon A-1, dubbed "Jane" because of the inscription a previous owner made on the front and back of the body. Let me tell you, it's a sexy camera. Light, easy to shoot on, and good looking. Exactly what you want from a camera. You'd also want your camera to produce great photos too, which is a given. Thankfully, the Canon A-1 is a well renowned, reliable and budget friendly SLR capable of doing just that. Of course it's not just about the camera, but the person shooting on it as well. The photos you take aren't going to turn out all that great the first time around, however disappointing that may be.

Film photography is such an interesting technology to me. As many of you already know, I'm (trying to be) dedicated to using analog equipment for most everything I do creatively. Vinyl, tape, and now film. Film essentially burns light onto a strip of plastic with light-sensitive silver halide crystals. This is then developed with a mix of chemicals to produce the negatives from the strips. To get them digitally, a scanner or digital camera can be used to capture the negatives for transfer. There's about a million different ways to go about the entire process of shooting on film. Film photography lets you be creative with the way you shoot but also with your choice of film (which I'll go into in a different post), choice of exposure settings, ASA, and development process. The whole reason I started doing this was to give myself another creative outlet. Once I actually figure out how to shoot without using only program mode, I'll figure out how to be a fair bit more creative with the latter parts of that list. "Do you know how many times I've thought about buying a film camera? Way too many. I'm going to do it someday. I already write blog posts and songs, so why can't I try photography?"

I've never been one to take a lot of photos in all honesty. My camera roll takes about 3 seconds to scroll from most recent to oldest. So why the f**k did you get a camera? Film captures life in a way that my phone doesn't. It doesn't convert the world around me directly into pixels on a screen. Film literally takes light from that specific moment and enshrines it on something physical, something you can keep forever. That's why I got one. I need to capture my life on something that puts me in the moment. That's what photography is all about. It's entirely circumstantial. I constantly struggle to stay in the moment, the stress of the future bears a significant load on my psyche. I hope that photography will make me focus on the moment, the images burned on the film being the evidence. 

My brain, the often mushy pile on the floor, sometimes needs a reset from the slop of Instagram Reels. In my forever dedicated, yet often divergent pursuit of being unplugged from thy slop, I protest by watching more long form content. Recently, as is the topic of discussion, street photography interviews have occupied my computer screen--adjacent to Google Sites. Everyone has a different approach to their photography. A different rationale. A different philosophy. There are waring philosophies. There are those who say that the story doesn't matter. There are those who say that the moment is overrated. There is much I still have to learn in regard to perspectives on why photography matters. A photographer I discovered recently, Reuben Radding, said, 

"I am poisoned by self. By self-consciousness. By self-criticism. By some inner grandiosities, like, all this ego related stuff I need an escape valve from. You can try to do it all kinds of ways, but this is the greatest way I've ever found." 

Photography is an escape from self that many creatives may or may not need. I resonate with his rationale. His interview is fantastic by the way. I'll link it here. Photography as a creative outlet reigns true, and still there is an underlying rationale in my decision to take it up. Behind this incessant need for creation is a deeply insecure individual wanting to free themself from ego, to explore identity in a unfamiliar medium, and to procure a more pragmatic and dynamic angle on life.

Maybe my dive into photography is a sign of new beginnings. I'm trying to be a bit more philosophical in my approach to life, not that it has that much to do with my first rolls of film. Style alludes me, but there is an inkling of a direction I seem to be heading in. I want to explore the metaphysical through the lens of a camera. What it means to be human, to be alive. How one identifies themself. Though now, I'm only taking photos of things I think are rad. I'm taking photos of things that I want to identify myself with. I spy the parts of me I find in this big world. I feel I need more of a direction though. I need to be given assignments. You the people can tell me what to take photos of. Let me know what you lot think I should do.

Looking back on my first post, I lacked the foresight to see how much my life has changed in the last few months. I'm sure how the f**k I'd know that my life would go in a different direction, but my approach to creativity has veered into uncharted territory. Shooting on film pulls me in yet another direction. I'm a dog on a leash letting life yank me wherever it wants me to. The photos on this page are the first of many you'll see on this blog. Hopefully we'll see some improvement in the next few...This isn't an ego thing, trust me. 

Like I said above, I need to actually learn how to use my camera besides the basic functions. Shutter priority is next, then aperture priority, then full manual. Oh! And double exposures. I'm pretty damn excited to try that out. Be ready for some funky looking shit. 

I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my first snaps. There's more on the previous post, A Trip New York. Let go of self. Reap the rewards of exploring your identity, it's never too late. Don't be lame. Watch more long-form content. Observe and absorb art. Creation itself is a medium that develops your mind. So be creative. Hello Mr. Pretentious! Sorry everyone. The point is, you should be creating and immersing yourself in other people's creations. Reject the status quo and internet slop. Find those who inspire you and ruminate in their lessons.

"The stakes are the same as they've always been." ~ Reuben Radding | See you next week...

Cheers,

Jack