I'll forever remember this summer '19 as the summer I fell back in love with film. A bit dramatic you might think – I mean, we're talking about a few grainy holiday snaps here – but rediscovering this semi-lost art with a roll of 35mm on my trip to Croatia has re-ignited my love for photography and how we capture moments in time. A love that perhaps, has got a little lost in the depths of 1000's of same-y outfit photos, insta-worthy hotspots and all the crap in-between that makes up the 47,000+ photos (it's a sickening number I know) that is my iPhone library.
With film, you have one shot. One chance to capture a specific moment, a bit of a crazy notion in our digital age in which we are used to taking 50+ images of different angles, poses, and switching to fix our hair or get our good side just to get 'the shot'. There's no previews to look through, in fact you'll even have to wait until the end of your trip and then longer to get them developed before you can take a peek. But to me, that's all part of the fun. It definitely shifts the focus to the moment as apposed to getting the perfect shot itself.
Aesthetically, I love how it looks too, and I'm not the only one. In the age of digital, an enormous chunk of what's posted to Instagram (from myself included) is edited to look like it was shot on film. It's trendy to have grain, light flares, dust specks and film frames. In fact, I'm confident a lot of us pay monthly subscriptions to apps that allow us to edit in these ways. Instagram itself was originally an app to edit and post your images with a vintage feel. Because really, there is something nostalgic and special about it.
Film's been having comeback for a little while now, but it's only after being back shooting a proper roll of it I've understood why it's still so loved. And no matter how hard I try, there's no re-creating this effect on my shots in Afterlight. For my first hand back in the 35mm game, I packed the cheapest old plastic polaroid from my dad's extensive collection. Simple, easy to use and light as a feather – perfect for a week on a boat in Croatia.
And Croatia really was the perfect place for capturing some special moments on film. As you'll probably have seen form my Instagram, I spent a week on board Yacht Life with my faves, Life Before Work Travel. It's been my third Yacht Life tour with them and second time doing Croatia, LBW is practically family and truly it's a highlight of every summer. From watching the sunset over the Croatian hillside from our yacht, dancing the day away onboard our white party, taking dips in the most turquoise water and enjoying some of the most epics views in Europe – perfect moments to practice my new found love for film. I'll be writing more about LBW in an upcoming post, but if you love these images and love the sound of Yacht Life even more, you can sign up for their 2020 pre sale and even win (!) your own spot here.
Thanks for reading angels. I hope you enjoy these images and I hope I've maybe inspired you to have a play with your own roll of 35mm. I'm currently half way through my second roll and cant wait to share more with you soon, I've got a feeling this is going to be a regular feature. Until next time x
I'll forever remember this summer '19 as the summer I fell back in love with film. A bit dramatic you might think – I mean, we're talking about a few grainy holiday snaps here – but rediscovering this semi-lost art with a roll of 35mm on my trip to Croatia has re-ignited my love for photography and how we capture moments in time. A love that perhaps, has got a little lost in the depths of 1000's of same-y outfit photos, insta-worthy hotspots and all the crap in-between that makes up the 47,000+ photos (it's a sickening number I know) that is my iPhone library.
With film, you have one shot. One chance to capture a specific moment, a bit of a crazy notion in our digital age in which we are used to taking 50+ images of different angles, poses, and switching to fix our hair or get our good side just to get 'the shot'. There's no previews to look through, in fact you'll even have to wait until the end of your trip and then longer to get them developed before you can take a peek. But to me, that's all part of the fun. It definitely shifts the focus to the moment as apposed to getting the perfect shot itself.
Aesthetically, I love how it looks too, and I'm not the only one. In the age of digital, an enormous chunk of what's posted to Instagram (from myself included) is edited to look like it was shot on film. It's trendy to have grain, light flares, dust specks and film frames. In fact, I'm confident a lot of us pay monthly subscriptions to apps that allow us to edit in these ways. Instagram itself was originally an app to edit and post your images with a vintage feel. Because really, there is something nostalgic and special about it.
Film's been having comeback for a little while now, but it's only after being back shooting a proper roll of it I've understood why it's still so loved. And no matter how hard I try, there's no re-creating this effect on my shots in Afterlight. For my first hand back in the 35mm game, I packed the cheapest old plastic polaroid from my dad's extensive collection. Simple, easy to use and light as a feather – perfect for a week on a boat in Croatia.
And Croatia really was the perfect place for capturing some special moments on film. As you'll probably have seen form my Instagram, I spent a week on board Yacht Life with my faves, Life Before Work Travel. It's been my third Yacht Life tour with them and second time doing Croatia, LBW is practically family and truly it's a highlight of every summer. From watching the sunset over the Croatian hillside from our yacht, dancing the day away onboard our white party, taking dips in the most turquoise water and enjoying some of the most epics views in Europe – perfect moments to practice my new found love for film. I'll be writing more about LBW in an upcoming post, but if you love these images and love the sound of Yacht Life even more, you can sign up for their 2020 pre sale and even win (!) your own spot here.
Thanks for reading angels. I hope you enjoy these images and I hope I've maybe inspired you to have a play with your own roll of 35mm. I'm currently half way through my second roll and cant wait to share more with you soon, I've got a feeling this is going to be a regular feature. Until next time x
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