At home, most of my friends call me a grandma… and I’m starting to think they’re right. I do love a good warm blanket, I’m starting to go grey, and my driving is not the most spectacular, but I think my most grandmaesque quality might be my fascination with old things: namely analog cameras.

I initially wasn’t that interested in film photography. I took photography class my sophomore year of high school and learned the basics of photography, such as the exposure triangle, composition, and developing standard B&W film. Like almost every hobby, the second you take a formal class, it becomes the most boring thing you could learn about. Something about the classroom setting, receiving grades, or maybe standardization sucks all the fun out of things you love. Anyway, I only became interested when my grandpa, who loves photography, mentioned he had some old film cameras in a closet somewhere that he didn’t really use anymore. I remembered I had a trip to Ireland coming up and I actually knew how to use a film camera so I thought “Why not?”

Shooting my first roll of film was the most rewarding and frustrating process. While half the photos came out completely unusable, unfocused, or exposed poorly, the photos that did turn out had such a distinct dreamy quality I don’t think digital could replicate. I love the organic color dynamics and unique qualities each film stock has to offer. Because each shot of film is so expensive and so limited, each frame felt special. I would spend ages making sure I had the perfect composition, lighting, and focus. I quickly fell in love with how I truly started observing what was around me. I started seeing colors, textures, patterns, and compositions I never would have noticed if there wasn’t a camera in my hand.

Using film makes traveling 10x more fun too. I used to get bored after seeing a landmark for two minutes and then play on my phone until I could leave. Now, it feels like a game. How can I make wherever I am look as cool as possible just with a little rectangle frame? I collect memories and landmarks like Pokémon cards. Also, the tactile experience of advancing each frame, adjusting the focus, and loading/rewinding the film makes the process of snapping a photo so much more interesting.

On each trip I go on, bringing my camera and a large bag of film canisters is non-negotiable. I’ve started collecting more cameras and experimenting with different high- and low- speed films, seeing what works best for different scenarios. I even want to start trying out lomography (which is basically messing up your film on purpose to get really funky photos). I even have a bag of expired film stocks I’m excited to mess with.

Although some people hate film because it’s expensive, unpredictable, and you have to wait a while to see how all your photos turned out, I still love it. Having to wait in order to see the results of my careful shooting fills me with anticipation, and I get to relive all of the great memories I made while shooting each roll. It is true– film is basically a hole to throw your money into, but I’ll throw my money into that hole every day of the week.