Seattle, WA (From Kerry Park), 2020, Digital

The most noticeable difference when shooting film for the first time, as most people do, is the way you have to slow yourself down and thoughtfully consider what you want to shoot. When one roll of film costs over $10 and only gives you 36 exposures, you realize the value in actually thinking of what you’re about to take a photo of and how you shoot it. You can’t just point at whatever anymore and hold down the shutter for 6 seconds to get 25 images as you can with a digital. Each exposure on a strip of film is unique and once the shutter opens, that photo is a permanent tangible work. If you become really fond of that photo, it becomes very precious as it is quite literally one of a kind. The SD card you bought at BestBuy costed you $16. It’ll have more than enough room for over 4,000 stills, it will give you the ability to erase as many photos as you want, and will last you many years. Not to say that none of that is useful (especially when using a digital system as your means of earning), but there is certainly a deeper value in film considering the more intentional approach shooting analog encourages, as well of the uniqueness of every single shot.

Hunter Juarez

This patient and thoughtful way of shooting photography has really taught me to live life in a similar attitude. I think sometimes, we can get overwhelmed in the busy, motions of life. We miss opportunities to experience something beautiful. Or perhaps we pass moments in time that later down the line, we wish we could have been more present for. Life is full of big celebrations marking periods of our lives. But even in the nearly 24 years I have been on Earth, I have recognized that the moments that have held the most weight were the “small” ones. All the burritos I’ve shared with family and friends. The walks around the neighborhood or the downtown street . The adventures to places I had never been before. These are small, simple moments compared to graduation, being accepted into your dream job, or getting engaged. But those moments come with an expectation of fulfillment and happiness. Those smaller ones I mentioned don’t, or at least they shouldn’t. I don’t expect much from a simple walk in the park, yet sometimes it refreshes my soul more than I expected. There’s definitely something to learn from the approach in film photography that encourages you to move a little slower and notice the details that you would have missed if you were rushing by. So this trip was really meaningful as I got to explore with my fellow photographer friend from college, my guy, Hunter Juarez (IG: hunterjuarez_photography). Many moments of our trip consisted of walking around or sitting down at locations or restaurants. And it was in some of these moments, I captured shots of Seattle on film (2023).