Shooting film is very much like making an apple pie. You put so much effort into assembling the correct balance of ingredients, but you still have to wait for it to bake… and cool, before you even know if it tastes good or not.

In the world of “instant everything, order your food, your groceries, week, post text, chat, I want it now, I will not wait, I demand satisfaction” it is an almost meditative, zen like practice to shoot film. You don’t see what you get while you shoot. You aren’t sure if your film is even being exposed correctly. You have to wait until your film is developed before you see any results. And then, if you are like me and you scan your film, it is a longer process of scanning before the final, positive images pop up on my monitor.

Why do I do this? It slows me down, makes my shooting feel more intentional. The extra investment of time and money makes me value each image just a little bit more. I wait in anticipation to finally se my photos. Like waiting for a gift to arrive, or waiting for a stew to simmer on a stovetop for a few hours. It heightens my anticipation and makes the payoff more worthwhile every time. Even if my film is underexposed, or out of focus, or boring, or not “sharable.” It still have more substance to it.

If anyone would like to swap a nice apple pie for a few rolls of film, give me a shout.