Lauzon on film

There is something so special about film photos that I can’t quite put my finger on. Film evokes a feeling of nostalgia, timelessness, and realness that I feel no smartphone camera, app or filter can quite recreate. I’ve been curious about and intrigued by film photography for several years, but hesitated to try my hand at it.

Quarantine seemed like a good time to try something new, so I did the thing and hopped on eBay and bought myself a film camera. Namely, an Olympus OM-10 35mm SLR, which arrived just in time for our vacation to a cottage rental at Lake Lauzon in Northern Ontario with our friends. The perfect opportunity to experiment.

After watching many, many, (many) YouTube videos, I managed to load the film properly and was ready for some happy snapping. I took most of the photos outside to benefit from natural lighting. I enjoyed that I had to take time to think about the subject, the focus and the framing of each photo. Each snap felt very precious.

Getting the film developed was equally exciting, and also a little nerve-wracking. I was a bit worried I’d ruined the film while removing it from the camera.

Well, the results ended up taking my breath away. The timeless feeling these photos evoke is one that I’m constantly trying to capture with my phone, making me realize that there is something irreplaceable about film.

I’ve compiled my favs below and I can’t wait to take more. Enjoy!

I mean. Framing these immediately.

Even though the subject is blurry in some of these, I feel that just adds to the timelessness. Were these taken in 2020 or 1990?!

Self-timer on a windy dock. Risky. Worth it.

It’s hard to keep a wiggly toddler in focus. But there’s still something about these fuzzy snaps that warms my heart.

I worried a film camera would just become another purchase I threw in a drawer and forgot about, which is why I hesitated to buy one, but now I’m so glad I did. I see myself taking my new SLR with me on many future adventures. Sure I’ll continue to take hundreds of photos on my iPhone, but I’m grateful I can supplement those snaps with some precious film memories too.