Going Retro!

WHAT THE HECK IS THIS???

When I pulled this out of my bag, most people's response was "I didn't know they still made these!!"

A couple of years ago, my daughter asked for a Polaroid camera for Christmas!  I did my research, found some really cool old cameras (she wanted the old school kind, not the newer models) and got her a pretty cool boxy model, and then it came time to buy the film....

Serious sticker shock!  $24 for a packet of 8 photos.  She learned to pick her shots very wisely! 😋

Flash forward to my trip to Hawaii.  I absolutely had enough cameras, with my Iphone, GoPro and Nikon, but there is something incredibly endearing and COOL about film images, especially ones that don't allow for a lot of fine tuning and filters and metering and selective focusing, and....I could go on and on.  I knew that I needed to add one more "look" to my arsenal for this trip of a lifetime.

The cameras themselves are cheap, running about $6 a camera for 27 shots.  This model even came with a flash...whoa...I know that's kind of high tech.  Oh, and you can also still buy the underwater versions too which is pretty cool, but I have my GoPro for that.  So, for a few extra bucks, I was going to have a lot of fun, 54 exposures worth, of selectively deciding what would make a good film image. 

I am SO glad that I bought these!  Not every image was a keeper, but I got a lot of the grainy old school film look I was hoping for and some REALLY unique and awesome shots!  I'll share below!

This is one of my FAVORITE shots of the trip from the camera.  My friend Amber took it of me during our hike to Lulumahu Falls.  The darkness of the scene, the grit, the moody feel...DIVINE!!!!

Same waterfall hike, in the big open field.  Love that its not super sharp, the colors are fantastic, and the framing (thank you Amber) is excellent!

This is one of my other all time favorites from the 2 rolls of film.  Again, the moody, grainy, darker feel to this is absolutely FANTASTIC and what I expected from this experiment!  Photo: Amber Hinkle

My approach with this camera was waiting for the shot that I thought warranted something a little different.  Funny, a lot of photographers go to great length to get their digital photos to look like old film stuff!  The difference here is that I was stuck to one focal length, one setting and a one click option.  I really thought through each image that I wanted to capture, or have someone capture of me.  It was kind of fun to go back to that idea of not just shooting super fast and furious. I love both styles, clearly, but this was very rewarding for me!

Below are more shots from the camera that were, in my opinion, memorable!

I had this image in mind, found the perfect tree and handed Chris the camera!  Great work babe!

Another shot that I had in my mind that came to fruition beautifully!

Chris and I both had our more "current" gear out when I whipped out the disposable and asked a fellow tourist to take our picture with it.  We all had a good laugh and it ended up being a favorite shot!!

This picture on the Pill Box hike rendered beautiful colors and sharpness!  The lighting was just right for everything to fall in place photographically speaking!

Its fun to compare this shot to almost the exact shot taken on my Nikon.  I love the vibe of this one!

In the car on the rainy day, heading back to Honolulu!  I totally DIG the green tones that came through in this one!

North Shore surf shack

Another favorite!!  Washed out, framed perfectly the way I wanted it with no possibility of zooming in closer.  

Crowds watching some of the bigger waves and surfers doing their thing. Again the colors are to die for!

I remember "seeing" this image in my mind and had Chris take a quick halt and I snapped it! I had forgotten all about this one and when I got them back, was so glad I captured the idea!!

I had shot almost all of the 2 cameras by the time we got back to Colorado but had some frames left to fill up with goodness!  I had it in my bag, and pulled it out over the next week to finish things up!  Here are the last shots of my little camera!

Farron and I on her birthday, in Boulder, on our way to dinner at Papa Jay's!  Again I marvel at how modern day photographers use filters and presets to get this very look! All of these images are straight off the negative with no modifications!! Photo: Alex Helt

Photo of a group of friends at a recent gathering!  

This just proves that shooting in mid day light is horrible no matter what you are shooting with lol!!  I still treasure the shot!!

Post photo session up at Eldorado Springs park. 

The upshot of this experiment is I 100% absolutely LOVED IT!!  I already purchased another camera to keep in my bag, so that I can pull it out for those special shots that I see in my mind.  In this day and age of instant gratification, this roll may take me awhile to finish...and that's part of the beauty of it!  When I get it back I will have all kinds of fun surprises in store for me!

You may find me breaking out my old film camera soon!  Believe it or not I have a couple of rolls of film still taking up space in my refrigerator that are going to be utilized soon!!

If you have any questions, comments, or just want to say hey, feel free to leave a comment or reach out via email!  suzannelopez321@gmail.com