Time marches on

Around the mid 2000s I had completely stopped taking photos. At the time, I couldn’t justify the expense of purchasing and processing film. I wasn’t ready to buy a digital camera. My only camera was the 35mm Canon EOS 630 film camera I bought in 1991. For roughly ten years, it sat in a drawer loaded with a 36 frame roll of colour negative film.

It was roughly 2015 when I was inspired to start photographing again. There was film in my camera. I paid roughly $15 to replace the dead battery. Finally one day I walked around downtown Hamilton and took a few pictures. I remembered taking shots of the colourful graffiti and of the auto wreckers on Cannon St. Though I was looking forward to seeing the developed images, the camera went back into the drawer. My attention had been redirected, as within a year or so I owned digital SLR camera.

Fast forward to late 2024. I have now owned five digital cameras. The journey has been fraught with well intentioned impulses and woeful regrets. Each time I would be determined an upgrade was worthwhile, end up with some enormously capable hardware, only to require and pursue something more portable.

It was during one such cycle I felt the film camera needed revisiting. There was film inside after all. The roll had 12 of 36 frames exposed. The battery was still good. After some reassurance from the internet, I was confident the film would be fine even if 20 years old.

I attached a 50mm lens and ventured from my place of work in downtown Hamilton to pick up where I left off. The sun was out. It shines at a low angle this time of year. The first opportunity presented itself on Cannon Street. Images of workers at their trade interest me. These ones weren’t fussed by me capturing them working their magic. Looking back there are only a handful of photos that include people among all I have taken, though they are my favourites.

I moved through downtown toward Gore Park. The empty space where historic buildings stood, until just weeks before, was being cleared and levelled. A fellow was having smoke at the bus terminal. I asked for and took a photo but I forgot to ask his name. I was mindful of the limits of shooting film. I wouldn’t take more than one photo of a scene. I wanted to make the most of the film roll. 18 frames left.

Feeling city scenes would be better captured with a wider angle, I spent around CAD$200 on a 24mm EF mount lens. By the time it arrived the cold and some heavy snow had come. I headed out as the skies and sidewalks were clearing. I wasn’t sure how well any of the film photos would turn out. Though I was eager to finish the roll, I would be selective with the frames I shoot. 12 frames to go. A short walk downtown.

8 frames left. Another sunny day I went to the shuttered Canadian Drawn Steel Co. Ltd. property. Sunlight shone on a giant doorway that could be seen from the street. I ducked through an opening in the fence. It was cold enough that I didn’t get wet walking knee deep through snow.

Some industrial properties have a design futuristic for their time. The rounded rectangular windows. Painted stripes on a 45 degree angle. I broke my rule and took more than one shot of the doorway scene. By then I had resolved to use up the roll that day.

It’s ok to be so stingy with each frame. Film isn’t free and neither is processing. I dropped off the film at Bell Arte Camera for processing only. No prints. I will digitize the pictures on my own. This way I keep the expense to a minimum.

Shooting with film is fun. There’s a feeling of suspense never knowing for sure if the pictures will turn out. Also, using the roll sparingly is a welcome challenge. It has motivated me to be more sparing when shooting digitally. Taking extra time striving for a single worthy shot is more effective than taking more than enough mediocre shots.

The results are pleasing in unexpected ways. The colours pop with contrast and the odd unusual cast. Dust found its way onto the film somehow but it feels wrong to edit it out. The pictures aren’t perfectly sharp. It’s not much of an outcome for a project 20 years in the making but I feel satisfied. Though tempting, I have no firm plans to repeat the experiment. I do however have two rolls of black and white film waiting for opportunity to strike.