Really I should call this post “My love affair with film,” because that’s really what it is. I learned on film. I started shooting when I was 11, in the seventh grade (yes I was 11, and turned 12 in the 7th grade.) I spent hours in the dark room, it was my happy place. I took pictures of everything, my friends, my family, our dog, kids around school. There was a certain satisfaction from composing an image and then watching it slowly come to life in development. My love of film isn’t just in taking the picture, it’s the entire process.

Film makes me slow down and think about what I’m doing. There are only 16 shots on a roll. It makes me take the time to compose an image before I click. I don’t just click away and hope that something turns out. Every image is a conscious decision. If I don’t love it, I won’t shoot it.

Besides all of that, shooting film just makes me so happy. I love the connection it makes me have with the families I shoot. I love the sound of the shutter, and the film advancing to the next image. I love the way it feels in my hands, the sound of it rewinding, and that final click when its done. I love getting scans back, and the feeling I have every single time I open a folder and look through images I’ve just gotten back. It feels like Christmas every time.

And that’s why I shoot film.

View my previous post: When is a Good Age for Baby Photos

View my wedding photography: http://erikaparkerphotography.com/