I have been dabbling in film photography for the past few years. Two years ago, I won an awesome opportunity from Nancy Ray photography to a free Contax 645 rental for a weekend, and I instantly fell in love. I decided to purchase a much more affordable film camera since I was just beginning, and so I came to shoot with my 35mm Canon 1x! I was determined to learn film photography, and actually did a pretty good job keeping up with shooting film at a lot of my sessions! I quickly learned that if I were to offer film sessions, I would need to dedicate more time and resources to learning/perfecting the craft. As time went by, I would get swamped with busy seasons on top of my school schedule, and just never really found the time to fully get into it. When we had to quarantine in March/April, I decided to spend a lot of my extra time researching how to shoot film! I watched a few courses, and I purchased an awesome light meter! When it was safe again, I asked some of my closest friends to do some socially distanced film mini-sessions with me so that I could practice. I was so pleased with how these photos came out. It really is like Christmas morning to a film photographer when those scans come into your inbox. I literally was pacing around as my email opened saying, “Please don’t be bad, please don’t be bad!” You really have no idea what the photos will look like, and if you are not 100% a confident film photographer it can make things feel a little scary. All three sessions turned out gorgeous! I am so happy with how these photos came out, and I am also so proud of myself for taking time to practice and perfect my newest skill in photography! Sometimes, getting in the groove of things can get boring as you are not challenging yourself with new things. If this quarantine taught me anything, it is to embrace the time you have and make the most of it. I am excited to continue learning how to shoot in film…maybe one day I will upgrade to a Contax! (Dear Santa…) 😉 Thank you to my AMAZING friends who agreed to these film minis with me this summer! These three couples are some of our very best friends. I am so happy to know people whose kindness and love can shine like this through photos. Enjoy!