I’ve been planning this little sister shoot for a while now, and I knew I wanted to use film… but I simply held off because I didn’t want to “mess it up.” I’m so glad I decided to load up my film camera anyways. Actually I was talking to a couple friends about 15 minutes prior to taking these, and one of them (Hi, Dani!) said, “Marybeth- have you taken any golden hour photos recently? I’d love to see them if you have!”…. No time like the present to try, right?

I’m not gonna pretend like these are some masterpiece and my most prized work… They’re not. I have A LOT to learn still and A LOT to learn about shooting film in tricky lighting conditions such as this one. But I will say that taking these was the most fun I’ve had with photography in a long time. Worth every dang penny.

It was so freeing to be able to just throw in a roll and not have to worry about all that digital stuff like white balance and the incessant peeking at the back of the camera we all do… I had 36 shots. I attempted to use them wisely. I knew not every one would be a keeper and that’s ok. Just the thrill of not knowing if I got what I was hoping to get was a powerful enough feeling that I realized this little roll is just the beginning of a new journey for me. Film is where it’s at, baby. 😉

If you follow me on Instagram, I’m sure you read my post where I said this:

“Welp, I got my first film scans back from @thefindlab and needless to say, I’m throwing out all my digital cameras. 🤣 Just kidding. I really have A LOT to learn about shooting film…like a lot a lot. But I’ll tell ya this much- I was as happy as ever shooting this little backyard sister session with my girls! Like more happy than I normally am when I take their pictures. Knowing I had only 36 shots to get all I wanted made things so much easier. I know that sounds like a situation where the pressure for perfection should be on, but in reality it felt quite the opposite. It was fun and sweet and so laid back, and that high of not knowing what I got but having to wait a week or more to find out was such a rush. 😋 I suppose that’s the beauty of film- the anticipation. You don’t take a hundred shots with your fingers crossed that you got that perfect one… You watch, you wait, you anticipate, then bam! You catch what you were waiting for. Yeah, I’m hooked. 😂 #thefindlab #kodakcolorplus200“

Dana came outside with us to help me, and I think even he got a kick out of hearing me laugh or yell, “YES!” after each shot. LOL! (I’m an enthusiastic photographer, what can I say?)

When we were done, Nadia said, “Can I see the pictures now?” Sorry kid. Can’t. Gotta wait two weeks. Ohhhhh the anticipation. It’s healthy for us all. 😉

Thank you to The Find Lab for not only developing this roll but beginning our new relationship with positive feedback and tips and tricks to help me navigate my way through these early stages of film photography. I would highly recommend this lab to anyone looking!

XO