Film Journal: My Tool of Intentionality

“I’ve always been intimidated by shooting film.”

I’ve always been intimidated by shooting film. But now that I think about it, I think it’s less the film and more of the intentionality required that scares me. I’ve never considered myself a very technical creative and I think I’ve used this as an excuse for a long time to just rest on whatever raw talent I thought I had instead of pushing. Pushing to learn new things, new techniques, to dig deep and research the ones that came before me. 

So to have to learn something that takes as much devotion and care as film photography was always daunting. But like most, I found myself with extra time during the pandemic and I decided to take the Nishika 9000 that my friend Mikey had given me and figure out how to use the thing.

Instantly I was hooked. Something about loading the film, winding from frame to frame, getting a new batch of scans, just felt so… significant. Like every picture had its own purpose. It’s own story.

“just felt so… significant. Like every picture had its own purpose. It’s own story.”

This is the reward that comes from intentionality. Something as simple as finally picking up a film camera and choosing to learn how to use it can open up a new avenue to learn and grow, open up new parts of the mind to think and dream about new things that can be made, projects that can be started, which will lead to new adventures to be had. 

So I’m excited to see where this goes. Already I’m thinking of new projects, new businesses, new stories I want to tell just by virtue of me needing to share or at least display these photos somehow. This new hobby has proved itself to be a simple tool of intentionality. And I can’t wait to see what I can build with it.