Impermanence

The last time I had film developed was almost a year ago. Recently, I had four rolls I wanted developed so back in June I sent them off. This time I only had the film developed and no scans done because I got a film scanner back at Christmas! It’s a bit cheaper and my next step to make it even a little more cheaper is to see if I can find a camera shop or photo lab within a 30 minute drive from me so I can get it developed locally. Either way, stockpiling some film for once or twice a year isn’t a big deal but film development is definitely not as cheap was it was 20 years ago.

I’m only sharing photos of Forest for now. Some were shot on a Minolta 35mm SLR and others were shot on my Diana Baby 110 toy camera. I love these photos because I’d forgotten I’d taken most of them. There’s something about seeing a photo you took 1-3 years ago and instantly remembering the reason you took it. I was also surprised to see Forest’s 2020 COVID hair as I thought I’d already developed most of those last year. Apparently not! The mask photo at the beach isn’t actually the beach, I think it’s at Goose Island State Park, but he put the mask on because the wind was cold and he wanted to block it off his face. And him sitting on the wooden board, that was a break along a hike at Sam Houston NF I think. I’m still debating which campsite we’re at with the McDonald’s cup and dinosaur toy he’s playing with. The photos I took at the house make me want to take more photos at home, something I’ve all but stopped doing unless it is with my phone. I used to take all sorts of documentary style photos at home when he was a baby and toddler but our house is a chaotic mess these days (the reason: the child I’m writing about) and often I have no interest in showing the unorganized and often messy state of my house. But, that’s the part that usually interests us in the future when we look back, right? We remember the signs of life. Forest helps me with laundry, well, helps is the wrong word. He helps just about like Leo used to help me with laundry, which is to say he keeps me entertained and plays in the laundry while I fold it. Soon, he will indeed have to help me because I’ve threatened that he needs to be folding and putting away his own laundry by the time he’s 10–a year away. We’ve already gotten the putting away part established, it’s the more boring aspect of folding I’m trying to entice! I’m pretty sure he’s pretending to be a cat in the last photo, licking his paw!

I know you can replicate film in digital photography through Photoshop but it certainly isn’t the same vibe. And shooting on film makes me think a little more when I am composing a photo, plus the expired part of it has me making that a factor as well. You never know what will come out months or years later when you develop it!

I chose the title Impermanence because of how much Forest has changed since these first photos were taken. Times has marched by and while you can see it in the digital photos we take daily, it’s a lot harder to see time passing when you flip through photos you’ve taken recently. When you get the film back, that’s when it hits home how much time has evolved things in your life.

More film adventures soon!