I was just having a flashback moment last night that resulted in the inspiration for today’s post. Who remembers cameras that used real film? Anybody remember anything other than the common 35 mm camera?
The only difference is that my first camera way baby blue, not pink.
My first camera was a 110 Concord and I quickly learned that all my pictures would be off center until I learned to purposely aim it a bit to the left (or right- I really don’t remember which way anymore, but it was definitely off center). Of course, I went through the entire multi-pack of film I was given with this wonderful Christmas gift, and waited the customary one month minimum it took for my mom to take me to drop off the film, and then the additional week it took for the grocery store to send the film away to their lab for development before I learned this fact. So maybe I didn’t learn this lesson quickly at all.
And that is the point to this post: Technology advancement. I was probably ten or so and my first muse and model for my photography was our family’s cat. After that first round of pictures finally came back (and I didn’t care that they were terrible and off-center), I had to save up my allowance to buy film and pay for developing because my mom already had a pretty good idea what the cat looked like and wasn’t going to pay for such nonsense.
Now?
Now we point and shoot our phones at something and instantly upload our pictures to Instagram, which we can link to Facebook, or send them to our spouses or mothers via a text message. The key word is instantly. It’s crazy! And I didn’t even mention the quality difference yet. There are baby pictures of me that have discolored over the years from physical photo development, but modern mommies can capture amazingly clear photos of first steps and keep them safely in a cloud, or the cloud, or whatever. The clarity, megapixels and whatnot, are far beyond the technology of my grainy 110 camera from my childhood.
I rarely bother actually printing photos anymore either. I’d just have to place them into bulky physical photo albums. Now I just move them around on my computer to organize them into virtual photo albums that only take up as much room as is needed on my computer or back-up hard drive.
I could go on and on about this, but I believe I’ve made the point of my amazement. And I refuse to let the exponential growth of technology make me feel old, just fortunate to be around to see it (and incidentally, I’m really not very old).
caverns of my mind 
I do recall having a 110 camera (black, with a normal/telephoto switch) which I was daft enough to lose on holiday in Wales c. 2000. Even managed what today are called “selfies”- but I called them “self-takes”, they were impossibly blurry affairs and were only used for the purpose of using up any spare frames left on the film.
I still use single-use film cameras and do intend to try using some 35mm sometime.
Yes, you have to watch how many exposures you have left on your film. No, you can’t be sure absolutely how they will turn out after you develop them. No, you can’t go back and delete. Yes, it costs way more money than digital. Etc. Etc.
But one can still be nostalgic.
I had a very hard time actually letting go of the “old school” style at first, but convenience has won. I do sadly feel there is a lost art though.
I have always loved my pictures! I had a 110 as well. I also had (still have actually) this little camera that somehow turns my one picture into 4 smaller pictures once the film was developed. In addition to that I have a sony that didn’t take film but mini cd’s instead. It automatically burned the image onto the cd. I loved it!! That was breaking technology at the time too! I will never get rid of my old stuff but I am also glad I am around to experience these new technologies. I am fortunate enough to have a computer genius techie as a husband so he can explain all of the things I don’t understand at first. Lol!
This “old stuff” may actually be worth something if you do hang onto it anyway, not to mention how fun it can be to look back. I loved that first camera because it was my first adventure in photography and I think it helps to still have that perspective.
Agreed! I have always told the hubs, if we have a house fire the one thing I would grab is my treasure chest full of pictures/cameras… Everything else is replaceable eventually but the non digital pics are not!!!!