In my office, among the many precious items that adorn my work area, there sits a little wooden cigar box that contains a treasure that, to the casual observer, may easily get overlooked as general clutter. I can’t say that I would blame someone for making such a mistake of judgement. It is just one of several beat-up, old boxes on my desk shelf that add to the overall scene of creative chaos. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure, as they say. It’s not the box itself that I cherish, but what is contained inside that I am excited about.

Inside this box are a couple dozen tiny time capsules that I have been waiting to open for about 15 years! Starting in January 2021 I am going to open a few at a time and let you see what’s in them.  OK, to be straightforward, I’m talking about 24 rolls of undeveloped 35mm film. That may not excite you, but it really excites me.

When I began to be interested in photography I was intrigued by the science, technique, and mystery of the whole process of the craft. I loved the mechanics of the cameras and the smell of the chemicals in the dark room. I enjoyed every part of making a photograph. The trek to the location. Composing the shot. Setting focus and exposure. Releasing the shutter. Winding the film for the next shot. All of it. It was so much fun!

Taking the picture was just half of the fun. The best part was seeing what I shot start to appear in the developing trays and then mounting it when it was dry. There was a whole side to photography that (for lack of a better expression) seemed magical. But with the cost of purchasing and developing film, while also trying to make it on my own as a young adult, I often enjoyed the camera work without getting to see what I captured.  Then came digital cameras.

In 2007 I had finally saved enough money to buy my first DSLR camera and began to experiment with digital photography. There was a new kind of excitement with being able to instantly see what I had captured, but the mystery of developing the film and prints had been completely removed from the experience. The instant nature of it made me less careful with my compositions and more rushed with the whole process. It was cheap, after all, so I shot away.  It was nothing to shoot a couple thousand images at a time. Prior to that it would take me days to carefully shoot through the 24 frames on a roll of film. I have since learned to discipline myself more with my DSLR and not shoot everything just because I can. I have also learned not to “chimp” (to look at every image on the camera as you shoot). It’s really hard, though.

I am excited about these rolls of film because they harken back to a time in my life when things moved slower.  No smartphones. No digital cameras. No social media. I didn’t even have any access to the internet during those years. Looking back, I really miss that. Though 15 years is not that long ago, in this day of instant gratification, that’s a long time to go without seeing what you shot. 

I am really excited to see what’s there and to share with you a glimpse into what was important to me in the early 2000s. I have no doubt there are several scenes of Mount Carroll there and I cannot wait to see how they turned out!