Improvement
Will and I took a trip to the YMCA Trout Lodge near Potosi, MO two weeks ago. We were arriving in celebration of Will’s parents’ anniversary. It was just what we needed. We were able to see his wonderful family and disconnect from our everyday lives for a couple days. It was beautiful at this lodge!
The first day was spent just enjoying the family and focusing on what is most important. The next day was spent saying goodbyes and then exploring a little with our cameras before going back to Nashville. It was the first time in quite a while that I picked up my film camera. It was the first time that I really worked hard at learning how to use it. I used some “play” film I bought at Urban Outfitters and a light meter to try things out. I also wrote the camera settings I used for each photograph I took. [The main goal with this roll was exposure. I wanted to focus on learning that because I already knew this camera had its issues. This was my dad’s camera for many, many years (He loves photography, too!). He gave it to me as a Christmas gift two years ago. While it is my only camera right now and a prized possession, there is something wrong with the focus. Yes, I realize that it is all manual but my Dad and I have both noticed something off about it. Also, there are light leaks. Anyway, I say all this to acknowledge the fact that some of these photographs are just not focused right. However, they still make me so happy when I look at them. This is what I have to look back on from our trip. Focused or not, they are special. :)]
Will was there to help me a bit. He is so patient and has been great about answering even the silliest questions I have.
We spent about an hour at the lodge and then started making our way toward TN.
I didn’t finish the whole roll. I’ll be honest, I don’t like wasting exposures just to finish a roll. I want to really work on my skill (I totally said that in a Napoleon Dynamite voice.) and taking no-good photos just to be done with a roll seems silly to me. Anyway, I waited to use up the rest of the film until a trip out to a lake area near our apartment a few days later. It was rainy and everything seemed to have a fog to it.
I felt completely at peace. I realized that afternoon that I didn’t have to drive hours away to get the same feeling I had at that lodge. I could rest at home, too. :)
erinsunday.wordpress.com 
These look great Erin! I actually sometimes love out-of-focus shots because it’s like seeing the moment through a foggy window, a hazy memory. Looks like you’re learning so much from your Dad’s camera though! x
Thanks, Elyse! I feel like every photograph is an opportunity to improve myself as a photographer. I am learning to accept imperfection as a chance to use it as a springboard for greatness. I think we are very similar in the fact that we find beauty in places that are often overlooked. Thank you for seeing the beauty I do in these photographs. Even after I acquire the camera I am saving for, I will still find myself reaching for this old Nikon that I will never be able to part with. It is a little defective; however, it challenges me to push past the crutches it provides and find my strengths. As I strive to make something out of little, I remind myself that this will make it easier to make those betters into bests and highs into highers. :)
Something about film is just so honest and authentic. It’s truthful. It isn’t perfect, but neither is the truth. Neither is life. That’s what I love most about it. I bought a box of old film cameras off ebay a while ago, and haven’t printed anything yet. I did waste a few frames here and there to try and finish a roll, but it still hasn’t happened. You’ve inspired me to pick up those cameras again. :)
These are so beautiful, Erin.
emjay
Oooooo! What was the film’s ISO? I like the graininess. Great pictures, Erin. Awesome modeling skills, Will. ;)
Xo,
Vi
these are wonderful!