Shooting film, 2024 & 2025

Solva, Wales (Kodak Ultra Max 400, Minolta X-700)

The stakes of shooting with film have always felt high – none of the instant gratification of an iPhone or digital camera, and all of the money and complication. Yet I adore the look of 35mm and medium format film; the quality, the color, the grain: magic.

Last year my colleague showed me some photos she’d taken on an inexpensive toy camera and convinced me that it was worth my time. It turns out I love it. My confidence grows with every roll of film I’ve had developed, and I’ve graduated from my Kodak Ektar H35 to a Minolta X-700, now with a 45mm lens. Plus some bonus time with a borrowed Olympus 35SP thanks to my kind and patient friend Chris Goodwin.

Carolina Renaissance Faire in November 2024 (Ilford 400, Ektar H35)

Learning the nuances of each camera has been a ride. Getting the settings, focus, and composition just right in the moment is exhilerating. Choosing a film stock that works for me. Then even if I only get 2 or 3 snaps that I love from each roll of film, it’s worth it. I feel present in each moment when I’m taking photos. Not just seeing, but noticing. Noticing more than I would if I was looking at the world through my iPhone screen.

Itsukushima, Hiroshima Bay in December 2024 (Kodak Ultra Max 400, Ektar H35)

A street in Asakusa, Tokyo in January 2025 (Kodak Ultra Max 400, Ektar H35)

Taking the Kodak toy camera to Japan sealed the deal for me on film. Sure the hit rate of great photos was low – I’m better now, I promise – but I remember where I was when I took each photo. And I’m grateful that it has been forcing me away from that dopamine rush of receiving a like on Instagram.

In February of 2024 my buddy Chris let me borrow his Olympus 35-SP for a trip to Portland (photo below) and I began to love the process even more. The weight of the camera in my hand and that gratifying thunk of the mechanical shutter couldn’t be replicated even with the best haptic feedback on my phone.

Portland, OR in February 2025, photo by Emma (Kodak Ultra Max 400, Olympus 35-SP)

The Minolta X-700 is a much simpler (and cheaper) camera than the Olympus and is the perfect entry-level camera for someone looking to take the leap. For a few hundred bucks you can a perfectly restored Minolta with a 50mm lens and be good to go. There are ample videos on the internet to help you understand the nuances of the camera, and additional lenses are crazy cheap.

Here are some photos from my trip to England & Wales earlier in 2024, all shot on Kodak Ultra Max 400 with the X-700 (50mm lens).

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