Analog Series: Discovering A Mystery Disposable Camera
A love letter to disposable cameras, the magic of analog photography, and the unexpected ways our loved ones stay with us through the images we create.
Welcome to my Analog Series — a collection of stories, lessons, and reflections centered around one roll of film at a time. This series invites you to slow down, experiment creatively, and approach your film photography practice with intention.
A Legacy of Scrapbooks and Snapshots
My grandmother was born in 1917, just a few years after the 35mm film camera was invented. Throughout her life, she loved taking photos with a disposable camera and was dilligent about creating photo scrapbooks every year. By the end of her lifetime, she had dozens and dozens of them meticulously organized on a shelf. Each 3-ring binder had pages full of photos glued on with rubber cement and captions written by hand. My grandfather was also a hobby photographer, who shot medium format film, which also made their way into scrapbooks spanning the 1930s-1960s.
In 2001, after taking my first photography class, I offered to teach her how to use my SLR camera, but she had no interest in anything but Kodak disposable cameras purchased at the pharmacy where she’d also drop off her film for development and prints. I actually love that a disposable camera was her preferred choice. People fall for photography for many different reasons, and although Grandma Kay never saw herself as a photographer, she was curious about the world and wanted to document her life and travels with minimal frill or complication.
Discovering Her Lost Camera
I was with her in hospice when she passed away in 2017, and I happened to bring back a box of memorable things. While sorting through her stuff, I also discovered a few rolls of film and a disposable camera, but in my grief-stricken state, I left them in a box at my mom’s house for a few years…
On a recent trip back to Florida, I had the mental space to rummage through the box of Granny’s things and found one of her undeveloped disposable cameras waiting for me.
My mind flooded with excitement, thinking this camera must have a bunch of her photos on it. Could this be a long-lost message in a bottle holding one more memory with my beloved grandma? Turns out, most of the frames were still unused, so I thought, why try and see if the film was still any good?
One Last Roll Together
Granny loved reading and gardening, so I documented her favorite swamp lily plant. She also loved taking afternoon walks around the lake, so that’s just what I did. She also had a particular fondness for cypress trees, which subsequently became the subject of most frames. Without a clue whether or not it would work, I shot this whole role quickly and with whimsy.
The fact that the brand that made the camera went out of business 20 years ago was a sign it probably would not work out, but… to my surprise, the film wasn’t ruined! The chemical decay added some funky, dreamy effects. There were a few very foggy frames of plants that I suspect Granny had taken herself. I love that in a way, we got to finish this disposable camera together.
The last frame of this roll
Continue exploring my Analog Series, and feel free to leave a comment with a link to your own analog photos.
I’d love to see what you’re creating!
