It’s been quite some time since I ventured out with a film camera. Shooting instant film is a regular part of my routine, as is shooting digital. But for some reason, the film cameras I own seem to gather a lot of dust and very little love.

When I came across some expired 35 mm film in my closet recently, I decided it was time to put one of my film cameras to use. I loaded up a roll of Kodak black and white film into my Leica Minilux, a camera of my Dad’s that I’d never previously used.

Using this little point and shoot camera was fun, though the tiny viewfinder was a challenge when it came to composition. I decided to not worry much about technical control and to just shoot freely the objects that caught my eye. The size and weight of the camera made it very easy to tuck into my small camera bag or coat pocket as it traveled with me.I’ll admit I was motivated to quickly shoot this roll so I could see see how the camera performed–especially with this very old film stock. I was pleasantly surprised to see that most of the images were acceptable! And I love the film grain that shines through in these captures. The fails I experienced were due to user error, not the camera or film, and overall it was a fun experiment. And since there’s more expired film waiting in the wings, I may be repeating this experiment very soon!

~Leslie