In my last post, I wrote about how I wanted to spend more time with medium format film this summer. And I did! It has been a small return, a rediscovery of my Contax 645, and with it came a few gentle reminders.

The photos themselves feel different. They are somehow softer, and dreamlike in a way that digital never quite captures.

I was reassured to find that I can still focus. I had worried my hands or my eyes might betray me, but the frames came out sharp (well, apart from the 35mm roll from the M6 — but that is another story).

And then there is the sound. I mentioned this in my previous post, but it is so true! The satisfying click of the shutter. The whirr of the whole film rewinding at the end of the roll. These small things have become markers of success, making each roll a little celebration. We call it “the sound of victory”!

This giant, hulking camera also slowed me down. You cannot just rattle off fifty frames and hope for the best. You look, you consider, you meter for light, you wait. Each frame asks for intention. I found myself much more present in the act of taking photographs. More invested. 

So I think I will keep leaning into this slower rhythm. Summer reminded me how satisfying it is to work with a camera that asks for more patience and care (and more strength, let’s be honest). As the days tilt toward autumn, perhaps this camera will remind me again: that there is value in waiting and that focus is something we practise.

Kirstin