Please don’t take my Kodachrome away!

Some of my earliest vacation memories include lugging a heavy camera bag through Disney World, Story Land, and the Franklin Park Zoo. My Dad, an avid photographer, used me and my two brothers as his pack mules to carry his equipment. Not only did we tote an astonishing array of “still” cameras, such as the 110, the 126, and his trusty 35 mm, we also brought the movie camera, as well as extra film, flash bulbs, and batteries. Once we arrived home from our trip, my Dad would mail the film cassettes off for processing. A few weeks later our vacation photos would arrive. My Mom would arrange them in an album and mail a few to my Grandma.

Dad passed his love of photography onto me and I minored in photo journalism in college. I spent most of my junior and senior year ensconced in the darkroom happily developing my black and white photos. I also worked at a local newspaper as their Roving Reporter, asking the question of the week and taking pictures.

When digital photography came along, I quickly became a convert. I love the convenience of being able to tell if I “got the shot” right away, delete my bloopers, and take as many photos as I want. These days, my iPhone is my primary camera. It’s light weight and it fits in my pocket. My husband, like my Dad, is also an avid photographer. He prefers to use his digital 35 mm camera, but fortunately he carries his own equipment bag.

With the switch from film to digital, I print out very few photos. I usually share pug pictures on Facebook, and post pictures of my quilting projects on my personal blog. Sometimes I will make a photo book for a special event such as my Dad’s 80^th birthday or our trip to Hawaii.

Of course, everything comes full circle. My 16 year old nephew Josh loves photography and collects vintage cameras. I gave him several of the “old” cameras that my Dad had passed down to me. He was thrilled. This summer he took a week long class on black and white photography. He learned to develop his own film and now he wants to set up a darkroom in his basement.

How about you? Do you enjoy photography? Anyone still use a film camera or develop your own photos? Any scrap bookers out there making intricate photo albums? How do you share your photos? Instagram? Facebook?

Originally published July 2014.