This summer was quite the photographic discovery within a social environment for me. I’ve been getting in touch with analog photography and I was more socially active than usual.

It started with a Fujifilm waterproof disposable camera. I was going to the beach with some friends and I’ve always been curious to try some underwater shots. So a disposable camera was the best thing to experiment with it.

I feel in love with the 35mm and I love the effects of waterproof shots as well. Too bad I only started halfway through summer, not having that many days left to shoot more of it.

With a analog camera around people don’t have the chance to get all obsessed about how that frame turned out (eg. if their face looks weird or something alike). And I think that created a much more relaxed mood when the camera was being used. Then there’s the wondering how all the frames turned out and a certain eagerness to finally see the results. And it’s always a nice get together to have everyone see it!

Sure, digital is convenient and cheaper as you don’t need to pay for film and development. But I believe that takes away a bit of a thrill. Don’t get me wrong I love digital as well. But for different things. Always carrying a nicely sized digital camera everywhere we go is great. We never know what we might encounter and there’s always moments when we wish we had a camera around. It’s great to check the results of your experiments and works right away, and of course provided you with much more control.

But being out with friends, I think analog beats digital any day! I guess the element of surprise has been undervalued.

I must confess, I’m all crazy with playing with film right now, so maybe I’m a bit biased.

I’m still waiting on two 120 rolls to be developed, and I’m expecting a bunch of rolls, of both 120 and 35mm, to arrive from lomography.com, along with a 35mm back adapter for the Diana F+. With it I can use both films. Because I love the classic 120 format, but the excitement of having your roll done in one hour after being dropped at the store is simply addictive!

Anyway, I’ve updated the photography section. Reorganized the old stuff and added new photos in the instant film and 35mm film. So check it out now!

And here’s my first experience with my brand new camera, the Diana F+! The first batch, in which I used a 400 asa (iso) 120 roll.

It was a weird feeling the first time I got them out of the envelope. They didn’t felt awesome on a first look, but rather they started to grow on me. I can’t tell if it’s either a good or a bad thing… But one sure gets unexpected results! Although the five day wait could be a tiny bit shorter..! I surely wouldn’t mind that!

I only got 10 photos, when I believe I should get 12, because I messed up a bit and overlapped some frames. No sweat, it made for some nice effects. I would say unexpected again, but then I would just be repeating myself.

Now, check them all >>

I want to try the old school stuff! Experiment with the settings without seeing how it turns out right away and get unexpected results! It has more of a carefree feeling to it. Digital is great and always will be, but sometimes it kinda sucks away the fun of the moment. We tend to point, shoot and check repeatedly. I think each has it’s own different place.

But better than my ramblings, here’s a video (by stuffmagazine) to introduce you to the Diana+:

AND, I also got a Fujifilm Instax 200. It’s pretty awesome! Although it has an auto flash that can be truly annoying. But I made a small carboard box, which fits the flash tight, to cover it up when I want to. So, problem solved!

See a few photos here.