I was recently going through a few old photos on Flickr, enjoying some old memories in the form of photo:
I have a couple film photos from a trip to Grand Teton National Park taken with a Lubitel 166b which we have since sold. The trip was great. It was with my partner's family. We fit five grownups in a rental minivan and set out on an eighteen hour drive from West Central Minnesota. I was relatively newly married. About two years. So it was in some ways a test or trial as to whether I can keep my wits in close proximity with the fam. I think, overall, it went pretty well. No fallouts or anything.
I'm trying to remember everything we did on that trip, but it turns out thirteen years does a number on a person's memory of an event, even a memorable one. I remember a lot of hiking, some white water rafting and watching Batman Begins back at the cabin.
If I remember anything from that trip, it is the feeling of being in mountains. They are nothing short of awesome to me, a being from the midwest prairie. Mountains are something I hope to incorporate in my life this year, pandemic or not.
As I was looking through these old photos, I can't help but feel nostalgic for the magic of film. There's a certain sense of anticipation, excitement and worry attached to it. "Hope this photo turned out" is something we don't really have to worry anymore.
I also miss the heart and soul of cameras and film as an artform. I embrace light leaks, vignettes, double exposures, the unique feel and colors of different film brands. It's still funny to me that one year after these photos were taken, Instagram was born. A platform that so desperately tried to mimic these unique-to-film qualities that I feel breath unique life into photos.
Admittedly, I once again purchased a Lubitel camera a few nights ago. I had no clue I missed it so much. I'm looking forward to documenting new memories on an old format.
Tokenized Photos
These photos have been tokenized on lensy.io, if you feel inclined to own either or both. Both NFTs are one-of-one.
https://lensy.io/gallery/bonesandomens_lubitel_wyoming-road-trip
https://lensy.io/gallery/bonesandomens_lubitel_grand-tetons
I grew up on the midwest, but my family moved west over 20 years ago, and I haven't felt the urge to move back. Between the natural beauty and the independent culture, I feel much more at home.