2020 - A year to forget?

A reflection of 2020 and the life lessons I’ve learnt through picking up film photography.

2020 - A year to forget?

As I scroll through my social media accounts - that's a common phrase many people have been using to sum up 2020.

2020 has completely changed the way we live our lives. Undoubtedly, everyone has had something to lose. For some - the freedom to travel, the privilege of working at the office, the opportunities of gathering and meeting with loved ones. For others, the impact has been much greater. Some have lost loved ones, livelihoods, homes and much more.

As we look towards 2021, amidst all hardships and obstacles, 2020 has reminded us not to take life for granted and to be grateful for the simple things in life. Whether it be a simple walk in the park without a facemask, a dinner with friends and family (not limited to two), or a movie night out with your loved ones. 2020 has been a cliche, yet timely reminder that we should treasure life and live it to the fullest, one day at time.

Wearing masks - the norm to life.

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In 2020, having spent more time in Hong Kong during the holidays than I usually would - I decided to pick up an old film camera (Leica M6 - see my "about page” to learn more about this amazing camera) to capture a bit of everyday life. For those who know me and know how I geek out about the latest digital cameras, a film camera is anything but high resolution, convenient and easy to use. Heck, it doesn't even come close to your phone camera to say the least. (Not to mention, the pain and costs of buying, developing and printing film. And the worst of all, finding out that for one reason or another, your film photos turn out to be completely unusable).

But, as painful as it has been, film photography has been equally as enjoyable. Having shot for a year and gone through around 30 rolls of film, there are several things which I’ve really learnt to appreciate about film photography.

In film photography - you only get one shot to seize the moment

Slowing it down and enjoying the moment

Think about the last time you visited a nice restaurant with friends and family - isn’t it so much easier to just take your phone camera out from your pocket, take a few photos of the food (相機食先), switch to the front camera and take several more selfies for your Instagram story? After a year, (myself included), you’ll realise that you’ve gathered 10,000 photos of food and selfies which, for as easily as it was taken, it’s as easily forgotten.

Shooting film is vastly different - you only get 36 shots in one roll of film. You cannot take 50 of the same photos on “live” mode and pray that that there is one good photo. There is no auto exposure or auto focus. Film photography forces you to slow down and go through the mental exercise of making every shot count. It encourages you to pay attention to your surroundings closely and observe what you might have normally missed. Moreover, the process of taking film photos creates tactile and vivid memories - you need to hold the metal body of the camera, look through the viewfinder, toggle the knobs, adjust your angle and change your settings. Indeed, it is common knowledge that sensual experiences - such as taste, smell, or touch, create deeper and longer lasting memories in our cortex. Similar to how we always remember the taste of a great meal or feeling of a great massage. Therefore, by actively having to think about the moment - film photography enhances your experience of the moment. This is supplemented by the fact that after a moment is captured, there is no fancy screen for you to review the image after you have taken it. This essentially kills any urge to retake the moment over and over again for the perfect Instagram photo and in my opinion, prevents us from “living for the photo”. (By all means, this is not a rant to tell everyone to stop taking photos with their phones - just a reminder that we should always learn to live in the moment).

I have had the joy of taking my film camera with me around and here’s a collection of photos I’ve taken of people when I’m with them. I don’t think there’s any photo app that beats the skin tones and texture produced by film cameras!

Learning from mistakes

Some people are easily put off by film because it doesn’t guarantee a perfect photo every time. This could not be further from the truth! For every good photo I’ve taken - there’s been at least several other bad ones before that. However, just like learning anything in life, there is great satisfaction in the journey of learning and improving one’s skill. Just as how you may not remember every exam you’ve passed, you’d definitely remember every exam you’ve failed. So when looking at these “bad photos”, I’m actually forced to think about why it occurred and how I can prevent it from happening again, which actually imprints an even deeper memory and reinforces the concept of “living in the moment”. All in all - enjoy the good photos but enjoy the “bad” photos even more!

A few samples from many of my mistakes - including getting my hand in the photo, light leak when changing films due to improper technique and of course, ironically being out of focus when taking photos of a photographer (#Matt Granger).

So, where has film photography taken me this year? Physically - nowhere special (as no more travels), but emotionally, grateful and reminded about the simple things in life.

If you enjoyed my photos, please do also check out my film album which features Hong Kong in 2020 and don’t forget to subscribe to my email list for further writings!

Have a blessed 2021.