Discover Challenge: Analog (disposable cameras)

In response to The Daily Post’s Discover Challenge: Analog

Photo Credit: theweddingfairs.com

It’s been a while since I’ve been online (busy with new baby and all) that I haven’t had much time to do the things on my blog that I loved: the blog challenges. After stumbling across The Daily Post’s Discover Challenge, I thought this would be a perfect thing to write about.

This week’s theme is Analog. To me, the word reminds me of analog TV and cable, cassette tapes, dial-up internet and the best one of all… Disposable cameras.

I’m not that old (27 years young) but I’ve got a few nostalgic memories of my teenage years with the ol’ disposable camera.

They were all the rage when I was in school. If you were a popular, cool kid you’d have a disposable cam. I remember everyone wanted to get their hands one especially if we were going out that day. It cost around £8 per cam and I remember I would save up so hard to get my hands on one. Then it costed (in terms of time and money) a little more just to get it printed.

I used to love the sound of the little wind-up mechanism to load the film and the plastic ‘click’ you’d hear when you’d press the button to shoot. When I first discovered these fun cams were getting discontinued as people became more into digital cameras I was a little upset. 1) because I couldn’t afford a decent digital camera back then and 2) I really enjoyed going down to snappy snaps or boots and receiving a lovely pack of printed photos.

When I was in college, I did some work experience at a photographic store that printed both film and digital – I worked in the film department. I learnt how to develop negatives in the darkroom (I will never forget the smell) and load film printing paper (fun times!). I also used to colour correct prints using a printing machine which was somewhat fun but after printing a couple hundred prints, I got bored. All in all, it was 6 months of fun learning as sad as that sounds. It’s a little hard to believe that the kind of job I did now ceases to exist.

I love the technology of our modern world don’t get me wrong but I would love to see disposable cameras making a comeback – even just as a novelty item. 🙂