Shutter Sisters

the beautiful imperfection of film

By

I have to admit. As much as I enjoy the convenience and many possibilities that digital photography offers, my love for film, fully entrenched in the beauty of its texture, process and imperfection, is expanding every day.

Today show us some film love, tell us what inspires you about it, how you feel when you shoot it, and if you’ve never tried film before, we have the perfect opportunity for you today!

In celebration of imperfection (our One Word Project theme inspired by Brene Brown’s new book “The Gifts of Imperfection“) we are giving away the cutest little Lomography Diana Mini Camera with Flash that you’ve ever seen. Have you seen them yet? They are ADORABLE! Plus, we’re throwing in some 400 & 100 speed film to go with it! We are giddy, mostly because we know you will be too. Just leave your comment here between now and midnight EST on Monday to be entered in this Diana drawing. Yay! 

And don’t forget! Today is 10/10/10 and there are some fun events to participate in!

………..
Congrats to Cigi for winning the random drawing for the Diana Mini! YAY!Thanks to everyone for your comments. More fun giveaways to come this month!

Comments

  1. Haven't tried film in a very long time, it would be so fun to win this camera, thanks so much for the chance!

  3. okay, is it wrong to be completely in love with the camera simply because of it's pretty teal color? because i love it!

  8. haven't shot film in years, but was just thinking the other day that i'd like to start up again. winning this camera would be so perfect 🙂

  9. I absolutely love film more than digital. Plus shooting film makes me a better photographer. I have just recently posted new film shots from my leaky slr, have a look here: http://jennifer-renner.blogspot.com/search/label/film

    Usually I shoot with the leaky SLR of my dad (40 years old she is) but I also have a Hasselblad (http://jennifer-renner.blogspot.com/search/label/hasselblad) , a Diana Mini (http://jennifer-renner.blogspot.com/search/label/diana%20mini ) and a Diana ( http://jennifer-renner.blogspot.com/search/label/diana%2B ) and whoever wins this will never leave the Mini at home. Because she fits in every purse and is really really cute.

    Sorry for the lengthy tale but film is just my medium, especially rollfilm and expired film. Because of the mishaps and the character film has 🙂

  11. Oh! it's totally cute! I haven't used film in years! would be so fun, and then such a great conversation piece!!

  12. I just revived my "old" film camera and am teaching my daughter with it. The immediate gratification is not there of course. And one has no idea how the picture will come out – which can be fun. I would love a chance to win this camera. How cool! I imagine we are going to see more of a return to film photography.

  13. The best gift I ever received was a nikon D65 film camera from my parents. It really sparked my photographic interest. Have not used it in at least 4 years, I may have to break it out!

  15. Truthfully, I didn't make much progress as a photographer when I had a film camera. Digital gave me permission to play and forget about the cost of printing. Now I would love to have a chance to play with film again!

  16. Wow, incredible! What an amazing giveaway!

    I haven't shot film in almost 8 years. I know. But my dad gave me his sx-70, and I've been trying my hand. I agree, the imperfections are impossible not to love.

    (fingers crossed)

  17. i've been gradually shooting film more & more over the last two years. i've now got a little collection – a 1965 zeiss ikon; a 1975 canon tx; a time plastic toy camera; a 1970s polaroid sx70. my love for film means that i haven't shot much digital at all over the last eight months. here's a few of my favourites:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/agrippinamaior/4919406965/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/agrippinamaior/4871925312/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/agrippinamaior/4260682431/

  18. EEEEKKK!!!!! What a fantastic giveaway!!! I've *just* started playing with film again("again" as in, I haven't since I didn't have a digital camera in high school and knew nothing about photography and just took pictures of my friends;), so this is great timing. I can't wait to look through the comments and check out all of the links! Here's my very first roll that I attempted last week: http://domesticsimplicity.com/2010/10/06/film/

  20. actually, i still use film. black and white film. and my darkroom. all the photos on my blog, http://www.honeylazar.blogspot.com were taken with 220 tri-x film which is NO LONGER made. all many of my projects on my website were shot with a mamiya 7 or hassleblad! students from the cleveland institute of art come to see my darkroom!

    i am a dinosaur, but no grayscaled digital image looks as luscious to me as film. thank you for your reminder!

  21. My film cameras have been tucked away for years, but I decided to use one this summer. Wow, epic fail. There are too many times, when trying to get out the door with 3 kids and my husband, that I forget my camera. I always make us stop and pick up a disposable camera. I love how the lack of control gives the images an instant "memory" quality. This is one of my favorite shots from film.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/bearsefamily/5067641276/

  23. My partner is a bonafide film girl, always impressing me with her early work. The only film cameras I've ever used are the cheap, one use, throwaways… and I stopped using those after I took the last ever picture of my uncle alive. I feel like my work could truly progress from exploring a true film camera.. and this one is so, so, so freakin cute! Give me, please!! With love and admiration :o)

  26. oh yes! as little girls, a lot of us had those "pocket" cameras that swung from our wrists. thanks for giving us the opportunity to have this one swing from a big girl's wrist.

  30. I love, love, love film. It is how I started as a photographer, and I have recently started using it again in both my personal and commissioned work and it is adding a new dimension to my craft. I'm so glad you wrote about it today!
    Here are a few of my favorite film shots:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahmayo/4930568071/in/set-72157623223344763/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahmayo/4931157352/in/set-72157623223344763/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahmayo/4329706404/in/set-72157623223344763/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahmayo/4941195877/in/set-72157623537986144/

    Here's my whole film collection on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahmayo/collections/72157624304301169/

  32. THat is so adorable and the flash just takes to to a whole new level. Would love to shoot w/ that beauty.

  37. I've just started to use fiilm again and it's a bit of adjustment, not having the instant result but also the more muted colors. I love using a holga because of the leaks and find the results very initeresting.

  38. It's cute to think that even though there are so many new technologies out there, there is always room for the old. I've just realized how beautiful these lomography pictures turn out to be– I'm amazed, wowie.
    xx

  47. Although I DO remember film cameras from my childhood, I've actually never shot with film. Guess that's what I get for growing up in the digital age. What a great way to really work on your photography skills, though – and a bit nerve-wracking not to be able to see what you've actually captured!

  49. i´m starting to shoot film with my polaroid and i´m really loving it, will love to continue this film journey, i think it really goes much more with me…and the diana mini is soooo cute…..

  50. I love film. It reminds me of how life really is, without airbrushing, touch-ups, steady-shot, live-action HD, ETC. Of course you can still edit, but you better be good to begin with- or you will chase your own tail. Would Love to win this. Thanks!

  51. I keep hearing about this camera, and now there's a chance to win it? Sign me up! I'd love to try playing with film again! The camera is so stinking cute!

  53. What a cute camera! I'm still a fan of film. It forces me to slow and really consider what's in front of my lens. Thanks for the giveaway!

  58. I shoot film for about a year or so, I started with a small soviet camera SMENA 8M that I bought on a flea market for $1, and I decided to start experimenting, and I still shoot film today.

    The main reason that I like film so much is unpredictable results, sometime they glad you and sometimes don't, but it's always an exciting moment when you are waiting for your film to develop.

    So film is not dead, it is reborn!

  60. I haven't used film in nearly a decade. And I haven't processed film myself since high school. There is something special about film vs. digital. Like the difference between a hand-written letter and an e-mail.

  64. thanks for this opportunity. such a great little camera – and i learned what lomography was.

  65. I shot film exclusivwly since my digital camera met it's maker a year ago. I love the surprise, the challenge, the lessons that film photography provides me. I'm actually hoping to start develiping my own film soin, learning darkroom techniques and finding the space for the magic film offers. And the diana mini, well, she's my dream camera. Enough said.

    I lovereading the comments on these posts. Thanks Irene!

  68. I'm starting a photography project for 2011 called "Film Friday"…basically I'm going to take one roll of film per week and post the entire roll on the blog. Everyone is encouraged to play along, if you are wanting to start at the very begining with me! You can check out the site (still a work in progress) here! http://filmfriday2011.wordpress.com

  72. I have had increasing obsession with photography this year, doing project 365 has only added to that! I have thought with in the last few months of doing film photography, and instant!
    This is a great giveaway, thanks for the chance

  73. i sold my film camera to go digital, and every now and again, i miss the mystery of shooting with film. also, that camera is adorable!

  74. Ohhh I've wanted one of these for SO long! I've been wanting to get back into film, but it's hard to spend money on "fun" photo stuff when there's so much I need for my business.

  76. Love this post. I miss the excitement of waiting for that roll film to be developed… and then peeling open the package to see what surprises lie inside. I'd love to do that again! =)

  77. Despite the convenience of digitial and how much I love it!- there is still nothing like film. I love my Nikon but miss my Rebel Eos!

  79. I love the images produced by the HOLGA and the DIANA!! I recently bought a holga but am having troubles with it.
    It took awhile to actually get some images. Due to factory defects I'm now on camera #3… finally I have a few shots!

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/44864996@N08/sets/72157624907329467/

    I have been wanting a DIANA to add to the collection. SOOO much fun.

    I've also done some playing around with homemade matchbox camera. good time too…you just never know what you're going to get.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/44864996@N08/sets/72157624242768724/

    thanks!

  81. Would love to experiment with this! Suitable as well as I've just noticed how perfectly imperfect my turkey is 🙂

  82. Film love? Hell yeah! In the hustle and bustle and stress of daily life, digital is excellent. But when I have the time and the energy, I shoot film. There's something about the unpredictability of it that seems to sharpen my senses and make me even more submerged in the shooting process. Here's one image taken with my sweet Minolta, with this awesome bokeh effect that's completely different from what my digital lenses come up with:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/85057042@N00/4462398358/

  84. I've been lusting after a Holga in the worst way, but… yeah… I'd sure love to win that lovely little Diana! 🙂 What a fun giveaway!

  85. I spent the day shooting lomography in New Hampshire, and look forward to developing the film and discovering the happy accidents that I captured: the odd angles, unexpected colors, the contrasts of light and shadow. I love shooting film (especially on the Diana) because it's like life… You don't know what will happen and the less you try to control it, the better the result. Pictures from the Diana surprise me, delight me, sometimes disappoint me but never fail to bring me back for more. I would love to add the Mini to my lomo collection!

  90. I love film! I regularly shoot Polaroid, and I've recently started working with a hand-me-down Canon AE-1 (and wow, Film SLRs are so much more challenging than digital SLRs!). I'll always appreciate digital for the ease and convenience, but there's something magical about film that digital images can't touch for me.

  91. Since buying my DSLR a couple years ago, I have been trying to recreate that film look and I realize now, of course, that the only true way to get that grain, that feel from another time, that quality I used to see in my dad’s photos, that je ne sais quoi, is to actually shoot film. I purchased a Pentax K1000 in April and I have been shooting primarily film ever since. I am completely hooked.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderphotos/4516706076/in/set-72157620556162111/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderphotos/4971342632/in/set-72157620556162111/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderphotos/4605760215/in/set-72157623843065868/

  93. Oh wht a cute camera!! I know my brother, who's a photographer, would love this surprise treat! Count me in if international entries are allowed!

    Kisses from Nydia, Brazil.

  95. I want! I want! I want! I had my Pentax film camera stolen from me about 4 years ago and was so devastated I stopped taking photographs all together till I had my son and was inspired to purchase a digital camera and my passion for photography was rekindled. I miss the texture film offers and would love to have a dabble of that again in my life.

  96. I haven't shot with film in years!
    I love the surprise of film. With digital you can check and recheck and you *know* what's coming.. with Film, there are so many surprises.
    Plus, there's just something special about it.

  97. Oh I've always wanted a Diana! I have a Holga and various other film cameras, but what I love about film is the unpredictable nature of it. Sometimes I think I have the perfect photo and I go in the dark room and it turns out awful. The best times are when I think I've just spent hours shooting terrible stuff and it turns out to be a total surprise!

    I also love the strange "blemishes" that pop up with Polaroid… I dont think they are blemishes at all- I love them!

    🙂

  98. I took a community ed class back in the 90s with film and I remember frustration because when the images did come out I had no idea why and most just didn't come out at all!! At least that's what I remember! I've learned so much with digital and but have come full circle as I have been thinking about trying film again! A Diana would be a great way to start!

  100. It would be so interesting to use film again, now that I know so much more about photography other than just point and shoot! And that camera is the cutest thing I've ever seen!

  101. Thank you for the chance of winning this fun and fabulous camera. Will love to be the chosen one…. 🙂

  105. I remember film. My first camera was an Olympus, actually it was really my father's camera but I loved it so. I still have prints of shots I took with that camera 25 years later. The dreaminess of film hasn't diminished. I would love to be able to experience film again.

  106. I actually use film the majority of the time. I know that my film camera produces better quality pictures than my digital camera, and cost less, so it just makes sense to use it. With using film, I know that I can't just take random pictures, so I usually try to make them all pictures worth taking. It really has stepped up my photography skills.
    I sometimes, when using black and white, will develop my own film, which just brings me that much closer to my pictures. There is a quote in the photography lab that says something along the lines of "a photograph is made, not just taken" or something similar.
    And nothing is better than getting your developed pictures back, often weeks after they were taken, and just being excited all over again about how great they look.

  109. I love that cute little mini Diana! I've been wanting one for several years now. It's been about 6 years since I have shot with film. I love the look of film photos and am seriously considering going back to it.

  110. I just lost my little pocket camera last week at an art show. I was soo
    sad but it serves me right for not having a name tag attached to at least the strap!
    Thanks for doing this. would love to win any camera but this one is cute.

  111. I hope we never lose sight of film, the magic and mystery. I would love to play with this camera.

  113. One of my all-time favorite simple pleasures is watching the paper in the developer! One day I'll have my own darkroom (I have the equipment but not the space).

  115. The imperfection of film…I remember!! What freedom there is in letting go of the instant gratification and actually waiting for "imperfect" results.

  116. I would LOVEEEEEEEEE to win a Lomo camera how did you know it was on my list for Santa this year! I thought getting one would help me be more IN THE MOMENT and not my usual perfection seeking self.

    What a fabulous giveaway – and my praise for Brene too, I loved her first book her second is on my want list too!

  118. One of the best things about film, I think, is working in the darkroom. What a great opportunity!

  119. I have been playing with the idea of buying a Diana for a while, but am afraid darling hubby will commit me if I buy another camera. But if I were to win one…well, that would be another story! LOL!

  121. Oooooo I have been wanting to try this camera out…..how exciting……I was also telling a friend that I am going to enter to win stuff…..because, the hubs can't be the only lucky one.

  123. I havent shot with film in years.. would love to get back into it. I've been thinking of getting back into it recently since my sister started shooting in film.

  124. I love film and haven't quite figured out my switch to digital or if I even want to yet. I shoot with my Dad's old Bell and Howell that he loaned to me in high school and I never gave him back. I even traded him a nice Cannon I got for my birthday to keep the Bell and Howell! My favorite thing to say about my camera is that it doesn't even have a battery.

    I love the look of lomo and would love to give it a shot!

    Two of my favorites:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/ali_smith/2325493832/in/set-72157610798581733/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/ali_smith/2325128877/in/set-72157610798581733/

  129. I do miss film and I really need to get my old photos digitized. There is something so precious about having to wait to see what kind of photos you've captured – it's like Christmas every few days or weeks!

  131. I just fell in love with my Baby Brownie and 127 film. The dimension of the pictures is totally different than my digital. The black and white film was printed on color paper and it gave a sepia look to it. Just beautiful!

  133. i've been lusting over this camera for such a long time!! would be so amazing if I win ..

    anyways , I haven't shoot film for such a long time that I'm ashamed of myself : (

  134. Back in my day film was all I had but I didn't appreciate photography then. Now I think it's time to take a journey with film. I think it would hone my skills because there is no "erase it try again" like there is with digital.

  138. i would love to try film again…i'm sure i haven't since high school maybe? wow. film definitely keeps it real!

  140. I love using film. It makes me think about composition and lighting more because I'm not going to take a dozen shots of the same thing like I would with digital.

  141. I LOVE film. For me, it is the transformation I undergo when shooting with my film camera. I slow way down. I want to make sure every frame is that sweet spot… only having 24/36 frames to make it work. I like the feel of the film when I am rolling it onto the reels to develop it – that quiet dark downtime. I love watching the image appear in the darkroom or coming out of the processor. I like the anticipation of seeing what I have captured on that roll of film..a lot of times I find myself reviewing my photos before I even getting home when I shoot digital. That anticipation with film is something I really enjoy- it's like waiting to open a gift! Film just has it's own beauty or essence that is different from the digital file.

  143. One can always use a new toy! That is super neat! Where do you get your 100 speed film? I loved using it and then it seems everyone stopped making it. Thanks for your wonderful blog and ALL the inspiration you provide!

  144. my film camera sadly had to be retired a few years back and my heart jumped at this post, what a fun giveaway idea!

  145. Thank you for the opportunity to win! Your blog provides me with so much inspiration and creates a desire in me to take lots of photographs. I ordered your new book recently and am anxiously waiting for it.

  146. What I loved about film was how it forces you to be selective. And then there's the wait time between finishing the roll and getting the pictures back. That anticipation is amazing.

  149. Oh my GOSH! I never win anything, but I'm dying, just dying to win this! I'd absolutely LOVE to try the Diana…I've been dreaming for ages about getting into film…

  150. I recent started shooting film again. My creativity has been cracked back open. I don't have a Diana but would love to play with it and make some magic, I'm so happy that you've embraced film and are encouraging others to see the beauty in it.
    Liz

  151. I've just started experimenting with film again (a Holga 135) , and I would absolutely LOVE to win this giveaway! I found that film has such a different depth to it, and plastic cameras take that another step further.

  153. I like many others continue to shoot with film. And shooting with toy cameras are great. Love Holga and Diana!!

  155. I have to admit, I love the look of film. Every now and then I pull out old photo albums and there's just something about those prints from film. I really should shoot a roll occasionally. I have my parents old Pentax fully manual camera just sitting on a shelf. Thanks for the inspiration!

  156. It makes me kind of sad that all my film cameras have been passed on to be "toys" for my kids. I would love to try again with film. Thanks for the opportunity!

  157. I haven't tried film in quite a while, it would be wonderful to do so with such a neat camera. Thanks for the opportunity to enter to win one.

  160. I got out my dad's old Nikon FM for my summer vacation, and it was awesome seeing the results! You just can't fake that look in Photoshop, no matter how hard you try. 🙂 I've got a roll of B&W that's almost finished, dying to see the results of that too! The anticipation is half the fun, right? Plus its a great way to test yourself and see if you really can judge the light. Blogged about it here: http://recoveringfirecracker.squarespace.com/blog/2010/7/23/adventures-in-film.html

  163. I have the Diana lens and adapter for my DSLR and I've had a lot of fun playing around with it. I would love to have the real film Diana though. I think I could learn a lot and have a lot of fun using it!

  164. That camera is ADORABLE! I love it! It would be such a lovely addition to my camera collection. Thanks for such an awesome giveaway!

  168. You've inspired me to get my film camera out and go have some fun! I'm more confident now as a photographer so this will help keep the nerves at bay with the film. It's been so long!!

  170. Love the camera! I've only rarely used film, but I'd love to give it more of a try; film truly captures a moment that can't be erased or changed quite like digital.

  172. Miss film greatly (esp developing the negs on my own to achieve the perfect amount of grain) but these days, no time for the dark room, argh! Great giveaway, thanks for holding it!

  173. I've been shooting 120 film on Holga and Diana cameras for 6 months now and really love it! I like the unpredictable nature and retro look of the soft focus those cameras have. I also have a 35mm Canon that I love shooting black and white film with. There is something about the rich contrast and slight grain of real black and white film that can't be matched with digital.

  174. With the purchase of a new digital camera my interest in photography has blossomed and quickly turned into a slight obsession. Okay I will come clean here, addiction! I am addicted, I can't even go for a dog walk without taking my camera. As I spend time learning more about techniques I have been thinking how digital cameras have changed photography and wondered if there an art being lost with the absence of film. I guess this would be a great opportunity to test the theory.

  175. Haven't used film in years – I think it would be a great creative challenge! Thanks for the chance to win.

  176. I have not shot film since high school! That was like, what, oh about 15 years ago?! wow.
    that camera looks pretty darn cool though! would love to try it!

  178. I have a DSLR and zoom, but they just sit there gathering dust. I've gone back to my various toy cameras and my vintage cameras. I love trying out different films and looking for new cameras.

  182. My daughter shoots film now. My love for all things frozen in time lives on through an old camera in her tender hands. I love seeing her pick and choose what she is going to photograph carefully (film may be passe, but it isn't cheap), and we hold her photos when they come back and talk over the little details. Nothing ever comes out perfectly, but she isn't concerned with perfection (just yet), she is on an adventure – and film is the perfect medium for that journey.

  184. This would be GREAT!! It's been so long since I've seen those rolls of film! I still have my old 35mm cameras – can't seem to let them go… I even have my old Poloroid camera.

  186. What a great gift! The best pics I ever took were with a little Kodak Instamatic 40 years ago. Reminds me that I should get out there and try to recapture those "Kodak moments"!