Rediscovering film
After some years, I took one of my oldest cameras for a ride. Rediscovering shooting on film.
Hello, regular readers, and welcome to the new ones!
This is Luis, with the latest issue of my newsletter. I write this newsletter to share my passion for photography, cities, and technology, along with interesting links I find over the week(s). This newsletter will be (as long as possible) free, but if you like to support it feel free to become a paid subscriber (pay what you want), or buy one of my photos.
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It has been a long time since I shot photos on film. Longer than I care to admit.
A couple of months ago, during a trip to Mexico, I stopped by my parents’ place looking for on of my oldest cameras—a fully manual Nikon FM10. It is not the most advance camera, and it was not top of the line even when I got it. It was an entry level reflex camera, and that was and is part of the charm.
The FM10 was released in 1995, that’s 30 years ago. I got mine a bit later, probably around 2001 or 2002. Either way, it’s been a while.
I loved shooting with it. It taught me the basics—manual focus, light metering, ISO, f-stops. In high school, I even learned how to process film and make prints in a darkroom. That whole analog experience left a mark on me.
Time went by. Digital cameras came, life got busier, and that FM10 ended up in a closet. Still, I never lost the joy of photography - just the habit of shooting on film.
On a recent trip to Texel, I decided to bring the FM10 along. What a joy. It really was like riding a bike—not just the muscle memory of adjusting settings, but the fun of it too. Measuring light. Setting adjustments. Manual focus. Passing the film. Waiting to finish the roll. Sending it out for development. And then, finally, seeing the photos.
In an age of digital everything and instant feedback, there’s something refreshing about a tool that slows you down and brings you back into the moment.
Have you ever gone back to an old creative habit—or even an old camera? I’d love to hear your story. Just hit reply and share it with me.
And if this reminded you of someone who needs to look for their film camera, forward it along. Maybe it’ll be the nudge they need 😉
Check the rest of the photos on my instagram.
Technical note: Photos taken with Nikon FM10, lens: Nikkor 35–70 mm f/3.5-4.8.
Film: Kodak Gold ISO 200
Thanks for reading!
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About this newsletter
I'm Luis Natera, a software developer, network scientist, and data/cities/tech nerd. I have an interdisciplinary trajectory (architecture -> sociocultural studies -> network science -> software development), you can read more about me and my career here.
This is a weekly newsletter about photography, cities, and software.
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