It was another one of those things where in my head, the process was simple and I could get through it with no problems and no misunderstandings despite my continuously depleted Russian vocabulary. In reality, eh, not so much. But in the end, I finally got six rolls of film developed. A few rolls are from 2011, a few from the past few months, and one from the beginning of our time in Bishkek, back in the fall of 2010. In other words, wow, some of these are way overdue.
If I wasn’t sure about my love of film photography before, I am certain that I am obsessed now after seeing the results.
Film is kind of magical. It’s a time capsule. Some of these photos are pretty plain and many are out of focus, but there’s something special about what ends up on the roll. There aren’t hundreds of photos to go through, just a handful of random moments that were lucky enough to make the cut. It’s not just the photos themselves, it’s the camera I took them with, the film, the time period, the flaws, the light leaks, the tears in the film, the order of the photos and how they jump from 2011 to 2013.
In other words, I know they are technically shitty photos, but I love them anyway. Feel free to let your geek flag fly in the comments if you can relate. (No, seriously, get in touch. I feel a bit alone in my love-of-film at the moment.)
Kirstin: I’ve sidled into your blog a few weeks ago and now follow it pretty regularly.This batch of photos is like mash-ups from several dreams I’ve had: grainy, blurry, phantasmagoric colors, real/not real. Your images have created a world for me to step into. I call it Bishkek-O-Rama.
Cheers, Laura
thanks for the lovely comment!
Now try an infrared filter with black & white film… 😉
I smell a birthday present! My nikon film lenses take 52mm filters 😉
Those are SO great! A lot of them look like they were taken in the 70s!
You’ve definitely inspired me to pull my Smena out and shoot the rest of the film I have sitting around! (Now the only issue is to figure out where to get it developed!)
Yay! Be sure to post them on your blog if you do. I would think it wouldn’t be too tough to find a place in Australia to develop them, maybe a mail-in service if there’s not a studio in your town?
Wow, I really love these pictures Kirstin! They’re all great. I especially love the one of Darwin with the audio interface above him.
ha, of course! That sort of stuff is laying around everywhere, it’s impossible not to photograph it.
Hey Kirstin,
Love you blog! Where are you getting your B & W film developed? I’ve been going to Tsum and they have told me that they can’t process it. I would love to know if there’s a better place you use in Bishkek.
*your blog
Hi Elisa, the b&w film I used (which I brought from the states) had instructions on it to use regular color processing. I heard there’s a camera shop on Kievska/Oruzbekova on the second floor of a building (there’s apparently a sign) that does b&w developing though. I’m hopefully heading there sometime this week and I’ll let you know exactly where it is!