For the analog experience, I decided to take photographs using a film camera. This option stood out to me over the others listed because it is an activity I rarely partake in; I often snap pictures via my phone. I have this cheap, waterproof polaroid camera that I use when engaging in wet outdoor activities so I can capture moments without ruining my expensive, non-waterproof phone. 

So, on Thursday evening I dug through my “random things” drawer and located my camera in the mess…just to discover it was out of batteries. I frustratedly turned my room upside down searching for replacement batteries and contemplated choosing another option for my analog experience. After what felt like an hour but in reality was only ten minutes, I found one battery which, of course, was in the same “random things” drawer all along. 

I replaced the battery, grabbed my camera, and headed to the dining hall for dinner. I began my experience by taking pictures of sights that interested me. I noticed the beautiful sunset over the mountains, and took my first picture:

Seeing this picture now, I almost enjoy how terrible of a picture it is. My 10th grade photography teacher would for sure be cringing at it, but I like how my phone’s option of choosing the sunset as the focal point isn’t there. It makes the experience feel even more vintage. 

I started to look at what I absent-mindedly walk past each day with incredible intention. I noticed myself walking slower, bending down to see from different perspectives, and I felt all my senses heightening. It felt like I was living in that saying “stop and smell the roses”, especially when I took pictures of flowers: 

The more I looked around me, the more I appreciated how beautiful New Paltz is, and how lucky I am to be here. 

I then started to take pictures of obscure things I noticed. For instance, I work at the Psychological Counseling Center and I walk past this dumpster each day when I walk in and out of work. This time, I noticed this sign on it that I really did not understand. I thought I’d take a picture of it for shits and giggles:

I then noticed a sign that read “HIGH VOLTAGE”. What was ironic about it is how a picnic table bench was placed directly in front of it, and all of this was right next to the dumpster with the concerning sign. I then start to wonder, how safe is it to be sitting at this picnic table?

Some other views I saw include: 

A monster-looking figure drawn into the bus stop.

An “F” spray painted on a tree. 

A tree resembling the apple tree in The Wizard of Oz. It looked like it wanted to give me a hug with its many arms (branches).

Garbage on the grass next to a garbage can. Why hasn’t anyone picked it up and threw it out yet? Then again, I didn’t pick it up and throw it out either. 

I arrived at the dining hall, where I met my friends for dinner. I talked to them about my assignment where I would take pictures using my camera. When we finished eating and walked back to our dorms, I took random pictures of our usual antics along the way:

My friends pretending to have a  sumo wrestler match. 

My friends skipping away. 

I then gave  the camera to my friends to use to take pictures with:

Taking pictures became a game, and it was so fun to play. We were all laughing as we ran around taking pictures of each other. There truly is a huge difference in taking pictures with your phone, and taking pictures with a film camera. If I had used my phone instead of the camera to take a picture, I don’t believe that we would be so excited about the experience. Taking pictures with our phones has become so normalized and is not as fun an experience to use it to take a picture with.

Everyone wanted a turn at using the camera, and I was happy to have included them in my experience. It reminded me of how whenever I see my little cousins, they always want to use my phone to take pictures. Specifically to use snapchat to take pictures. They love using those crazy filters that alter your facial features, or make you look like a dog. My friends really resembled my little cousins in their eagerness to use the camera.

After I uploaded the pictures to my laptop, I noticed the date on the bottom right hand corner reading “10/13/2022”. I thought this was awesome. The camera was unaware of what day it was! I sent the pictures to my friends right away, and they all loved them and saved them to their camera rolls. I know my next post on instagram will for sure include some of these photos. 

This assignment really put into perspective how much more present I am when I am using a camera to take photos instead of my phone. I especially enjoyed taking pictures of my surroundings as I walked to the dining hall. I also now have a new fun memory with my friends and can look back on the day we ran around looking stupid, laughing and taking pictures along the way.

Works Cited

“Fighting Trees.” Oz Wiki, https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/Fighting_Trees.