Photographic Memory

In the summer of 1991 at age 19, I bought a Canon EOS 630 35mm film camera. I did almost zero research before buying it. Having finally had the money, I went to a camera store and bought the recommended model. Had I spoken in advance to anyone already shooting with a 35mm camera I would have surely spent far less on an older used body. I also bought “The 35mm Handbook” and learned the basics of shooting with hopes of being a serious hobbyist.  

Before long, Kodachrome was my colour film of choice. This is partly because no printing was required to view images. Having money available to process film was never a given, so having the price of processing included in the film purchase price was helpful. Living in Toronto I could drop the film off at the Kodak plant and pick up the slides up next day. 

Wishing to continue shooting and keep expenses low led me to black & white film. Naturally I began to process my own. I bought an enlarger for dirt cheap. It was a vintage soviet model in its own small case. The parts fit into foam cutouts which were dried out and crumbling. Once assembled, some decent contact sheets and enlargements could be made. Key to my efforts was owning “The Darkroom Handbook”.  

My commitment to photography began to wane by the 2000s. Financial priorities had shifted, though I would still bring out the camera occasionally. The darkroom I had set up was now dismantled. The soviet enlarger was ruined in a basement flood. The Kodak plant shut down in 2005. In the mid 2010s I bought a DSLR and began shooting again. Since then I am shooting more and learning more, including digitizing some of my old slides and negatives. Looking back on my film days it turns out I only shot a few dozen rolls each of colour and BW. It took up a large space in my imagination then. Even now remembering those years it feels like a magical time.

I have recently come across two unused rolls of Ilford 100 black & white film. They’re at least ten years old. There is also roll of colour negative film in the EOS 630 with half of the frames left to shoot. It would be great to recapture some of that magic.