film from alaska, july 2022. 🤍 on my trip to the last frontier state, i brought two film cameras: the minolta riva panorama, which boasts a 24mm wide lens that allows for panorama shots on 35mm film, & my newly acquired mamiya m645, a stunning 120 film camera made entirely out of metal, with an intimidating but rewarding waist-level finder. gorgeous! this was my first true, honest attempt at landscape and vacation photography on film & didn’t consider all of the subtleties of the process that become challenging on the move. focusing takes time & practice, & when you’re on a moving train, for example, your perfect shot may be a fleeting memory before you can get all of your settings squared away and shoot the shutter. furthermore, i went through a total of six rounds of x-rays on & off the ship, on & off the train, in & out of customs, & had to be extra careful to confirm that my precious film & cameras weren’t getting damaged by the scanners. upon seeing my developed film out of the mamiya for the first time, over half of a roll was affected by significant light leaks (see seventh slide.) turns out, you can determine where the light is coming into the camera from the color of the leak alone: orange leaks mean the light enters from the front, blue, the back. thanks to youtube, i’ve been able to diagnose that the light protective foam lining the back door of the camera is worn out & hasn’t been replaced since the camera was manufactured (which is any time between 1975 & 1987) so hopefully my next roll will not see these specific flaws. it was frustrating to experience the loss of practically every family photo taken on the camera to light leaks, but the learning experience of being able to decipher what the film is telling me & what i can do to avoid problems later is delightful and an incredible part of the film photography process that i unexpectedly crave. i relish the chance you take with film. the uncertainty, the risk, the serendipity. i’m so pleased with how these came out & can’t wait to shoot more. #filmphotography #film #35mm #120film #mamiya645 #minoltarivapanorama #minoltaps #fujifilmsuperia400 #kodakportra400 #filmisnotdead