Do you remember your first roll of film? What camera you shot it with? What feelings you had?
Mine wasn’t that long ago. A few months ago I asked my father for a film camera. He’d already set an example for me with art, music, writing and now photography.
I used to shoot digital. I got my digital camera a couple of years ago. I made short films about rain, I loved shooting nature after rain. When I was 2 years old I had to leave New York and go to Moscow, where I live now. 10 years later I went back with my father with my good Canon. It rained the first night we landed. We wandered around the city taking pictures. Looking back at the pictures I took I didn’t feel anything from them, I didn’t have a connection. Then, I asked my dad for a film camera. My dad, the ”Leica lover” was surprised, but happy.
I received my first film camera on my 12th birthday. Most of my first roll was shot in New York City, my home away from home – Moscow. When I took the last shot on the roll, hearing the film rewinding in the camera was very satisfying. Some days after that we went to the local film lab. I waited over the weekend for the roll to be developed, I was very impatient.
When I saw scans of my photos I was very much excited. I paid a lot of attention to the details of my pictures. In the process I learned a few new photoshop lessons about color correction and cloning out scratches. In a couple of hours my pictures came to life. I was very proud that I was able to do something like this. I liked almost all of them, but my personal favorite is one of a newly-wed couple in the subway. It was incredible how well it came out with so little light down there.
It was pretty random – what I took pictures of. It was just whatever interesting thing I saw. I’m very proud of what I’m able to see and happy I can save what I see. I was shy taking pictures, especially of people. I’ve learned that if you really want the shot, you’ll find the confidence.

Contax G1, 45mm Zeiss, Kodak Ektar

Contax G1, 45mm Zeiss, Kodak Ektar

Contax G1, 45mm Zeiss, Kodak Ektar
I look forward to making more art. This is something I take seriously, I treat my pictures with attention and care.
Thank you, Hamish, for letting me submit to this blog. All of these pictures were shot with the a Contax G1, a Zeiss 45mm lens and the film is Kodak Ektar 100.
19 Comments
Hamish Gill
August 19, 2017 at 8:11 amI love these shots Eve, your old man must be proud!
marco north
August 19, 2017 at 11:40 amProud papa indeed! As a parent, you expose them (haha, ironic use of that verb) to whatever you can, and see what sticks. She did give DSLRs a try, but it definitely fizzled quickly. The process of shooting film, I think the romance of it is part of the attraction. I have been giving her different stocks to play with, which is really fascinating for her – Ilford Delta 100 vs Tri-X, etc. But this was her first roll, and Kodak did not let her down.
Richard Williams
August 19, 2017 at 8:19 amWow! A very lovely set of pictures there Eve. You’re a natural. Well done and keep going!
Santiago
August 19, 2017 at 10:11 amThis article was so lovely ! I actually shooting an old OM10 and this is therapy for me. Keep shooting my friends !!
Margrit Olsen
August 19, 2017 at 11:04 amBeautiful and poetic images Eve! Keep it up!
George Appletree
August 19, 2017 at 2:29 pmYeah. I do.
It was a color film shot in Germany about forty years ago. Lost by instance.
Perhaps I did some more before that one because I still keep my very brand new first communion present camera. And that was ten years before. It works like the first day, only that I removed its lens. But I don’t remember any film shot with it.
The one I was referring it’s (I littered it recently, …) a Rollei mini pocket, which used one of those already forgotten cartridges. I got it because my father had a Rolleiflex, and bla bla bla.
Richard
August 19, 2017 at 2:42 pmLove that subway station image!
Annie Abbott
August 19, 2017 at 6:07 pmBrava Eve, and your very smart Papa! As older artists, and in my case, an old Brooklyn friend of your Grandpa Bruce-it’s so intriguing to hear
the thoughts of the artist “on the precipice”, already in servitude to the art! BRAVA, XOXO!
Jim Grey
August 19, 2017 at 7:17 pmYou got some lovely shots! You noticed some interesting things and captured them nicely.
I remember my first roll of film! I was nine, about to turn 10. It was 1976. I bought a Kodak Brownie Starmite for a quarter at a garage sale and put a roll of Kodacolor II through it. I photographed the other children in my neighborhood. I still have the negatives! I wanted to link to it so you could see, but unfortunately this site won’t let me.
Frank Lehnen
August 19, 2017 at 7:58 pmGreat photos, Eve! And the subway shot has that certain ‘movie scene’ look!
Wonderful!
Don’t stop shooting film!
Daniel
August 19, 2017 at 8:19 pm12 is a great age to start exploring photography. Not being colored by the rules within the medium it provides originality. With a bit of practice and a common interest from dad this can potentially turn out to something really great. Not every kid is lucky enough to shoot through the legendary 45mm planar either. Keep it up, Eve.
Aivaras
August 20, 2017 at 7:45 amEve – your pictures are really good! And lets not forget impressive story and very good example of proper education! 🙂
Tillman Bennett
August 23, 2017 at 3:58 amI am 35 years old and have shot countless rolls of film, lots of digital, etc. As far as I remember, my first roll of film was shot 29 years ago using my Aunt’s point and shoot camera, she gave me the camera to freely use for the afternoon which was something my parents weren’t inclined to do, but that’s what fun aunts do! I remember the excitement of searching out subjects, composing the shot in the viewfinder and the snap of the shutter button. It was cool to me that with that little click the thing I was looking at was forever frozen on film. I took care not to waste my film, deciding what shots were “Worth it”. It was really cool, thanks for the article, I had forgotten about that until I started trying to recollect my first roll!
Nick
August 23, 2017 at 1:31 pmVery impressive pictures. You have great eyes Eve!
Stu
August 29, 2017 at 8:30 pmAwesome, thanks for sharing your photos and words =
Dan James
August 31, 2017 at 12:40 pmGreat to hear about someone getting into film photography at this age Eve. And what a camera/lens/film combination to start with!
Daniel Wolfskehl
September 16, 2017 at 11:11 amWonderful! Perhaps you’ll go to art school in NYC?
Peter Drastrup
December 8, 2017 at 9:16 pmNice photos!
Ektar 100 really is an amazine film.
movieplatinum21
February 24, 2018 at 10:48 pmwhat an amazing photos!
you did a very good work! nice job!