Roll #1 | Portra 400

These shots were taken on September 27, 2024.

I had borrowed a film camera and some Portra 400 rolls from a friend who was interested in doing a photoshoot with me, and I wanted to make sure that I felt comfortable working with film. When I stopped by the high school near my house to test my shots, the sun hadn’t set; I’d framed up some great shots that incorporated the setting sun, the football field, and other parts of the campus, but I ultimately lost these shots to camera malfunction. The shutter would stick during exposure, causing the reel motors to roll continuously.

The shots that survived were encouraging. With minor tests on exposure time and flash use, I began to develop my instinct for film photography—and I saved that second roll for a camera I’d have more confidence in using.