Shutter Sisters Cross Post: Into the Unknown

When I first saw this photo of Jen Lee and her Diana camera, it was love at first sight. A couple months later, I got my own for my birthday. I quickly shot two rolls on 120 film, but had a hard time finding a place that would develop and scan slide film who was also open during hours when I wasn't tied to my desk at work. The two rolls sat in a drawer, and the camera became just another pretty decoration.

Lucky for me, I met THE Jen Lee in the Shutter Suite last weekend at BlogHer, and when I told her how I had a Diana too and that I've been neglecting my already exposed film, she told me that I just HAD to get it developed. And for some reason, hearing that from Jen gave me the impetus I needed to do just that. Or maybe it was being transported in time perusing her Flickr stream and her beautiful new book. Whatever it was, I'm excited about the possibilities now that I've actually seen what you can get from a little toy camera.

I still don't know quite what I'm doing, but that's half the thrill, knowing that I'm stepping into the unknown, that when I click the shutter, there is no instant gratification lighting up on a LCD screen. No, I have to wait and hope for and imagine what images will appear after the whole roll has been shot and developed. Seeing those photos for the first time, though, is like opening up an old scrapbook and being transported back to when the memories were created.

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A version of this post appears today on Shutter Sisters.