Deep in the piles of a virtually untouched thrift store was a $1 film camera. If it didn’t work, it was genuinly only $1 so extremely low stakes scenario. I was heading off to Rome for a few weeks, so I bought a new battery and 3-pack of 35mm Fujifilm from Walmart. From then on it felt natural.

I had loved the feeling of film ever since I saw The Florida Project in 2017, but it created this inversely proportaional relationship. The cooler I found it, the less accessible it felt. So, finding my first camera years later felt like my stepping stone.

Since then, I’ve been on a handful of trips and have found myself drawn to candid portrait photography. Learning how to say “May I take your photo?” in a few different languages. Capturing people in their natural essence, resonates with everyone and that is something sacred, worth preserving in print.

Film is slow and imperfect and frustrating and it makes you wait. But in that limbo, you see people and nature differently. A deeper appreciation for the world around me may only be credited to film photography.