There’s something timeless about capturing street life on film. As someone who has mainly focused on portraits, when I went to Europe earlier this summer I really wanted to shoot something different and focus on street photography. I went equipped with my Olympus Stylus Epic, Canon Elan IIe, a bag of film, and a plane ticket.
This trip was particularly sentimental to me as I was back in Paris with the same camera (the Stylus Epic) I used the first time I was there on a family trip when I was five. I’m not able to track down any of the photos I took back then but I feel fairly confident that I can say my skills have improved.
I personally love viewing new places through a camera lens, I find it makes me focus on the details. I like trying to get off of the tourist paths to see how different people do the normal, mundane parts of life. Looking for photos is the thing that will get me to wake up in time for the early risers morning commute, one of my favourite things to watch in different places.
Paris, with its cobbled streets and classic architecture, is a dream for street photographers. It’s a city that invites you to slow down, observe, and let the film work its magic. I brought a variety of film stocks with me, I knew I wanted to shoot both colour and black and white there. In my arsenal was Kodak Portra 400, Kodak Gold 200, Fujifilm Velvia 100, Onesec 640T (not my number one choice to bring with me but it was already in my camera), and Ilford HP5.
After scanning the negatives the Portra 400 and HP5 rolls definitely stand out as my favourites. The pastel colours Portra creates worked beautifully to capture the old architecture and cafe culture. I am also always a fan of black and white photography, and I think HP5 really gave me the classic look that I was going for.
Shooting on 35mm film brings an element of unpredictability, texture, and warmth to photos. The film’s imperfections become part of the photo, making each frame a unique piece of art. I plan on continuing to shoot street photography now that I am back, and hopefully bringing my camera around will help me notice some of the small things that get overlooked in my normal routine.
