I am nineteen years old, and technology has dominated my whole life. However, as an artist, I find myself bored of the digital world in my creative practice. I long for imperfections and a contrast to the quick and often thoughtless process of capturing an image on my phone. I started using film photography as a way of depicting my emotional connection to the world around me in contrast to the seemingly perfect image associated with the digital age.

Shopfront of an old feather merchant in Hoxton (Rollei 35 camera, Kodak Ultra Max 400 35mm film).
New York architecture in colour (Rollei 35 camera, Kodak Ultra Max 400 35mm film).

One reason I am so captivated by the practice of analogue photography is that I really enjoy the slow and thoughtful process this form of photography demands. It is overwhelming how many photos you can take on a smartphone nowadays, so having only a small number of exposures on each film is liberating. I have to spend more time composing an image and reflecting on what details to capture which makes every photo so special. To me, my film photographs feel like artworks. I find that the photos snapped quickly on my phone have lost artistic and creative meaning. This process is simply too easy. The slower creative process of analogue photography feels like a remedy to the decaying attention spans of modern, 21st century society.

Porto's Alvira Siza pool captured in black and white (Rollei 35 camera, Ilford XP2 Super 35mm).
Hidden church in Wall Street (Rollei 35 camera, Ilford XP2 Super 35mm).

Additionally, one must welcome imperfections with this slower process. I have had to leave behind my habit of perfectionist tendencies and embrace the mistakes that analogue photography harbours. Unlike a digital camera, I cannot see how an image turns out instantly. I must embrace the blur, and purposefully try to capture the movement of everyday city life.

The moving neon lights of New York (Rollei 35 camera, Kodak Ultra Max 400 35mm film).
I accidentally moved my camera whilst capturing this image, but it unexpectedly created an impressionist picture (Rollei 35 camera, Kodak Ultra Max 400 35mm film).

Another thing I love about film photography is a unique quality that cannot be replicated in the digital. Each image has grain, rich colours, and tone, giving them a very particular appearance that is very nostalgic and atmospheric. As well as this, black and white film photography is so successful in this medium that digital production can only try and mimic. 

Black and white New York streetscape (Rollei 35 camera, Ilford XP2 Super 35mm).
Cinematic subway station (Rollei 35 camera, Ilford XP2 Super 35mm).

When I shoot on film, I feel as if I am connected to the traditions of photography and to those who have used this medium before me. On a personal level, the current camera I use was passed down to me from my great grandad, still having the dent he made whilst travelling around the world. This device is a vessel for memories and time passing, still working today as a means of understanding our vast world.

Nostalgic image of 9th Avenue and the Empire State building (Rollei 35 camera, Kodak Ultra Max 400 35mm film).
The neon signs of Soho (Rollei 35 camera, Kodak Ultra Max 400 35mm film).