This week, I took an entire roll of film in the beautiful and newly made free, Descanso Gardens in La Canada. The gardens themselves are a 150 acre wonderland in a part of California that seems much further than just 30 minutes from Downtown. The diverse and winding off trail oak woodlands and rose garden fit for a tea party demanded an entire roll of film. The gardens stand as a microcosm of Californian beauty that I immediately felt inspired by and admittedly, lost in. This being my first time taking an entire roll in one location, it proved to be, as most aspects of shooting film are, a challenge with serendipitous results.
The Descanso Gardens painted the roll of film with red and green hues only found in the redwoods and cacti of California. The film found green shades in the bark of trees freckled with specs of red ants that weren’t visible to the naked eye. Palm fronds contrast the bark’s camouflaged tones with luminous neon greens that wave to passersby.
I only took film during this day and having both the goal and limit of 36 exposures changed how I usually interact in photogenic locations and moments. When using a digital camera, I have the ability and paired with it, the desire to take the “perfect” photo, at the cost of time and ambiance. Film doesn’t allow you to waste it perfecting the same shot but rather takes pride and artistry in its imperfections, allowing me to float through the gardens rather than fixate in details. Taking one roll of film also holds the threat of running out of opportunities. With each shot I have to ask myself if the risk of imperfection is worth the exposure.
This week’s roll has helped me develop and refine my eye for what makes beautiful film. Next week I’ll use this to attempt double exposures.
1 Roll a Week 
Hi Lindsey! I love the concept of your blog. The in-perfections that come along with utilizing a roll of film really does allow for a much more interesting shot as you discussed in class. I’d love to see you take something that is inherently uninteresting like garbage and shoot it in such a way that makes it interesting.
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Fascinating roll of nature! I love the different shades of green and how you explained the tones you used. This garden looks like scenes in “Alice in the Wonderland”. I’m planning to visit someday! It gives me a new understanding of photography – imperfections are worth taking.
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Wow this is such a beautiful area! I love that you acknowledge the pressure of having a film camera and how intentional you have to be with every shot. Love that you’re noticing the learning eye, too. Do you have different lenses to play with, or different film cameras entirely?
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Super cool blog! I love all the pictures and it’s amazing to hear about your relationship with your film camera and your love of the imperfections. The garden looks gorgeous, I love all of the different shades of green!
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