Bring a Film Camera on Your Next Hike

On a hike last summer one of my friends had the brilliant idea to bring a disposable film camera. I hadn’t used one in years, since I was a child at an overnight camp and my parents didn’t trust me to bring electronics. While a disposable film camera doesn’t have any fancy settings (or any settings at all really), the look of film brings out a nostalgic, old-timey feel to the photos you take.

Choosing an Affordable Film Camera

The art of photography and analog photography specifically can take years to master. Luckily, you can purchase a cheap dispoable camera to achieve the nostalgic look of film on a budget (and without experience). Most disposable cameras in Canada can be found in the $25 to $30 range. While you can certainly learn a lot more about photography as an art elsewhere, I just wanted to share a fun, affordable idea for your next outdoor adventure.

Capturing Yoho in Film

The trip we used the film camera on was our three night stay in the Yoho Valley. We had four days to use our precious 27 shots, and with the heavy smoke from the wildfires in the air we weren’t sure if any of our photos would even turn out. But I could not believe the results when my friend shared the photos. They were better than I could have hoped. The smokey air adds to the old look of the photographs and creates an interesting depth effect to the mountains in the background of some photos.

Usually I just bring my phone on trips and put on airplane mode so it can last 3-4 days without a charge. It functions as a camera better than any point-and-shoot model I’ve owned, and I am not a skilled enough to want to carry a more professional camera while backpacking. However, bringing a small (and light) disposable camera was such a fun idea, creating unique photos and rewarding us with a fun surprise after getting them developed. I hope you will consider going back in time a little and bringing one along on your next adventure.

And without further ado, here are the photos!