I spent a majority of my time abroad doing what I love to do most: taking photos. Most of this was done on either my iPhone camera, or my Canon DSLR. Taking photos on my phone is definitely the easiest and most efficient method, but sometimes you just want some more professional looking photos, that's where my DSLR comes in. However, it's not always fun and games having to lug a huge camera around with you.
Eventually I decided I wanted to take some photos on a film camera instead. Luckily, while in Paris one weekend we happened upon a flea market and I found an old vintage film camera. My roommate Valentina and I both got one and we were so excited to start using them. Once we got back to Aix-en-Provence we had time to look for some film at a Kodak store, but the workers there quickly assured us they didn't have the right kind as our cameras were too old. Walking out of the store feeling defeated, we thought of just buying a disposable camera instead for the fun of it. We ran back into the store, hoping the employees wouldn't be bothered by our return and bought our little disposable cameras, one color and one black and white.
I chose the black and white camera to carry around with me and hopefully capture some memorable moments. This didn't go as well as planned, because I couldn't get the flash to work on my camera and unfortunately about half the photos didn't turn out. I learned that's the gamble with disposable cameras, but it's also the exciting part. You never know how each photo will turn out and you've only got one shot to capture the moment. There's no trying to get the best lighting or angles, it just is what it is.
That's what I've come to appreciate about these kind of cameras. There's a uniqueness to them because you don't know how each picture will look in the end. It was exciting to get them developed when I got back home and to finally be able to see the images. I didn't even remember taking most of them, but now I have these reminders of small moments from my travels that I had decided to capture.
I'd definitely recommend getting a disposable camera to bring on a trip and snap some candid shots. They're inexpensive and lightweight which make them easy to carry around. Although you won't know exactly what you're capturing in the moment, you'll have something to look forward to at the end of your travels and some memorable souvenirs.