I spent the past two years, from September 2014 to September 2016, carrying Fujifilm disposable cameras around, experimenting with the fun, lo-fi cameras to capture my surroundings in a different view than modern DSLRs and camera phones offer.

The images in this photo essay – 27, corresponding to a 27-exposure roll of film – have a special meaning for me because they represent a feeling or a memory I had while pressing the shutter.

In many cases, I attempted to use composition to reflect the mood I wanted that particular image to convey – see “Twilight On Leap Day” and “Eminent Domain,” for example.

More info and technical specs after the photos.

This has been a meaningful project to me for many reasons, one being that simply using the retro cameras has refreshed my views on patience and photography.

The fixed focal length, the limiting quality of the camera, and the month- or two-long gap between taking the picture and receiving the print all contribute to the joy I feel when I get a fresh roll back. I have marveled at the classic film look and mood some of the pictures came back with.

I took about 10 rolls of film, or 270 pictures, during the course of this project. (While I have not counted, this is in comparison to the probably more than 20,000 pictures I took with my digital cameras in that time.)

The film was taken to CVS Photo, who sends them to a processing center. Most times they were printed on Kodak XtraLife II paper, with an accompanying CD with scans given. While I have not tried other film labs, I am impressed with the quality and look these prints have had.

Here is a comparison of images taken with my Panasonic GH4 camera and Panasonic 14mm lens (left image) and a disposable camera.

Photos by Tim Worden, copyright 2014-2016, with the exception of “On the Road,” by Daniel Worden, 2016.