Back in January, I took a trip with my girl to NYC and thought it would be cool to bring along my mom’s old film camera (an Olympus OM1) that she used in college (and probably hadn’t been used since then!) to try and see if I could get some cool shots out of it. Ever since getting those photos back, I’ve been dipping my feet into the world of film photography more and more, getting further into it after each roll I shoot. I thought it would be really cool to photograph some of my favorite, more special/sentimental yoyos and share them with you all here. (As if one niche hobby wasn’t enough! ) There’s just something about film photos that are so alluring - it’s hard to describe, but they just seem so much more real and lifelike. They have such a nostalgic aesthetic that truly can’t be replicated with a phone or digital camera. It’s so easy to take a picture of a yoyo with your phone, and quickly upload it for all to see. Shooting on film takes much more time but is super rewarding. You truly gain an appreciation for how far technology has come when automatic processes you take for granted thanks to the digital realm must be done manually. Not only does it take time to properly set exposure for the scene and pull focus, there isn’t the instant gratification of seeing your shot immediately after taking it - you have to finish shooting your roll and wait for it to developed in order to see your photos for the first time. It’s all the more rewarding when that shot came back even better than you expected. Enough rambling for now… here’s what you came to see!
In order of appearance:
A-RT Grail
OD Panorama
General Yo Hatrick
CLYW Alpine
YoYoFriend Hummingbird (Unknown Edition)
Let me know what you think! If anyone else shoots film, or better yet, has taken shots of yoyos on film, feel free to post in this thread and post your favorite shots! I’ll be using this thread as an ongoing diary to share any other yoyos I capture on film/to document my progress as I get better at photographing them!
Since I know that Hatrick is never leaving your hands, I wanted to immortalize it by replicating a 95 year old version of yourself holding that very Hatrick.
DUDE! These are absolutely fantastic, thanks for posting! Thinking I’m gonna grab some Portra 400 to shoot with next, not a huge fan of the Ultramax 400 I’ve been using tbh. Post more if you got em!
Very nice! I really miss film! I worked in a few photo labs in my youth and even shot a bunch of 4 × 5. I still have my kit. As amazing as digital photography is, not to mention how convenient it is, it just doesn’t have that same simple magic. I even used to have my own darkroom in my garage.
Shot another roll! My plan is to use the remaining shots left on a roll for yoyos - for example, I shot this batch to fill up the roll after the last of my girlfriend’s graduation photos. My goal is to continue experimenting with new locations and to try and get better each time - which is really ironic since I (1) shot at the same location as last time and (2) like my previous batch a little better lmao (most of these were just the slightest bit underexposed). Here they are anyway:
Debuting my newest acquisition here as well - One Drop Citizen #62. Got this baby from a very generous forum member I have had the pleasure of meeting in real life. I can see why this thing is one of the most coveted yoyos released in the past decade, as I feel it’s possibly the best yoyo I’ve ever had the privilege of throwing. Certainly a, if not THE crown jewel of my collection. So thankful to be the caretaker of this beautiful looking and playing piece.
These are awesome! I still have my OM1 from high school (and a few lenses I picked up at thrift/pawn shops over the years that digital took over photography for the most part).
Yo! That’s SO awesome you have an OM1 too! Considering sending this one in for some TLC, the light meter is non functional and as you probably know the batteries it needs aren’t made anymore. I absolutely love it the more I use it though. I should bring it to the next DXL meet to get some cool shots! Have you used yours recently?
It’s been so long that I’d forgotten about the battery. I think I took mine out and it hasn’t had a battery in it since the 80s. I assume there’s some sort of fix for the battery at this point, right?
I mostly shot from the hip as far as exposure goes (which is probably why my photos were never that great) and never got too creative with depth of field. The last time I used it was probably in the mid-late 00s. Film after digital was a very casual hobby for me for a while and I mostly did b/w. Did you ever use the darkroom at the Irvine Arts Center? That’s where I used to develop and print.
There is a battery fix, but you have to send it off for service to get that done. There’s a battery I saw recommended on a forum somewhere that I got off Amazon, and it actually got the meter working to a certain degree, but it doesn’t fit well and it isn’t perfect, so I’ve been using a light meter app on my phone lately, which has tended to work fine.
Haven’t used that darkroom, I should check it out and see if it’s still there and able to be used, that’d be awesome. Have been using Goodman Film Labs in Irvine, they’re fantastic and came highly recommended if you ever wanna hop back in the game sometime.
I always figured there’d be a way to rig it since there must still be buttons of the right voltage available.
Haven’t been in a few years, and it could be closed for Covid, but hopefully they’re still around. It’s owned by the city so it’s pretty cheap if you’re a resident. It’s great that there are still people making and processing film. We usually use Fromex in Long Beach (mostly for printing/scanning film these days). They’re good also.
) There’s just something about film photos that are so alluring - it’s hard to describe, but they just seem so much more real and lifelike. They have such a nostalgic aesthetic that truly can’t be replicated with a phone or digital camera. It’s so easy to take a picture of a yoyo with your phone, and quickly upload it for all to see. Shooting on film takes much more time but is super rewarding. You truly gain an appreciation for how far technology has come when automatic processes you take for granted thanks to the digital realm must be done manually. Not only does it take time to properly set exposure for the scene and pull focus, there isn’t the instant gratification of seeing your shot immediately after taking it - you have to finish shooting your roll and wait for it to developed in order to see your photos for the first time. It’s all the more rewarding when that shot came back even better than you expected. Enough rambling for now… here’s what you came to see!
